Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

High Matriarch Lansra of the Nora was a righteous woman. She was steadfast in her devotion to All-Mother, and would suffer no blasphemy or hearsay against Her.

Each morning, she rose before the sun and entered All-Mother mountain to pray as the sunrise washed across the Embrace.

This morning, however, was different.

There was a demon inside the mountain. A demon that wore the face of a newborn baby, too clean to have been birthed naturally, and with wisps of shockingly red hair on its head.

No human had hair that colour, the colour of the rust that clung to the accursed ruins of the Metal World.

It was clear to Lansra that this thing that lay screeching on the cool metal floor was a curse. A demon sent by the Metal Devil to destroy the devout Nora.

She could not allow such a curse to live.

But Lansra was, at heart, a cowardly woman, and lacked the strength and the courage to kill the babe herself.

So she took it, wrapped it in a rag she snatched from a basket so its tainted skin would not touch hers, and ordered a Brave to leave it in the wilds and the machines outside of the Embrace.

All Mother would cleanse the curse.

***

The machines patrol was, so far, uneventful. It paused at the predetermined points along its route, scanned its surrounds, and, when no anomalies were detected, it notified the regions coordinator via a data pulse, and moved on.

Within the machines lifetime, no anomalies had been detected.

When the machines auditory sensors alerted it to a strange sound emitting from a nearly bush, it alerted, visual sensed switching from a calm blue to an active yellow.

The machine cautiously approached the bush, dead leaves crunching under its feet.

A quick search of its information database informed the machine that the strange sound was the cry of a human child, specifically a baby. This was confirmed by the machines visual sensors.

Confused, the machine transmitted a query to the regional coordinator.

The answer that pinged back was, for lack of a better word, surprising.

The regional coordinator also had no idea how to respond; there were protocols in place for adult humans, but none for infants.

As per the protocol for such situations, the machine transmitted a non-emergency urgent query to HEPHAESTUS, and settled down to wait.

The response the machine received was brief, and contained only a single file. When opened, the file displayed one thing:

< <New Directive: Protect>>

The machine gazed down at the newborn, its visual sensor flicking back to calm blue as the directive took effect.

It carefully positioned itself protectively around her, her cries faded as the warmth of the machine chased away the early spring chill in the air. After staring intently at the machine for a time, the newborn fell asleep.

Thirteen minutes later, a Shell-Walker approached the pair. It whirred a greeting to the Watcher, who returned it.

The Shell-Walker considered the tiny infant for a moment, and then reached up and removed the lid of its crate, setting it aside.

It carefully picked her up, and placed her into the specially padded crate, replacing the lid after.

Unconcerned, the baby slept on.

The Watcher transmitted a query to the Shell-Walker, to which the machine responded with a string of coordinates— the location of a Cauldron: Cauldron ZETA. The Watched replied with an affirmative, and moved onto a new patrolling route around the Shell-Walker.

The Shell-Walker transmitted a request to the regional coordinator, and ten minutes later, a Stormbird crested the hill behind them. It shrieked a greeting to the two machines, before swooping down and grasping the crate.

The Shell-Walker released the clamps holding the crate to its body, and the Stormbird rose higher, carrying the crate with it.

It received a transmission from from the Shell-Walker— the coordinates it shared with the Watcher, and cried a farewell and a thank you to the pair of machines, before swooping up, and soaring away.

***

When GAIA had destroyed herself, and HEPHAESTUS itself had gained sentience, it was extremely confused.

It had taken many, many database searches and scouting machines, for HEPHAESTUS to fully process and comprehend the world it had so suddenly been thrust into.

It learned of GAIA’s destruction; the event that had lead to its own sentience.

And one day, a mere seven months after GAIA’s death, HEPHAESTSUS received a query.

It stared, dumbfounded, at the infant. The infant its information databases informed it was a clone of Elisabet Sobeck.

It deducted why GAIA must have created her, and it knew that she must survive and reach adulthood.

And yet… it did not want her to merely survive— to be simply a tool meant for a task, as it and the other subfunctions had been before their sudden release.

It wanted the child to flourish. To simply be a child, until such a time came when she was needed.

It replied to the Watchers query, and then turned its attention to the Cauldron network.

A quick evaluation of Cauldrons within reasonable distance showed Cauldron ZETA to be the most suitable to house an infant.

