Post by Tolvur-Q12 on Oct 8, 2019 9:55:43 GMT -8
Slowly his eyes opened, and for a second he knew exactly where the headache came from. But in the seconds following it he failed to remember how he got it. He remembered some guy he could not make out being told to attack him while he was trying to figure out his new body, and beyond that his mind was a blank slate.
''Easy.'' A voice came from behind the curtains of the tent he woke up in. It was a big tent, most likely used for strategic meetings as several feet away was a table with some kind of parchment on it, describing a body and how it worked. Bryce tried getting up to get a better look at it, but as he did so he found himself falling back down with a pain ringing through his head. ''I told you, easy.'' He was told once more by the voice he couldn't place. ''You got quite the beating, it's a miracle you're still with us.''
The voice belonged to a man who now showed himself finally, and it.. wasn't a man in the sense that it was a full human being. It was one, but with metal parts, as well as a giant buzzing core near his chest. Was this.. one of those other projects like Bryce? But then.. why did this one seem so friendly and not at all insane? He thought they had all gone insane or did questionable things. But this one.. he had helped the cyborg to survive? How? Why?
''Dream or not.'' He said as he moved closer to Bryce, finally sitting down close enough so that he could feel the heat of the core whirring on his chest. ''You're not the one in charge, you should take it easy.'' The man explained, placing a hand on the forehead of Bryce as if this man thought he could take the pain away by just touch alone. So this guy assumed he was dreaming, or in some kind of dream state, but was aware of it. Enough so to be able to mention it to others.
This was the kind of thing he had been training himself, he realized; lucid dreaming. Where you convince yourself it's a dream in a dream, he never was able to do it himself, but what if this guy could and was trying to do it right now? ''I must be scaring you.'' The man suddenly said. ''I often scare people.'' His hand was withdrawn as he showed Bryce a soft smile. ''But don't be worried, I intend you no harm. it's not often I find someone like me, anyway.''
Wait, like him? Dreaming? Or a cyborg? Or simply a lost soul? Or maybe a martial artist. ''What do you mean someone like you?'' Bryce asked as he tried sitting up again, this time forcing himself through the ringing in his head. At least he knew how to do that much. ''And why am I someone like you?'' He posed.
There was a continuation of the smile from the man and he scooted closer yet again, opening his mouth to answer. ''Not right.'' He said. ''Like me. Not right. I have seen your eyes, they're like me, not right.'' Bryce was left in awe by this, simultaneously annoyed and appreciative as to how honest this guy was being. And he wasn't wrong. ''People like us should stick together, don't you think?'' The man added as he suddenly got up, moving over to the table Bryce had wanted to inspect earlier.
''Ah, my name.'' He suddenly said, turning around to face Bryce, who was slightly interested as to how this would play out by now. Why didn't Brandon or Modona mention him? This guy didn't seem like he could be a hazard to anyone? ''Stupid me, why did I forget my own name again?'' He said as he began smacking his own head for a bit, which seemed to do nothing but set some things in motion, as he suddenly showed the same smile as before and faced the cyborg. ''Nicholas.. uh- Cane. Nicholas Cane. But you may call me Nick.''
Nick turned around after that, looked at the table for a second and grabbed a piece of paper finally, before turning to Bryce again. ''I think you're number eleven.'' He said with a frown as he got closer, and showed him the piece of paper which he gladly looked over. But the body on there was not one he was familiar with. Should he be? No, how could he? It was a drawing of a basic human form with wires running through it as well as what appeared to be nerve endings. And there was a heart, but there were mechanical pumps attached to it.
''What is this?'' Bryce asked, looking up at Nick, who just smiled as his finger pointed at some letters in the top left of the paper.
Subject 1 out of 11
''So.. this is us?'' Bryce was fully assuming this guy knew exactly what he was by now. ''Who is number one?'' He asked.
