/Killian
The moment we were watching the explanation by lab tech who helped us through the testing, I opened the drawer and found an orb with metal inside - by the feel of it, I recalled something similar being shown to me once, when Mellissa explained about the in-working with the AIO. She said then something about it touching the chips we had to operate the needed setups. So I touched it to my chip, the ding sounded in my head - "Connected". "Registered user 7565, Eva Kalli, nickname Killian. Pass holder S class. Unlimited availability, no restrictions. To make requests - speak out or internally - Engage AIO." - then ding and silence.
Shit, right, my name… A small flashback to my life of being Eva Kalli, as a student of tech and mechanics, the way I endlessly bulldozed the shops and scrap yards for bits to create some new things from my little ambitious projects. All the while being pestered by the ceaseless institutions and other "grown ups" regarding "ladies not being great in the tech industry" and that I do not belong there. How annoying, how absolutely ridiculous, and oh how that made me want to be a man.
Once during the tests I was up to in my garage self-made lab, in my parents home, I blasted the heck out of plasma. Guess how that went? Yeah, hospital trip. There, the hospital doc told me that there weren't many ways and options for my survival, as days were limited and all life would end. And right about the time I was about to curse them all to hell, Mellissa appeared. She told me that she could provide me with life, that all could be fixed. But the price for it - the end of me as I am. No longer alive in the world as such.
"You'd be a redacted file no longer in existence. Though, still being alive somewhere else. A place with freedom of creation and a really extensive reach of try-outs for all and any ideas." - was what Mellisa then threw at me. And I took it. Anything was better than dying of whatever dumb causes they came up with in hospital.
From being in the system, building endless tech bits that absolutely became that, which they use in this lab here, by the comments of Mellissa when she pulled me out once in a while. To the situation where she said - "I've had to scrap all the data, so how about you try to live a life that's absolutely different?".
She did not say more than that, she pointed to the tech research department staff who eagerly worked on projects I've pulled off in my world. And I felt like I had to be someone feared, someone they could not take a single thing from.
"She'll help." - Mellissa pointed to a girl in the pod opposite mine. - "Underworld underdogs." - Added Mellissa as she gave me a wink.
Then that served as me figuring out how to connect to multiple people in the system, in a way which would expand the worlds, connect, intertwine all that. Niko was the first I connected to. It was quite interesting. The world where I became the villain, the mob boss, the top dog.
Endless novel scenarios since - I liked how I kept being the tough guy, the fear instilling beast.
I hand over the orb to Niko, after I connect. She too places it to her ear, then after a moment her hand places orb down on the table.
"S class?" - She asks me quietly.
I nod. She softly smiles at me, then glances at the others, as the squabble continues.
"Can you stop the drama already?" - I speak up, as the shouting of the haughty bunch begins to intensify.
"You dare talk to me in such a tone, you peasant?!" - Verin snaps like a madman.
Niko seems fed up, she walks over to Verin and slaps her across the face. Verin looked highly surprised by the development.
"You, lowly peasant, dare lay your hands on me?!" - Verin shouts at Niko. In return, Niko just slaps Verin again, and again, then again. Until Verin shuts her mouth eyeing Niko.
The others just observe in silence. Too stunned to speak. I smile as I am happy that Niko did not lose it.
"Verin, do you realise that your sad high oracle ass just got thrown back into the real world from which you departed a few fucking centuries ago? Bitch, you're still a human. And thus far - there's a few things we have to figure out as we're here. It's no longer magic land with whatever we could pull off. This is the world which we lived in prior to making our dream life come true. Now take that shitty attitude and shove it in a box until further notice. We're all now in the same boat of survival and thus far - we've yet to find out what happened with the rest of the world, as well as the rest of the test subjects in this facility. Get a grip, bitch." - Niko spoke with such cold stone anger that it made me proud.
"Now that that's sorted," - I pick the orb in my hands and show it to others, - "Place this to the ear, either right or left - check if it makes a sound for you."
