ACT VII: AXIAL DEATH

-"The BASE will start; the LOCUS will end!"-

Blood continues to ooze from Edgar's stomach forming a stream from his belly button to his face. He opened his eyes, but everything is blurry; his heart furiously beating as if it wants to escape death by breaking his chest. His rapid breathing and tormenting headaches were proving him that he will not last long.

"I need to finish this. I don't want to die; I want to live!"

Upon mustering his little strength, he tried to lift his head but to his vain, he cannot. He opened his eyes wider and saw that everything is upside down, crumbling to destruction. The cold metal floors of the stairs made him realize that he was back in the observation laboratory.

The hallway was filled with blinking red light and beeping sounds from the alarms. He slid through the short stairs and stood up with his shaking feet and arms. He tried to walk toward the center of the laboratory where he first woke up, but every step seems to open his wound further like every connective tissue inside is ripping little by little.

He held his wound attempting to stop the fountain of blood from escaping. Blocks of sweat escaped the exhausted man, his body hungry for food and medicine especially painkillers. He opened the opaque glass door and jumped inside.

Loud banging noise was heard after the door closed itself. Everything became calm; Edgar's pain in his abdomen vanished like it never existed before; his body shook no more and his stomach stopped growling. He stood up still his head panging with pain and tried to touch his abdomen but still, his blood was oozing endlessly.

Computers inside the central laboratory were displaying an error message "ERROR X2562622X: CONSCIOUSNESS CLONING/TRANSFER***ALGORITHM SIMULATION ERROR/TERMINATION: BRAIN ACTIVITY CRITICAL: BRAIN DEATH IN T-19:00H: SHELL STATUS: STERBEN"

The room was barricaded by a metal frame that was painted with four-pointed stars of the Cumber family Badge.

"Hello, Master Cumber! This is Fully Automated Quantum Assistant or FAQA. I will be guiding you in this test. Estimated completion time is T-16:00H if parameters are followed. Do you have any question before we start the procedures? Please be reminded that all questions and responses are limited and may not be answered." The Artificial voice said in an overly human-like voice that can manage creep out everyone who will hear it while displaying a face in the green monitor.

"Where am I FAQ?"

"Authority Level Insufficient. Authority level is not authorized to disclose classified information. If you have no questions, we will continue with the ATLAS PROGRAM."

"What is the Atlas Program?"

"Atlas program or named initially as Project Atlas is a program initially proposed by Siemen Laboratory, a subsidiary of Amalgamation Incorporated and was approved by two government offices. Currently, one out three company is still operating after the project has been partially shut down effective March 13, 2032. There are 75 subjects in total but only three are still actively tested." The monitor flashed many pictures of people and news clips of the different subjects. "If you have no question, we will continue with the Atlas Program."

"What is its objective?"

"Atlas Program is an auxiliary program. It is tasked to collect data for a new super AI. Other information cannot be accessed due to low authority level. We will now proceed with the Atlas program."

"Wait! I have more question!"

"Protocol violation has been detected. Question will now not be answered. Sorry for the inconvenience. Project Atlas has been initiated. All systems check."

A hissing sound was heard at one side of the laboratory; the metal panels began creaking as it starts ascending. The door creaked as it slowly opens revealing the destruction outside. Big boulder, metal struts and broken glass covers the metal floor of the building. Leaving the comforts of the laboratory, Edgar walked out still limping due to his ruptured abdomen still oozing with blood.

Leaving a trail of blood, he continued through the hallway. He passed the Observation Pods but after passing through Observation Pod IV he saw something similar; something that made him felt cold all throughout his body and just like that, his mind and concentration were in shambles.

Edgar being stolen off of his strength once more knelt and began crying while banging the glass. He wanted to know, "Why is he here? Who wants to torture with these memories? Why should I be reminded of these repeatedly? I don't know what happened."

"Poor naïve child! You have been forced through rebirth then is tortured with fiction. You are always trying to accept everything but fail to understand the consequences of your acceptance."

Edgar turns back and saw a woman slender and tall wearing a white long gown surrounded by a thick white cloud. Traumatized by the past events, Edgar flinched and walked back hitting the glass wall with his back.

"Don't fear me, child. I am not an entity of evil. Like you, I am a discarded program, just a speck of codes inside the mainframe."

"What d…do you mean? L…Like you? I am a person."

"Consciousness to be exact. A consciousness that will become just a line of codes in a matter of a few hours. A human without a spirit, just instructions on how to act like one."

Cumber stands up and faced the woman and said, "Am I a psychopath? Why am I dreaming like this? Can't I wake up? Please tell me! Am I alive and dreaming or dead!"

"You can never regain your past self. Only she can save you, so you must find her. That's all I must say for now."

"You keep telling me that but who is she? I do not know the one you are referring to!"

"Come with me and I shall hand to you the past, present, and future that I may know of. Everything that you have seen is just a mixture of reality and fiction. You are just played upon by something."

The woman walked back through the trail of Edgar's blood and entered the laboratory. Edgar followed her but still maintaining caution. The woman touched the computers and the central quantum computer making them reboot one after the another. Few moments passed after rebooting the screen turned green and a face of boxy eyes and lips made of lines appeared.

With its more primitive robotic and outdated voice it speaks, "Welcome Edgar or should I say, Prince. I am Kreutz but I am more known as Kishin. I am one of the earliest artificial intelligence developed by Cumber Corporation. How may I help you, Mr. Prince? I have the answers."

Edgar asked away like he already knew Kishin and the woman in white. Their discussion went for hours. But like the others, everything must submit to time.

"PROTOCOL VIOLATION: ERROR CODE: X24468373373X Restarting all services. Disconnecting user0104." The speakers blurted out after Edgar heard everything and his questions earnestly answered. Everything goes dark, Edgar can't feel anything, but he can see his hands streaked with blood from his torn abdomen. He tried to find anything that may give him hope that there is still a chance. A chance that he may get out and stop the torment from them.