curiously_cora | Out of Phase: Artefact discovered

There were several well trekked paths and one newly forged one, leading away from most of the huts created by human feet. And another created by smaller feet. There was one bunch of flowers, fourteen individual red and yellow flowers picked and left on a rock which was not particularly interesting. There was one noisy small blonde human. And then there was the boar minding its own business until something strange happened.

A pulse of bright white light came out of the jungle startling it, screeching the boar ran angrily towards the source. Crashing into something metallic, the boar grunted and gruffed at it turning as it shuffled in the dirt. The metallic thing was broken into pieces, snuffling at it the boar mouthed at pieces before swallowing a couple of smaller pieces. Making an unpleased noise it tried to cough, trampling the artefact and kicking pieces of it further away. Stumbling forward it dragged some pieces alongside with it as it carried on its grumpy journey.

The boar didn't know what it had done. And it wouldn't for long. Boars didn't tend to last very long on the island. Not with so many hungry mouths to feed.

And the small blonde human? She'd disappeared without trace.

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Coraline scrambled backwards, yelping as Ein lunged towards her.

"Ein!" Coraline yelled, holding her hands up in front of her as he went straight through her. "Ein! That is so gross, what if you got stuck in me? Wait, can you seen me?"

With his tongue lolling out in a doggy grin, Ein yipped twice. She might be a fancy hologram, but he could see and hear her. Mostly. Maybe Edward should see this.

Picking up the piece of something he'd found, he started off again in the direction of home.

"You can see- hey, wait!" Coraline said, scrambling to her feet and chasing Ein as he ran away from her. He was the first person, or dog, that could see her. She wondered why he could see her and not Mister Bobo or Cat. "Come back or at least slow down."

She was a demanding human, but he paused, letting her catch up before heading off again. He'd take her to Edward. Edward would figure something out or at least talk to Coraline and get her to stop yelling.

What is it with humans and yelling?

Coraline followed,Ein, keeping up with him as he slowed down for her. For such a little dog he sure could move fast when he wanted to.

"You're kind of cool Ein, if I didn't already have Mister Bobo and a talking cat then I'd really like someone like you." Coraline said, running after Ein. "I wonder if Ed can see me too or is it just you?"

Ein looked back at Coraline and almost tripped. She thought he'd just go with someone else? Edward needed him. Ein took care of Edward. As for Edward being able to see Coraline, who knew.

After a few minutes, they came into view of the scrapyard and Edward headed inside. He could go around, but it was faster to go through.

"Edward! Ed!" Coraline called out, groaning in frustration as she followed Ein through the scrapyard and through several bits and pieces. Which was weird and gross and she didn't want to do it at all. "Why can't she see me?"

Edward stopped and turned, looking around as she finally saw what she was looking for. "Ein! What do you have there?" She crouched down, almost squatting as she held her hand out.

Ein, enthusiastically, placed the metal something in her hands and she started to examine it, pushing at different places to see if anything happened.

"Why is it always me? I mean, I touch a mysterious not humming object and it goes terribly wrong and you're proper poking it! And nothing!" Coraline said, making a face as Ed began to poke and prod and examine it. "Really, I mean what if it explodes?"

"No tics, rattles, sloshes or wires, no boom-splodey." Ed didn't look up from the device as she poke, still trying to get it to open. If it opened. It was a weird thing that was a communicator? Maybe, otherwise why the hologram?

"Well, how can you know for sure?" Coraline asked before realising that Edward could see her. Edward could see her! "Ed! Ed! Were you talking to me? Can you see me too?"

Maybe it was a program. Like an automated thing. Or an AI. "Ohhhhhhh, you're an AI, you look like Coraline. What do you do, AI?" Like her satellite friend. She missed him, she wished there were more satellites around.

"What's an AI? And I don't look like Coraline, I am Coraline. And I don't do anything? I mean, I do I go to school and work and that but not like a sort of thing. Do you think I'm a thing?" Coraline asked curiously, looking at Ed confused.

Edward pulled her goggles down over her eyes and booted up her computer. She could take a recording of it, maybe the computer would know what it was. Or how to turn it off, she didn't like this interface.

"Ho-lo-grammy-hologram. An artificial interface in the likeness of Cora-cora-coraline." She looked at the interface. "And more annoying than she is. Go away, I don't want to talk to the machine until I know what it dooooes. You might go 'splody."

"An artificial likeness? I'm not that, I'm me. And I'm not annoying, wait do you think I'm annoying?" Coraline asked, looking at Ed curiously. Coraline took a step back before exploding at the idea of. "What do you mean I might go splodey? Don't make me explode!"

"Then go away!" Edward poked the device again, trying to turn the girl off. If it was smart enough to scan and pick an islander to use as an interface, it should be smart enough to take verbal commands.

"Edward is working. Ed should not be disturbed."

"Stop poking it, what if you make me go explodey?" Coraline said, making a face. "Okay, fine I won't disturb you... so, what are you doing?"

"Stop talking, go away." Stupid AI. Edward moved to pick up her computer, see if it knew anything about the strange thing. She wasn't making any progress with her pokes and prods. Really, if all it did was bring up a stupid Coraline-line-line hologram AI, she would stick it on a shelf.

Maybe she'd find a use for it later.

Out of Phase: Artefact discovered

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