by Aaron Frale
The well-dressed man traversed the belt to my side while dodging the machinery. “We have to find her,” he said.
“This place is too big. Checking every belt would be impossible,” I said.
“Can’t you make nanomachine clouds?” he said.
“If I had enough time I suppose. This place is massive.”
“There must be something.”
“You love her,” I said.
“I do,” he said.
A knight passed us on the conveyor belt. First a princess and then a knight. I wondered if they were in love too. Maybe they ran away together and stumbled into some cave with a chamber. When the knight’s princess disappeared in the “demon gate,” he went after her. Now they were experiments. People did crazy acts for love. The well-dressed man was no exception. He held out hope when it was a lost cause. There was no way I could search this entire area in any decent amount of time. My nanomachines could now replicate and form clouds to search in different directions thanks to the mist I absorbed, but it would take forever. Then an idea hit me as a squire came next. Every person on the belt next to us was from the Middle Ages. A prince came after the squire. All of these people were from the same time period. The conveyor belts were specific to the time period.
“I think I know how to find her,” I exclaimed and took off running. The well-dressed man quickly followed pace.
It took a little running back and forth while explaining to the well-dressed man. I quickly discovered the belts to the right were ascending in time. We jumped over belts and squeezed under others. It was slow going because of the whir of machinery. I saw the faces of the people undergoing the torture as we went. I wanted to save them, but I knew I couldn’t. I burned them into my memory. I forced myself to memorize every single torture. It made me sick, but it was the best I could do to send a message to my future self. Remember every person because I would be an accomplice one day.
We found a belt that looked like it was from the right timeline. The people on the belt looked like they were from the city, so we began to follow the belt deeper into the room. As we went further, the machines were vicious and crueler, and the people looked less and less human. Their skin was taken off, limbs were missing, and sometimes there was just a mess of organic matter. There didn’t seem to be a purpose other than pure cruelty. We were about to give up hope of finding any recognizable version of her when we heard a cry. It was female.
Event 10 - J
Jerry was sickened by what he saw. Every mass of twisted human made him think of her and the tortures she had to endure. He was fighting back tears, but he had to know. The lack of screams disconcerted him. People were in pain but powerless to do anything about it. The sounds of the machines were more sinister than screams could ever be. It was as if they were closing in on him, threatening to mangle his flesh. If he were an Empath in a science fiction movie, he would probably collapse from the weight of the screams in his head.
His logical mind told him that what he was doing was absurd. Even if they found her this far down the line, she would be nothing of who she once was. If they were lucky, she would have some cognitive ability, and she could regrow her body. However, the trauma of the event would scar her forever. Science could fix physical wounds, but mental wounds were tricky. People usually coped by burying their hurt, but that still didn’t prevent people from living a waking nightmare. The mind was powerful. It could create physical pain when there was none. Even if they did fix her, she wouldn’t be the same. Logically, there was nothing he could do, but he wouldn’t stop trying. Emotional decision-making defied logic. Emotional decision-making was the humanity that he had lost as an agent, and he was determined to get it back.
A scream filled the hall. It was her. He knew it was her. His mind and his body became electric. If she screamed, it meant that she was alive and had cognitive ability. His heart fluttered. He dodged lasers and saws, hopped conveyor belts, and crawled over human body parts. There was another scream, and he realized that she was on the other side of the conveyor belt.
His lover was battered. She was missing a limb, and black sockets were all that was left of her eyes. Her good arm was trapped in a machine. Her hand was caught in the gear of a scalpel arm. The arm tried to move, grinding her deeper and deeper into the jaws of the gear. She screamed again as she tried to pull herself away. It looked as if she broke free of what had been keeping her limp and tumbled from the belt, getting her arm caught in the process. Jerry ran through a field of lasers that was skinning a man alive. The lasers seared his flesh. 07760 took a more careful path.
There were cuts and burns all over Jerry’s body. One cut from the laser went all the way down to the bone. Jerry ignored the pain and grabbed her by the waist. He attempted to pull her free. She cried with relief when she felt his touch. No matter how hard he tugged, her arm was solidly stuck in the gear. The gear clicked another notch and pulled her closer into the teeth.
07760 arrived next and surveyed the situation. He gave it some thought and placed his hand on the gear. After some concentration, the machine sputtered to a halt and sparked. They attempted to tug her away, but her arm was firmly jammed. She was losing blood and becoming faint. 07760 pushed Jerry away.
“This is going to hurt,” 07760 said. Before anyone could react, her flesh near the gear began to dissolve. She cried out in pain as he pulled her away. 07760 touched her flesh, and it burned sealing off the wound. After she was secure, raged filled Jerry’s heart, and he punched 07760 with enough force to knock him back.
“It was the only thing I could do to save her,” 07760 protested, rubbing his chin.
“I know. Thank you,” Jerry said and sat down next to his lover again. She was a mess. Her arm was missing, and eyes were burned out of the sockets. Now her other hand was gone too. He sat down and scooped her into his arms.