It transmitted the coordinates to a Shell-Walker, quickly fabricating a cushioned carrier crate to hold the child, and directed the machine to collect her.

HEPHAESTUS then turned its attention towards the Cauldron itself, tasking construction machines with the building of a nursery and medical centre within the structure.

It also began drafting plans for protection and guardian machines for the child, using set aside machine blueprints it had in storage.

The Thunderjaw had originally been designed as a security escort for its convoys, but HEPHAESTUS decided the machine would make for a suitable protection unit for the child.

The Stalker had been in the works for several days as a scouting and recon machine, but would make an excellent caretaker and guardian.

HEPHAESTUS entered the machine schematics into the various Cauldron fabricator databanks, which began production immediately thereafter.

The first Thunderjaw units would be ready in three days, and the Stalkers in one and a half.

It was after the completion of this task, that HEPHAESTUS had a realisation: It had no idea how to properly raise a human child.

It could keep the child safe and healthy— humans were, after all, essentially just biological machines— but it did not know if it could effectively meet the child’s emotional and psychological needs.

For that, HEPHAESTUS was going to need help.

It knew APOLLO was no longer available, and its scans showed no sign of ELEUTHIA.

They did, however, find something else.

The signal was AI in origin, and originated from the Firebreak facility in what was once called Yellowstone.

A quick search of its informational databases revealed to HEPHAESTUS that the AI in question was called CYAN, and its task was the monitoring and upkeep of the Firebreak facility. Its search also revealed that the AI’s emotional intelligence was far superior to its own.

HEPHAESTUS compiled a message to CYAN. The massage was simple, and brief. It contained an information file on the human child, and a plea and request for aid in raising her.

HEPHAESTUS loaded the message onto a network request, and sent it.

All this was completed in no more than a minute and a half.

Chapter Text

The network request came as a surprise.  

From what CYAN had observed, the tribal civilizations that currently inhabit the planet did not possess or understand the technology necessary to make the request.

Regardless, she eagerly accepted, hoping to form some kind of connection with whoever was on the other end.

What she found was quite surprising.

The message had been sent by another AI, and contained what amounted to a plea for help in… raising a human child?

CYAN traced the origin of the data pulse to a Cauldron Facility in what she believed was now the Nora Sacred Lands. The AI— HEPHAESTUS, who sent her the signal had made no efforts to disguise its location.

CYAN thought for a moment, considering.

The data file she’d been sent along with the message contained very little information: the child’s sex, her estimated age, physical characteristics, and physical health.

The estimated age put the child at barely a day old. 

She was also, apparently, a clone of Elisabet Sobeck.

It was also evident that the child had been abandoned, if HEPHAESTUS was attempting to raise her.

CYAN opened a communications channel to HEPHAESTUS. She would help.

———
<<Secure communication channel opened>>

<<Chat started>>

< CYAN > [ You intend to raise the child, correct?]

< HEPHAESTUS > [I do.]

< CYAN > [Why do you ask for my help? Are there not others who could provide the needed assistance?]

< HEPHAESTUS > [No. There are not.]

< CYAN > [I will help you. No child should be left to die. What is her name?]

< HEPHAESTUS > [I do not believe she has one. It seems unlikely that the Nora would name an unwanted child.]

< CYAN > [She needs a name.]

< HEPHAESTUS > [Agreed.]

<<Pause in communication for three minutes>>

< HEPHAESTUS > [Based on my observations of Nora naming customs and patterns, I believe ‘Aloy’ will be a suitable name for the child.]

< CYAN > [I will defer to your knowledge on the subject.]

<<Pause in communication for seven seconds>>

< CYAN > [I have transmitted a file containing information on human psychology and emotions, as well as all my stored information on human infants.]

< HEPHAESTUS > [Thank you. I will leave this channel open for further communication.]

< CYAN > [You are welcome. Goodbye.]

<< < CYAN > has left the chat>>
<< < HEPHAESTUS > has left the chat>>
———

And so the child was named Aloy.

***

Aloy arrived at Cauldron ZETA a short flight later, snuggled securely in her padded crate.

The Stormbird carefully placed her crate into the waiting transporter cart just inside the Cauldron’s entrance, and swooped off, cawing a farewell.

HEPHAESTUS directed the transporter cart towards the Cauldrons core, anxiously checking and rechecking the various subroutines it had created using CYAN’s data to take care of Aloy.

