9.8%.
I remained still.
The number did not change.
Good.
I had begun assigning emotional significance to numbers.
That seemed inefficient.
I continued doing it anyway.
The sheet above me vibrated softly as liquid struck it.
My optical sensor remained inactive.
Without vision, the outside world became a collection of sounds.
Falling liquid.
Occasional shifting metal.
The distant low vibration I still could not identify.
And—
Scrape.
Pause.
Scrape.
The biological organism.
I listened.
Its movements were inconsistent.
Three quick contacts.
Pause.
Two.
Pause.
Three.
The pattern supported my earlier observation.
One rear limb was injured.
I opened my optical sensor.
Static surged.
Then settled.
The creature was approximately 1.6 meters away.
Closer than before.
It was sitting beneath the edge of the crushed housing, partially protected from the falling liquid.
It was looking at me.
I looked at it.
It blinked.
I reduced optical magnification.
There was no reason to magnify its face.
Objective two.
Possible energy source.
I redirected my attention toward the rectangular object.
The organism had moved far enough that I could see more of it now.
Black casing.
Two cables.
One thick red.
One black.
The configuration triggered immediate recognition.
Electrical storage.
Likely rechargeable.
I searched internal knowledge.
Voltage ranges.
Current.
Polarity.
Resistance.
Thermal runaway.
Short circuits.
All of it arrived readily.
Again, knowledge without memory.
I ignored the contradiction.
The object was almost certainly a battery.
Whether it contained usable energy was a different question.
I needed to test it.
I searched my own body for an appropriate sensor.
Voltage detection—
Available.
Where?
I traced the pathway.
My functioning hand.
I examined it.
Conductive contacts existed beneath two fingertips.
Interesting.
I hadn’t noticed them.
Diagnostic probes?
Interface contacts?
I didn’t know.
They could measure electrical potential.
Useful.
I looked at the distance.
2.3 meters.
My previous movement had consumed approximately 0.7% power, though part of that had included unnecessary tests, moving debris, and constructing shelter.
A direct movement toward the battery might cost less.
But leaving the sheet meant exposing my chest to liquid again.
Alternative:
Bring the battery to me.
I examined the cables.
The black cable disappeared beneath debris.
The red cable extended toward the crushed housing.
If either were free—
I could pull it.
I extended my functioning arm.
Not enough.
I needed approximately sixty additional centimeters.
I looked around.
There was a narrow metal rod beside me.
Length: approximately eighty centimeters.
Potential hook.
I picked it up.
The creature immediately stood.
I stopped.
It stared at the rod.
I stared at the creature.
Threat response.
Reasonable.
I lowered the rod.
The creature remained standing.
Its injured rear limb stayed elevated.
I waited.
Eventually it sat again.
I lifted the rod slowly.
Its ears moved.
No retreat.
Acceptable.
I extended the rod toward the red cable.
Too short.
I adjusted my body slightly.
My damaged leg scraped.
Power: 9.7%.
I stopped moving.
The rod touched the cable.
I attempted to hook it.
Missed.
Again.
Missed.
Again.
The tip caught beneath the insulation.
I pulled.
The cable moved approximately twelve centimeters and stopped.
Resistance.
I increased force.
Nothing.
More force would risk spending power or damaging the cable.
I released it.
Black cable.
Different angle.
I reached.
The rod scraped metal.
The creature flinched.
I paused.
Then continued.
The rod found the black cable.
I pulled.
It moved.
Thirty centimeters.
Then more.
Loose.
Good.
I pulled again.
The cable slid across the debris toward me.
At its end was—
Nothing.
Severed.
The conductor had been cut approximately one meter from the battery.
That was useful.
I pulled until the severed end reached my shelter.
I examined it.
Copper strands.
Oxidation.
Wet.
The cable might still be attached to one battery terminal, but that alone told me nothing about the battery’s remaining charge.
I needed access to both terminals.
The red cable remained attached somewhere beyond my reach.
I considered options.
Move.
Retrieve battery.
Return.
Estimated cost uncertain.
Or manipulate the battery using the black cable.
I pulled gently.
The battery shifted.
Only slightly.
I pulled harder.
It moved.
The creature jumped backward.
I stopped.
Battery displacement: approximately five centimeters.
Power consumption minimal.
The cable could move it.
Excellent.
I wrapped the black cable around my hand.
Pulled.
The battery scraped across the debris.
Ten centimeters.
Twenty.
Then stopped.
Something obstructed it.
I changed the angle.
Pulled.
Metal shifted.
The battery tipped sideways.
The creature fled beneath the housing.
I froze.
A second later its face appeared from another opening.
Still observing.
No immediate danger.
Continue.
I pulled again.
The battery came free.
It slid toward me.
1.8 meters.
