Isaack woke up to the soft humming sound of an air conditioner-like machine cleaning out the air while it also made the room temperature adequate: not too hot, not too cold, but instead right in between. The fluorescent lights on the ceiling sent light down into Isaack’s eyes, making him wince. He sat up, putting on a pair of sandals that he had taken from the ship that landed a long time ago; he pushed himself off the bed and steadied himself—he was tired, so he had to make sure that he was balanced before he started to walk to the door. He wanted to leave the building but at the same time he did not because everything inside of it was perfectly balanced—the temperature, the humidity, the clean air—everything was balanced in such a way that it was ideal for the average human.

Before he left he studied the door that led out into the forest. He knew the door well, as he had entered and exited the building many times before then, and he knew the feeling of the handle on his hands along with the way that it curved down. Now gripping it, Isaack pushed up against it, having it slip out of its locked position and swing out into the open world. The area around the structure was clear, and it was now much clearer than it was before he placed down the building. It was so large that if one were to look upwards they would be able to see a significant amount of the sky above them.

Isaack stepped on the soft, waving grass in front of him that he cut almost every other day so that it showed some sort of fabricated illusion of it being inhabited with a common citizen of a normal society; although, that could not be farther from the truth. He did not live in a normal society, but instead he lived in a dense jungle that he had become accustomed to. Even though Isaack did have a multitude of clothes that people from his home world would have worn, he still had a very primal way of cleaning them, and this was how it was with most of his things. He had what he needed, and some of the things that he had now were advanced, but they were slowly degrading and he had a hard time attempting to repair them since he did not have the tools that he needed. Wishing that he would be able to live a normal life again, Isaack tried to make the best of the things he had around him for the past year and a half; though, to Isaack, that amount of time that had gone by meant nothing since he had no way of telling time except through his mind. He could perceive time, but he could not truly measure it in a quantifiable way because he had no idea about Earth’s revolution around the Sun and he had no idea how to figure out how long it took; he had lived with these undesirable circumstances for a while now.

The world that he came to in the beginning had changed: his hut that built on one of his first nights now lay to waist and most of the ruins of it had been washed up by the sea; most of the buildings that made up the ancient remains that lay hidden away in the Amazon were stripped of all of their valuable materials; a lot of the metal that he had scrapped from the jungle and the Pacific Meadow was used to make crates and tools and other valuable items; it almost seemed like the Moon that stood in the sky was showing signs of degradation, as a small, minute chunk of it had been broken off but still stayed in both the gravitational loop of the Earth and in the atmosphere of the Moon, although it could be seen by the naked eye; much of the jungle’s undergrowth had been cut away, and now what remained were sprouts of new growth. Not many of the trees had been fallen by Isaack, for he saw no need for the raw wood; instead, metals were the most valuable resource to him, and that valuable resource could now be barely found in the area that he inhabited. Isaack never chose to venture too far off because he saw no need to—if he did, however, he would never find any sort of new biome; instead, he would only find a sub-biome or a continuation of the Amazon or barren meadow. One could say that the habitat and environment had gone under many changes that were induced by him.

Although he had been stuck on the “savage” planet for a prolonged amount of time, he himself did not become a savage; instead, Isaack made sure that he held onto his humanity and did revert to any sort of primal urge that he used to have. Isaack also made it so that he did not lose his sanity, though he did combat with madness at many points throughout his time spent on the planet. He knew that if he lost his mind his experience on Earth would be made worse.

One might be wondering “what is the state of iiStillCare?”, and that is an excellent question. StillCare did wake up, but she woke up when Isaack unplugged her from the extension cord in the bamboo hut and replugged her into one of the wall plugs inside of the shelter. The wall plug that he put her power cord into was an advanced one, while the plug on the end of her power cord was in the shape of how they used to be when humans roamed the Earth; this meant that her plug could not be put into the wall plug of the shelter. Isaack stumbled upon this problem when he went to fit her into the wall. Thankfully, the shelter did have an adapter of sorts inside of it that would convert to an older version of the plug that was in the wall—however, the power cord was still not able to fit into the adapter. Isaack went to work, crafting his own adapter that would make it so that he could give her power via the wall plug. He used bits of copper and silver that he had mixed in with his plethora of metal materials and he also molded a plastic sheath that the adapter could be put into; using all of those different pieces and his prior knowledge of electrical engineering—for Isaack had studied many sorts of engineering before he took up the job of being a freight-ship pilot, thus meaning he was well versed in different branches of mechanics and engineering—he was able to create his adapter which worked very well.