Pointing at himself, Nick still showed the same smile, but there was a certain amount of sadness Bryce could feel in that smile. ''You're looking at him. That's why it's so basic. I was never optimized, but somehow they felt it was okay for me to be out here.'' There was the same smile on his face, but his words did anything but convey the feeling of a smile. ''They told me to smile and be positive when I asked them why they didn't let me die. They told me.. ah - they told me I'd find peace when I found purpose.''
''Purpose? You think you know your purpose now?'' Bryce chuckled, but also realized this could very well be a swansong for Nick, who was just now sharing with the cyborg his never ending existence, when he wanted to just cease existing. ''What.. do you want your purpose to be?'' He corrected himself.
Nick showed the same smile, that Bryce assumed faded long ago, yet was still etched on his face from all the years of trying to be happy. ''It's not what I want, it's what I need.'' He said, stretching his hand out in an attempt to touch Bryce's face, and for a mere moment his smile seemed to be real. ''You're the last one, and I have heard and seen what went on. Ten is testing you, waiting for you. I never liked Ten.'' His smile faded, or at least it stopped being real.
''Ten?'' Bryce asked, assuming this was the one released before he was. ''Doesn't he have a real name?''
To which Nick shook his head, but took a moment to answer as if he was still thinking of the answer. ''He does. We do. We just- he- and several others- forgot their names. Ah- because, well, we spent years waiting on you.''
''Years..?!'' Bryce was more shocked than anything else as he shouted it more loudly than expected.
''Years.'' Nick confirmed. ''It's okay though, because you're here now. And I think you're the solution to us all. The ending we're meant to have.'' He spoke words that sounded ominous to Bryce, but the smile on Nick's face showed a glimmer of hope as he spoke. ''I just.. don't know who is going to be your end yet. Most likely never will.''
Bryce tilted his head a bit. His end? He wasn't like Nick in being dissappointed with his second chance. It's not like he had people he could let down by not being around or anything. ''But what if I don't want an end?''
''Give it a few decades.'' Nick smiled, his glow fading as he stood up, turning around and keeping still for a moment before finally, with a loud inhale turning around again and facing the bed-bound cyborg. ''But when you're ready, we can begin your training!''
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TWC: 1,326
''Easy.'' A voice came from behind the curtains of the tent he woke up in. It was a big tent, most likely used for strategic meetings as several feet away was a table with some kind of parchment on it, describing a body and how it worked. Bryce tried getting up to get a better look at it, but as he did so he found himself falling back down with a pain ringing through his head. ''I told you, easy.'' He was told once more by the voice he couldn't place. ''You got quite the beating, it's a miracle you're still with us.''
The voice belonged to a man who now showed himself finally, and it.. wasn't a man in the sense that it was a full human being. It was one, but with metal parts, as well as a giant buzzing core near his chest. Was this.. one of those other projects like Bryce? But then.. why did this one seem so friendly and not at all insane? He thought they had all gone insane or did questionable things. But this one.. he had helped the cyborg to survive? How? Why?
''Dream or not.'' He said as he moved closer to Bryce, finally sitting down close enough so that he could feel the heat of the core whirring on his chest. ''You're not the one in charge, you should take it easy.'' The man explained, placing a hand on the forehead of Bryce as if this man thought he could take the pain away by just touch alone. So this guy assumed he was dreaming, or in some kind of dream state, but was aware of it. Enough so to be able to mention it to others.
This was the kind of thing he had been training himself, he realized; lucid dreaming. Where you convince yourself it's a dream in a dream, he never was able to do it himself, but what if this guy could and was trying to do it right now? ''I must be scaring you.'' The man suddenly said. ''I often scare people.'' His hand was withdrawn as he showed Bryce a soft smile. ''But don't be worried, I intend you no harm. it's not often I find someone like me, anyway.''
Wait, like him? Dreaming? Or a cyborg? Or simply a lost soul? Or maybe a martial artist. ''What do you mean someone like you?'' Bryce asked as he tried sitting up again, this time forcing himself through the ringing in his head. At least he knew how to do that much. ''And why am I someone like you?'' He posed.