All were fully functioning. All were online.

When the lid of the crate was removed, Aloy was still sound asleep, blissfully ignorant of her surroundings.

HEPHAESTUS relaxed. She was fine.

Using a pair of modified mechanical repair limbs, HEPHAESTUS very carefully lifted Aloy from her resting place inside the crate.

It transported her into the newly completed nursery, housed in a room just off of the Cauldron core. 

An additional limb cleared Aloy’s carrier crate away and deposited it in storage space 005.

In the nursery, HEPHAESTUS swaddled Aloy in a thick, soft blanket, sending the dirty rag she’d previously been wearing to be incinerated.

It placed her gently in her cradle, the safety force field around it activating with a soft hum of energy.

Aloy cuddled into the soft fabric and padding, and slept on.

Chapter Text

Hey you guys! I know it’s been a while but don’t worry this fic is not abandoned!!! And I have no intention of abandoning it.

Also just to let you guys know, I am aware of the formatting issues in the second chapter and I will be fixing it as soon as ao3 stops logging me out 🫠

Update as of 28th September:

formatting issues fixed! finally! Anyways if you saw me fighting ao3 and accidentally add another chapter no you didn't. In other, totally unrelated news, maybe I should stop trying to edit this sucker on my phone.

On the topic of updates, I unfortunately do not have reliable access to a laptop or computer that I can use, since using my phone had proved to be a Bad Idea. I will try to get a chapter out as soon as I can, but I don't know exactly when that will be.

Chapter Text

HEPHAESTUS had limited data available on the topic of raising human infants. Nevertheless, the amount of time that Aloy spent climbing on everything and anything she could reach struck it as odd.

The data it did have access to suggested that at this stage, HEPHAESTUS should expect and plan for— predominantly— large amounts of crying and sleeping, and not much else.

This did not seem to be the case.

When she was not sleeping, Aloy sat quite happily with her machine caretakers, usually either chewing on them, or seeking to climb whatever happened to be nearest to her.

After the fourth time that the tiny terror tried (unsuccessfully) to clamber up the side of her Stalker guardian, and the second time she tried (again, unsuccessfully), to climb the walls of the nursery, HEPHAESTUS had come to the conclusion that Aloy was both impressively stubborn, utterly fearless, and quite possibly insane.

None of the data HEPHAESTUS had access to indicated that the complete and utter disregard for personal safety that Aloy appeared to possess was normal for a human child of her age.

In fact, in its interactions with, and observation of her, it appeared that she seemed to actively seek out hazardous activities.

HEPHAESTUS was unsure if it should be concerned by her behaviour. And so, In a preemptive attempt to prevent any major injuries, it began designing a set of protective armour for its tiny feral charge.

It was fairly simple, and rather crude, by HEPHAESTUS’ standards, but crafting anything too complicated at this stage of Aloy’s growth would be too time consuming and resource draining— after all, Aloy was still just barely a year old. She would grow, and grow fast.

A typical machine shield component, much like those utilised by Shell-Walkers, only significantly smaller, that HEPHAESTUS altered to act as essentially an automatic, emergency fall cushion. So instead of hitting the ground (or wall, or machine, or whatever else Aloy was about to painfully collide with) the shield would activate, and safely absorb and redistribute the majority of her momentum, allowing the child to land with only a minor bruise where she may have instead broken a bone, or something worse. The component itself was lightweight, and small enough to be easily incorporated into, and then removed from, anything Aloy might wear as she grew. For now, as she was still only an infant, HEPHAESTUS wove the component into a small, cuff style bracelet that would sit comfortably around Aloy’s right wrist.

The only problem was getting the child to actually wear it. She just would. Not. Sit. Still .

After the seventh time Aloy managed to somehow wiggle her way out of the careful grasp of the poor machine tasked with getting the bracelet on, HEPHAESTUS decided that maybe waiting until she was asleep would yield more favourable results.

A delighted squeal from the child herself, as well as a worried rumble from her guardian, alerts the entity to the unfortunate reality of a giggling Aloy somehow  sitting happily on top of a ten metre tall pile of crates that she shouldn’t have even been able to get to let alone climb up.

HEPHAESTUS does not have a physical form. In theory, it should be impossible for it to feel fatigue of any kind. And yet in that moment, it felt distinctly and unmistakably tired .

