/ Ana
The whole lot took a bit. Discussion went on and off from the main topic. The idea of how to "help" Iron City - pretty much can be summarised into : "Only if we have a definite way to execute it without losses on our end." and "We can also utilise the resources they have."
Pretty much - what else to expect. They are a bunch of cunning, manipulative survivors… Although, I'm also now one of them, am I not? A damn survivor.
The talks ended with me going to the elevator with David and Evie.
"Make sure to head upstairs, Evie. Keep watch to see if there's any news from the Feng guy. Although he said that it's still a few days away, to make sure we won't miss it - you have to go up. I have something to discuss with David." - I command the troops in my own way, as the elevator stops at the floor which I had business in. The kind that I set off prior.
The Elevator stopped, and David walked out, watching how Evie was left inside and now had a mission of her own.
It was odd that David was quiet the whole time. A few seconds passed, as I watched the elevator. Just to make sure that Evie does as told.
"So what do you plan?" - AIO came on speakers.
"Ha-ah…" - I let out a sigh, - "System, I have a request. Whatever you see from here on out, sense or hear - do NOT share with the others. For now. Security breach would be of utter devastating level, if you do that."
Silence.
I approach the wall with the key. Swipe the card, to open the door.
"You better not make me regret it." - AIO lets out.
Walking through the hall into the room with all that hardware, wetware, David followed me closely.
"So what exactly are you planning?" - He asks.
"There's a few people we need. Pretty desperately. And I shall do a pretty awful thing of letting them out. The strategists we've got there, with your friends - I don't trust them. They've yet to figure out what they want. And now we have options to leave the premises of the bunker, so I assume some shall set off. But we do need professionals with a cool head when it comes to critical matters. Even if they're unhinged." - I replied.
"And who would those be?" - David asks and halts whatever else he had to say for a moment, as I open the door panel in the wall, similar trick to the one before.
"Huh?" - David looked pretty confused.
"Yeah," - I let out, - "There's many things in here that even some top clearances of the test won't get you in."
As we walk into the room - a few chambers are open. Only one person sits upright. He turned to face us.
"Oh damn…" - He lets out, as he sees me.
"Ah shi-it." - I say as I remember who it is. Not sure if murder is the answer, or if pushing him back into the system is.
David looks stunned. No wonder. The person who sits there is pretty much a spit image of him. Like a clone.
"Miss Trouble, you better have a good explanation." - He lets out.
"Hare? Is that the Hare?" - David asks me, as he places his hand on my shoulder.
"Oh fuck.." - He lets out after a double take on David. - "Even my brother, huh?"
"Brother?!" - David grips my shoulder hard, turning me to face him. - "What does he mean by 'brother'?!"
"Ouch!" - I wince. Not sure if I want to elaborate the whole thing, or is there a chance in hell that this man who woke up has some of his evil tendencies frozen off. Much to my own surprise - even I am not sure what to do here.
Hare stands up, walking over to us. Then gently pulls David's hand off of me.
"Be careful with my girlfriend. I still need her." - Hare lets out.
David looks absolutely stunned. Speechless. I'm just too much in the same boat as David.
"Yes, I am your brother. Separated at birth, Twins. I'm the older one though. And this here is my girlfriend." - Hare lets out.
"What the?!" - David seems genuinely not sure of what's what now.
"Michael..." - I let out.
"Michael?!" - David is now looking at me, then at his brother. - "What do you mean 'Michael'? That 'Michael'? Seriously, what the hell do you mean?!"
"Can you shut up please?" - Another voice halts the situation. She gets up from her pod, then takes a look our way. - "Dramatic much, geez. Keep it down."
"Sujin, sorry. The situation called for hard measures." - I let out.
"A whole drama right as I get back to… Ha-ah…" - The pod with another person shifting out of it, voice chiming in.
"Sis?" - One more wakes up, as I watch them get up.
Now it's five people who are awake. The five of the specialists, who were sent in here with a certain attribute - criminal cases with death row sentences. Smuggled out like some contraband goods. But then again - before the crimes they were the most hard working in their fields, the specialists, mastery of whom some only dreamed of.