There was a continuation of the smile from the man and he scooted closer yet again, opening his mouth to answer. ''Not right.'' He said. ''Like me. Not right. I have seen your eyes, they're like me, not right.'' Bryce was left in awe by this, simultaneously annoyed and appreciative as to how honest this guy was being. And he wasn't wrong. ''People like us should stick together, don't you think?'' The man added as he suddenly got up, moving over to the table Bryce had wanted to inspect earlier.
''Ah, my name.'' He suddenly said, turning around to face Bryce, who was slightly interested as to how this would play out by now. Why didn't Brandon or Modona mention him? This guy didn't seem like he could be a hazard to anyone? ''Stupid me, why did I forget my own name again?'' He said as he began smacking his own head for a bit, which seemed to do nothing but set some things in motion, as he suddenly showed the same smile as before and faced the cyborg. ''Nicholas.. uh- Cane. Nicholas Cane. But you may call me Nick.''
Nick turned around after that, looked at the table for a second and grabbed a piece of paper finally, before turning to Bryce again. ''I think you're number eleven.'' He said with a frown as he got closer, and showed him the piece of paper which he gladly looked over. But the body on there was not one he was familiar with. Should he be? No, how could he? It was a drawing of a basic human form with wires running through it as well as what appeared to be nerve endings. And there was a heart, but there were mechanical pumps attached to it.
''What is this?'' Bryce asked, looking up at Nick, who just smiled as his finger pointed at some letters in the top left of the paper.
Subject 1 out of 11
''So.. this is us?'' Bryce was fully assuming this guy knew exactly what he was by now. ''Who is number one?'' He asked.
Pointing at himself, Nick still showed the same smile, but there was a certain amount of sadness Bryce could feel in that smile. ''You're looking at him. That's why it's so basic. I was never optimized, but somehow they felt it was okay for me to be out here.'' There was the same smile on his face, but his words did anything but convey the feeling of a smile. ''They told me to smile and be positive when I asked them why they didn't let me die. They told me.. ah - they told me I'd find peace when I found purpose.''
''Purpose? You think you know your purpose now?'' Bryce chuckled, but also realized this could very well be a swansong for Nick, who was just now sharing with the cyborg his never ending existence, when he wanted to just cease existing. ''What.. do you want your purpose to be?'' He corrected himself.
Nick showed the same smile, that Bryce assumed faded long ago, yet was still etched on his face from all the years of trying to be happy. ''It's not what I want, it's what I need.'' He said, stretching his hand out in an attempt to touch Bryce's face, and for a mere moment his smile seemed to be real. ''You're the last one, and I have heard and seen what went on. Ten is testing you, waiting for you. I never liked Ten.'' His smile faded, or at least it stopped being real.
''Ten?'' Bryce asked, assuming this was the one released before he was. ''Doesn't he have a real name?''
To which Nick shook his head, but took a moment to answer as if he was still thinking of the answer. ''He does. We do. We just- he- and several others- forgot their names. Ah- because, well, we spent years waiting on you.''
''Years..?!'' Bryce was more shocked than anything else as he shouted it more loudly than expected.
''Years.'' Nick confirmed. ''It's okay though, because you're here now. And I think you're the solution to us all. The ending we're meant to have.'' He spoke words that sounded ominous to Bryce, but the smile on Nick's face showed a glimmer of hope as he spoke. ''I just.. don't know who is going to be your end yet. Most likely never will.''
Bryce tilted his head a bit. His end? He wasn't like Nick in being dissappointed with his second chance. It's not like he had people he could let down by not being around or anything. ''But what if I don't want an end?''
''Give it a few decades.'' Nick smiled, his glow fading as he stood up, turning around and keeping still for a moment before finally, with a loud inhale turning around again and facing the bed-bound cyborg. ''But when you're ready, we can begin your training!''
=============
TWC: 1,326