Hikaru comes over, taking orb in his hands.
"Engage AIO." - I speak in my mind.
"Connected, please annunciate your request."
"Let me and Nini listen to all the activations of orb data, all the details they hear shall be transmitted to us as well." - I have a chat with the system in my mind.
"AIO information sharing engaged with S class activated."
Hikaru places the orb to his left ear.
"Nothing." - He says. Then places the orb to his right ear. Standing stunned.
"Connected". "Registered user 8750, Hyun-sung Lee, nickname Hikaru. Pass holder A class. Limited availability, partial restrictions. To make requests - speak out or internally - Engage AIO."
I looked at Niko, she gave a nod. We both heard the activation message. Good, that means our clearance is working fully and well.
Hikaru walked over to Ary, handing him orb. Ary took it in his hands, placing it to right ear - nothing. Then to his left.
"Connected". "Registered user 9577, Erick Wang, nickname Ary. Pass holder A class. Limited availability, partial restrictions. To make requests - speak out or internally - Engage AIO."
Ary stood in silence for a bit, then handed the orb to Verin. Verin slapped the hand, almost knocking over the orb. Ary then held the orb next to left ear over Verin. Verin spooked off by the events.
"Connected". "Registered user 9578, Jia Wang, nickname Verin. Pass holder A class. Limited availability, partial restrictions. To make requests - speak out or internally - Engage AIO."
"The hell was that voice just now?!" - Verin shouted.
Niko walked over to me.
"Oh who could have guessed that in there and in here they're still related." - She giggled.
"Verin and Ary?" - I asked, then gave a nod.
"Engage AIO" - Niko spoke out. - "Give us the out loud over all of the current lab situation so we all can hear it."
Hikaru took a seat at the table, Ary hung around Verin, Niko stood next to me, leaning on the table.
The buzzing sound with annoying pitch was audible in the speaker system that was in the room. Over the years it seemed that it was maintained well, but still had issues.
"The current situation of the lab is in lower normal condition." - AIO began to report through the speakers.
I braced myself for what is to be told by this system. The inside of this place is well maintained, so I guess they did implement a lot of my projects I have made during one of the logins within my first time in the system. Sort of sad, but sort of infuriating that they used MY creativity to THEIR benefit.
/Ary
The abashed moment of trying to calm down this witch of a Verin… Though seeing that Niko came to sort her out - that was rather harsh, honestly.
When I thought of it - it was a long time ago - that I got here. It was a moment when I was in the hospital due to my health condition. It was incurable, as the doctors told, but then… As I was out here now, some things came back to me. From being in the room with tons of liquids pumped into me, to the moments of my sister then catching the same issue…
Sister! I did have a sister! Shit!
Her face is rather unclear in my memory still and yet… But somehow it just feels odd, looking at Verin, seeing sort of familiarity in her. Wait a minute, did they get her too? The heavy sense enveloped me, shoulders becoming dragged to the sense of the gravity.
They might have. She too was not the best of health, but not to the point of detrimental fallout of organs. Fuck…
I get up and walk over to sit next to Killian. She eyes me, I look at her with a heavy hearted smile.
"We'll figure it out, babe. We always do." - Killian lets out softly.
"Is Verin my sister?" - I ask with my voice being as tired as the weight that I feel.
Killian gives me a nod.
"So they got her too, huh?" - I let out.
"But with all due respect babe, currently we all look related. Not sure if that shall go to fight it out with mother or father though. Just the plain look of our damn white hair, the same set of outfits and absolutely horrific attitudes - just a mismatched but working family, huh?" - Killian sighs as she glances at the rest of us around.
I let out a giggle.
"I'll blame it on the mother. If she birthed us all from different dads - that would make some spooky sense." - I say.
"Nah babe, that will make it a mother with no regard to whom to and how to. As long as they were funny." - Killian adds.