CHAPTER Zero:New Life
It’s that I am not dead, but my body has become blue all over, the surface of my skin has become harder, and it has become a thick shell. I began to realize that I am no longer the person I used to be, I am a conscious robot. In other words, I am a robot and I realize that I am a robot. Before I became this robot, I made a copy of my mind, consciousness, and memory, connected it to this device through a brain-computer interface, and then input it into this advanced blue non-carbon-based life form through the device connection. My mind and consciousness can be backed up at any time and will go to any backup point at any time. My consciousness can be stored and copied and injected into any metal robot and non-carbon-based life. I really did not die. I have been here for a long time now with nothing but an android body and no soul, but I think there is still something in me. I know I’m alive because every part of my consciousness feels alive. My body, which is only a machine without the spirit within it, is aware of its existence and experiences the same things as me. But why do I feel so lonely?
The first thing I noticed was that there wasn’t anyone around. It wasn’t like I was on some sort of alien planet surrounded by aliens or anything, I was just lying in a bed. The room was clean, well organized. No dust, no trash, no broken glass. And there was no one else there. It felt empty. I sat up and realized the room had two beds, both made perfectly and neat. There were no books, no pictures, no toys or clothing strewn about the place. This whole place felt cold and abandoned. I looked down at my own body, which was laying flat on the bed, and wondered how long I had been there. When was the last time someone had actually come in here? Was this really my room? I walked across the room and pressed a button next to the door. A voice sounded from the speaker and asked if I needed anything. After saying I didn’t, she said goodbye and closed the door.
I turned back towards the bed, and started looking at my clothes laid out neatly in the closet, and then I noticed something unusual. There were buttons on the shirt and pants. I pulled each one and listened to the sound of the button being pushed, then the fabric would peel away from my body leaving the buttons behind. The buttons had little black markings on them in a language I didn’t recognize. Then I saw something strange. There were little lights inside the buttons, and after a moment they came to life. They began to flash on and off, and then stopped flashing altogether. The same thing happened when I moved my arms or legs. Each time the lights blinked on and off, I felt the same emotion; I felt something inside of me stir. As soon as the lights went out again, the same feeling returned.
I stood in front of the mirror hanging above the dresser and tried on the shirt. The sleeves were too short and I couldn’t get the top buttons done, but everything fit alright. I slipped the jacket on, and took another look at myself in the mirror. I had a headband to hold my hair back with. I reached up and tugged it onto my head. It felt good to put on a bit of weight again. I was still lean, but not skinny anymore. The collar stuck out slightly at the neck and the hem fell a little lower than before.
When I opened the door to leave, it seemed to buzz slightly, like a bee had entered the room. It reminded me of when I’d left the house, except it was much brighter outside. I stepped outside and looked around. The building was made entirely of metal and concrete. Everything sparkled. Even in the shade, the sun was shining brightly down on everything. I could hear birds chirping happily and I smiled. I loved to listen to the sounds of nature.
A small white dog ran toward me, barking excitedly. He barked and ran circles around me until he got tired and flopped down in front of me. I bent down to pet him, and when I stood back up, there was a woman standing nearby. She was dressed in the same outfit I was wearing, and she was watching us with a smile on her face.
“Hello there.” The woman spoke softly. She smiled at me and held out her hand. “I’m Elizabeth. How are you?”
Elizabeth was tall and slender. Her blond hair was tied back tightly, and her eyes were bright green. I shook her hand. “Hello.” I replied. “I’m… I’m okay, thanks. You must be Elizabeth.” She nodded. “That’s right, sweetheart,” she said. “You’re in the facility called the Institute of Technology. This building contains your entire existence.” “Oh,” I breathed out. I knew what the Institute was. It was where my family lived, and where I worked. It was where I grew up, and I thought about going there often. I knew I’d miss everyone who would’ve been there. My brothers, sister, parents… I didn’t have any friends besides Michael, but he was already gone. I glanced down at my hands, which I suddenly found very interesting. I looked up and saw Elizabeth looking at them with concern.
“Are you okay?” she asked me.
I cleared my throat. “Yes. I just… I don’t remember anything that happened before…” I paused. “And I’m confused.” I admitted.
Elizabeth nodded slowly. “We’ll talk more later, I promise. For now, we need to get you set up in one of the dorms.”