"What do you mean this is Michael?!" - David does not let it go, as he grabs me by the shoulder yet again. Making Michael grab his wrist and pull that hand off, yet again.
"If you keep this going, I might as well punch you in the face, brother." - Michael looked really serious and really pissed off. He pulled me closer to him, covering me from David.
"He thinks you're the CEO." - I let out, as I try not to make a mess of things.
"Ah fuck…" - Michael lets out, tiredly. - "What a generous misunderstanding." - He turns to David. - "That guy and I are two different people. And trust me when I say I'd punch the fucker in the snot the moment I see him."
David seemed pretty confused, baffled even.
"Then, what is this?" - David lets out.
"Oh for fucks sake," - Sujin lets out. - "Do you really think that the pompous wealthy brat such as the CEO of the damn BITTech would be here with us? After all the shit he pulled us through? I think not."
Sujin comes over, as others slowly get up and come as well.
"Alright, introduction time." - I let out. - "This is Sujin, a specialist in the military. Over there is Isabel, the doctor of Agricultural field, Bongcha is the top analyst, Taeyeon is the best blacksmith world spat out, and Michael is the accredited political sociologist." - I watch as David stands in confusion, though takes in the information.
"Ha, all that and seasoned criminals who ended up in the whole program of BITTech due to us readily escaping death sentences." - Sujin lets out proudly.
"Tsk…" - Isabel eyes Sujin.
"So, why are we up?" - Taeyeon cuts in.
"That's a long ass story, but first I have to take you to our side of the facility, before we cause some heavy drama." - I say, as I start guiding them out of here to the elevator.
The silence hung in the air, as the lot was looking at the wetware, hardware and the rows of this data centre, then the hall, the elevator and the office room. Silence still remained, as they took in the looks of the facility, the placement of things and the whole lot of the situation.
We reached the floor of my office.
Sujin and others went straight to the window to observe the view out there.
"How many years has it been?" - Isabel let out.
"Over 280 years." - I replied.
"And you got us out of the experiment now?" - Sujin asks. - "I suppose there's a huge problem, if it's US who you got out, Ana."
I take a deep breath, nodding to Sujin.
"Indeed, a huge problem." - I replied.
It took me a few hours to explain the whole situation to them, from the whole setup of this bunker to what happened to the outside world from what system gathered. To the other survivors inside, to what triggered the system, what happened over the course of a month here, to what message I received from Feng and the request he left us.
They all were scattered about the room, as some sat on the couch, some stood by the window, Michael sat next to me by the computer. They also came by to check the monitors and the situation that Feng left us about Iron City. Now they took some time to think. Meanwhile - David leaned on the kitchen counter and observed them all.
"Tsk. That Feng fellow is in deep shit." - Sujin let out. - "That place is the hell on earth. And over the span of bloody 280 years…"
"It became a dystopian nightmare for the wealthy who bend the system to accommodate their pervercy." - Bongcha cut in.
"Though they did manage quite the feat with that setup, to be honest." - Taeyeon added.
"Still," - Isabel cuts in, - "The whole premise of printing biological matter was possible, though printing humans was not that great, way back when. Now, to them - it's like another working Tuesday, by the looks of it."
"Don't forget the whole thing about kuru infected pedophiles on that hell forsaken sphere of tech." - Michael adds. - "I knew that humans are twisted, hell, we're no walk in the sunshine either, but this here is beyond expectations."
"Like your whole thing of being a psychopath serial killer?" - Sujin asks.
"I was not killing some random citizens, my dear. I was picky with my subjects." - Michael replies.
"We all have that in common." - Isabel walks around the room slowly. - "I mean, we were all in the damn cell due to the system seeing us as a threat, due to our vigilante outbreaks."
"You mean our rage against the system?" - Sujin adds.
"Yeah, exactly that. The whole world was not really happy about us being the whistleblowers, the vigilantes and the ones who took matters in our own hands." - Isabel lets out.