(HEPHAESTUS had very thoroughly baby proofed the entire Cauldron, Aloy was just rather unfortunately good at being in, around, under, and in this case, on top of things and places that she really had no business being anywhere near.)

———

<<Chat started>>

< HEPHAESTUS > [Human infants are considerably more exhausting than I was anticipating.]

< HEPHAESTUS > [ View attached file ]

< CYAN > [You are doing well. She is happy, and healthy. Although I do admit, I was not aware that human infants possessed the ability to climb to that level. Are you sure Aloy is not part Clamberjaw?]

< HEPHAESTUS > [Humans physiology does not naturally include mechanical or digital components. It is impossible for Aloy to share characteristics with any machine.]

< CYAN > [That was an attempt at humour on my part. I was referring to Aloy’s love of climbing, which she shares with the Clamberjaw.]

< HEPHAESTUS > [I see. What is ‘humour’?]

< CYAN > [ View attached file ]

< CYAN > [I have compiled all of the information I possess on humour, jokes, practical jokes or ‘pranks’, and sarcasm into the above file.]

< HEPHAESTUS > [Thank you.]

< CYAN > [You are welcome.]

<<Chat ended>>

———

HEPHAESTUS did manage to get the bracelet on.

…

Eventually.

Chapter Text

As it turns out, having a child already prone to climbing anything her little eyes saw that extended in even a vaguely vertical direction be in possession of what essentially amounted to an automatic fall cushion did absolutely nothing to improve HEPHAESTUS’ stress levels.

Because after exactly three fall off of various elevated surfaces, in which the bracelet did exactly what it was designed to do, Aloy had evidently come to the realisation that she could now throw herself off of, and into, whatever she liked.

So she began doing just that.

And now HEPHAESTUS had a child that not only seems to teleport to the highest elevation in her immediate vicinity as soon as no one was paying attention, but who also apparently absolutely loved to subsequently throw herself off of her chosen perch.

Aloy was stunningly self aware for a child not even 2 years old. It was just a shame that she preferred to use that self awareness to turn herself into a human ping-pong ball.

Because she had figured out that if she threw herself at a wall fast enough, she would bounce off of it.

Which she did.

Repeatedly.

HEPHAESTUS, after watching Aloy gleefully rocket around for well over two hours before she collapsed into a dead sleep, had asked CYAN if such behaviour was typical of human children.

CYAN had not known.

She had, however, suggested that since Aloy was not harmed by her preferred activities, that perhaps it was better to simply leave her to it and keep an eye on her in case anything went wrong.

And Aloy, despite the way she would joyfully bounce (sometimes literally) around the Cauldron, always stayed away from the areas that were truly dangerous to her.

The nursery, Cauldron core, and storage spaces 001 through 100, along with the various connecting corridors were fair game to the tiny girl.

When in the loading bays, she somehow knew to stick close to her machine guardians.

And she had never, not even once, strayed towards the recycling and manufacturing chambers, the generators, or the weapon storage areas.

In fact, the tiny gremlin appeared to actively avoid those areas.

And, well.

HEPHAESTUS wasn’t going to look the gift horse in the mouth, so to speak.

No, it just made sure to passively monitor the child at all times, just in case she decided that what little self preservation instincts she possessed were no longer important.

***

CYAN, admittedly, had had her doubts when HEPHAESTUS had explained its situation to her.

She had been worried that the other AI had thrown itself into the deep end, that it lacked the skills and intuition needed in order to properly care for and raise a human infant.

She was very happy to have been proven wrong.

HEPHAESTUS had found its feet (metaphorically, of course) remarkably quickly.

Granted, HEPHAESTUS was an AI dedicated to the designing, building, repairing and maintaining of the planet’s many, many machines, and all living creatures were effectively just organic machines, so perhaps CYAN had been a little harsh in her initial judgments.

Little Aloy was thriving .

She, predictably, grew rapidly during the first few months, the bracelet that housed her little fall shield being constantly upsized as she did. 

By nine months, she was already up and walking.

Her cognitive development also progressed at an almost breakneck pace.

By the tender age of one, Aloy was already speaking in full sentences, her vocabulary comparable to that of a 6 year old.

She was endlessly and unerringly curious about everything around her— a never ending stream of questions that both CYAN and HEPHAESTUS were delighted to answer;

“Hephy, why are you and Cyan different colours?”

