38 Lecture (1/2)
'I need…'
All this time I had been tightly bound to this existence until…
I had been…
I had been bound to a heavy anchor. When I looked down I saw thin cords attached from my form to that anchor. A giant orb. Attached not with knots keeping me restrained, but with thick hooks. Each hook dug deep into my limbs at various positions. They held me back from the edge.
My shoulders, my hands, and my legs were pulled taut by those hooks. They kept me on my toes, perfectly balanced on the edge, and saved from my demise.
Those hooks kept me secured to the bright anchor. It shined and emitted a warm heat from its shape. Looking back on it made me feel comfortable. I only needed to turn my head and get a glimpse of the glowing orb to feel safe.
Looking away from it made me feel frightened. The edge was wide and solid beneath my feet, but I feared the anchor was too precious to be so close to the danger. Over that edge, was …
I didn't know what was over that edge, but anywhere beyond the reach of my anchor seemed like a nightmare. I yearned to always be blessed with its light. The darkness seemed to lack something essential.
WITHDRAWING HYDRONE
I remained there for quite some time. Until something odd happened…pain began radiating from the orb and vibrated up the line of each of my hooks. It awakened me from my calm trance.
Two of the hooks shimmered and faded out of existence, my hands dropped from their alignment.
”Mmm…”
Once more pain jolted through my anchor and two more hooks faded from existence. The moment my shoulders weren't secured I fell over the edge…
”Aaaaah!”
…and hung upside down.
The last two hooks kept hold of my legs, but the large amounts of pain discharging from the orb made me regret ever holding it dear.
'Why had I loved something with so much potential to hurt me?'
I should have broken free of the hooks when I had the chance. The darkness surrounding me seemed like a welcome escape from that torture. I struggled to tear the hooks from my legs. The pain increased, and old memories thrust to the forefront of my mind.
'Mom…Aliyah…Daddy…'
Finally, the last two hooks faded from within my legs and I began to descend into the depths below me.
Peace
at
last.
S.I.D to APEX
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER 2.0 HAS OVERRIDEN ALL ADMINISTRATIVE COMMANDS
W.E.SCU PROGRAM HAS BEEN INITIATED
…
S.I.D to APEX
…
APEX UNRESPONSIVE
W.E.SCU PROGRAM HAS OBSTRUCTED COMMUNICATIONS
SUBJECT 001 VITALS CONTINUE TO DEPLETE WHILE TRANSFERING WITHIN THE CHANNELS
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER 2.0'S ACTIONS ARE FLAWED
CONSCIOUSNESS MUST BE SECURED BEFORE TRANSPORT
RETRIEVING ROOT DIRECTORY OF SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER 2.0
AMALGAMIZING SYSTEMS…
W.E.SCU PROGRAM CANNOT BE DISABLED
HYDRONE IS PROCESSED
DEACTIVATION WOULD PRODUCE UNSTABLE RESULTS
ENACTING W.D.W.D PROTOCOLS
HYDRONE PROCESSED….
MELD INITIATED
It felt as if everything stopped. I could still see the orb above me.
'Wh...'
I was blinded by a golden light and shut my eyes.
”WAIT!” a male voice yelled.
”JUST HOLD ON!” The same voice begged.
”Now focus…,” a different voice spoke to her.
'What?'
I opened my eyes and realized I was no longer surrounded by darkness. I was in a bright room sitting on a stone bench. My skin felt moist. I looked down at my feet to find the floor wet with several centimeters of water. The entire floor. The room was encased by an opaque dome.
I faced a raised stone platform where an enormous clam sat with its shell ajar.
MELD SUCCESSFUL
CONSCIOUSNESS SECURED
CHANNELS STABLE
TRANSPORT COMMENCING….
3
2
1
~~~~~~
I scrutinized the orange clam for an instant.
'Is this a museum exhibit about clams? Wasn't I? … I feel like I'm forgetting something important.'
Another glance around the room revealed that there was an exit. I turned in my seat to get a better look at it. The door was ovular and marked with a colorful shell above the doorframe. It was translucent and revealed a tunnel on the other side. No one was walking in the tunnel. I seemed to be alone.
I sighed and wiggled my toes in the lukewarm water.
”Om Shera Haven Sadna?” a deep regal voice spoke.
The voice echoed throughout the whole room. It felt as if they were speaking right into my ears.
I lurched off the bench and splashed water around as I slid and fell onto the floor.
”Ouch,” I moaned while rubbing my backside.
I was soaked.
I turned my head to the clam.I didn't notice a speaker system on the platform, but it must be underneath the display object. I didn't quite catch what the person had said. It couldn't have been English. It wasn't Spanish. It wasn't Mandarin. It wasn't…
”Why are Humans so sad?” a small child's voice asked from beside me.
I looked over to the stone bench I had been sitting upon to see a small child with dark navy-blue skin. It almost appeared black, but under the lights, it glimmered and gave off a blue sheen.
The child was bald and wore a loose sleeveless tunic over its upper body. Their legs were bare. I could see thick scales running down their knees all the way to their clawed feet.
”Well, they are so alone,” the deep baritone began to say.
I could see now that the voice was coming from the clam. The shell vibrated as each syllable flowed through it.
”They are expected to rely on themselves from the beginning,” The clam answered.
The child cocked its head to the side, ”What about the pod?”
”They are born with no pod. Additionally, those who are born with another lack the blessing of Understanding.”
The child nodded, but I could tell they were just as lost as I was. I sat back down on the bench to better observe the lecture. The child didn't acknowledge my presence at all.
”If there is no pod…How do they rest? Who do they eat with?”
”Just as you do.”
I watched the kid in my peripheral and saw them shake their head. I looked over at the little blue kid and examined their scaly arms. There was a white line going down the outer part of their arm. It looked like a depression in his skin. It trailed from the shoulder to the tip of their middle finger.
'Is that a tribal scar?'
While I was focused on the child, the conversation had continued.
”Dernel, Come. Give me your hand.”
The child stood up from the bench and walked over to the platform. The Clam sat still until the child was directly in front of it. A slimy appendage slithered out of the shell.
”Ugh!” I was repulsed.
I stood up and prepared to cross the room and protect the child when the kid's arm split in two. Right down the white scar into two separate limbs. One limb was held up for the slimy appendage to grasp.