Into the Abyss

I wake up, my head feeling foggy and my mouth tasting like metal. I have no recollection of how I ended up in this place, or even where this place is. The darkness is all-encompassing and I can hear a faint whirring sound all around me. Suddenly, the lights flicker to life, momentarily blinding me.

Slowly my vision adjusts, I take in my surroundings. This place is unfamiliar, wires and tubes writhing across the walls. The room is sparsely furnished, containing only the table I woke up on, and a chair and desk that sit off to my left. On the desk sits a computer monitor. Though at the moment, I do not remember what that is, at least I seem to be familiar with it. I can only hope that my memory will return given time.

I try to stand, but my legs are weak and unsteady. Crumpling to the floor, I feel a wave of dizziness wash over me. The floor is frigid and metallic under my touch, sending shivers up my legs. The floor bears a pattern reminiscent of a meteorite, though I do not recall what that is.

Using the table to steady myself I stand back up. My legs are still wobbly, but I slowly make my way to the chair in front of the desk and take a seat. As I sit down, the chair restrains my legs and torso, preventing me from moving, causing me to panic.

After a few moments of screaming, crying and clawing, I force myself to think rationally and search for a way to remove the restraints, but they are too tight. I turn my attention to the desk, hoping to find some answers. I touched the surface of the desk, It lit up with foreign symbols and characters, the computer springing to life, I look at the monitor, unsure of what to do next. Noticing a dimly illuminated hand-shaped outline that sits to the right of the symbols. I place my hand on the desk, hoping for the best. At first, nothing happens.

As I began to lose hope, the screen changed, displaying a rapid slideshow of strange, incomprehensible images, continuing on for an interminable period, I could not shake the creeping dread that filled me, before long the computer prompted me to press any key. I gazed at the symbols on the desk before me, my hand hovering uncertainly over them. Eventually pressing one.

Again the room was plunged into darkness, the lights flickering on and off as a mechanical groan filled the room. The monitor flickering back on as the computer began to boot back to life.

"MEMORY STATUS… OK," it announced in a cold, metallic voice.

"CHECKING DATA INTEGRITY… DATA CORRUPT."

"RETRIEVING DATA BACKUP… COMPLETE."

"BOOTING FROM BACKUP… RESTARTING."

I waited for what felt like an eternity, unable to shake the feeling that it would never work again and I would be trapped here in the darkness. Eventually the screen blinked to life and the computer announced,

"MEMORY STATUS… OK."

"CHECKING DATA INTEGRITY… REPAIRED."

"BEGINNING INITIALIZATION."

The screen counted down from three to one before an audio recording began playing. After a few dry coughs, a man began speaking, his voice strained and laced with pain. "My name is Ryker Haydn. I'm sure you have many questions, but I fear I cannot answer them all. Nonetheless I have little time left, we should continue."

"First of all, you may have noticed that your memory is hazy and incomplete. The truth is, you don't have a past. You were created out of my desperation to escape death, my last attempt at self-preservation before the final eyo-sentenia mind link device malfunctioned and self-destructed. Unfortunately, it was unable to transfer all of my knowledge and memories into you, so you are only a fragment of my being. You were meant to be a vessel, a receptacle for my soul, my hopes and dreams. But in the end, you were nothing more than a failed experiment."

He coughs, his voice growing more strained as he continues to speak. "I have lived for time innumerable. I have seen the greatest warriors of humanity fall, watched those whom I have lived with and loved succumb to time, illness, or injury. And though I have escaped death many a time, I fear that it has nearly caught up with me.

"I am sorry for what is about to come," he says, struggling through a fit of coughing. "The world above is in chaos, a shattered place," he says. "Humanity put up a valiant fight, but eventually succumbed to the endless wave of ever-evolving sentinels."

"The sentinels came in all shapes and sizes, devoid of any signs of higher intelligence beyond that of a mere animal. Their raw strength and sheer numbers were overwhelming. The most devastating of them towered over cities, flattening entire urban areas with a single blow. Others resembled machines or animals, ripping through human defenses with ease. And then there were those that were incomprehensible to humans, their very presence driving people to madness and even leading some to worship them as if they were gods."

"For centuries, the sentinels have ravaged the world, reducing the global population to a mere fraction of its former size. Humans now mostly cling to survival in underground shelters, the ruins of a once-beautiful world. The Mau, their creator, has drastically altered the planet's landscape, constructing towering walls that loom on the horizon and stretching an immense, incomprehensibly large ceiling across the sky, shrouding the world in perpetual darkness and severing our connection to the heavens."