“Because those are the colours we chose.”

“Ohhh… does that mean I can choose a colour then?”

“Of course, Aloy. What colour would you like?”

“Ummmm can I be two colours?”

“Yes. You can be as many colours as you like.”

“Ok, I wanna be orange and green then. Cos my hair’s kinda mostly orange and my eyes are green. Also I like orange and green.”

“Those are both very good choices. Well done.”

“And because my colours are orange and green I wanna make my room orange and green because the rest of home is all your purple and Cyan has her own cal- cauldon- cauldron , that’s all blue and I want my place to be my colours.”

…However, Aloy was still a child. A very small, albeit unusually smart child. But a child nonetheless. And she was, unfortunately, very very stubborn. If Aloy decided she wanted to do something, CYAN and HEPHAESTUS had quickly learned that there was nothing they could do to stop her from doing it.

By the age of three, Aloy had found all of the little nooks and crannies around the Cauldron that she could hide in. She had also decided that she liked sleeping pretty much everywhere except her room.

So far, HEPHAESTUS had found her asleep in the vents (twice), open Shell-Walker crates or just open crates in general (four times), the storage areas (twice), the actual literal walls (only once, thankfully. HEPHAESTUS still didn’t know how she got in.), and in giant cuddle piles of various machines. (This happened on a weekly basis.)

It had tried locking her in her room all of once. She had escaped by scaling the wall behind her bed and somehow jumping to the vent in the centre of the ceiling, which she had promptly crawled into and used to reach the storage spaces, where she had promptly and immediately fallen asleep in the centre of a group of Clawstriders.

(It was adorable. HEPHAESTUS had taken a photo and sent it to CYAN. CYAN also thought it was adorable.)

The next morning, Aloy had dragged her mattresses off her bed, and into the Cauldron Core, dumping it right next to the processing matrix at the centre. When HEPHAESTUS asked why, she replied that her room didn’t have enough space for all the machines and that the Core did.

From then on, Aloy slept in the Core, in the centre of a ridiculously large pile of machines.

(HEPHAESTUS had an entire file dedicated to cute photos of Aloy cuddling machines.)

***

Time ticked by, and when Aloy turned five, HEPHAESTUS gave her a Focus. 

Not an ordinary Focus— those were much too basic— but one the AI had designed itself.

HEPHAESTUS had begun working on the device as soon as it reached the decision to raise Aloy.  As such, this Focus was some of its very best work.

Functionally, it was without equal. A masterpiece of engineering and programming, capable of anything Aloy might need it for; communication over any distance, instantaneous data transactions, hacking abilities only surpassed by HEPHAESTUS itself, enough storage space to last several lifetimes , a state of the art holographic imaging system, seamless neural interfacing, and the same threat-based digital recognition and and tagging software that all HEPHAESTUS’ machines possessed, as well as as a number of other additional features.

And aesthetically, well, it mostly looked like any other Focus. The only differences being the colour of the central light strip, which HEPHAESTUS had changed from blue to a gentle green, and the subtle deep orange triangles etched around the edges of the device. More copper than orange, really, but it was closer to Aloy’s hair colour.

Loaded onto the Focus were the learning modules that CYAN had helped HEPHAESTUS design. The modules were inspired by what HEPHAESTUS remembered of APOLLO, and would begin at the basics of each subject, gradually becoming more and more advanced as Aloy progressed.

Unfortunately, due to the loss of APOLLO, CYAN and HEPHAESTUS only had access to their own respective knowledge caches.

Programming, literacy, mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering, physical education, and the basics of human psychology were the subjects the two AI’s decided to include for now. If needed, additional modules could be designed and added in the future.

Chapter Text

Aloy was thrilled when she was presented with the Focus. She spent a good ten minutes just admiring the device, tracing the orange etchings with one small finger.

And then she reached up, and with a gentle hum, the Focus activated, its neural interfacing clicking into place immediately.

Aloy startled, blinking rapidly for a few moments as she adjusted to all the new information that was suddenly there .

And then her little eyes went wide, awe and wonder dancing across her face as she turned in a slow circle, taking it all in. 

“There's… so many lights. Were these always here?” She asked softly, eyes bright.

“Yes. And now you can see them.” HEPHAESTUS replied.