"I still think that you all did what you did to get rid of the scumbags across the globe. So thank you for your service on that matter." - I chime in. - "Though here and now we're in need of your expertise to get this place in working order, as well as… Well…" - I point to the screens that show the atrocities of the Iron City.
"Yeah," - Taeyeon sighs, - "Letting them live is against nature itself. So, getting that place sorted would be a feat."
"Provided that Feng fellow has others on his side with enough power in all sectors to make this coup-de-tat work out." - Sujin says. - "Just to kill the head of hydra ain't the way. You have to annihilate the whole thing with body and limbs, to stop whatever that horror was up to."
"Not to mention the whole cleanup period, as well as getting to change perspective in the survivors, mitigating the mental damage of the citizens and well, making a new life a reality. The whole structure has to undergo a goliath level change." - Michael lets out.
After a while, Evie came by to notify that she prepared the sleeping arrangements on the vacant office floor, so that all could have their place of stay. For now - decided not to engage with the rest of the survivors in this bunker. So they left to have food, relax and rest on that floor. And now I am left with David and Michael next to me on my office floor.
"Are you really my brother or are you shitting me?" - David finally has a chance to talk it out with Michael.
Michael turns to me and asks to pull up his records alongside David's records, I do as told. Michael shows the data to David, as they both walk up to monitors.
"It says here that we were both given into an orphanage upon birth." - David looks stunned to see this piece of information.
"Ah, you didn't know?" - Michael seemed genuinely surprised. David shook his head.
"Yeah, well, you went off with a pretty nice family, mine was decent as well, up until the whole abusive episode with the new stepfather began. He couldn't hold it in, as he gunned for the wealth mother dear accumulated, from previous divorce." - Michael shrugged. - "Little did he know about how the previous 'dad' died. But sure enough - learned the hard way. And with all that magic of poison mother pulled off - once more the information that came out in the media was that it was the heart attack. Guess she taught me the way of righteous actions. All the shit people did had consequences. Some called it karma. Well," - Michael smiled, looking at me, then at David. - "I was that karma."
"So you killed people." - David partially asked, partially acknowledged.
"Indeed. But only those who were so deep in the mud, trying to smear that shit all over others, that I had only one choice." - Michael gently spoke. - "And that was mainly frowned upon in the eyes of human decency. Due to moral standpoints. But hey, all that lead me to this fine lady." - Michael gently placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Did You kill someone?" - David's worried expression landed on me. I looked in his eyes, then looked aside.
"Did you really think that business is such a clean job? Even, no, especially big tech companies have ways of dealing with people." - Michael replied in my stead.
"It was an accident at first." - I spoke up.
"And then it became a habit, my dear." - Michael added.
"Not a habit. Not that part." - I shook my head.
"Ah, was it talking to ME, that became a habit?" - Michael asked.
"That it came to be. Yes." - I replied.
"So you two are dating, huh?" - David asked, eyeing us both.
"Oh no, dear brother, don't get it all twisted now." - Michael gets closer to David, hugging his shoulders with his hand, then looking at me. - "It's always been a one sided boundless crush on my part. She's just perfect as she is."
David looked stunned. I was just smiling at Michaels remark.
"Might I add - I'll wait for as long as it takes. Even this whole project - does not matter how long it was or is. I'm still all about her." - Michael lets out.
"Right, being the head labyrinth keeper for Niko was just that, huh?" – I slyly eye Michael.
"Oh that…" - He gets serious in an instant.
"That." - I say. - "Care to explain?"
Michael walks over to the window. Looking out as serious as one gets.
"We all either chose who we were in the system, or were placed in certain parts BY the system. AS you're aware, us, the criminals - were placed into the boxes of roles prepared by the system. So we had to play a role. Like in theatre. All of us, villanised individuals. I too, was in a role to play." - Michael seriously and annoyingly let out.
"You what?" - David asked. - "What do you mean to be placed in a role? Did the system not abide by the rules of the imagination and creation of users?"
"That is the freedom to those who were selected from the nice pool of subjects. Some of us were thrown into hell with no options but to play what system made us play. At first I tried my best to get out of the damn script, to break the character and to free myself. But no. I had to follow the rules of the script prepared." - Michael seemed genuinely disappointed by the whole thing, not really angry, just the sheer feeling of not being one to play by the rules, to be used and forcefully put in a certain lot of conditions which made him abide… Worse than a prison sentence.
