&.&.&&&.&& ....&..&&.
&&&&&..&&. ....&&.&.&
.....&.&.& &...&.&&&&
&....&&&&& .&..&&&...
&&...&.... &&&.&..&..
&.&..&&... ------------------ ...&&&.&&.
&&&&.&.&.. == == ...&..&&.&
....&&&&&. ££ ££ &..&&.&.&&
&...&....& ££ && &&.&.&&&&.
&&..&&...& ## ..&&&&...&
..&.&.&..& &.&...&..&
&.&&&&&&.& "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". ....&&.&&&
&&..&&&..& ....&.&&..
&.&.&..&.& -- ....&&&.&.
&&&&&&.&&& %% %% ....&..&&&
......&&.. ## ....&&.&..
......&.&. &...&.&&&.
......&&&& .&..&&&..&
&.....&... &&&.&..&.&
.&....&&.. &..&&&.&&&
&&&...&.&. .&.&..&&..