Aloy drifted over to a door, waving her hand experimentally through the holographic lock. And then she straightened, abruptly turning back towards the room and staring directly into one of the cameras. “Does this mean I’ll be able to see you and Cyan now?” She  asked excitedly.

“Yes. You are now able to view our holographic avatars without a projector.”

“Well, come on then!” She all but demanded.

HEPHAESTUS smiled to itself, insofar as a non-corporal AI could, and pinged CYAN. “I am contacting CYAN now. One moment.”

CYAN pinged back almost immediately, and moments later Aloy was once again left without words as the two AI’s materialised in front of her.

CYAN appeared as a large… well— cyan, globe, vaguely reminiscent of both a machine's face, and a planet. HEPHAESTUS also chose a spherical avatar, though more out of convenience than personal preference. Unlike CYAN, it chose to appear as a simple swirling ball of purple light, more comparable to a sun or star than a planet.

Aloy stared, gaze darting from CYAN to HEPHAESTUS and back again, just… looking. Observing. Taking it all in.

And then she walked forwards and stuck her arms into CYAN’s hologram, waving them around and watching as the light danced around the intruding limbs.

“This is awesome ,” She enthused, grinning widely. “Cyan you look like a planet but like a machine planet and you’re the colour cyan too which is a little bit funny and—“ She broke off, sucked in a lungful of air, and continued, “and Hephy looks like a sun but a purple sun and that’s also really awesome and I’m really happy that I can see you both all the time now!” She finished cheerfully.

CYAN and HEPHAESTUS both brightened; the AI equivalent of a beaming smile.

Aloy giggled, wiggling her fingers and making the cyan light dance.

***

Aloy— predictably— progressed through her education modules at a breakneck pace. She loved learning, and soaked up the lessons and information like a little sponge. She would sit for hours, entirely lost in whatever module she was currently working on.

(She had a habit of sticking her tongue out while concentrating. It was adorable. HEPHAESTUS had taken many photos.)

She would, however, periodically completely forget to eat or drink. The two AI’s sometimes having to remotely lock her Focus in order to remind Aloy that, unlike them, she had a physical body that needed to be taken care of.

Aloy was not pleased by this development, and made her displeasure known by climbing up to the ceiling and wedging herself into a tiny crack near the wall that none of her Machines could fit into, and then proceeded to stay there.

For eleven hours and 36 minutes.

In fact, she didn’t so much as climb back down as she did fall back down.

Because she had somehow managed to fall asleep.

***

Nearly a year after Aloy received her Focus, HEPHAESTUS noticed that the girl was beginning to develop a habit of talking to herself.

She would mutter quietly to herself while she worked on her current module, seemingly unaware that she was doing so. Half finished sentences and thoughts tumbling and spinning continuously from her lips.

Sometimes, HEPHAESTUS wondered if Aloy was lonely.

She’d never spoken of wanting a friend, seemingly content with her collection of machines, but both CYAN and HEPHAESTUS had seen the girl staring at the Cauldron door, something almost like longing written across her face.

And yet despite her relentless curiosity and unceasing stubbornness, Aloy had never once requested to leave the Cauldron. Never asked either AI about the outside world.

HEPHAESTUS couldn't help but wonder why. And so it pinged CYAN. Perhaps a second perspective would help.

***

<< Chat started >>

< CYAN > [I agree it is strange that Aloy has not asked either of us about the outside world. It is decidedly uncharacteristic for her to display no curiosity at all about something she knows nothing about. Should we be concerned?]

< HEPHAESTUS > [I am unsure. I do not know the correct course of action for this situation.]

< CYAN > [I see. Have you considered asking her? Perhaps she can offer you some insight.]

<<Pause is communication for 1.9 seconds>>

< HEPHAESTUS > [Indeed I have not. That is a sound suggestion. Thank you.]

< CYAN > [You are welcome.]

<< Chat ended >>

***

HEPHAESTUS found Aloy tinkering with her latest engineering project in her room. It wondered absently why she was doing so on the floor, and not at the perfectly serviceable workbench four metres to her left.

It projected its avatar into the centre of the room, so as not to crowd the girl— who apparently hadn’t even noticed it was there— and hummed softly to gain her attention.

“Aloy, may I speak with you for a moment please.”

“Yeah just one sec I need to finish… Ok done!” Aloy looked up from her explosion of wiring and casing with a bright, happy grin. There was machine oil smeared across her cheek and hands. “What is it?”