I frowned slightly. “But…” I trailed off. “Where am I going to stay? I mean, I don’t have anywhere to go.” She shrugged. “Don’t worry about that for now. We’ll work it out when you get settled in. Now, let’s move.” Elizabeth grabbed my arm and guided me through the hallway. Every hall had identical doors. At the end of the hallway there was a set of elevators, each with an arrow pointing to different floors. Elizabeth gestured for me to follow her into the elevator. I followed her inside and pressed the button for floor seven. The elevator ascended silently and we rode up in silence, with Elizabeth staring ahead of her and me looking down at the floor.
After the elevator dinged at level seven and the doors slid open, Elizabeth led me out into the hallway and down a few turns. I had never been inside the Institute before, though I always dreamed about being able to come back someday. Elizabeth stopped at room 107 and handed me a key card. “This is your key to the main area. If you want anything to eat, just ask one of the technicians. Make sure to knock on their door, they’ll probably respond and let you inside. You may also try asking to see the director, he should be on the second floor. He usually takes lunch breaks there.”
I nodded, unsure of what else to say. What could I even say to someone who clearly had no idea who I was? Elizabeth must’ve sensed that I wanted to say something, because she spoke first. “Do you have a name?” she asked. I shook my head.
“No, my memories haven’t returned yet. That’s why I’m so confused. I don’t know what to call myself.” She smiled. “Well, don’t worry about that right now. All you need to do is get settled in and figure things out.” She reached over and touched my shoulder briefly. “There is one more thing I need to do. Go and take a shower if you like, and get ready for dinner. You look like you’ve just rolled out of bed.” I nodded and she walked away.
I entered the room and quickly stripped off my dirty clothes and threw them into a corner. I turned on the shower, and stepped under the spray of water. It was warm and comforting. As the warmth washed over my body, I heard footsteps on the stairs. I shut off the water and wrapped myself in a towel. Walking out, I saw Elizabeth walking toward the door and waved a hello. “How is everything going?” I asked.
She smiled. “Everything is great. Just keep it down when you go up to the third floor, okay?” I nodded and watched as she left the room, and I went back into the bathroom to rinse the soap off of my body. I closed the door behind me and turned on the faucet so that the water would run cold.
The door to room 103 clicked open and a man stood on the other side. He was wearing a black suit with red shoes. His gray hair was slicked straight back, and he appeared quite old. He carried a small suitcase with him. His expressionless eyes swept over me as he walked further into the room. He looked at the ceiling and his lips moved silently. It took a moment, but I finally recognized what he was saying. “‘Hello?’” I repeated. He nodded. “Hi,” I replied. “My name is Toni.” He stared at me for a while. His expression softened a little and he smiled. “Toni… it’s nice to meet you,” he said. “Come here and let me help you unpack your things.” He motioned towards the door and I walked over to him and stood next to him. He reached into the suitcase and pulled out a stack of papers. He scanned it quickly and then shoved it into my hands. “Here,” he said. “These are all the documents you need to have signed by tomorrow morning. Don’t lose any of them, okay?” I nodded. “Okay.” I looked at the stack of papers in my hands. There were ten copies of some sort. They looked official and complete. “Good,” said the man. “I have to leave now. But I’ll be back later tonight. Don’t wait up.” He turned and left the room without waiting for my answer. When the door slammed shut, I leaned against it for support, breathing heavily.
It was almost as if I was dreaming, I thought. I didn’t expect any of this to happen. I just wanted to go home, but I guess that was impossible. After a few seconds, the dizziness started to wear off and I headed back into the bathroom to clean myself up. I rinsed my hair thoroughly and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my body. A part of me wanted to sleep and forget about all of this, but I knew better than that. I dried myself off and slipped my feet into my sandals.
I grabbed my backpack from the chair by the desk and slung it over my shoulder. I glanced at the time, and realized I’d only spent ten minutes in the shower. I needed to get going.
CHAPTER ONE: THE FIRST DAY
“I think I’m in love!” a female voice yelled across the cafeteria, causing a wave of laughter to ripple throughout the group sitting around the table. “Did you hear how jealous she looked?” “Who cares about her?” another girl chimed in. “I’m telling you I think she’s hot! She looks like a model!” Everyone burst out laughing, and I looked down at my food, trying to hide my smile.
TO BE CONTINUE..
Log
- 21-06-28 Start with dreamily by Xiaoyan.