"So your time with Niko…?" - David questioned Michael. - "The way she described you and how you were…?"
"I was in a script. Playing the damn role." - Michael turns to face David. - "Do you really think I'd waste my time playing about with that mess of a woman, knowing full well that I have the love of my life somewhere in the same system, just there, out there? Oh how desperately I tried to get out and look for Ana. Even the damn penalties from the system I had to withstand. All to block me from what I wanted the most. What I yearned most for. Of course eventually damn thousands of years broke me there. I did accept the role, I played it absolutely as it was expected. Might have accepted some Oscars and Grammys for my great performance. Though, as the whole war ended in that damn system, as the whole system went crushing down. Oh I became hopeful. I remembered what I almost forgot, when I was in that white space, just waiting. I felt it - that finally I was able to escape the damn script. And as I woke up, seeing her in front of me - god was I overjoyed once more to be alive."
Listening to Michael say it this way - I was speechless. Was it truly how he felt? Sure enough over the years I've heard a bunch of his words of love towards me. I was never sure that it would be the case, for a serial killer employed by the CEO to be this… Gentlemanly. Sure, we shared perspectives on certain things, he was always mindful of my likes and dislikes, somehow not too much for me to be around. Even comfortable. Though this - I… This made me question if such dedication on his part could as well become reciprocated by me. Though I'm not sure if I remember the reason I was against dating him in the first place. There was something, something of a reason which kept me from staying away from Michael. Just what was it? Damn…
"What do you mean white space? You said that the system crashed down and you were in the white space." - David perked up.
Right, that question did yank me back to reality from my own thoughts. What was that, indeed?
"I'm not sure. But just as Niko disappeared from the whole continent after the war, there was a moment when we had peace. The others went their own way. That was a thing. I met with someone before the whole whiteout." - Michael replied.
"Someone?" - David's interest is piqued even more.
"Yeah, it was that damn King Leon. One who was presumed dead for thousands of years. He met me during my mission, as I was once more in the Kingdom. He found me. And the conversation was pretty eerie in itself. He said that his disciple is about to change the whole world as we know it. I thought he's like some glitch or something. That geezer went on rambling about how she's to be the new Queen of the Chaos or something. And then as he was about to spew some more nonsense - the whole thing began to crumble, with white light just overflowing. Looking at the whole thing as if the puzzle pieces of reality were falling apart. And then just endless white space. That's about it." - Michael replied.
I looked at Michael, brows furrowed, as I was trying to understand if any of that had anything to do with system activation. Wait… Queen?
Opening the logs and typing in the character of King Leon, some data script lines later, there it was. Once I saw that my face soured.
"Fuck…" - I let out.
"What is it?" - David perked up, walking to me and checking the screen himself.
"What did you find?" - Michael approached as well, looking into the monitor.
"That's…" - I seem to be at the loss of words.
"That's the damn CEO." - Micahel lets out, as even his face gets pretty sour. - "So the damn King was the damn 'King'. Fascinating. He could not let go of his evil tendencies even in the damn system."
"What does it all mean?" - David looks confused.
"It means that this evil son of a bitch made some shit up, then managed to fuck about with people inside the system, to produce the devil's offspring." - Michael lets out tiredly.
"It says here that this King had plenty encounters with… Wait, Niko?" - David seems even more confused.
"Not only her. Adrian, Verin, Ary, pretty much most of the actual humans in the system. Oh and look at this - he played favourites. Using his time to meddle with shit at large with Niko. Oh fun. I wonder what number he did on her and how that's now being at play." - Michael lets out. - "She had been quire the traumatised being in there, so angsty and so broken. Guess that evil son of a bitch played his cards so well that it… Ah shit."
"Meaning?" - David cuts in.
"Meaning that we might have the prodigy of that evil Michael plotting things without out knowledge. Michael always had his ways around people. Manipulating the heck out of them. Broken people were his favourite toy. Seems that his way of mending them was through something of his damn new scheming levels." - I let out.