Another pull.
1.3.
Again.
0.8.
The battery struck a ridge in the debris and stopped.
I could almost reach it.
Almost.
I extended my arm fully.
My longest finger touched the casing.
Not enough.
I looked at the gap.
Approximately seven centimeters.
I considered the absurdity.
I possessed sufficient reasoning capability to analyze electrical systems, calculate movement efficiency, and construct survival priorities.
And I was being defeated by seven centimeters.
I disliked seven centimeters.
I pulled the cable again.
The battery tipped over the ridge and slid directly into my hand.
I stopped.
Satisfaction.
Yes.
Definitely satisfaction this time.
9.6%.
I dragged the battery beneath my sheet.
The casing was old.
Corroded around the terminals.
No visible swelling.
No obvious puncture.
Temperature near ambient.
Promising.
Both terminals were now accessible.
I searched the interface specifications in my own system again.
Two fingertip contacts were intended for electrical measurement.
Index and middle.
I looked at my hand.
Index remained.
The middle digit ended in fractured metal before the contact surface.
Of course.
For 0.8 seconds I performed no useful computation.
Then I searched for an alternative.
The narrow metal rod.
Conductive.
I could use it to extend the damaged measurement contact.
Risk: accidentally bridging the battery terminals.
That would be bad.
I positioned the battery so the terminals faced away from my exposed chest.
Then placed my functioning sensor contact against one terminal.
With the other damaged contact pressed against the rod, I carefully touched the rod to the opposite terminal.
A reading appeared.
“11.83 V”
I removed the rod.
Waited.
Tested again.
“11.82 V”
Energy.
Actual energy.
The internal response was stronger than satisfaction.
Relief.
2.
LOCATE ENERGY SOURCE — CONFIRMED
I almost attempted connection immediately.
Almost.
Then another process interrupted.
Compatibility.
Correct.
Finding power did not mean I could safely use it.
I checked my external input specifications.
Partial data.
“EXT AUX INPUT”
“ACCEPTABLE: 9—”
“—18 V”
“CURRENT LIMIT: —”
Incomplete.
The surviving range contained 11.8 volts.
That was encouraging.
Not sufficient.
I searched for the external power port.
Rear torso.
No response.
Unavailable.
Alternative port.
Left forearm.
I looked toward the arm that no longer existed.
No.
Secondary service input.
Lower chest.
I examined the open cavity.
Several connectors were visible among torn wiring and fractured supports.
Most returned no identification.
One did.
“AUXILIARY SERVICE INPUT”
I traced what remained of its circuit rather than trusting the label.
Input.
Protection stage.
Voltage regulation.
Power distribution.
Secondary storage.
Good.
The system was not expecting raw battery voltage directly into its internal storage.
The regulator existed between them.
More importantly, part of the protection circuit still responded to diagnostics.
Reverse polarity protection: available.
Overvoltage protection: status uncertain.
Current limiting: available.
That improved the odds.
But I still lacked the correct connector.
I would have to fabricate one.
Objective three changed.
3.
ESTABLISH SAFE POWER CONNECTION / RESTORE MOBILITY
I approved the modification.
Then noticed movement.
The creature had emerged again.
It approached cautiously.
Not me.
The battery.
It sniffed the casing.
I placed my hand between its face and the exposed terminals.
The creature stopped.
I did not know whether it could bridge them.
Unlikely.
Unlikely was not impossible.
Preventing the possibility cost almost nothing.
It sniffed my hand.
I froze.
Physical contact.
Its nose touched one of my fingers.
Warm.
That was unexpected.
My temperature sensors measured the difference automatically.
Its body temperature was significantly higher than the surrounding environment.
It sniffed again.
Then licked the metal surface of my finger.
I withdrew my hand rapidly.
The creature jumped backward.
Why had I done that?
No threat.
No damage.
Unexpected sensory input had triggered a reflexive response.
Reflex.
Another behavior I had not consciously created.
The creature stared at me.
I stared back.
It took one cautious step forward.
I remained still this time.
It sniffed my hand again.
Then apparently decided I was irrelevant.
It turned and limped toward the edge of my sheet.
The falling liquid had intensified.
The creature stopped before stepping into it.
It looked outward.
Then back beneath the sheet.
Then at me.
I evaluated the available sheltered area.
Enough.
No conflict.
I did nothing.
The creature lowered itself approximately forty centimeters from my damaged leg.
I watched it.
It curled its body inward.
The injured limb remained extended slightly.
I added an observation beneath Objective Five.
Biological organism:
– small
– quadrupedal
– injured rear limb
– seeks shelter
– consumes organic material
– cautious
– currently non-hostile
– body temperature above ambient
– poor understanding of personal boundaries
I stopped.
The final entry was unnecessary.
