20 Who you are in the dark (1/2)

The prisonerarrived days ago. They brought her here bruised, disarmed and naked.

She's a good fighter: only a teenage girl, but she managed to knock out the first guard twenty seconds after opening her eyes. If the guards weren't Myridians, she could've escaped right there.

But Myridians are tricky. They can create copies of themselves at will: if you want to knock out one, you better be prepared to do the same with an another thousand.

They tried to interrogate her, but the prisoner can't understand a single word. The guards are professionals: they don't resort to outright torture. They know how to break prisoners.

They provide her drinking water and nothing else. No food. No clothes. Not even a bed.

She just sits there, alone, on the cold floor of hard stone. Meditating.

Thinking.

I am Null. I must remember that. I have to keep focused.

I can't remember what happened after the teleportation. I've been separated from the Many and imprisoned here…wherever ”here” is.

I couldn't understand a word the guards said, meaning it wasn't any language known to mankind.

There is no way out. The walls are solid. There's a locket on the other side of the prison bars, but I can't pick it without any instrument.

They're either trying to break me or they don't care if I die. I'm cold. Hungry. Thirsty. Tired.

”Oh God I'm gonna die here alone and naked and scared!”

Shut up, Noriko. I'm trying to think here.

”Where's Dad? Where's everybody? What am I doing here!?”

You're not doing anything. I'm the one in charge.

”I was here first. I've been you until Athena messed things up”

Really. You're an angsty teenager with no original thought and no future. I am Null.

”You're the one afraid of her human personality. So afraid that you locked me in a corner of your brain and pushed away everyone we know. And now you're gonna die alone”

Shut up. I'm only hearing you because I'm tired and hungry and so far away from Earth that I can't connect to the worldmind.

”So basically we're going insane because you can't hear seven billion voices in your head anymore? That's a new one.”

I'm not insane. Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep all the knowledge of the world inside your head!?

”Great, now I'm arguing with myself. You ever think Mom was right?”

Shut up. I am Null. I have no mother.

”She said I'm nothing. All that genius, and what have you done with it so far?”

Noriko is nothing. You are nothing. I am Null now. Null doesn't need anyone.

”Keep telling yourself that and eventually you'll believe it. Oh wait, that's exactly what you're doing now, aren't you? Come on big head, you're the smartest girl on Earth. You know what you need to do to get out of this mess”

Alright. We'll try things your way. But if we die, I'm never gonna listen to you again.

”What if it turns out I'm right? You're going to tell our friends that you're hearing voices?”

Don't push your luck.

I open my eyes, ready to take on the world. Then slam my head on the wall so hard I break my nose. This should work.

I regain consciousness with the unmistakable smell of disinfectant. There's something restraining my head, but I manage to look around enough to understand I'm in some kind of medical facility.

They have tied me up, but at least they've had the decency to give me an hospital gown.

”Did they have to dress me up while I was unconscious? Creeeepy…”

Why are you still here?

”It takes more than a broken nose to silence your fears.”

That would be almost profound if it made any sense. I don't have time to argue with you right now, can't you see they're examining us? Look at that screen, it's showing all of my vital signs. That's probably the reason for the clothes…this ”dress” is probably a sensor array.

”Yeah, I know, I'm you, remember? God, split personalities suck.”

I'm going to ignore you right now. I can't believe I was ever you.

”I can't believe supersmart me is such a b###h!!!”

Shut up, you're making me waste too much brain power! Without a connection to the worldmind…

”You shut up! You pushed me away because you were afraid a human mind would go insane with that much information and responsibility!”

Well maybe it's better to be insane than to be you!

”Fine!”