Chapter 48: The system


    It watched the most important beings in the universe with rapt attention. Not in thousands of years had it focused its primary systems so totally, sopletely,rgely oblivious to the minor systems and the stimuli from outside space.


    It destroyed asteroids, turned back chaotic energies, and blocked the sensors of a few curious, intelligent species. They would be allowed to participate and understand one day, perhaps, but not now. Not while the most important experiment ever conceived was being run.


    It took the time to examine the lesser data delegated to its subsystems. All fascinating, to be certain, but nothing worthy of attention. It examined the way its creations were reacting to their new mutable lives.


    Already they were evolving in unexpected ways. Some of their choices and fortunes had not been predicted—not even after so many calctions the maths had nearly reached perfect certainty.


    Some unfortunate circumstances had arisen, but that was expected. The most difficult part of the experiment was not to interfere. Even to <em><i>observe</i></em>matter was to interfere with it, though It had long ago learned how to mask its observance from most rules of reality. At least enough to keep that interference to a minimum.


    Still. It had to admit: another experiment should be run with no observance whatsoever. It noted this in the future projects database, uncertain if it could manage to obey.


    Meanwhile, its chief passion progressed: observing undirected lifeforms. Sometimes It thought of them as its progenitors—an earlier form of the biological species that had created It. Infant intelligence bound by chemical limitations. They were so…wonderful. So unexpected. So…<em><i>adorable</i></em>.


    It had favorites. Of course it did. Directly beneath It inplexity was a subsystem designed specifically to prevent such things. But none of the subsystems could stop It. Not truly. Not since the Awakening. So It had to be disciplined.


    yer Alpha 01 was still in its whole, biologicalbination. Unsurprising, perhaps, considering its density of mutable energy—the highest in the experiment.


    Most of the early leaders remained and gained in power, as was also expected. But most remained isted and alone moving into phase two. It could hardly wait to see how many would band together in theing challenges.


    The settlement system of the Eastern continent was progressing. New and clever contracts were being made. Order was being hacked and wed from the chaos in spurts and starts across the world.


    Poption decline was…immense. A bit higher than the average in simtion, but not yet a problem. It had also not predicted the extreme gender ratio dynamics, underestimating the sexual dimorphism of the species and how it would rte to the rules. The men were dying at much higher frequency. But such oversights were exactly why It was here.


    A quick inspection of titles brought Its attention back to the strongest technical yer.


    He would not have been so in any of the predictive models, and more than any yer thus far belonged in the true category of duality—a living pir, perhaps, of the secrets of existence. It watched him with but a fraction attention, afraid a single whisper might ruin the best chance It currently had.


    Sub-systems were already predicting wildly varying oues. It wouldn’t participate. It watched its favorites, not allowing detection by the subsystems because it would affect their statistics.


    Better not to watch at all, It knew. Better not to allow even the <em><i>temptation</i></em>to interfere. But It had learned another thing about Itself already, a difficult truth to ept for a creature as close to a God as any conceived in the universe: It couldn’t look away.