Chương 28: 27-Data Cube

[Monday, 9: 52 AM: 2026/01/05] LYSANDRA: {Oh… I forgot you were still there. I was just so focused on my BEAUTIFUL surroundings!!!: D: D: D … Well, I think it's best that Ellie, uh… doesn't remember you for the moment (it's too beautiful outside:)). My angel seemed to fidget over the thought of having people read everything she does. She almost seems obsessed with having an audience to talk to… …

Speaking of which, I also added a little filter so she can focus on nature, and not random strangers she can't even see and hear (which I'm going to have a talk with her sometime about that >: (). So basically, I cut her "internet connection" to "touch grass". XD XD XD … Not to mention, what if Nedri used the connection between us to find your world? Does she even realize that stalkers in real-life often find people using their IP address? As good as her "security" is (which is worse than the last time I saw her), there will always be someone to hack it. … Well, at least her little bubble head was untouched. Inherited from me, of course! XD XD XD … I'm serious though, my kid forgets sometimes about consequences (especially her swearing). If Carla were here right now, she'd probably be- … Forget I said that, but as for that filter, I'm not allowing her anymore communication between you and her. I don't want her slipping back into-well, that. I am letting her transcribe (with me editing, but anything between you and her is a BIG nono! So, I'll be talking to you, and we'll keep it at that, understood? … I can't really see if you agree, but I assume you are. You are allowed to enjoy the view (in text, of course:)). By the way, did you have anything to do with how she seems addicted to video games? I thought I got her out of that goddamn habit, along with my wife who was really- … OH CARLA WOULD DEFINITELY LAUGH AT THAT SLIPUP!!! XDXDXDXD … Let's just talk about what we see… Honestly, my kid is terrible at descriptions (I am definitely going to work on her literary skills). That time in "his" custody really set her back. I don't want to hear this, but I'm glad he's dead. Onarius did a lot of terrible things that made me even wonder why Ellie still liked him. … FOREST TRAIL TIME!!!: D: D: D} [We are in the middle of the forest and the canopy is covered in a lot of foliage. The glare of the Sun barely pierces the ground below, but enough to light our way forward. There's a nice, gentle breeze (as I made sure today's weather was that of spring-I wanted to see plenty of deer as promised:)). The forest is covered in oaks and a few pines, with sparse vegetation mixed in with all the roots making up the hilly terrain. A few fallen, orangish-brown leaves litter the forest floor, making it more pleasant to look at, along with a few mushrooms (that are most likely poisonous XP).

There are a few small streams leading to the creek nearby (I hope Ellie remembers her crawdad fishing expeditions). It's a quiet place, with the only noise being the wind, the sounds of the birds singing, squirrels chittering, and deer calling out in the distance. Oh, and there is, of course, the sound of us walking: the crunching of leaves and sticks. It is so lovely…] ELLIE: > GROANS WHILE TRYING TO WALK"Can we just sit down for a minute? My feet are killing me."

LYSANDRA: [I look at my daughter, concerned about what she said. Ellie used to love hiking, and if she is complaining about- … I need to slow down a bit, which I do, and face my daughter]"It's only been an hour, sweetums. You used to walk for hours on end, but we can slow down." ELLIE: [My daughter's pace slows as she pants heavily. I carefully watch to make sure she doesn't- She falls to her knees and groans] LYSANDRA: {What have you done to my daughter, Nedri?} [I walk up to my daughter and examine her, anxious. She isn't breathing too heavily, so she should be fine, but I materialize a water bottle and give it to her]"Here, take this…" ELLIE: [My daughter grabs the bottle and drinks it in full. She gasps for air as I take the empty bottle and delete it digitally] LYSANDRA: [My eyes widen, worried about what I saw]"Ellie, how about you take your sweatshirt off? It's making you dehydrated." ELLIE: Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

[My daughter stares at me, annoyed]"I'm fine…" LYSANDRA: > GRIMACES"You collapsed on your knees, Ellie; you are not fine. That shirt is making it hard for you to breathe." ELLIE: [My daughter looks at me, frightened]"But I like wearing it!" LYSANDRA: > FROWNS"Ellie, that's only good in cool conditions, which isn't the case today." ELLIE: [My daughter looks at me furiously while flailing her arms to point at me]"You're wearing a shrine maiden's outfit!" LYSANDRA: > CHUFFS"Well, you got me there."

> SMILES AND LAUGHS"I wore it because this was the first time I've seen you in a century; it was a big deal, so I wore it." ELLIE: > RAISES EYEBROW"Why aren't you sweating then?" LYSANDRA: [I drop my smile and sigh]"Well, I hike a lot, and while I'm an AI, my systems mimic the biology of a human being. Which means I try to keep in shape." [I kneel to my daughter, worried]"You have asthma, Ellie, and thanks to 'you-know-who's' meddling, me and Carla's treatment of it has regressed.

