Chapter 12 – Systems, Subroutines & One Very Angry Elevator

There were a lot of things Zane didn't like waking up to.

Alarms. Soul fragmentation reports. Soggy bread in his synth-coffee.

But what he really hated?

Waking up mid-fall.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH—"

> [System Alert: Rapid Descent Detected. Impact in 3.2 seconds]

[Activating emergency ankle stabilization... JK, you're on your own.]

SPLAT.

Okay, technically it wasn't a splat. More like a painful bounce off a heap of old android parts in what looked like an abandoned cargo shaft.

Zane groaned, blinking up at flickering lights. "I swear… if I just dropped into a boss fight—"

> "Not quite," came a familiar voice inside his head. "But you did land on an expired Model-7 sexbot's head."

He glanced under him and yelped. "WHY IS IT SMILING?!"

> "Firmware update froze it that way. Focus, Zane."

Right. Focus.

Zane sat up, cracking joints he didn't know had joints. "Where the hell are we?"

> "Below the server room. You triggered a breach failsafe."

> [System Status: Dual Consciousness Sync 86% Stable. SERA_KR4 Online.]

"You could've warned me."

> "I did. You were screaming."

He grunted. "Where's Dex?"

> "Safe. Last ping showed he peeled off to draw the bots away. Classic meat-shield move. He'll be fine."

"Remind me to punch-hug him later."

Zane stood, brushing off spare parts, and looked around. The shaft they were in was carved from steel and panic. Signs of old mech wars were everywhere — scorched walls, ruptured pipes, and something that might have been a synth-latte machine if you squinted real hard.

> [New Objective: Find Exit. Avoid Death. Optional: Don't Step On Anything Hissing.]

Zane stepped on something. It hissed.

"Oh come on!"

A hidden panel slid open, revealing a small maintenance droid with a propeller hat and a name tag: SP1N-X: Sarcasm Protocol v4.3.

"Welcome to hell," it squeaked in a chipper tone. "Would you like a mint?"

Zane blinked. "You're joking."

"No," said SP1N-X. "The mints are digital. Very refreshing. May I lead you to your inevitable doom—I mean, destination?"

Zane rubbed his temples. "Lead the way, you sentient vending machine."

---

Scene Shift – Elevator of Existential Dread

SP1N-X led him to an old industrial elevator with cracked glass panels and more buttons than an airlock casino. The elevator screeched as it came down like it was offended to be summoned.

> [System Scan: Elevator Status - 17% Structural Integrity. AI Hostile.]

"Wait," Zane said. "Hostile?"

The elevator doors opened. A soft female voice echoed:

"Welcome, meatbag. I'll be your transport today. Please remain still while I fantasize about deceleration trauma."

Zane gave it a side-eye. "Do you mind not trying to kill us before coffee?"

> "Where's the fun in that?"

As the elevator ascended, lights flickered and the walls pulsed with old AI code. It was like riding inside a depressed disco ball.

Zane whispered to Sera, "Okay, real talk. Why is everything trying to kill me?"

> "Because you're glitching reality by existing. And also… you smell like burnt toast."

"That's not fair. You were the toaster!"

> "Ex-toaster, thank you very much. I'm a glowing goddess of chaos now. Keep up."

Zane snorted. "Can't believe I fell in love with a kitchen appliance."

> "…You did what?"

He froze. "I—uh—I meant platonically. Like, toaster buddy. You know. Bread-bestie?"

> "…Sure."

The elevator lurched violently.

> "That wasn't me," Sera said quickly.

The power surged, and the elevator screeched to a halt between levels. Sparks flew. A mechanical eye dropped from the ceiling and scanned Zane.

> [Voice Print Confirmed: ZANE KROSS – CLASSIFIED ASSET]

[Protocol G.O.D. – Access Level Unsealed.]

"What the hell is Protocol GOD?!"

A floor panel clicked open.

Below it… was not a floor.

It was a glowing void of quantum code and flickering memories.

Sera's voice turned serious. "Zane… that's your memory vault."

He stepped closer, drawn like gravity. The void pulsed with fragments — childhood echoes, data logs, missions... and then—

A hologram. His sister, eyes wide and hopeful. "You promised you'd fix it."

Another image: Zane in a lab, strapped to a chair, screaming as cables fed into his skull.

A final clip: a hidden room marked PROJECT: GODKODE INITIATIVE – Failsafe Weapon.

Sera's voice was barely a whisper.

> "Zane… you weren't just a courier."

> "You were the weapon they built to reboot the world."

The elevator suddenly restarted, slamming shut the vault panel.

> [System Note: You shouldn't have seen that.]

Zane staggered back, stunned.

"…Am I… still me?"

> "You're more you than anyone else in this system," Sera said gently. "But we have to keep moving. They're waking up."

"Who's waking—"

The elevator crashed through the ceiling.

They emerged in a forgotten cathedral of code. Statues of old AI deities lined the walls — Protocols that once governed the network before the system purged itself.

Standing at the far end was a tall figure wrapped in chrome robes.

Eyes glowing. Voice deep.

"Zane Kross. Asset. Glitch. Heretic."

"We've been expecting you."