Chapter 1:
I, Rowan, a writer who crafts novels based on the lives of modern-day criminals, had just landed a fascinating case. A patient with a mysterious life story had caught the attention of a team of scientists, and they had chosen me to write a novel about this enigmatic individual. What made this case even more intriguing was that my girlfriend, Sophia, was part of this scientific team. As I arrived at the Archaeology department, where Sophia was working, my heart skipped a beat. I was excited to see her and dive into the mystery of this patient's life.
As I entered the department, I was taken aback by the sight before me. A group of robots surrounded a girl, their mechanical bodies forming a semi-circle around her. I strained my eyes to get a good look at the girl's face, but it was partially hidden from view. Just as I was trying to get a better glimpse, Sophia sneaked up behind me and playfully startled me, wrapping her arms around me. Her touch sent shivers down my spine, and I couldn't help but smile.
Sophia introduced me to her team members, and we were greeted by her superior, Jack, who was monitoring the girl's every move. Sophia explained to Jack that I was the writer chosen to craft a novel about this girl's life. My curiosity was piqued, and I turned to Jack, asking him what made this girl so special. Jack's response was cryptic, saying that I would understand soon enough.
Sophia handed me a strange device that looked like a pair of futuristic goggles. "This will help us tap into her thoughts," she explained. I carefully placed the goggles on the girl's eyes and attached a peculiar contraption to her head, which seemed to be emitting some sort of energy signal. Sophia asked Jack about the machine, and he explained that it was designed to read brain activity and translate it into a visual representation on a monitor.
As Jack activated the machine, the girl's body jerked violently, and smoke began to emanate from the device. Jack's face turned pale, and he exclaimed that the machine had never encountered such a high volume of thoughts before. I asked him about the machine's capacity, and he revealed that it was designed to handle up to 100 million thoughts, but this girl's brain activity was off the charts.
The monitor flickered to life, displaying a jumbled mess of images and thoughts. Suddenly, a clear picture emerged, and my heart skipped a beat. The image on the screen was mine. Sophia's eyes darted between me and the monitor, confusion etched on her face. "What does this mean, Rowan?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
I shook my head, equally perplexed. "I have no idea why my image is in her mind," I replied, trying to process the strange phenomenon. Jack pointed out that the girl's hair length was different from mine, and the robots surrounding us began to murmur among themselves.
One of the robots spoke up, asking Jack if he could restart the girl's memory to learn more about her. Jack hesitated for a moment before agreeing to try. As he worked on rebooting the machine, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. What secrets lay hidden in this girl's mind, and why did my image appear in her thoughts? The mystery had just begun to unravel, and I was eager to uncover the truth.
Jack's face was etched with frustration as he struggled to reboot the girl's mind. I watched in silence, my curiosity growing with each passing moment. Finally, I turned to Jack and asked, "Why is this patient so important? She seems normal to me, just a bit weak. Maybe it'll take her a week to regain consciousness."
Jack's gaze locked onto mine, his eyes piercing. He turned to Sophia and asked, his voice laced with accusation, "Sophia, you didn't tell Rowan the entire story, did you?" Sophia's eyes darted nervously between Jack and me, and she stammered, "I-I was about to tell her."
Jack's voice rose in anger. "When? After she finished the novel?!" His words hung in the air, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. I turned to Jack, my voice firm. "What's going on? Why are you yelling at Sophia?"
Jack's expression softened slightly as he began to explain. "You see, Rowan, this girl... she's not just any ordinary patient. Look at her face. She appears to be around Sophia's age, but the truth is, she's been frozen in a machine for 150 years." I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. 150 years? How was that possible?
Jack continued, his voice filled with a mix of awe and trepidation. "Despite being frozen for so long, she's still alive. And according to the machine's timer, it'll take her about two months to wake up fully. But when she does, she'll either remember everything or forget it all. We have no way of knowing."
He paused, collecting his thoughts before continuing. "We found her in Albert Arnold's cabin, our department's most brilliant mind. She was discovered when one of our robots was cleaning the area. Now, we want to know everything about her. Who is she? Why was she frozen for so long?"
As Jack finished speaking, the room fell silent. I felt like I was reeling from the revelation. 150 years? Frozen in a machine? The questions swirled in my mind, and I knew I had to get to the bottom of this mystery. I turned to Sophia, and she met my gaze, her eyes filled with a mix of fear and determination. We were in this together, and we would uncover the truth about this enigmatic girl.