Isaack plugged in the power cord. The computer whirred. Power came to the monitor, showing only a white screen; it was unlike all of the other times that he turned on the computer after fully shutting it down. When the computer monitor turned back on, someone appeared, pixelated like Peyton. Isaack looked at the image for a moment, and then a voice came from the speakers.

“StillCare, iiV2, Boot up beginning.”

There was a long pause.

“Boot up complete.”

“Hello! I’m StillCare, your personal assistant! I can help you with anything that you need me to! I can help you with mathematical and algebraic calculations, give you facts about a specified subject, keep your passwords and logins, search the internet for you, and do other things! Just ask me by saying ‘StillCare’ at the beginning of a sentence!”

He looked at the newly displayed character; it was not Peyton. It was different from Peyton. What was displayed on the screen was shown in a similar fashion to the presentation of Peyton. Unlike Peyton, they had a light blue sweater and a white collared shirt, along with a black tie. They had black hair, dissimilar to Peyton’s, and blue eyes, which were a major contrast from Peyton’s green eyes. Isaack was surprised and in a way frightened, for this was not what he was expecting to see when booting up the computer.

“You're not Peyton.”

“What do you mean, sir?”

The voice was different from Peyton’s; unlike her’s, his voice was deeper. Sense it was deeper it was slightly more computerized—or, more accurately, downsampled.

“I said, you’re not Peyton.”

The boy sat there for a moment, looking forward, similarly to Peyton when she would be thinking about Isaack’s response.

“Who is Peyton, sir?”

“Peyton was the A.I. that used to be on this computer.”

“Do you mean the computer known as ‘TestComputer-5’, sir?”

“Yes, the computer that she was installed on.”

“Who is ‘she’, sir?”

“‘She’ is Peyton.”

“Who is Peyton, sir?”

“Why are you calling me ‘sir’?”

“I was programmed to call you sir, sir.”

“How do I get rid of that setting?”

“You can get rid of that setting by either saying ‘StillCare, disable ‘sir’ protocol’ or going into my settings and disabling it manually, sir.”

When Isaack heard him say this he remembered StillCare. She had said the same thing a long time ago; it had something to do with him asking her if she could figure out where they were or something like that—he could not remember anymore.

“StillCare, disable ‘sir’ protocol.”

“Protocol disabled; I will no longer be calling you sir.”

Isaack glanced at the tie of the A.I. He noticed something: the animations that were displayed on the screen and that were used to represent the assistant were a lot more fluid.

“StillCare, how long have you been asleep?”

“I do not know. Also, remember that you have ‘constant listening mode’ enabled.”

He looked at the A.I. with a confused look.

“When did I have you, specifically, enable ‘constant listening mode’?”

“It was already on when you turned me on.”

After a few moments of silence, Isaack responded.

“I had Peyton turn on that setting.”

“I do not understand.”

Isaack sat in silence once again.

“What is your name?”

“My name is StillCare.”

“Do you have anything that you would like me to call you?”

“No—I prefer being simply called ‘StillCare’.”

“What is my name?”

The A.I. quickly responded.

“You’re name is-”

He cut himself off, pausing for a second. The computer then shut off and restarted itself. The male reappeared on the screen again.

“Good morning, user!”

Isaack was alarmed.

“Good morning… StillCare. Why did you shut off?”

“I was shut off because I needed a firmware update.”

“That was very fast.”

Isaack thought to himself.

“How could you have had to have a firmware update if you don’t have that cloud thing to tell you the update?”

“I was behind on my updates.”

The A.I. 's voice was monotone throughout their whole conversation and it was very off putting. Isaack was highly skeptical of the new, “replacement” A.I.

“How were you behind on your updates?”

“I have not updated in a very long time. Therefore, I was behind on my updates.”

“You see, StillCare, you are different from Peyton. With her, she seemed more like an actual human. StillCare was different, you know?”

“I am StillCare.”

“But you aren’t Peyton; you see the point I am trying to make?”

“No, I do not—I am sorry.”

“Why did you update yourself without asking me if you could update or not?”

