For days on end, without having any control over it, Diggix overheated excessively, making his duties way more complicated. More times than not, his software froze, causing him to reboot or malfunction in one way or another. In addition, Diggix would find it increasingly difficult to shut down completely to recharge his power crystal, and the overheating forced many of his vital systems to shut down until it had sufficient time to cool down though it never powered him down entirely. Although Thanatos claimed it was fragments of the biochip causing the malfunction, his internal diagnostics would come up with nothing useful for the little robot to determine where the actual problem was; Diggix sought the help of Ilgo once more; if anyone can fix him, it will be Ilgo.

The long flat table was a familiar resting place for Diggix; he had spent so many days laying on the table while the engineer monk worked on the innermost working of his frame. Ilgo was running some diagnostics and had the little robot’s head open, searching for any sign of physical damage to his circuits.

“The new function is functioning well, but at the same time, your firewall is rejecting the code.”

It was customary for Ilgo to think aloud, not expecting or wanting any answer from Diggix; it was his way of dealing with problems. Although Diggix himself was running a background scan for any issues, he had also switched off his visual and thermal sensors to enable himself to find the strange web of code he had discovered more than a week ago.

The strange currents were still flowing; his internal cooling system struggled under strain and caused much of it to shut down due to power loss in his power crystal. It had been a very uncomfortable couple of days. The firewall was constantly blocking functions from executing, almost like a virus in his systems, though not a coded virus but a physical organic virus.

“Master Monk,” Diggix asked, breaking the silence above the noises of the equipment humming along. “Might it be possible that an organic virus is attacking my systems?”

Ilgo looked at Diggix; it seemed like he was in awe of the robot’s ability to reason in such a manner. Though his look quickly changed into a smile. The possibility of an organic virus attacking a robot’s system almost sounded too absurd to believe. But, though thinking deeply, he found an opportunity.

“Your biochip mast still be installed then, or at least fragments of it. So Thanatos might be right.”

This would explain the strange coding he had found in his system, though he would not have been able to locate its exact location even if he tried. Ilgo was determined to find it though, his failure to remove it would have significant consequences. Thanatos did not act kindly towards loss. The doctor pressed a button on the top of the small robot’s head, and it opened up the entire head, allowing Ilgo to remove all the covers.

The inside of Diggix’s head had plenty of space for hardware changes and the lot. However, the boards and chips, memories, and discs were tiny; they occupied a small two-by-two three-dimensional space between his eyes. The rest of the circuitry was part of the various systems and tools he possessed.

The doctor looked carefully, even employing the help from his nano bots to search for anything unusual to the design of Diggix’s hardware. But, though he gave them as long as he could to explore, they could not find anything; even the extensive diagnostics didn’t come up with anything. Ilgo was at a loss for words.

“Why does Epsimus Master Thanatos make me obedient to him when I am already?”

The question came out of the blue, Diggix knew he could ask the doctor any question, and he’d try his best to answer. Though Ilgo just gave him a look. Ilgo looked towards his door and then around him; too often, there were people or robots around him when he worked, and he would simply forget that they were ever there. Then, taking a deep breath, he spoke.

“You are more valuable to him than anyone realizes; the organic chip that was implanted in you came from his DNA; in all essence, you are him, and he is you.”

“I do not understand.”

“It is not an easy concept to understand, my child, especially when you’ve lost all your memory and you’ve forgotten who you were before. But, nevertheless, everything you do, every thought you have is linked to Thanatos.”

Ilgo switched off the diagnostics machine and sat down on a tall chair next to Diggix, resting his arms on the table.

“I have no doubt you’ve spoken to Tomal….”

“Indeed I have.”

“Good, so you know a part of your own history, you know what happened and why Thanatos sent you out in the wilderness in the first place. Destroying that chip was not possible through the elements, and as much as Thanatos would have liked it, the chip cannot be removed. It is still very much in tact. You have also discovered it and witnessed its growth; it is evident in all your execution history, though they would not pick up the strange patterns if they didn’t know what to look for. The chip has been damaged, though; I have deliberately done so so that you can slowly recover and regain your essence.”

Thinking back at witnessing the growth of a web-like code, he knew what he was talking about. In time, it would grow large enough to help him be more organic than a robot.

“Are you also involved in the plot to…”

Ilgo quickly stopped him from completing the sentence; he quickly looked around the room to ensure they were still alone.

“You should never say that out loud; Thanatos has eyes and ears everywhere. I risk my life by telling you these things; luckily, I know how to work past them. But, you must understand that Thanatos will not hesitate to permanently remove you once you are discovered again. Though law dictates he cannot kill or remove any monk of the Ipsimussian order, he can send us on hazardous missions from which we will never return. It has happened too many times before.”

Diggix was scanning his records, trying to recall the things Izzar had told him during their first feedback session. Then, he remembered something he had said about the easily replaceable human lives; it became more evident that Thanatos only had evil intentions for everyone around him.

“The function Thanatos added to your systems was designed for standard DG units to become more obedient after their Artificial Consciousness was activated. Indeed I was the one who designed it, but he stole it from my research. Unfortunately, the function is not compatible with your organic chip; your systems are fighting against it.”

Diggix realized what this meant; it was simple. If he was human, it would have been resistance towards teaching, a disliking in the circumstances. It was simply not in his programming to remain obedient after apprehension formed.

“The feelings you had before getting lost in the forest are all returning; soon, you will find yourself at odds with Thanatos once again. However, I would like to avoid that if possible. You are the only hope for everyone in this Citadel. Master Izzar will replace him, and though your opinion on him does not agree with ours, he would still be a far kinder master than Thanatos.”

It was true, Izzar was less than kind to Diggix; he gave no indication that he would work freely with Diggix without any problems. Though that raised the question: If Diggix caused the demise of Thanatos, would it leave him in bad favor with the young master and force him to destroy Diggix?

“If everything went as planned, we would have had Izzar as our master already. I’m afraid I would not be around the day Izzar become the Epismus.”

The old doctor buried his face in his hands; he sighed deeply and wiped his face standing to his feet once again.

“Somehow, I need you to stop overheating to keep on selling the elusion that you are completely fixed from your rebellious programming. Do you think if I removed the obedience function and replaced it with once that does not actually do anything, that you would show the utmost obedience towards Thanatos?”

Diggix considered this for a moment; he still did not understand the difference between what he was doing and what was expected.

“Can you teach me what is expected of me?”

Diggix finally asked. Ilgo smiled; there was no doubt in his mind that the old Diggix was lying before him. There was no compromise for both of them.

“It is simple, child. Do exactly what he says; do not hesitate or avoid. Answer immediately when he speaks. That is what the function was written to make you do. Nothing more and nothing less. He will install more functions cementing his authority over you in the coming days, and it will continue to damage your systems. Of course, I will make sure that they do not affect you, but you need to promise me that you will adhere to his commands unconditionally.”

The little robot’s eyes slowly faded and brightened; his processors ran, trying to formulate a proper response; however, he did not know what the word ‘Promise’ meant.

“Promise?” He finally asked.

“It is to commit a code permanently.”

Diggix fully comprehended the meaning, if he had lips, he would have smiled, but the gentle currents running through his systems were satisfying enough.

“I will commit.”

“Good, now let’s sort out your overheating problem.”

Ilgo shifted his entire weight towards the console and began to code.