"Well, I would not be surprised if she ends up creating a cult. Though…" - Michael turns to face me, as I look back at him. - "She might be the one to break him out."
"That would be disastrous." - I let out.
"You do know where he's at." - Michael looks me in the eyes, I nod. - "Should I kill him?"
I let out a sigh. Sure, killing that evil son of a bitch could be a good one, though I still don't know the full picture of his schemes and plans. He might have made more things during my time away, might have planned even more without me knowing. And with this - he sure has tinkered with minds of many test subjects, with people's minds, actual people.
"Fuck…" - I breathe out, tiredly.
"Well, you guys have it your way. I'll go back to them. Maybe checking on what they're up to might give some answers." - David lets out.
"Wait!" - I call out to David. - "Don't let them know we have more people… Actually, don't let them know about anything that happened here in general."
"Why would you say that?" - David crosses his hands, as he looks at me.
"Because there's cards at play we're not aware of. And knowing what we know - Niko might be up to something eerie. Play dumb for now. Observe them. Just don't get into trouble. Now it's not just survival. It's also the point of whom to trust. As daunting as it sounds. She is someone you know, well, knew. But do you really think you knew it all? All that doe-eyed thing that gazed at you longingly, all those times you messed with her, you really think that shit was not going on behind the scenes? I'm sure you too did things she was not aware of." - Michael stood by me, though spoke to David with concern, surety in his words.
David locked eyes with Michael.
"Where did I knew it from? I had the same gaze looking at me. I knew for a fact that there are parts to her that are even more unhinged than mine. What I knew nothing of - is how far she will take it. I do remember her annihilating so many species into oblivion in the name of love. Her obsession with it was smoldering. That Hikaru guy she kept on about, even as her body was in the Labyrinth, awaiting. Even that thing, with her conscious being in another place, kept whispering and whimpering his name in wretched pain. I was a witness to that. For decades. What I do know is that Michael, the CEO, has a twisted sense of love. So dark in fact that I was willing to kill him just to get rid of that shitty sense that wrapped around him. Now, if he did a number on Niko - who is to say what madness she can now pull off in the name of love, huh? And it's no longer the system. It's the real world now." - Michael finished his speech and observed David. Latter looked deep in thought now. Mulling over the words of his brother.
"Just, keep all you know to yourself for now. Please." - I let out, meekly. - "Let's just say that it's for our own safety. For now."
David turned around facing the exit, walking off a few steps then stopping.
"You're on my side, brother?" - David asks, with his back to us.
"I always was." - Michael replies.
"Though you never knew me." - David adds.
"Though you never knew Me. I'm still there for you. And I trust you'll do the right thing." - Michael confidently lets out.
David walks off. Leaving me and Michael in the room alone.
"Ana?" - Michael softly says.
"Yes?" - I replied to him.
"Can I sleep next to you tonight?" - He randomly asks, but his voice is somewhat gentle.
"I do sleep on the couch here, you know. And you've got a whole set up bed downstairs." - I replied.
"So, can I?" - He turns to me, looking in my eyes, and somehow, just somehow he looks like he was abandoned for so long, that this sense of loneliness might just about kill him if I say 'no'.
"Sure. Be gentle." - I say out loud, as I can't stand his whole pained look.
After a few more hours I go to the couch, where Michael already lies. I slowly get on the couch, laying down next to him. He turns around and hugs me from behind, as he senses my presence.
"I might sound insane," - He whispers softly, - "But I can't tell you how agonising it felt without you. I won't have the words. But now… All I want is just this." - He nuzzles into my neck, with his breath warm against my skin. I place my hands on his, as he holds me gently.
"I've said it many times and I'll say it many more times. I love you." - He sleepily breathes out. As his breath evens out, his body relaxes, it seems like he fell asleep.
I wonder what he went through there. Though, what they all went through is quite the torture, in own way. I wonder how they all will face it here. Yanked out of the system, then being with this avalanche of information and now a whole need to get solutions. Damn… We'll we even make it?