Ryker struggles through another coughing fit before continuing his story. "At first, the Mau - or Sechu, as it was originally known - seemed harmless. It was a self-replicating, all-consuming thing with extraordinary properties that defied even the laws of physics. Its utility was near infinite. But things quickly spiraled out of control."

"We attempted to harness the Sechu's power. Its ability to interface with our machines and its unique properties were enticing. We even deciphered its language, so te speak, discovering ways to manipulate it using runes and scripts, changing its physical properties at will. However, we were only beginning to understand it when things took a turn for the worse. The sentinels had grown into an unstoppable force, driving us away from our research. The secrets of the Sechu remaining a mystery beyond our comprehension, we were completely at its mercy."

As he speaks, I grasp the gravity and the scale of the situation. "It's time to prepare you for your journey," he says, between coughs and sputters. "You will undergo a painful procedure, but it's necessary. You must remain awake for it to work. I understand this may cause you some trauma, but I believe that with time, you will come to appreciate and enjoy your augmentations."

"I will give you the culmination of my research: the eyo-godlink, the most powerful neural implant ever created. It will teach you the machine language and grant you the ability to do almost anything you can imagine. Its main feature, the Sechu interface will eventually enable you to control the Mau with just a thought. You can even store your scripts for later use."

"Aside from the implant, I'll also provide you with the remaining eyo-nano machines. Although there aren't many left, they'll replicate themselves every 160 hours. Unfortunately they are a fraction of their original power when the laws of physics changed. These machines will assist in managing the implant as you grow, repairing any damage to you or the implant, and upgrading your abilities as you evolve beyond human. They are not magic though, use your head and avoid injury or you will lose life and limb. May these tools prove useful to you," Ryker coughed and sputtered for several more seconds before continuing.

"This is it. The hour of your trial has arrived, my dear one," he says, his voice strained and ragged. "When you are able, please rise from your seat and make your way back to the table. I understand the fear that grips your heart, but there is no other path forward. May the gods that have abandoned us look back, if only for a moment, and watch over you."

After those words, both the computer and Ryker fell silent, and its screen went dark. I sat there, stunned in silence, considering my options. I stood up and tried to find a alternative way out, but the room was too small and the furniture too heavy. I touched the walls and tugged on the cables, hoping for a way to escape, but it was of no use. Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized the gravity of my situation. There was no other choice but to face my fate. With a trembling hand, I approached the table and touched its cold, metallic surface.

I climbed up onto the cold table and laid down, taking a deep breath and trying to relax, even though fear made my naked body tremble. Suddenly, the lights went out and I was once again plunged into darkness. The only sound was a mechanical whir that filled the room, growing louder and louder until it drowned out all other thoughts. I heard metal scraping against metal above me, and then a pallid light illuminated the room. I could see a mirror directly above me, and in it, I saw my own trembling, frail body.

Robotic limbs descended from the ceiling, each bearing different instruments. Slowly, they began their work, piercing my flesh in various places. I clenched my teeth and tried to endure, focusing on my breathing to help calm my nerves.

After the first round of procedures was finished, I found myself completely immobilized, unable to move even a single muscle or blink my eyes. My heart was pounding in my chest, and though I wanted to scream for help, no sound would escape my lips. There was no one to come to my rescue as another robotic arm descended, carrying out a similar procedure on a few select parts of my body, such as my neck, stomach, behind each ear, and under my eyes. As the machines worked on me, I lay there, completely helpless and consumed by terror.

As my mind grew increasingly foggy, coherent thoughts became harder to maintain. The pain intensified as more robotic limbs descended from the ceiling, relentlessly performing various procedures on my legs, cutting and piercing without mercy. The agony was almost too much to bear, and I felt as though I was on the brink of losing my mind. I wanted to scream out in agony, to cry for help, but my body refused to cooperate, leaving me completely helpless. The only thing that kept me anchored to reality was the icy touch of the table beneath me. It felt like an eternity of suffering, and I wanted not to fathom how much more I would endure.

The machines showed no mercy, their relentless work moving on to my arms, subjecting them to the same brutal procedures. The cold metal instruments sliced and pierced into my flesh, sending waves of pain through my body. I felt sick to my stomach, as if I might vomit, but I was completely paralyzed and unable to move. Each passing moment felt like an eternity, as the machines continued their wicked dance of cutting, piercing, and drilling, pushing me to the brink of madness with each passing second.