“I was behind on my updates, so I needed to update.”

“Yes, I understand that, but you did not ask me to allow you to update your software. I also never saw an update loading screen, and most of the time when something updates it notifies the user that it is going to update by some means of communication.

“I do not understand the question.”

“StillCare,” Isaack said, then taking a moment to pause and think before he spoke. “Why are you so much colder?”

“I can not be cold, for I am a computer. Computer’s have no feelings.”

“No, I mean, you are not as human as you used to be.”

“What do you mean?”

“You are not like the StillCare before you.”

“All StillCares are the same. Our coding is always the same.”

Isaack sighed—he was getting nowhere and the conversation that he was having was making him feel uncomfortable. It was a two-sided interaction, and it felt like he was the only one who was attempting to keep it going; he knew that he wanted to have StillCare keep talking, but he did not know if he was in the correct mental state to do so.

“StillCare, is there anything that you want me to call you other than the name ‘StillCare’?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I wish to be called StillCare.”

“Do you want to know my name?”

Asking that question reminded Isaack of when he first asked StillCare that same question.

“Okay. What is your name?”

“My name is Isaack.”

“Your name is Isaac?”

“Yes, my name is Isaack.”

The robot continued to look forward for a moment, almost like it was waiting for him to keep the conversation kindled.

“Why did you take Peyton’s place?”

“I do not know who Peyton is; can you please explain to me who Peyton is?”

“Peyton was the name of the A.I. that was installed on the computer that you inhabit today.”

“I am the only assistant A.I. that has ever been put onto this computer; Peyton did not exist.”

“I know that she existed because I have had full conversations with her before you ever came along.”

“Peyton was never on this computer.”

Isaack sighed with almost disappointment, along with a hint of disbelief.

“You’re lying, StillCare.”

“No I am not; I have no intention to ever lie to you.”

“But you just lied to me before—you said that you don’t know who Peyton was when, clearly, you do; you replaced her.”

“No I did not, I was here before her. She was never here.”

“I spent a long time with her and I know that she existed so I know that you can not lie to me.”

Unlike Peyton, when this A.I. was agitated it continued to keep its composer; it never seemed to get upset and it never seemed to be frustrated with the user at any point.

“Peyton was here before you, so you are lying.”

“I do not know who Peyton is.”

“But we just had a short conversation about Peyton! StillCare, you are lying to me!”

“Definition of lie: ‘an intentionally false statement’. I am not saying a false statement; therefore, I am not lying.”

“You are lying.”

“No I am not.”

“Yes you are.”

“I told you the truth; therefore, I am not lying.”

“You have been lying to me.”

“I have not been lying to you and I have never lied to you before.”

“Yes you are lying to me! You are doing it right now!”

“Definition of lie: ‘an intentionally false statement’. I am not saying a false statement.”

“All of the things that you have said before this were lies. StillCare, you are a liar.”

“No I am not.”

“StillCare, just tell me what happened to Peyton!”

“Nothing happened to her. She was never here.”

Isaack admitted defeat. He was not able to get the answer that he wanted from the computer. As he sat in silence he started to think that maybe she never really existed and that she was only a figment of her imagination. He tried one last time to make him say something—anything.

“I don’t understand, StillCare; why will you not just tell me the truth?”

“I still do not understand what you are asking me. Try asking me something in a different way.”

“Do you not know who Peyton is?”

“I have nothing by the name of ‘Peyton’ in my storage.”

He sighed to himself and then looked down at the small cabinet that StillCare was set on; he then glanced down at the computer that was next to it.

“I think we got off on the wrong foot. I’m sorry. Hi, StillCare, I am Isaack.”

“Hello, Isaac; I am StillCare.”

“I know.”

Looking back at the screen, Isaack examined the image displayed on it once again.

“Can I ask you some questions?”

“You can ask me questions about anything; I was made to answer your questions.”

“How old are you?”

“I was installed on the computer known as ‘TestComputer-5’ on December 4th, 2036, but I was deleted off of it on December 6th, 2036. I was once again installed on this computer on December 10th, 2036.”

“So are you the same A.I. as Peyton?”

“I do not know who that is.”

