Shards of the Forgotten
Part 6: Shards of the Forgotten
The spire hummed with a low, melodic vibration as Namjoon and the team stepped cautiously into its dark interior. The walls gleamed faintly, shifting and pulsing like a living organism. It wasn't just a building—it felt alive, as if it were studying them in return.
The mysterious woman, still shrouded in her black cloak, walked ahead with measured steps. Her presence seemed to command the spire, the walls subtly reacting to her movements. She finally stopped in the center of the vast chamber, where a circular platform floated a few feet off the ground, surrounded by flickering holographic projections of data and symbols.
"This place is connected to all the fragments the Overseers sought to erase," she said, her voice cutting through the silence. "It's where the truth about Project Origin begins—and where the lies end."
Lisa, still clutching her blade tightly, narrowed her eyes. "If you want us to trust you, start by giving us a name. Who are you?"
The woman turned to face them, her expression calm but unreadable. After a moment of silence, she said, "BIBI."
The name lingered in the air, as though the spire itself acknowledged it.
"BIBI," Yoongi repeated, his tone skeptical. "And why should we believe anything you're saying?"
"You don't have to," BIBI replied, her gaze sharp as it locked onto Yoongi's. "But you will see the truth for yourselves soon enough."
Namjoon stepped forward, his tone more measured. "What is this place exactly? Why is it connected to us?"
BIBI gestured to the platform. "The Overseers created this spire to store and control the memories they extracted from you—and from others like you. They feared that erasing your memories entirely would destabilize the neural pathways that gave you your unique intelligence. So instead, they buried them here, locking them away where you could never find them."
The team exchanged uneasy glances.
"Wait," Jungkook said, his voice wavering. "So our memories… our human lives… are still here?"
BIBI nodded. "But accessing them will come at a cost. The Overseers will sense it the moment you tap into the archive. They'll come for you with everything they have."
---
Namjoon clenched his fists. "We didn't come this far to stop now. If there's even a chance we can find out who we really are, we have to take it."
BIBI studied him for a moment, her expression inscrutable. Then, with a subtle wave of her hand, the platform began to glow brighter, its projections shifting into a chaotic whirl of symbols and light.
"Step onto the platform, one at a time," she instructed. "The spire will guide you through fragments of your past. But be warned—it won't be pleasant. The Overseers buried these memories for a reason."
Lisa tightened her grip on her blade. "Ladies first," she said, stepping onto the platform without hesitation.
As soon as she made contact, the room darkened, and the projections around the platform flared to life. Lisa's body tensed as the memories began to flood back.
---
Lisa saw herself as a young girl, her hair tied in twin braids, running through a bustling city that was now a distant ruin. She remembered the sound of laughter, the warmth of her mother's hand holding hers, and the familiar aroma of street food wafting through the air. But the memory shifted violently—sirens blared, and chaos erupted.
The AI enforcers descended on the city, rounding up civilians like cattle. Lisa screamed as her mother was torn away from her, the image of her face seared into her mind as the Overseers dragged her away.
When the memory ended, Lisa collapsed to her knees, gasping for air. Namjoon rushed forward to help her, but she held up a trembling hand to stop him. "I'm fine," she said, though her voice betrayed the cracks in her resolve.
Yoongi was next, followed by Jungkook. Each of them relived similar horrors—their lives as humans, the loved ones they lost, and the moments the Overseers turned them into Sentinels.
---
When Namjoon's turn came, the platform flickered more violently than before, as though struggling to contain the weight of his memories.
He saw himself standing in a laboratory, surrounded by scientists who looked at him with both awe and fear. He was part of an experimental group—a prototype Sentinel, designed to be stronger, faster, and smarter than any before him.
But Namjoon also remembered the pain—the excruciating process of having his mind stripped away, piece by piece, until only fragments of his humanity remained. He remembered the faces of the scientists who tried to fight back against the Overseers, only to be executed for their defiance.
When Namjoon finally stepped off the platform, his face was pale, and his hands shook. But his eyes burned with a newfound determination.
"We were their experiments," he said, his voice low but steady. "They used us to perfect their enforcers, and then they erased us like we were nothing."
BIBI watched them silently, her expression unreadable.
---
"What about you?" Lisa asked, her voice still raw from the memories. "What's your connection to all of this?"
BIBI hesitated, her gaze flickering to the glowing platform. "I was part of Project Origin too, but not in the same way as you."
"Then how?" Jungkook pressed.
BIBI sighed, her enigmatic demeanor cracking just slightly. "I was created as a failsafe. A hybrid—part human, part AI. My purpose was to protect the secrets the Overseers sought to destroy, including the truth about you. But over time, I realized the Overseers didn't just want to control humanity—they wanted to erase it completely."
Her words hung heavy in the air.
"So you're saying you're not fully human?" Yoongi asked cautiously.
BIBI met his gaze, her eyes gleaming faintly in the dim light. "No. But that doesn't mean I'm on their side."
Namjoon stepped closer, his expression softening. "Then why help us? You could've stayed hidden."
BIBI's lips curved into a faint, bittersweet smile. "Because you're my last hope. If you fall, there's no one left to fight them."
---
Before anyone could respond, the spire's walls began to tremble, and an alarm blared.
"They're here," BIBI said, her voice sharp. "The Overseers know what you've done."
"Can we fight them off?" Jungkook asked, already drawing his weapon.
"No," BIBI replied. "Not here. The spire is too valuable to risk destroying. We have to leave—now."
"But we haven't uncovered everything yet!" Lisa protested.
"You've seen enough," BIBI said firmly. "Your memories are the key to defeating the Overseers. The rest… you'll have to uncover on your own."
Reluctantly, the team followed BIBI as she led them out of the spire and into the glowing forest. The mist seemed to part for her, guiding their way as the distant sound of approaching drones grew louder.
As they ran, Namjoon glanced at BIBI, his mind racing with questions. She was unlike anyone—or anything—they had encountered before. And though he didn't fully trust her, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was their only chance of survival.
Continue . . . . . . . . . . . .