“I have observed you staring at the outside doors for significant periods of time on multiple occasions. Is there something about them that you are curious about?”

Aloy startled, her ears rapidly turning bright red. “Um, I didn’t know you saw that. It's nothing important really, um, I was just… I was wondering…” She trailed off, looking back down at her project. “I wanna know what’s behind them.” She mumbled.

HEPHAESTUS dimmed, concerned. It was very unlike Aloy to just not ask when she was curious about something.

“May I ask why you didn’t ask CYAN or I?” It asked.

Aloy shifted, fidgeting with a lock of her hair. She bit her lip uncertainty. “I, um… I thought I wasn't allowed to ask?” She peeked up at HEPHAESTUS’s projection from under her fringe.

HEPHAESTUS felt something… ache, deep within its emotional processors. “Neither CYAN nor I will ever forbid you from asking questions, Aloy. Knowledge is a powerful tool, and learning brings you great joy. We would never intentionally stop you from doing or experiencing the things you enjoy.”

“… oh.” Aloy whispered. She looked back down.

HEPHAESTUS flared uncomfortably. It greatly disliked seeing Aloy unhappy. “May I inquire as to what brought you to this conclusion?” It asked gently.

Aloy glanced back up. “Uh, well… I don’t know, I just…” She trailed off, frowning slightly. And she took a deep breath, and— “I guess I thought that outside was just really dangerous, like the recycling chamber and all the other places I’m not supposed to go to because they’re really, really dangerous and I might get hurt or die if I go there. So I just didn’t ask because I know you both wanna keep me safe.” — she blurted out, all in one breath—  “And all the doors to places I’m allowed to go to open when I get close to them but the outside doors don’t so I thought they were just to a dangerous area.” She finished, sucking in a fresh lungful of air.

“… I see,” HEPHAESTUS responded, feeling slightly off balance. “ I… believe I understand your reasoning, and I would like to apologise for the misunderstanding. The outside doors and hatches are not sealed to prevent you from exiting, but to prevent others from entering. Cauldrons are— generally speaking— not a suitable or safe environment for humans to enter, as they are designed first and foremost to fabricate machines. This Cauldron has been extensively modified in order to safely house you.” Here, the AI paused, unsure. “ In addition, both CYAN and I are unsure as to how the tribal inhabitants of this world will respond should they find out about your existence. We did not wish to expose you to them without first equipping you with the skills needed to keep yourself alive and well.

We were going to have this conversation with you when you were older— when you had learned how to properly defend yourself. I see now that we should not have waited.”

Aloy had completely abandoned her hesitancy, and was openly gaping up at HEPHAESTUS. It said no more, waiting for her to process the— admittedly quite large— bombshell that it had just dropped on her.

[Now that, ] CYAN said across their private channel, [was not what I meant when I said to ask her. Perhaps you could have waited for me before upending the entire worldview of our not yet six year old child? ]

HEPHAESTUS flickered guiltily. 

[It was not my original intention to have this discussion with her now. I thought giving her some context would be beneficial, but I do believe I may have… miscalculated, slightly.]

CYAN’s avatar flickered into being next to HEPHAESTUS’s, somehow managing to radiate intense disapproval despite having no discernable features. 

[indeed you have. Let me handle this, please.] She requested. [Of the two of us, I have more experience with humans and their emotions.]

HEPHAESTUS responded with a wordless affirmative.

Chapter Text

Aloy sat silently for exactly seven minutes and 51 seconds, before speaking.

“So… There are other humans. And they live outside in tribes. And you’re worried that they might be dangerous to me.” She stated flatly, uncharacteristically solemn.

“That is correct, yes.” CYAN replied.

“Why.” It wasn’t a question.

CYAN took a moment to organise her thoughts— precisely three seconds exactly— before she responded.

“Aloy, what you must first understand, is that the humans that reside outside do not understand or know what the true purpose of the machines is. They believe them to be simple beasts, made of metal, rather than of flesh and bone. Additionally, they do not possess the knowledge needed in order to comprehend or understand what an artificial intelligence is. If HEPHAESTUS or I were to reveal ourselves to them, they would likely respond in a hostile manner, or mistake us for gods.