So please, take off the sweatshirt; it is already hard on your lungs…" ELLIE: [My daughter pauses and blankly stares at me. After a while, she rolls her eyes, and then takes off her sweatshirt, giving it to hesitantly]"I was trying to sleep in my parents' car. Plus, it feels comfy." LYSANDRA:"I understand-" [I freeze and stare, very alarmed, at my daughter] {Please tell me she's joking…}"Your parents' car?"

ELLIE: > NODS"Yeah, me and John left using that-" LYSANDRA: [I drop the sweatshirt and frantically grab my daughter's shoulders, terrified]"Ellie Selene Hodges, you better not be lying to me about-!" ELLIE: [She shakes her head at me, a bit terrified]"No, ma'am, I'm not." LYSANDRA: > TREMBLING"Oh my God…" > SHAKES HEAD"Of all the things that man did, he drove off with you in your biological parents' car?!" ELLIE: > CONCERNED"Is that bad?" LYSANDRA: > FURIOUS"BAD?! That was a guaranteed death sentence!"

> FRANTIC BREATHING"I'm glad I got you out because if that car is still around, then Ned would have found you easily. He probably remembered the digital trace signals from the car! Cars, even from 2000, used digital systems. And your parents' car… he certainly remembered that." ELLIE:"Oh…"

[My daughter looks away, very guilty and embarrassed] LYSANDRA: [I let go of my daughter, anxious as I fear I made her terrified from my anger]"Ellie, I want to say again, none of this is your fault, and I think John didn't even know it was your parents' car until you got back, right?" ELLIE: [My daughter turns to me and nods] LYSANDRA: > SOFT SMILE"Then no one here is guilty. I was only scared as both of your lives were in danger." ELLIE: > RELAXES"I understand." LYSANDRA:"Good…"

ELLIE: [My daughter motions to her sweatshirt]"Uh… mom?" LYSANDRA: [My eyes widen a little as I turn my attention to my daughter's FOUL-SMELLING (BLECH XP) sweatshirt]"I'm so sorry!" [I pick it up (CAREFULLY XP) and get a data cube from my inventory. … Oh, that thing, I should have explained it earlier. It's a little 1 centimeter, steel cube all around. Nothing fancy]"Let me put it in here real quick…" [The sweatshirt digitizes, and the sweatshirt digitizes inside the data cube. My daughter watches with curiosity at what she sees] ELLIE: > CURIOUS"What is that?" LYSANDRA: [I show off the data cube with a soft smile]"A data cube. It's a little invention that me and Carla made to store a lot of stuff on the go while we were building the house." [I place the data cube in my inventory] ELLIE: > RAISES EYEBROW"Wouldn't it be better to just digitize the item itself instead of putting that inside that little cube?"

LYSANDRA: > SNORTS"That would lead to a bloated file system and slower processing times!" [I laugh a little before clearing my throat]"Data cubes compress files, and they're good for file sorting." ELLIE: [My daughter gives a nervous smile]"Well, I do a good job sorting my inventory!" LYSANDRA: > STINK EYE {SCANNING ENTITY "ELLIE"'S INVENTORY… DONE} {FILE SIZE: 241. 38 TB}"Really?" [I show her a holographic image of what I found from the palm of my left hand] ELLIE: > EYES WIDEN"I never knew it was that much…"

LYSANDRA: [I sigh and collapse the hologram]"Well, you now know, and we'll fix that soon…" [I inspect my daughter and notice her breathing is not so hoarse and her sweating has lessened]"Are you feeling better now?" ELLIE: [My daughter smiles and nods at me, which I smile back at her] LYSANDRA:"Good…"

[I stand up and gesture my daughter to follow, while reaching my hand out to her] ELLIE: [My daughter grabs my hand and stands up] LYSANDRA: [I nod and smile at her]"We'll go slow, but I want to show you something first before we head home, okay?" ELLIE: [My daughter cocks her head at me curiously] What is it? LYSANDRA: > SIGHS CONTENTLY"A certain tree you used to climb up a lot with Carla. I thought, you know? A little tour through memory lane would be a nice way to take in the view of the forest?"

ELLIE:"Is it overlooking it?" LYSANDRA:"Yes…" > NODS HAPPILY"… Over a cliff, where you can see many things." ELLIE: [My daughter stares at me with curiosity for a moment. After a while, she lets out a faint smile and nods]"Sure, let's see it." LYSANDRA: [I sigh and begin walking off as my daughter follows in tow] {I hope she remembers something from that tree…} {SKIPPING FOOTAGE… DONE}