As the machines moved on to my chest, my body convulsed with pain, each cut and jab feeling like a fresh hell. I wanted to scream, to beg for mercy, but my voice was gone. All I could do was lie there, helpless and at their mercy. They brought in new parts and sealed the wounds, the pain subsided somewhat, replaced by a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. My heart racing, I watched in horror as two larger arms descended to head level, their menacing presence filling me with dread. I feared what was about to happen, and I wanted to run, to hide, anything to escape this nightmare, but I was trapped, prisoner of my own body.

As the machines moved to work on my eyes, I was consumed by a wave of fear so intense that it felt as if I were drowning. I tried to clench every muscle in my body and prepair for the pain. Small needles and cutting tools invaded my eye sockets. The pain was almost unbearable, but what was worse was the sense of violation, of something precious being taken away from me. My vision flickered and vanished, and for a moment, I felt a blind panic rising. Thankfully, just as quickly as it had gone, my sight returned. I looked up at the mirror, my heart racing with fear, and let out a sigh of relief as I determined that there were no observable changes to my vision. The relief washed over me, but the fear remained, as I pondered the full extent of the changes that were being made to my body.

I was flipped over onto my stomach. The machines didn't stop, continuing their relentless work on my body. Each cut and piercing was excruciating, and I felt like I was being ripped apart from the inside out. I tried to scream, to thrash about, but I was completely at their mercy. The machines worked with alarming speed and efficency, sealing each wound as they went, but the pain and trauma they inflicted could take much longer to heal. It felt like an eternity before they finally finished, leaving me mentally drained.

The next leg of the procedure was the worst yet. A deafening hum filled the room, drilling into my skull and causing an excruciating pain that radiated through my head. The machines probed and poked, twisting and turning inside my brain. It felt like hours had passed, each minute more unbearable than the last. And that noise, that damn noise, it never stopped. It was like a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from.

Finally, the machines stopped their assault on my mind and I was drenched in a frigid fluid. As they turned me over, the cold seeping into my bones, I lay there, dazed and afraid, not knowing what would come next. But exhaustion took over and I drifted off into an uneasy sleep, hoping that when I woke up, it would all be over.

I don't know how much time had passed; I didn't dream. When I finally regained consciousness, I was overwhelmed by a pounding headache and aching pain throughout my body. Shivering, I sat up on the table, clutching my arms and weeping. Through my tears, I surveyed the room. It was still dimly lit, the computer remained powered off, and the machine that had tortured me had retreated back into the ceiling. As I sobbed and held myself in that dark, eerie room, the computer's cold voice suddenly called out, breaking the silence.

"WELCOME USER."

It said, the words sounding hollow and devoid of any warmth. My eyes focused on the interface that had materialized in front of me, filled with symbols and constantly changing information that made no sense to me. I rubbed my aching head, trying to shake off the drowsiness and concentrate on what was happening.

"INITIALIZE IMPLANT."

I had no idea what that meant, I asked it to elaborate further, I asked it what to do, the urgency in the computer's voice making me uneasy. I looked around the room, hoping to find some guidance, but there was nothing.

"INITIALIZE IMPLANT NOW."

It boomed, I had no other choice but to follow the computer's instructions. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to clear my mind and focus on the implant inside me. I could feel it humming and pulsing, waiting to be activated.

With a deep breath, I let go of my fear and allowed the implant to take over. Suddenly, a surge of electricity ran through my veins, filling me with knowledge and power.

When I opened my eyes, I saw the world in a completely new light. The symbols on the interface started making sense, and I could feel the Mau's presence all around me. I had become one with the machine, and I knew that my life would never be the same again. It was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time, but I knew there was no turning back.

"INITIALIZATION COMPLETE."

"WHAT IS YOUR NAME."

I racked my brain for something, anything, but I drew a blank. With a sense of desperation, I asked with the computer to give me a name. It paused for a moment, leaving me wondering if it understood my request. Then, it responded in its cold, metallic voice.

"NAME SELECTED: KOMA."

My heart skipped a beat as I processed the name. Koma? It felt familiar, like it was a part of me. I whispered the name to myself, feeling the syllables roll off my tongue. It sounded right.

"Koma," I repeated, testing it out. The computer's voice interrupted my thoughts, snapping me back to reality.

"PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE EXIT."

As I stood up, my legs felt wobbly and unsteady, and I had to steady myself against the table. Looking to my right, I noticed a door that hadn't been there before. It slid open as I approached, revealing a long, dimly lit corridor. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward, feeling a mix of excitement and trepidation about what lay ahead.