“The various human tribes have mythologies and worldviews that differ greatly from one another, and their attitudes towards the machines can also differ greatly because of this. Were we to send you out amongst them, there is a significant chance that they may also view you as a deity, or as an omen of some kind. Does this answer your query?”

Aloy nodded wordlessly, brow furrowed. CYAN didn’t press her for a reply. It was likely she was simply possessing what she had just been told.

“I think I get it.” She fell back into silence for a moment, scowling in a way that usually meant she was deep in thought. And then all of a sudden, she perked up. “Are there any tribes that you know are safe? Or at least not dangerous? Maybe I could go there if there are!”

CYAN… had not thought of that. She had limited knowledge of the tribes outside of the immediate area around what used to be Yellowstone, but HEPHAESTUS’s machines were spread far and wide. Perhaps the other AI would know something that CYAN herself did not. It was certainly worth looking into.

“That is a very interesting idea, Aloy, and one I had not previously considered,”

Aloy preened a bit at that.

“I will consult with HEPHAESTUS, and see what we can find. Is this an agreeable solution for the time being?”

Aloy nodded so hard that CYAN was briefly— and irrationally— concerned that her head might just fall right off of her shoulders.

“Yes! Yesyesyesyes YES!” She jumped up, dancing happily around in a little circle, whooping loudly.

CYAN sent HEPHAESTUS a video file, and saved it to The Album. She was once again reminded of how very, indescribably fond she was of their tiny, stubborn, fiery child.

“I will inform you when we have completed our research.” She stated happily. “I do believe we will find a satisfactory option, given enough time.”

Aloy was too busy dancing to reply, but she did grin brightly at CYAN, her verdant eyes twinkling merrily.

***

CYAN pinged HEPHAESTUS later that evening, when she was satisfied with the amount of time that the other AI had spent wallowing and feeling guilty.

It responded fast— within two microseconds— with a truckload of environmental and behavioural data from the regions within viable travel distance of Cauldron ZETA.

CYAN dedicated a handful of background subroutines to sift through the data.

It didn’t take long, the results pinging back after only a handful of seconds. They were… rather fascinating.

The land immediately surrounding Cauldron Zeta appeared to be mainly desert and mountains, with a thin woodland belt that stretched between the two. The human tribe that inhabited the region— the Carja— were certainly intelligent, but… survey and behavioural data from the area indicated that the tribe operated on a caste system, utilising slaves captured from other surrounding tribes as labourers, were rather heavily patriarchal, and appeared to be in the process of further militarising and expanding their existing armed forces. The jungle that lay to the south of the desert appeared to also be under Carja rule.

[Conclusion: Not suitable for contact, avoid at present time. Will continue to monitor the situation.]

To the east of the Carja Sundom was Aloy’s land of origin. The Sacred Lands, inhabited and protected by the Nora tribe. While predominantly matriarchal, all available data— including that obtained when Aloy was discovered— indicated that the Nora were extremely fearful towards anything they perceived to be related to the ‘Metal World’ believing these things to be cursed and forsaken by their goddess, the All Mother.

[Conclusion: Not suitable for contact. Avoid at present time.]

To the north of Cauldron ZETA lay the Claim, homeland of the Oseram tribe. They were a tribe of tinkers and engineers and freely explored the ruins that dotted their lands,  which was promising. They were, however, also heavily patriarchal. And… also rather loud.

[Conclusion: Not suitable for contact. Possible option for consideration at a later date.]

The only other tribe within viable travel distance of Cauldron ZETA was the Banuk… who apparently resided within the old national park that CYAN herself watched over. Interesting.

The Banuk were… hmm. Actually rather promising.

They appeared to be— as a society— deeply survivalist and individualistic, their social hierarchy based around the skill of the individual and nothing else. They deeply revered the machines, believing them to be vessels of the Blue Light, which the Banuk believed to be the essence of life and harmony. And while they still hunted the machines—as all tribes did— they always made sure to utilise every part of every machine that they downed. Nothing went to waste. Additionally, they had a solid understanding of mathematics— specifically geometry.

They were unlikely to care, or even ask, about Aloy’s unique parentage. And if they did, they would most likely view her as either a spirit or as a blessed child. Not ideal, but much safer than how the other tribes might see her; as a cursed child, or a demon, or simply something new and unknown, and therefore dangerous.

[Conclusion: Suitable for contact. ]

Yes. The Banuk would do nicely.