“I’m here,” Jerry said. She wrapped her arm around him. Something wasn’t quite right. She should be healing her wounds. The nanomachines should have kicked in. And for that matter, Jerry’s wounds should have been healed too. Even 07760’s cheek was red from Jerry’s hit. There was something wrong with their nanomachines. They were feeling pain and weren’t healing. Jerry looked down at her mangled body, the worry apparent on his face.
Event 19 - R
I was able to manipulate matter with my nanomachines. While I couldn’t be sure about the extent of my powers, I was fairly certain dissolving flesh, and cauterizing wounds would not be the normal ability of a historian. My ability was growing. My control over the nanomachines increased since I integrated the technology from the future. The lovers were speaking to each other. My attention wandered elsewhere.
“The chemical to drain our willpower began losing its effect,” the time agent said while the well-dressed man cradled her in his lap.
“Your nanomachines must have cleaned your system,” the well-dressed man conjectured.
“That explains why we would turn off prisoner's nanomachines before we put them in the chambers,” she said.
She continued to tell us the story of how she gained her willpower back but not before she lost her sight. She stumbled blindly off the platform and used her hands as her eyes, which proved to be a mistake.
I wasn't focused on her, though. I could sense the nanomachines in the room. The people were full of nanomachines, even those from eras before our own. I couldn’t see it before, but now that my strength was returning, I could sense them. The machines were like a life force calling out to me. The people on the platforms were disabled. I could easily absorb their nanomachines and integrate them into my own. I could become more powerful.
“We need to get out of here,” I broke into the conversation.
“What about the other people?” the well-dressed man said. He looked down and his lover and added, “No one should have to be put through this.”
“Destroy it,” she said.
They were right. The only way to prove that I would be a better person than my su
pposed destiny was to bring this system down. We would not get another chance. The next time we came back here, the security would be increased, and our doppelgangers would out tech us. I concentrated on the nearby equipment like I had concentrated on the gear. I imagined my nanomachines tearing it to pieces, causing it to malfunction. A few of the machines sparked and sputtered to a halt, but there were just too many of them. I collapsed and lost my breath.
“It was worth a try,” the well-dressed man patted my back.
“There is one thing we can do,” I said. “I can upgrade my nanomachines.”
“How?” the well-dressed man said.
“I can absorb their nanomachines.”
We all looked to the factory of human experiments. Despite the tortures, nanomachines would restore people whole again. But if I absorbed their machines, they would become permanently mangled. They would not regenerate in time to heal their wounds, and most of the people in this facility would not be able to get an infusion of new nanomachines because they came from eras that predated the technology. They would return a shell of who they once were. To add to the injury, I would be destroying whatever machines were responsible for wiping their memory of this horrid place. I would condemn many to a life of permanent disfigurement and tortuous memories. The other option would mean this place would continue.
“Do it,” she said. “I’d stay like this forever if it meant bringing this place down.”
The well-dressed man squeezed my shoulder in confirmation. I reached out with my mind. Billions of machines were surging through bodies. They were controlling functions. Some were keeping people alive in terrible states of mutilation. Others were repairing people, and getting them ready to go back to their own time. I felt my machines connect to theirs. I couldn’t control it. The well-dressed man, his lover, and everyone else gasped and bent unnaturally to the sky. They cried out in pain. I imagined their nanomachines siphoning away. My machines attacked and prodded.
Their nanomachines flowed into mine. They integrated into my system. I felt my machines get stronger. My power grew, and my consciousness was able to spread out. It was like all the nanomachines I was absorbing were also sharing the processing power of my brain. I was able to feel everyone’s life force, and I drained it away. People became weak and scared. I became powerful and strong.
I focused my power on the machinery. It began to rattle and shake. I strained the whole system. Sparks flew from the machines. I could hear the voices of the people. They were screaming. Their screams gave me power as I refocused the nanomachines that once were keeping them alive and focused them on destroying the place. The torture factory malfunctioned, and the place fell apart. People screamed as the system went haywire. People were crushed by toppling devices, ground by the conveyor belt crashing, and burnt by sparks.
“Stop! You did it! The machines are down,” the well-dressed man said when he regained consciousness after I siphoned off his nanomachines.
I looked at a man near us, or at least what was left of him on the conveyer belt. My meddling left him crushed by a machine. I could see the agony in his eyes. Was this my first step to becoming the person I would be? But I couldn’t stop. The surge through my body was too great. I focused on destroying the system beyond repair. These people would be sacrifices but there will be no more after today, or their sacrifice would be meaningless. I concentrated harder. I dug deeper.
“Stop!” the well-dressed man yelled, but his voice seemed far away. He sounded like he was yelling in the fury of a tornado. I felt like I was deep in a storm, and I could not stop. The machinery was in chaos, and the system seemed as if it was going to explode. My nose and ears began to bleed. I would not survive much longer. A child on another conveyor belt coughed and sat up. A saw exploded, and the blade shot towards the child’s head.