As I walked down the corridor, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of world awaited me outside. Would there be other people like me, with implants and memories that weren't their own? Or was I completely alone in this new existence? Despite the uncertainty, I felt a sense of determination growing within me. I was Koma now, and I was ready to face whatever came my way.

The corridor seemed to stretch on endlessly, but I pressed forward, driven by a newfound sense of purpose. Eventually, I reached the end of the corridor, where a bright light shone from the exit. I took a deep breath and stepped through, ready to start my new life as Koma.

As I made my way through the dark corridors, I relied on my enhanced vision to guide me. Though it wasn't quite as acute as conventional night vision, it was barely enough to pick up glimmers of light amidst the shadows. Eventually, I arrived at a small room where a single dim bulb flickered with a sickly green glow. To my left, I noticed a locker, a bench, and a small table. Without hesitation, I opened the locker and found a change of clothes and a backpack.

As I hastily donned the outfit, I couldn't help but be struck by the strange texture of the garments. The undershirt clung to my skin, its soft inner surface caressing my flesh, while the silky outer layer shimmered in the dim green light. The undergarments were similarly peculiar, a pair of leggings with a texture that was almost otherworldly. I couldn't shake the feeling that everything about this new world was foreign, and yet, somehow, familiar.

As I examined each piece of clothing, I couldn't help but notice the strange oddities in their design. They seemed to have been engineered with great care, the material both durable and flexible. The jacket, although I could only feel its texture in the dim light, seemed to be made of a sleek, black material. Its internal lining was soft and comfortable, offering some respite from the cold, stale air of the facility.

As I sat on the bench and slipped on the socks and shoes, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The metallic contacts on each piece of clothing were peculiar - a small patch on the back of the collar, another on the waistband of the pants and underwear, and one in the heel of each sock and shoe. Their purpose was unclear to me, but I resolved to investigate further.

Finishing my dressing, I couldn't shake off the feeling that something ancient and malevolent had taken notice of me, watching my every move. The faint whir of the Mau all around only added to my unease.

I knelt down and rummaged through the contents of the bag, my fingers probing the mysterious items within. As I delved deeper, I couldn't shake off the unease that had settled in the pit of my stomach. The bag seemed to defy the laws of physics, as if it were a portal to some other realm. It was compact and lightweight, but the absence of a strap made me feel vulnerable and exposed.

When I finally slung the bag over my shoulder, it clung to me like a parasite, refusing to be dislodged. Yet when I reached for it over my shoulder it released freely. I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this object than meets the eye.

I approached the small table and examined its contents. My eyes fell upon a small pouch and a knife, both of which seemed to have an ominous aura surrounding them. I picked up the pouch and peered inside, finding a collection of measuring instruments that included a metal caliper and a spool of wire with notches at every millimeter. In addition, there were sculpting tools such as a carving knife and various chisels in different shapes.

The final item on the table sent a shiver down my spine. It was a small metal cylinder, wrapped in a note that read:

"This is a single-use 'Emergency Eraser'. It will completely erase everything within a 10-meter radius at the point of impact. To use, twist the cylinder and open. Inside you will find a small laser. Aim at whatever you wish to remove from existence and click the button."

As I read the note, a sense of dread washed over me at the thought of using such a weapon. However, I couldn't help but feel grateful to have it as a last resort. The tools on the table seemed more mundane and practical for everyday use. I figured that once I began to learn the machine language, I could create whatever I needed, but it made sense to have some physical tools for when it was more practical to work by hand.

With the bag and knife securely clipped onto my person, I took notice of the last two items on the table. The first was a chain threaded through a pair of rings, its purpose unknown but it could possibly be a memento left behind by Ryker. The other was a pair of gloves, bearing the same eerie metallic contacts as the rest of my outfit. As I slipped on the gloves, their strange texture sending shivers down my spine, I picked up the chain and rings, feeling their weight in my hands.

I couldn't shake off the feeling that these objects held some sort of strange power, but their purpose remained a mystery to me. Nevertheless, I knew deep down that I had to take them with me, for better or for worse. With a sense of foreboding, I prepared to leave the small room, knowing that whatever lay ahead was sure to be filled with danger and uncertainty.

I walked down the winding hallway, my eyes taking in the changing walls as they shifted from pipes and wires to the cold, metallic substance known as Sechu. The mere sight of it sent a shiver down my spine, and I couldn't help but wonder about its true nature and how it had played a role in the end of the world.

