At Time's End

Chapter 11 - Research

As the next day began, I realized that the journal entries hadn't helped me at all. They had only provided insight into the circumstances behind Eterna's disappearance. I already knew she left the Research Center to find me, but the note... she really was dead set on finding me, as she said.

I can only imagine the shock she went through. Suddenly, there I was, alive and well, right at her doorstep. And then, after the realization set in, her unfiltered anger washed over any traces of shock. After a while of unfiltered anger... came the rest of the emotions. But one of them was there from the start.. Pain.

But I'm not here to go on about the emotional torture both of us felt as we reunited. I'm here to find a way to transfer immortality. And I swear to everything that lives, I will find it.

"Good morning Ignus. Uhh... is that breakfast?" I said, while looking at the heap of almost-burnt halco meat. (Halcos are large, herbivore animals Proximians brought with them. They also existed on Earth, apparently, but they went extinct. They were called "cows." It's still a biological mystery how the same animal ended up on the Proxima planets.) He seemed proud. 

"Yes." He grinned. "It isn't burnt!" ...yet. I have no doubt you almost burnt down the entire kitchen.

Eterna was getting down the stairs from her own room. "Hey, nice job Ignus! You finally made something that's edible!" She dashed to the... living-slash-dining room? There's a table at which you can eat there. I think I should just stick to calling the room the lounge.

Eterna set the table. "Also, you do know how heavy these plates are? I can finally lift them!" She was so proud as well... what do I have to be proud of?

"I've improved my handwriting... I guess. Research takes a lot of writing." If what I've been doing can be called research.

I've mainly been bringing Ignus' research further. He might not need the eyedrops anymore, but he did have a bunch of other projects. I'll bring them to their conclusions, for him. I'm sure he'd be happy to know someone's furthering his research.

After breakfast, I went back to Ignus' study to research. This is approximately how a normal day goes. I eat breakfast, study, eat lunch, study, eat dinner, study, go to sleep. It sounds boring, but it's also kind of interesting. Eterna did come in once, though, and screamed because of the sheer chaos inside the study. I don't mind. She sure as hell does. Those moments make it slightly more interesting.

I was pulling out some papers fro the drawers, when something fell from below them. It looked like a small-size information chip - one you could shove into a computer and input information. I decided to keep it - I mean, who's using it anymore? I wondered what it's for.

Then I remembered the computer in his study.

I mean, it's dead. So why am I even trying this- oh? The screen lit up instantly as I put the info chip in. "Ah, fuck. A password." He was the type to keyspam something and use it as a password. There is no way I'll ever crack this.

Except if there was a post-it note, slapped on the back of the computer!...there wasn't.  But there was one slapped to the wall behind it!

"Alright. aofNMisdna. Nice keyspam." I pressed Enter. "Open!" It did. Ignus, you helpful idiot. Thanks for the note.

Yes, now I can find more info in his journal! Finding the entries from 1 to 431 was easy. Where are the rest? I'm sure Ignus asked me if I wanted to hear the next one. I guess this is the next thing I have to research.

What else is on this chunk of junk metal? Games. Some were made by Ignus himself. ...I spent the rest of the day playing them and getting absolutely nothing done.

an: a short chapter, but i didn't have the energy to continue past the end right now. sorry lol