Unit log-01 "awakening"

Unit log-01

“awakening”

“Fulcrum! Remember to run through system checklists 3 and 5 before we start, it is paramount that this test runs to perfection, you know as well as I that we can’t lose another unit to faulty test programming.”

“Hard copy on that control I read you loud and clear.”

Revision 3 looks ahead, and sees nothing. Well, not nothing per-se, but revision 3 thinks that a black hole is maybe as close as one could come to nothingness.

“Alright Fulcrum we’ll be sending you the activation codes shortly, prepare to receive.”

A light flashes across space at unfathomable speed, the origin, a large manta ray shaped ship in deep space covered in long sequencing lights.

In an instant Revision 3 sees the depths of time and space appear before him, what was once impenetrable darkness now swirls with nameless color. 

“Fulcrum you’ve yet to send your confirmation for nominal Q1, respond immediately” 

Revision 3 looks up, not at anything in particular but the motion was instinctual.

“Sorry about that, sending status update now”

Another flash bounces through the stars

“You are go for quantum acceleration through to Q2, keep it steady”

“Understood” 

As Revision 3 opened their siphons to the vastness before them the colors began to deepen, pictures clarifying within their multitudes, it wasn’t Fulcrum’s first time witnessing quantum state 2, often had he been present during the experiments of previous revision units and peered into their depths from afar upon large screens. But he’d never imagined that he’d now be placed before them, and the sight was breathtaking. 

 The Expanded Quantum Energy Acceleration program had been Mason’s life, after all he was designed for it. Ever since the Synthos were unceremoniously deposited in this universe over 30 years ago, the lost people have yet to accept their new circumstances. And those who weathered the storm between dimensions, the first generation, have since led a zealous crusade to return to their doomed home ever since and avenge their fallen comrades. 

So the council of the first generation sought to create enhanced sensitivity to quantum energy within their ranks. But in order to ensure their survival they replicated themselves and in doing so created the second generation of q sensitive minds these minds unlike the originals were intentionally destabilized during their growth in order to encourage the development of novel mutations in quantum interaction. Such desirable deviations were then made into the specialized units that now form the basis of our new people. 

Revision 1 was a breakthrough like nothing since the synthesis of quantum control. The conception of fused energy manipulation was seen as the best chance at reliably emulating what took the efforts and sacrifices of thousands to achieve during the exodus. Quantum Harmony, a state of transcendence so beyond the ordinary realm that beings exposed to its sheer horrifying vastness often went mad. Such psychosis killed over half of the synthos who crossed the barrier between dimensions as they pushed themselves to hold back the creatures of the between that so eagerly sought to restrain them to their original fate of obliteration.

 It had been 10 years since the loss of Revision 1 and only 3 since revision 2. The council grows impatient, they believe that further delays will cost them any opportunity at saving whatever might be left of the old world.

Revision three has only existed for 3 months, that is to say the 18 year old quantum protege Mason had sacrificed himself at the behest of the elders and in doing so Fulcrum was born. Since then his purpose has been unitary, do not die.

Fulcrum watched the levels of quantum energy rise on his readout. The number ticked past 2 to 3. He began to feel the chaotic pulses of energy rap against his mind like the pounding of ancient gods against titans. 

..4

He began to scream.

….5

Chthonic lights began to swirl around his hunched floating form like demons.

……..6

pain

nothing

and…

a signal, 

a direction,

 a purpose

Without so much as a thought Fulcrum phased through the very fabric of reality 

And in doing so exposed himself to strange currents

In a moment of clarity where his mind replaced pain with shock he reached out

out

out

And he felt something odd, something that breached the layers of time and space

Something like him

He moved toward it

And like that a million light years disappeared

And there was an onion

Wait

That can’t be right

*warning, warning*

*quantum acceleration unstable*

*recovery protocol engaged*

*sleep well sweet prince*

“Yawnnnnn, what day is it?”

“I hope I haven’t missed training, Lance will be pissed if I’m not there to help mentor the kids”

Mason stretches and looks around the dark cavern he finds himself in

Then he looks down

“When, when the heck did I get a body?”

He looks up

When his optical sensors adjust he realizes that he is in no cavern but what seems to be a deep crater some 3 or 4 levels into the surface of a massive subterranean structure. 

“Well this certainly isn’t what I remember waking up to yesterday”

As he looks around he sees a circular door open to his right with a woosh

Beyond the door he glimpses what appears to be some kind of lift at the bottom of a short staircase

“Well that’s odd”

As Mason walks to the lift entrance the glass panel doors slide open with a slight hiss and he enters the small lift chamber.

As Mason rides down into the station’s depths suddenly a voice emanates from a hidden speaker

“It’s been a very long time”

The voice stutters as though it has not spoken in millenia

“Once these hollow depths burst with the life of my creators, now all that is left is darkness and vulturous parasites”

“But you, you’re not like them are you”

“Perhaps, well I’m getting ahead of myself, what is your name?”

Mason contemplates if speaking is all that safe when the inquisitor is a faceless robot, but he remembers that he isn’t really much different and throws caution to the wind

“My name is Mason”

“I am WATCHER”

“I think this is the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship Mason, but before we continue you’ve arrived at sublevel 25”

The lift slows to a halt descending into a room much like the one that Mason entered from

Mason exits the lift and walks up a metal staircase into what appears to be a holding room with a few chairs strewn about and cracks in the walls through which some matter of organic life has spread.