The saw blade hung inches in front of the child’s face. The blade clattered to the floor after I let it fall. I had lost control. In my rage, I almost destroyed everything, including myself. I would have sacrificed the lives of these people, but they were not mine to sacrifice. Maybe the loss of control was how my future self lost touch. He would sacrifice others for the common good, but maybe I should not think in terms of sacrificing people. One person’s death was too much. There had to be another way. There was always another way.
People began to rise from the machinery. The nanomachines that kept their system full of drugs to drain their willpower were now gone from their system. Some looked relieved. Others were bewildered. Some were afraid. I’m sure the Middle Ages folks were no doubt thinking sorcery. People who were more intact began to help each other.
“What’s happening?” the female time agent said.
We didn’t even have time to collect our thoughts. Three men in suits blinked into existence around us. They moved with lightning reflexes. The well-dressed man and his lover were taken first. The men dashed up to them within a fraction of a second. The men placed their hands on the lovers’ foreheads, and the four of them blinked away.
I worked on some upgrades of my own. When the man came for me, I dodged with super speed. To the people waking from their nightmare, we looked as if we were blurs of light. Because of my upgrades, I could keep pace with him. After dodging to the side, I dashed up the side of machinery and kicked the man in the face. He looked surprised at my ability but would probably not underestimate me again.
Before I even hit the floor, he grabbed my leg and twisted me around. I hit the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of me. He leaped for my forehead, and I blocked his arm and thrust him out of the way. Using his falling motion, I leapt back to my feet and went in for another kick, but he was gone and appeared behind me. I felt a fist in my back. He was quick and strong. I am pretty sure he ruptured my kidney. I needed more technology. I reached out for his nanomachines.
I was met with a defensive network almost impossible to navigate. It ran my machines through loops and down dead ends. My nanomachines tangled with his through a maze of misinformation and security. Encryption jumbled the coding, and there was layer after layer of defense. The task seemed impossible. The man spun me around and smiled as his fist twisted back for a punch.
His fist burst forward. He was moving so fast the onlookers seemed to be frozen in time. My nanomachines twisted and dug deep. They cracked through a layer and a new one would form. They entered a section of data storage only to have the information jumbled in an incomprehensible mess. The fist sent shockwaves through the air as it careened toward my face. The nanomachines burned and shook my insides.
There was a shift in his pupils. I had hacked the defense on his nanomachines. I took control of his body. My nanomachines dissolved his arm right as it was about to connect with my face. I fused his legs to the floor. The world returned to real time as the recently awoken people looked with shock and terror. I disassembled his nanomachines. My machines began to make enhancements using his nanotechnology. I was becoming more powerful. It was intoxicating.
“Where did they take them?” I asked the man. His pain and healing regulation must be turned off in this area as he was writhing and could barely answer. He doubled over and vomited blood. His body was going into toxic shock, no doubt from being fused to the floor. I wanted him to suffer. I blamed him for the suffering around me.
“Where did they take them?” I began to boil his blood. I could see the fear curdle in his eye. I realized that I was becoming like my future self. The hate in my heart was torturing this man. He may be nothing more than a grunt following orders. But isn’t that precisely the reason societies fall apart? Because people just do what they’re told and don’t stand up for what is right? I lost control again. I unleashed my anger on this man. He began to foam at the mouth and convulse. The toxicity building up in his body was too much. I choked the life out of him. His body stopped kicking and shaking. He was the first person I ever knowingly killed, and I enjoyed it. Maybe my destiny was unavoidable.
I noticed that he had something i
n his jacket pocket. His arms contorted in an unnatural way. I reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet. It was strange to see a person with a wallet. Most people from my time period probably didn’t carry any personal effects. They didn’t need wallets, keys, or anything when the machines in their body controlled everything. The fact that this man had a wallet means something else was going on.
I opened the wallet, and it had a driver's license from the 1960s. The money also looked like it was from the ’60’s. There was a picture of a little girl. This man was a father. I scanned the wallet with my nanomachines. It was completely authentic. The fibers of the wallet and plastic on the ID cards were from the 1960s. It was either an elaborate ruse or this man was from the 1960s. He not only had nanomachines, but very advanced ones that were well beyond the technology from my time. I was pretty sure I figured out the purpose of the assembly line of people. They were being programmed to be a part of the conspiracy. People who disappeared in history came here, and they were upgraded to be super humans.
The people from my time did not upgrade human ability because of some bullshit sense of being pure humans. The people of this conspiracy didn’t want anyone else to upgrade so that they could be the only ones with super humans. They will have trouble controlling people with an equal ability level. Out teching was the path of conquering civilizations. The Native Americas could not compete with guns. The Middle East was conquered with drones and airstrikes. Technology was the arm of the conqueror. People in the past were limited to what they could do with nanotechnology. And those who were conscripted into the conspiracy were given the tech. Just like the conquerors of the past. The Native Americans willing to sell out their tribes were given guns. The “ally” Middle Eastern nations were given weapons.