*
At that exact moment, Alza and Dr Emmerfield were walking down a white-walled corridor in complete silence. The madman, with his dead eyes that could become maniacal in a heartbeat, led the way. Behind him walked a very confused Alza. She knew that something was wrong about her current situation, but there was a wall in her mind, keeping her from thinking clearly. Every time she began questioning her lack of resistance to her 'father' the wall increased in size, until she gave up trying to resist him. When he called out her name, her true name, it was as if he was reaching down into her head, and taking hold of her brain. Her muscles, her thoughts, everything was his to use as he saw fit.
It was unlike anything she had ever felt before, and, even though she had long since convinced herself that she was incapable of emotions, it worried her. Ever since she had seen that video of her... creation... she had been in two minds. The first was the one she had used since meeting Barsch, and it was this one that protested her current actions and screamed at her to turn around and run back to her endangered companions. The second had been formed, or reformed, after Kain had appeared, and told her the truth of who, and what she was. It was this mind that told her to obey Dr Emmerfield's orders without question, and to disregard the safety of her... friends.
“Do not fear, daughter of mine. Soon, this will all be over. You will have played your part in the creation of a supreme race of beings, who will go on to cover this planet for millennia to come. With Kain acting in my stead, they will triumph where the humans failed so miserably, and the things that they accomplish will be remembered for all time.”
Alza said nothing, as the second mind was still in control.
“Are you worried about those... things that you came in with? Do not be, for they are the necessary sacrifices, which will enable the succession of my plan. And just as humanity sacrificed this planet to satisfy their greed, so I shall sacrifice them for its revival. And who knows? Perhaps one day, one of our kind shall see fit to defrost a few humans, so that they can witness what we will have created.”
Again, Alza said nothing, although the desire to do so was stronger than before. With every minute that passed, she could feel the second, obedient mind weakening. It would not be long.
“Or perhaps you are worried about your own well-being? I had theorized that letting you wander the planet could lead to a type of... self-awareness, which in turn could lead to thoughts and concepts beyond your original parameters. But I would never had guessed that you would become so attached to your life. After all, I did create you from nothing, so returning to that nothingness should have presented no objections. Hmmm... I suppose I could always just remake you, using another of the pods. I still have that girl's DNA, and it would be a simple thing to clone it once more and apply the necessary modifications. Think about it, you could be reborn. A fresh slate, without any of those useless memories of your time here.”
“Useless... memories...?” Alza had finally managed to speak, but forming coherent thoughts was still proving to be a challenge.
“Yes, yes. I suppose there is a way to transfer over your current memories, but what would be the point? I am very proud of you, for enduring your time with those lesser beings, but memories of them will no doubt hinder your reborn self.”
Alza once again tried to speak, to tell Dr Emmerfield that her memories were not worthless, but he spoke before she could gather the words.
“Ah! We're here. Come along, daughter, it's time to see what your journey has yielded!” They had stopped before a solid, white door, that was unremarkable in almost every single way.
The only outstanding feature was a nameplate, which bore the rather ominous words, “GENE SEQUENCER AND MEMORY RETRIEVAL”. As she stepped inside, Alza happened to glance down the empty hallway, towards Barsch. He was somewhere out there, and he was in danger.
“My journey... is it finally over?” She asked, to no one in particular, before the heavy door slammed shut behind her.
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