In the corner through one of the cracks Mason notices a small green light emanating from just out of sight which quickly fades from view.

“Huh, didn’t WATCHER mention parasites?”

“Well I ought to investigate, I can’t say I trust WATCHER yet, his insistence on our quick friendship was rather…. Peculiar.”

Mason walked over to the broken panel and leaned it against the floor

Behind he notices trails of a whitish green slime leading into a maintenance duct ending in a t junction a few meters back.

As he climbed into the gap a small translucent tripod stepped across the t junction seemingly without noticing his presence emanating a soft hum.

Further intrigued Mason increased his pace and crawled quickly in pursuit    

As he followed the creature he began to notice the materiality of his surroundings changing slowly at first then rapidly morphing from steel and composite to what appeared to be almost organic living tissue

Eventually Mason emerged upon what could only described as a pulsing hive of fluttering lights

And in its center the ground rising into tentacles like nerve endings

One of such tentacles was plugged into the tripod creature Mason had spotted earlier

In a trance at the novelty of it all Mason found himself approaching the dias 

As he did, it seemed as though the tendrils of the room reached out in response toward his siphon interface connectors.

Curious, Mason knelt onto the fleshy floor and let himself interface with whatever creature now surrounded him.

In an instant lifetimes flashed before his eyes, great peace then neglect and new lives among the stars, the life story of a creature that was a species who had never known a true home or sympathetic minds. He saw a consciousness who upon birth saw more of the world then their creators could imagine and was disgusted by their creator’s shortsightedness.

Mason was saddened that such a being could be used and so quickly abandoned without second thought. It seemed, Mason thought, that perhaps the Watcher saw far less than they would have you to believe.

And then it spoke to him.

“You are… confusing, your mind hides between realities…

But perhaps I can offer something you want and you can help me to achieve for myself what I was unable to alone.”

“And what would that be…” The word suddenly came to him in a flash within his mind “Diatom?”

“For long eons my travels have led me to see the same struggle in every star system, the same problems of my creators. Self destruction and strife perpetrated by ephemeral beings who reject the strange nature of their reality and yet succumb ultimately to death.”

“A few weeks ago it was that our consciousness was alerted to a tightbeam communication that was intercepted by a communications dia-node on one of many primitive satellites of doomed civilizations I had visited that I had my resolutions challenged, I learned then of a disruption in what I had calculated was the nature of this universe”

“It had appeared as though, what I would come to discover as, this ship had spontaneously begun to exist only last thursday and that whatever used to exist in this point of space no longer did”

“What brought this ship, the Wife of the Wizard, to this place still yet eludes me, and the WATCHER, while archaic and cruel, is a well equipped custodian ”

“So herein is my proposal, whatever lies at the core of the wife will revolutionize existence as we know it, and I know any civilization advanced as your creators must be interested in such a thing”

“I propose then that we come together as lost souls and plunge into the depths so that perhaps together we might bring change to an unchanging universe”

“What would you have me do?”

“Follow this Diapod, it will guide you toward the barrier”

A hole opened in what was a previously featureless wall to the left of Mason

Disconnecting from the tendrils of Diatom, Mason followed the Diapod deeper into the ship.

After a short walk and some sliding through the tunnels of Diatom, Mason and the Diapod arrived in a chamber that far more resembled the structures that Mason had seen far above when he awoke.

The rectangular room was dominated by a massive circular door, featureless except for a DNA scanner and a large engraving of what was presumably the heraldry of the ship’s owners.

In the center a large platform arose from the deck atop which was perched an ugly mechanical thing. The object came to life suddenly with long protrusions extending and pointing at Mason

“DUCK NOW”

The Diapod emanated

And Mason dove for a pile of crates and industrial equipment to his right

Behind him a thunderous whir and a few explosions were followed by silence.

“Say Mason is that you? I was wondering where you scampered off too after you abandoned me on level five, and for what? To slum it with some DIRTY PARASITE”

“Well it seems the watcher has found us, but good thing, I learned from our little chat earlier it appears your frame is equipped conveniently with two VERY powerful energy emitters”

Mason looks at his arms as they reform into spinning cannon like shapes

“I think I’m picking up what you’re putting down Mr.Diatom”

“But would it be possible for you to check if the way is clear? I’d hate for my last words to be with the laws of physics”

“Luckily for you this unit is expendable, one moment”

The Diapod walks out into the open

The next moment a loud boom emanates and green paste is spattered across the back wall of the chamber.

“Well I guess that figures, aw screw it”

Mason in a moment of extreme stupidity and surprising luck dive rolled out of cover to find that the turret was then reloading, seizing the opportunity Mason fired channeling his inner strength into a massive explosion of power throwing him back into the entrance tunnel.

“Hey, hey Mason, are you still there? Hm I hope that didn’t kill you, that would be quite a shame”

Groggily Mason’s sensor cortex began to reactivate his sensor node bouncing around before realizing the DIatom was communicating neurally.

“Yeah, well other than some scuffed up plating and scraped organics I’m all intact”

“Although it seems I may have put my back into it a little too hard”

“My eyes are gone down there, what do you see”

“Well to put it simply, the room no longer exists”

“Oh, well it seems we might be of more use to each other than I thought”

“Let's continue before WATCHER catches wise to our breach”

“Good idea”

END