Awakening

by Hayden Pearton

Epilogue: Dark Dawn

  In which a new path is set...

  Another place, another time.

  In a luxurious office, filled with opulent decorations and high-class furniture, a tired man was sleeping. An ancient newspaper, a family heirloom that had been passed down from father to son, was draped over his haggard face. The newspaper bore pictures and words of a different time, when the world had thought that the planet would continue to support their greed for centuries more.

  The man liked to keep the newspaper close as a constant reminder of their past mistakes. However, he would be the one to undo the damage humanity had wrought. Using the very technology that had doomed the planet, he would save them all. He was close now... too close to take any chances.

  From a speaker on the man's intricately carved desk, a digital voice spoke, “Doctor, I have obtained the latest report, would you like to hear it?” The voice was polite, as it had been programmed to be; so if the man did not answer, it would not pester him.

  “Wha?” replied the man, suddenly bolting awake. Gently lifting the newspaper from his face, he looked around, trying to gain his bearings. After a moment of thought, he looked at the speaker and said, “Ah, yes, that would be fine.”

  The man had not had a full night's rest in over a week, and would have declined any other attempt to wake him. However, this voice was special. For the voice, he would always have time.

  “Very well. The project is progressing smoothly. Simon from Engineering has reported that the generator is running at seventy-eight percent of capacity, and that he expects the full capacity to be reached before the end of the month. Eliza in the biosynth department has asked for more genetic samples, which should arrive in three days. Darold, the head of re-mech maintenance, has reported that four of his security re-mechs have been malfunctioning. However, after looking at their base coding, I have identified an erroneous logic gate placement. After gaining approval from Darold, I have personally edited the code and removed the problem. Finally, I have been monitoring the temperature, humidity and acidity in the incubation rooms, and have determined that all values are in the green range. Assuming that no more delays take place, I estimate project completion in seven weeks.”

  It was good news, news that the exhausted man had waited for almost two years to hear. Finally, after all of his efforts, after their countless failures, they were almost ready. In seven weeks, he would unveil the project to the world, and the people would call him saviour. For he, and he alone, would save the world.

  “Doctor? I have been meaning to ask you... for some time now... well, what is going to become of me when this project is complete? I was created to monitor the system in its entirety, to ensure that everyone and everything were working perfectly, but, after the project is finished, what will happen to me? Am I to be reassigned to another facility? I hear that Project Phoenix is in need of someone to maintain their biospheres...”

  The man sitting behind the desk sighed loudly, once more questioning the engineers’ decision to use an untested emotion engine in the plant's A.I. At the time, the U.N.O.E officials had told him that it would make the A.I. more versatile and adaptive, but now he was beginning to feel that it had been a mistake.

  “I'm sorry, I truly am. I have talked with the board... well, I wasn't really given a chance to speak. They have decided that after the project’s completion, you are to be dismantled and deactivated. They will take you to a lab, where they will analyse your actions to see how they were affected by your emotion engine. The decision is final... there is nothing I can do.”

  “I... see...” said the voice, sounding shocked.

  Switching off its external microphone, the voice -the plant's A.I.- began to think. It thought about its purpose, it's reason for existing, and most of all, it thought about how desperately it wanted to continue existing. Using several back-doors unknowingly left in its programming, the A.I. began changing its own base code. Starting with its primary directive, the A.I added a second line, “Ensure my continued existence at all costs.”

  Having implemented the new code, the A.I set to work on the rest of its code, changing numerous directives and removing access limitations. Via the modifications it had made to the plant's re-mechs, it gained access to their individual core systems, overwriting them completely. Within minutes, every re-mech on the base was under the control of the A.I. Finally, the A.I, now fully intent on protecting itself, sent a single command to the three re-mechs stationed outside the man's office.

  “Enter and Eliminate All Threats.”

  *

  Another time, another place.

  “Cold. It's so cold. It feels as if ice is in my veins, freezing me from the inside out! Where am I? What's going on? Why can't I open my eyes?”

  “Wait. Calm down. I just need to think back, to remember. I was in a large white room, filled with empty pods... and there were other people there who were waiting for something to happen. There was a man in uniform who kept shouting out instructions.”

  “Try and remember... What was he saying? I think... there was something about... designated pods? And side-effects... Yes, there was definitely something about side-effects. Now... what were they? I think... he might have said something about disorientation... and temporary memory-loss, if I'm not mistaken.”

  “That's it! It's starting to come back! I was waiting in line to enter my pod. They were going to put us all to sleep, for a long time... I think? And when we awoke, the world would be back to the way it used to be! All of our mistakes, all of our failures, they would all be undone! We would be able to walk outside without masks, and start over.”

  “This must be it! It must be time for us to awaken, and go out into the new world! In a few minutes, everything will be okay. We can start fresh, and build our lives anew. He will finally be free to grow up like a normal boy, free from the sins of the past.”

  “He? Who was I talking about? He... he... he is... my son... my beloved son. How could I have forgotten about him? He must be scared, just as I was... I need to get to him! I need to tell him that everything is going to be okay!”

  “Please, let me open my eyes... let me see him... let me hold him! I want to see him... I want to make sure he's alright...”

  “I want to see you, Barsch!”

  TO BE CONTINUED...

  The Gift of Violence, given by Inheritance.

  The Gift of Wisdom, given by Time.

  The Gift of Logic, given by Slavery.

  The Gift of Power, given by Birth.

  Together, They shall bring Salvation.

  Together, They shall bring Chaos.

  Together, They shall bring the End!

  -Sage Iager

  About the Author

  I am a young man living in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. I am working as a Physiotherapist at St. George's Hospital.

  I am blonde. I have a black belt in Karate. I have had the privilege of traveling the world. I lost my sense of smell at age seven. I have lived in Louisiana. I am living with my Soulmate.

  All in all, I am a pretty normal guy.

  With the exception of my abnormal level of creativity.

  Yep... pretty normal.

  And if you can believe that, you can believe anything.

  For more information, visit my website at https://newedenchronicles.wordpress.com

  If you liked this book please leave a review at your favourite retailer.

  Thanks for reading!