/David
The house I call mine, the whole lot of the drama that was unfolding with the other places, the whole lot of worry for Erick and how exactly the lot with Niko was going - all that just came to a standstill.
A great silence befell the home. I stood in my kitchen with a page from the research that Niko left me, wondering what that was about, when the whole of my world began shifting. The same process which pulls a person into the parallel. From it coming apart as a puzzle to being rebuilt into something else.
What the heck has happened? I wondered, as I watched it all fall apart. With nothing but darkness now surrounding me.
Now I hear whirring sounds, the pain of some needles being pulled out, the sound of something being opened up and the smell of something dusty, murky appeared. The hue of iron in the air.
I pushed myself to open my eyes, as for some reason it became a great lot of a chore. Gaining focus is another bit that's hard, felt like I've not used eyes for a long while. The body, what can I feel with my body - it's like a press was holding me down in a way. Heavy sense of the whole body. At least breathing is going well, even though the smell is irritating.
"Sis…" - I hear the voice of a man nearby, the voice is so ragged, just like the breathing that's with it. Then a cough. Oh, that sounds like someone is indeed suffering.
Alas the eyes are open. The heck is this? The focus is now in. But what I see is not really what I'd expect. I'm half-sitting, from what I can understand. There's a glass door that's opened in front of me. I slowly turn to see around me - I am in a glass tube thing. Body covered in metal armor thing, but thin, fairly light from the sense of it on my skin.
"Sis…" - the voice once more shows up.
I look further. The floor has some liquid on it, though the lights in this whole premises is fairly busted, the brightness is not much, but I can make out that there's a person laying on the floor a few steps away from me. I focus to see better - that person, white hair, half naked, bleeding out onto floor like animal at the slaughter house. But the look of the whole picture gives sense of - "lab rat", as tubes and bits are still attached to him.
"I'm… glad… you're… out…" - The man on the floor is pretty much trying to divert the whole lot of this at me, as I watch him.
Pulling up my right hand, then left, just to get a sense of own body once more. Oh it's heavy. I get up, stepping out of the tube thing. My foot is pricked by something and it's pretty painful. I wince, then manage to crouch down, check my foot and pull out small shard of glass out of it. What a bloody menace.
The guy on the floor seems pretty happy, even though he's obviously dying.
"I'm glad…" - He lets out, as he stops breathing after.
"Welcome back, patient 5383." - Comes up a computer voice, somehow feminine in demeanour, somewhat familiar. - "Please look to your right, there's clothes and shoes provided."
Body weight does not seem to be too large, but the whole lot of it is still stiff, though I do take a look where suggested. A shelf with white clothes and shoes is opened, with whole shelf being pulled out towards me.
"Please get dressed." - The voice asks.
I let out a sigh, then put the clothes on. Wondrous enough - it all fits. Though now I start to feel like I'm missing out on something, as I'm looking down… Long, white hair are draped down my shoulders. Wait a minute… I raise my hand to check the origin of that… It's… So that's my set of long arse hair, white as snow.
"Ah, so that's why he said 'sis', huh…" - I let out, noticing how my voice is pretty coarse.
"Glad you mentioned that. Should we proceed with introduction?" - The computer voice comes back again.
"Sure." - I let out.
"Patient 5383, David Grey, the Pass holder S class. Unlimited availability, no restrictions. To make requests - speak out or internally - Engage AIO." - Says the voice.
"What's this bullshit?" - I let out tiredly, whilst I take note of the rest that's happening in the premises.
Large office looking room, bunch of computer screens, tables, lab equipment, Some lights work, some are busted, the dust piled up on most surfaces, the mummified corpses are chilling here and there. Then there's that glass tube thing where I came from and another that's broken with a dude that's half naked, now looking blissfully passed on, as he had all them scratches and bits of glass in. Way to go, lad.
"So, where am I?" - I ask out loud.
"You're in the research facility, floor level Base 1. On this level there is the lab technicians and two research subjects, well, one currently functional, one compromised. The system here collected the material of the research subjects internal frame of network and compiled it for the check-ups to see how the integrated information could be used in their respective fields of produced reality." - The voice popped off talking a bunch of things that are yet messy for me to grasp.
"What should I call you?" - I cut that lot of chat off.
"My name is AIO. I'm the AI that inhibits this research facility." - Voice replies.
"Fantastic. So this research facility, where is it?" - I let out, looking into options of where to sit down. I'm winded from this whole thing for some reason.
"Research facility is located in the Manaslu region of Nepal." - AIO replies.
"Where is Nepal?" - I ask, still foggy.
"Planet Earth, silly. Where else could it be? Do you remember how you got here?" - The voice asks.
"No clue." - I reply, as I sense a splitting headache get to me.
"Oh, my apologies, the content of the air here is pretty harsh for you here. I got too far ahead of myself. Let me guide you to the others, that might alleviate the symptoms of the poisoning." - AIO says.
"Sure…" - I say, as I sense the heaviness in whole body just increase bit by bit.
"Alright then. Please do get up, there's a key card in the drawer of table 7." - AIO says.
"Can't you get it yourself?" - I say.
"Unfortunately in this location I'm only capable of conversation and life management. The physical interactions here with items of my interest, even though would be greatly to my pleasure, but due to not having that card of entrance - I cannot, yet. That is why please follow my instructions and in a bit you'll be feeling way better. The conditioning system in the next block is higher in quality." - AIO was babbling.
Sure enough, I walk over to the tables, guided by this AIO, eventually finding the number 7 table, then opening the drawer - empty. The system then said that there could be the second bottom to the drawer. So I traced about with my fingers, finally finding some stupid metallic piece of a thing resembling a credit card. AIO then guided me to the door that's not a door at all - piece of bloody wall. So I stood there, next to the wall, guided by the AIO - Houdinied the card about the place on the wall, then some hissing sounds appeared. The unlock of whatever there was, the bit shifted and there it was - a hallway with pretty light setup.
"Please do walk inside." - AIO continues.
I do make steps inside, the door behind me, wish is not a door but a piece of bloody wall - closes as I pass by it and stand in the hall. The moment the "door" closed, the whole of the hall had the whoosh of the air pass, like in the medical units - before the staff go into them zones. What's it called? Ah, "decontamination" zone or something. But right after that - I took a breath, then another one and one more - each deeper and deeper. I could feel that it's now getting me light headed, but the air does feel way more nice. I put my hand on the wall, holding up a bit. A few more takes and I felt the whole lot of pain leave me alone.
"David, you've still not replied to a previous question." - AIO comes on again.
"What question?" - I ask, as I now make way down the hall.
"Do you remember how you got here?" - AIO asks.
"No I do not. How would I remember something I can't know…" - I let out, then stop in my tracks as I've reached to the door on the other end. I hovered the key card over the reader and the door opens - elevator. - "Which floor?" - I ask AIO.
"Number 4." - Replies AIO.
I press button 4, then the elevator takes me down. The whole ride being quite long. I wondered to which hell level am I taken. But alas the elevator stops, the door open and I walk out. There's the white haired girl standing there. She eyes me, then lets out a sigh.
"Come along, it's going to be a long one." - She lets out, as the then turns around to walk down the hall.
Whilst I'm still whoozy, I try to manage walking behind her. Too winded to make conversation yet.