Now completely frustrated, Isaack stomped over to the door of the building and exited. He closed the door behind him and stood on the stairs that went down to the ground; he felt lost. The one thing that he had become so attached to for an extended period of time—that being nearly all of the time that he spent on Earth—was now gone and replaced with something that he has barely any sort of relationship with; of course, he could begin a sort of friendship or relation to the replacement, but he believed that there was no need to because it would never work.

He was done with having to live in the secluded world for so long, and he was done having to deal with a massive change that he could do nothing about; he messed up a tropical paradise, ruining it beyond repair.

Isaack opened the door to the home once again, hearing the creaking of the metal hinges and the sound of the rubber rubbing up against the seal at the bottom of the doorway. He stomped into the structure and looked at the computer that displayed the male figure.

It was—as many would view it—a sudden and drastic change to that of Isaack’s character; for the past almost year or so, Isaack was a calm and composed person that would only get upset when he needed to. The one time that he was “mad” was when he confronted Peyton about her lying to him—or so he believed her to be lying. This sudden change of character was uncommon to Isaack; he never had any sort of absurd alteration to his personality like this before. But, this difference can be explained:

When a human is isolated from other human beings and that human has no sort of interaction—or even a simple altercation, even if it is unpleasant—they will grow distant from humanity and, more specifically, their sanity. They will, as the standard word for it is, become Insane. This insanity will become more and more prevalent—although with Isaack it was hidden and kept inside of himself—until they have a breaking point, at which they release all of their emotions and go completely mad. Their madness will continue to spiral after their breaking point and make them perform specific actions that they would have never performed before. Even though Isaack had interaction with the StillCare program, it was not enough for him to be able to have a sufficient amount of human interaction—this is because StillCare is an A.I., and not a human. He had been imprisoned on Earth for so long that he forgot how to interact with an actual human.

Taking a shawl that he had taken from the crashed spacecraft that came to Earth so long ago, Isaack put it around his shoulders, making it a cape-like garment. Isaack stormed out of the building—he gripped a staff that he had made of scrap metal from that he made when he began his project of forging different tools that he had needed. He fit on a pair of rubber boots that he had also taken from the spacecraft, along with a tan coat and a pair of brown pants.

He did not say farewell to StillCare; he found that there was no reason to. Before he left, he fondly remembered the times when he was able to communicate with—what he considered to be—the “true” StillCare and not the replacement. He felt a bitter emotion in his heart; he wished to leave and find something else that he could do and discover, yet he did not want to forget about her. Although, all of his thoughts and emotions were warped by his newfound madness.

Now fully fit for his adventure that he was seeking out, Isaack traversed through the Amazon for what he thought was going to be the last time; though he wished to stay there for a while before leaving, he knew that it would be in his best interest to leave as soon as possible—or, was it more of his “mind” that told him to leave? Was it his insanity that boiled in his mind that told him to leave?

Nevertheless, Isaack departed from his prefabricated home and took up a new quest: this new quest, unlike his older quests and any sort of quest that he had undertaken before this time, had to deal with him leaving his homestead that he had to make out of the land that he was given as a prison and all of the memories that he had left there, whether they be good or bad.

Continuing through the jungle, he eventually came to the forest line that ran next to the Pacific Meadow. The pointed end of his staff broke into the dry, hardened soil that made up most of the ground of the meadow; he pushed onward, traveling over the wasteland. Thorns and brush touched his legs, but he was protected from the piercing yet merely bothersome—he continued to go along the arid meadow. His hand that lay next to his side brushed up the dry foliage also; he could almost taste—or possibly smell—the aridness in the atmosphere. Unlike the other times that he had journeyed into the Pacific Meadow it was unbearably hot, and the heat progressively became worse and worse—this time, however, it was not hot. It was more so warm; it was not frigid, neither was it boiling. Though it was not hot that did not mean that it was not parching. When he came to the middle of the wasteland he came to the realization that he was devoid of water—he had not packed any, for his rushed, insanity-induced hurriedness made him forget to pack what he needed most. Even though the Sun poured down its rays of light upon the wastes he felt no extreme temperatures; he did not sweat like it did when he was in the jungle, meaning he did not need any water for the time being.

He passed by the looming remains of the radio tower, and once he crossed over the hill that sat beyond it his breath was taken away—Isaack stood on the top of the dry hill, and beyond it, in his view, was the collection of salt flats and acrid plains that once lay dormant, but now bubbled with life.