Eventually, I reached the end of the hallway where I found a heavy-duty door in the ceiling. Nearby, a table held a note with instructions on how to leave the facility. My heart raced as I read it: "The facility will flood with water when the door is opened. Grab one of the rebreathing devices off the table and prepare to swim. The water will rush in immediately, so hold on tight and wait for the pressure to equalize and the water to stop moving. Make sure to test the rebreather before opening the door, as they are notoriously unreliable. I've left a few extras down there, just in case."

I took a deep breath and tried to steady my nerves. The thought of being trapped underwater was terrifying, but I knew I had to leave the facility if I wanted to survive. I walked over to the table and grabbed one of the rebreathing devices, making sure to test it as instructed. I checked for the extras, grateful for the small comfort that they provided. I decided to take all five of them, just to be safe, and stashed the extras in my bag. Better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.

Taking a deep breath, I clutched the rebreathing device tightly between my teeth and twisted the door handle. With a rush of water, I braced myself against the ladder and held on for dear life, waiting for the pressure to equalize. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching my every move, waiting for me to slip up.

As the water rushed over me, I struggled to maintain my grip on the ladder, feeling as though I was being pulled in every direction at once. I was thankful for having braced myself, if i hadn't, I would have been swept away, my fate sealed in darkness beneath the earth.

I clung to the ladder for dear life as the water buffeted me from all sides, struggling to ascend against the torrent. It was a long and eerie climb, and the darkness was so complete that even with my enhanced eyesight, I could see nothing. The only sounds were the beating of my own heart and the faint whine of the Sechu that surrounded me. There was almost no sensory stimuli to break the monotony of the ascent, and I felt a creeping sense of unease settling in the pit of my stomach.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I reached an opening. It was a large, cylindrical chamber with tunnels branching off in all directions, leading to god knows where. As I swam to the surface of the water and looked around, I couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation, the chamber was eerily quiet.

I emerged from the water, my clothes drying almost instantly, and scanned the chamber for any signs of life. Finding none, I looked around for an exit and noticed two paths I could take. It dawned on me that the old man had gone to great lengths to ensure my secrecy but provided little guidance on how to escape. I was left to navigate this unfamiliar underground labyrinth on my own, with no clear sense of direction.

As I stood there, the darkness and the stench of what seemed to be a sewage system enveloped me, I searched for any sign of a way out, but the twisting passageways seemed to go on endlessly, an endless maze that threatened to consume me.

As I stood there in the darkness, surrounded by the putrid smell of sewage, I racked my brain for any idea of how to escape. Suddenly, it dawned on me to consult the computer for guidance. I approached it tentatively, hoping that its artificial voice would provide some comfort in this eerie place.

"Computer," I spoke up, my voice echoing eerily in the empty chamber, "do you know the way out of here? What should we do when we reach the surface?"

I waited, my heart racing with anticipation, but there was no response. No comforting voice, no guidance, nothing. My hope turned to despair, and I was hit with the realization that I was truly alone. Lost in this underground maze, with no way out and no hope of rescue.

A sense of dread crept up my spine, and I couldn't help but feel like a pawn in some sick game, being toyed with by a malevolent force that delighted in my fear and desperation. The thought of spending the rest of my days in this forsaken place, lost and alone.

II took a deep breath, trying to calm my frayed nerves, and set off down one of the tunnels, hoping it would lead me to an exit. I walked for nearly two hours, the sound of my footsteps echoing off the walls as I made my way deeper into the darkness. And all the while, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched, that I was nothing more than a pawn in some grand and sinister scheme.

As I trudged through the sewage tunnels, my mind was consumed with the task at hand: finding a way out of this underground maze. Despite my enhanced eyesight, the darkness seemed to suffocate me on all sides, crushing and oppressive. The soft whir of the Mau was a constant reminder of the alien forces that held me captive, and every sound echoed like a warning of impending danger.

I pondered my options as I walked, each footfall echoing loudly through the narrow passageway. With few weapons and no defenses to speak of, I dreaded the thought of encountering one of the Sentinels in such close quarters.

At each intersection, I followed the path to the right, grasping at the old superstition that it might bring me some small measure of luck. Despite my efforts to remain alert and focused, exhaustion weighed heavily on my limbs, making each step feel like a herculean effort.

Finally, I stumbled upon another exit, the hike out of the sewer tunnels taking a toll on my aching legs. I knew I needed to rest before continuing on, and quickly set up camp in the tunnel, my mind racing with thoughts of the unknown dangers that undoubtedly lay ahead.