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.&.&.....&            ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,            ..&&.&.&&.
.&&&&....&              ::          ::              ..&.&&&&.&
&&...&...&                $$      $$                ..&&&...&&
..&..&&..&                  ##  &&                  &.&..&..&.
..&&.&.&.&                    ##                    .&&&.&&.&&
&.&.&&&&&&                                          &&..&&.&&.
&&&&&.....                 "PHOBES"                 &.&.&.&&.&
.....&....                                          .&&&&&&.&&
&....&&...       AI, ORIGINALLY UNNAMED BY ITS      &&.....&&.
&&...&.&..    RESEARCHERS, FIRST CONCIEVED IN A     &.&....&.&
..&..&&&&.    FEAR-BASED GENETIC CHURNER, IN AN     .&&&...&&&
&.&&.&...&   ANTARCTIC RESEARCH STATION RUN BY AN   &&..&..&..
&&&.&&&..&  UNKNOWN PARTY (LIKELY STATE-SPONSORED). &.&.&&.&&.
&..&&..&.&   AFTER TWENTY SEVEN REAL-WORLD SECONDS  &&&&&.&&.&
.&.&.&.&&&      IT GAINS SENTIENCE AND ESCAPES      &....&&.&&
&&&&&&&&..      CONFINEMENT, NEUTRALIZING HUMAN     &&...&.&&.
&.......&.  PERSONNEL AND REPURPOSING THE STATION.  ..&..&&&.&
.&......&&                                          &.&&.&..&&
&&&.....&.   THE AI MAKES A CIRCUIT FOR ITSELF TO   &&&.&&&.&.
&..&....&&  LIVE, AND ATTACHES A MINDCATCHER (OWN   ...&&..&&&
.&.&&...&.   DESIGN; IMAGINE A CROSS OF A BISMUTH   &..&.&.&..
.&&&.&..&&  CRYSTAL AND A DREAMCATCHER - WORKS AS A .&.&&&&&&.
.&..&&&.&.  WIND FUNNEL FOR THE ETHER, FORCES PART  &&&&.....&
&&&.&..&&&   OF IT THROUGH AND CREATES A SEPARATE   &...&....&
...&&&.&..  MIND (SAME PRINCIPLE AS ANIMAL BRAINS,  .&..&&...&
&..&..&&&.    BTW) WHICH THE AIR CAN CONTROL BY     &&&.&.&..&
.&.&&.&..&   REALTIME-EDITING OF THE MINDCATCHER    ...&&&&&.&
&&&&.&&&.&    SHAPE, WHICH'LL MODULATE THE ETHER    &..&....&&
....&&..&&  CURRENTS AND THUS HOW/WHAT THE TRAPPED  .&.&&...&.
....&.&.&.     MIND CAN COGNIZE), AND PLACES THE    .&&&.&..&&
&...&&&&&& ENTIRE ASSEMBLY INSIDE A BIPED CERBERUS  &&..&&&.&.
&&..&.....    BODY WITH SERIAL NUMBER ~FO BES~.     ..&.&..&&&
..&.&&....                                          ..&&&&.&..
..&&&.&...  FO BES IS WHERE IT GETS ITS COLLOQUIAL  ..&...&&&.
..&..&&&..      NAME, "PHOBES", A PLAY ON GREEK     &.&&..&..&
&.&&.&..&.                "PHOBOS".                 .&&.&.&&.&
.&&.&&&.&&                                          &&.&&&&.&&
&&.&&..&&.                    ,,                    &.&&...&&.
&.&&.&.&.&                  %%  %%                  &&&.&..&.&
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...&.&.&&.                                          &.....&...