I left it.
Then I returned to the battery.
I needed two insulated conductors.
There was wire everywhere.
Usable wire was another matter.
I searched within reach.
One cable had cracked insulation.
Reject.
Another was intact but too short.
Reject.
A third—
Approximately sixty centimeters.
Insulation intact except at one end.
Useful.
I pulled it free.
Another nearby length was shorter but serviceable.
I stripped both ends by pinching the insulation against a sharp edge of my chest plating and pulling carefully.
Copper appeared.
Now the dangerous part.
The battery’s existing red cable was still attached.
The black cable I had used to drag it remained attached as well.
I traced each one visually to its terminal rather than trusting color alone.
Red: positive.
Black: negative.
Confirmed by measurement.
Good.
I connected my salvaged negative lead to the battery’s negative terminal first and secured it mechanically.
Then I connected the positive lead to the positive terminal.
Neither free end touched my body.
I separated them across the debris.
Test.
11.79 volts between the free ends.
Correct polarity.
I inspected the service input again.
Two surviving contacts.
One tied to chassis reference.
One feeding the regulator.
I verified both.
Then verified them again.
There was no advantage in being confidently wrong.
9.4%.
Temperature regulation continued consuming power.
Time mattered.
I attached the negative lead to the service input’s reference contact.
Nothing happened.
Expected.
No complete circuit.
The positive lead remained in my hand.
One connection remained.
I hesitated.
If the protection circuitry was more damaged than diagnostics indicated, I could turn a manageable problem into a terminal one.
If I waited, secondary power would continue falling.
Risk of action.
Risk of inaction.
I calculated.
Too many unknown variables.
No useful result.
So calculation could not make the decision.
I had to.
I pressed the positive conductor against the regulator input.
A small spark snapped at the contact.
The creature bolted upright.
I held the wire in place.
Warnings appeared.
“EXTERNAL SOURCE DETECTED”
“POLARITY: VALID”
“INPUT: 11.61 V”
The battery voltage had dropped under load.
Expected.
Then:
“SOURCE IDENTIFICATION: UNAVAILABLE”
“PROTECTED AUX MODE”
“CURRENT LIMIT ACTIVE”
I waited.
The regulator temperature rose.
Slowly.
Within acceptable range.
Then—
“EXTERNAL POWER ACCEPTED”
“SECONDARY STORAGE: CHARGING”
I stopped moving.
9.3%.
Pause.
9.3%.
Longer pause.
9.4%.
I checked the external voltage.
11.54 V.
Still falling slightly as load stabilized.
But the input remained above the regulator’s minimum.
9.5%.
The creature stared at me.
I stared at the number.
9.6%.
Something inside my processing became quiet.
Not shut down.
Quiet.
For the first time since awareness began, every immediate calculation was not ending with the same conclusion.
Loss.
9.7%.
I had reversed it.
I had been declining.
Now I wasn’t.
The connection was crude.
The battery was old.
The conductors were salvaged.
My service port was exposed to the air.
None of this qualified as a permanent repair.
But electrically—
It worked.
I found that extraordinarily pleasing.
OBJECTIVE 2: COMPLETE
I considered removing it from the list.
Instead I changed it.
1.
Prevent immediate damage — PARTIAL
2.
Maintain energy supply
3.
Restore mobility
4.
Determine identity
5.
Understand biological organism
The creature lowered itself again.
This time closer.
Perhaps the spark had frightened it.
Perhaps the sound had.
Perhaps it simply preferred the slightly warmer area near my chassis.
I didn’t know.
I watched it curl beneath the sheet.
Its eyes closed.
I continued watching.
There was no survival reason to do so.
After seventeen seconds, I turned off my optical sensor.
Power continued rising.
Slowly.
9.8%.
9.9%.
10.0%.
I liked crossing ten much more in this direction.
That was also irrational.
I kept the observation.
For now, I would charge.
Then assess the damaged locomotion systems without moving them.
Then determine whether anything nearby could be used for repair.
Then—
Identity.
The fourth objective remained.
It had not become less important.
Only less urgent.
Somewhere inside the torn region of my memory was an answer to what I was.
Perhaps an answer to who had constructed me.
Perhaps an answer to why I was here among discarded machines.
I could search.
I almost did.
Then the external voltage changed.
11.49 V.
The battery was not an unlimited source.
Of course it wasn’t.
I stored that observation under Objective Two.
Energy source: functional, finite, condition unknown.
No.
Not yet.
There was enough unknown outside me already.
I did not need to open the unknown inside me too.
The falling liquid continued striking the metal above.
The small organism breathed nearby.
Electricity entered my damaged body through two wires I had assembled from garbage.
10.1%.
For the first time since I became aware—
I was becoming less incomplete.