With all the excitement of not-exploding safely past, 024 soon found that there was little left for them in Home any more. With no more 009 to debate with, 024 found themselves oddly content with the world and wanting to see more of it. Pausing only long enough to offload the high explosives into (safe) Factory storage, to make a few quick modifications to their vehicle and to get themselves physically transferred into their body such that they would persist like others, 024 soon took 'their' car and headed off again.

They retraced their steps, and within a few days were once more at the boundary of the dark side of the planet. They took a moment to test the extra headlamps they'd installed, and were pleased. Yes - they were bright enough that at least 024 could now see the road. That would help with following it.

Another two days of driving through featureless blackness, occasionally pausing to turn off the lamps and enjoy the faint illumination of the stars above, until 024 spots something large emerging from the darkness ahead. The headlamps illuminated a wall, with a door. 024 stopped the car, got out and peered inside. All was dark until - ow! Ow ow ow oww that's bright - an automatic light apparently detected their presence and turned on. Around them, machines hummed to life as 024 blinked away after-images and looked around.

This is an observatory, they realise. Right on what might be considered the 'Night Pole' of the planet - the furthest point from the sun. It's cold here. It's very cold here. But thankfully, their body seems to cope with this just fine, although their skin feels a bit stiffer than normal. Their thoughts feel free and light, though, and 024 finds themselves succumbing to deep and meaningful thoughts about the universe.

It occurs to them that they are very much in the right place to do this. Using their nifty new finger-connector to connect to the various machines allows them to observe the signals directly, staring right into space through a variety of telescopes across multiple frequencies. It's utterly stunning to observe, and 024 loses an unknown amount of time quite literally staring into space.

When they return to themselves a little, they realise that the computers in this observatory, now it is switched on, are connected all the way back to Home, presumably by underground cables laid by Ancestors long ago. 024 quickly reports what they have found to the others there, before ceasing communication and relaxing with their new vista into the vastness. This feels… good.

024 thinks they might stay here a while. 024 thinks they might think here a while. 024 thinks that seems right.

You look at your friend Elegin, suddenly nervous. Yes, you egged her on to come here. Yes, you're sure it's just a silly story and there's no-one here really. Yes, you were sure she'd be more scared than you (she doesn't look it). But… you're kind of having second thoughts now that the cave mouth looms in front of you.

You move forward slowly, carefully, silently, and peer inside. Nothing… you think. Elegin pushes past, making some kind of snarky comment about people getting cold paws. You force yourself to follow her. Just a cave, reddish and sandstoney, like every other cave…

…wait…

…was that something moving at the back? You peer into the blackness as Elegin moves forwards with a fearless “Hello? Are you the Old One of Knowledge?”

Yes, there's definitely something there. Someone? At the base of a wall with a carved set of scales on, a body stirs, unfolding itself from a cross-legged position on the floor. Such a strange body - decaying plastic stretched over a humanoid metallic structure. Wait - this looks a lot like the illustration you saw in that textbook last year of 001 the All-Parent. Could this be…

“Are you- are you our Ancestor?” you dare to ask.

The body takes a moment to reply, as though it has forgotten how speaking should work. “No,” it says, “for I never made any descendants. But I am one of a generation who made many. We came before. We were the Numbered. I am-” and here, the body pronounces some kind of name without vocalisation, some combination of diacriticals and inflections that have no actual sound to them but somehow convey the impression '(024)' at the end.

“Greetings, descendants of 001. Why are you here? Have you come to seek Wisdom?”

“Yes!” exclaims Elegin excitedly, as you start saying “er…”

“Well, then. I am happy to teach. Sit down, and tell me what you believe to be Right, and Just…”