As the machine completely malfunctioned, Jack ordered the robots to escort everyone out of the room, keeping only a few with him to assess the damage. I left the department with Sophia, heading back home. As we drove, I turned to Sophia and asked, "What year is it?" Sophia chuckled and teased me, "Have you forgotten already?" I laughed and replied, "No, I'm just asking."
Sophia smiled and said, "It's 2175." My mind started racing as I did the math. If the girl had been frozen for 150 years, that would mean... "So, the girl is from 2025?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. Sophia nodded, her expression thoughtful.
I turned to Sophia, my eyes narrowing slightly. "Then how did you think the girl on the screen was me?" Sophia looked away, trying to avoid my gaze. I gently turned her face back towards me, my fingers brushing against her cheek. "Tell me," I pressed, my voice soft but insistent.
Sophia's cheeks flushed slightly as she admitted, "I was just teasing you." But then her tone turned more serious. "It's strange, isn't it? A girl who looks just like you, from a different time... it's like something out of a science fiction novel."
I leaned in, resting my head on her shoulder. "Yes, it's incredibly strange." The mystery surrounding the girl and her uncanny resemblance to me weighed heavily on my mind. As we drove home, my thoughts swirled with questions. Who was this girl, and what was her connection to me? The more I thought about it, the more my mind felt like it was going to explode.
By the time we reached home, I was exhausted, both mentally and emotionally. I went straight to bed, my mind still racing with thoughts of the girl and her mysterious past. As I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning of a much larger, more complex story.
I woke up from my sleep, feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day. I sat down to finish writing my novel, which was based on a criminal who had set fire to a manufacturing factory, destroying 4000 robots. The criminal's motive was to highlight the dangers of becoming too dependent on technology, warning that our bodies would become weaker as a result. I completed my novel, and as I did, my smartwatch started beeping with an emergency alert. I touched the watch to check the news, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw that Jack had fixed the machine. I knew I had to head back to the Archaeology department.
I got into my car and started driving towards the department. As I approached the familiar route, I started feeling a strange sensation. Blood began to trickle from my nose, a sensation I hadn't experienced in a long time. It usually happened when I slipped into alternate universes, and upon returning, I wouldn't remember anything. And that's exactly what happened. The driver shook me awake, calling out to me to snap me back to reality. As always, I had no recollection of what had transpired.
When I regained my composure, I got out of the car and headed back to Jack's cabin. This time, Jack had successfully restarted the girl's memory. We all put on our special glasses, and the lights in the cabin were dimmed. The robots were more excited than we were, as none of us humans knew what life was like in the past. The reason for this was that a hacker had compromised the entire universe's system, erasing all details. This was done intentionally, to make it easier for humans to accept robots into our lives.
As the machine whirred to life, I felt a mix of anticipation and trepidation. What secrets would the girl's memories reveal? Would we finally uncover the truth about her past and her connection to me? I glanced around the room, noticing the robots' eager faces, their mechanical eyes shining with excitement. They were just as invested in uncovering the truth as we were.
The tension in the room was palpable as we waited for the machine to start projecting the girl's memories. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come. What would we discover? Would it change everything we thought we knew about the past, about technology, about ourselves? The questions swirled in my mind as the machine began to project the girl's memories onto the screen.
The screen flickered to life, displaying a serene rose garden where the girl was sitting, lost in thought. Suddenly, a gentle voice called out to her, "Rose." As I heard the voice, I felt the familiar sensation of blood trickling from my nose, but I quickly swallowed a tablet to prevent it from getting worse. I was determined to witness every moment of Rose's story, no matter what.
Sophia turned to me, concern etched on her face. "Rowan, are you okay?" I nodded, trying to reassure her that I was fine. Jack's voice cut through the tension, "It seems like her thoughts aren't progressing naturally. We'll need to manually link her thoughts to her past life."
He turned to Sophia, asking for her assistance. Together, they adjusted the machine's settings, and a sudden vibration coursed through Rose's body. Jack's expression turned worried, fearing that Rose might not survive the process. With the entire world now aware of Rose's existence, her death would have severe consequences for Jack.
Without thinking, I reached out and gently grasped Rose's hand. It was a spontaneous action, driven by an inexplicable connection I felt towards her. As soon as I touched her hand, the atmosphere in the room seemed to shift. Rose's body began to respond, and it seemed like she was about to reveal a crucial part of her story.
The air was electric with anticipation as we waited with bated breath, hoping that Rose would finally share her secrets with us. Jack's eyes were fixed on the monitor, his face tense with concern. Sophia's gaze darted between Rose and me, a mix of curiosity and concern reflected in her eyes.
As Rose's fingers twitched in mine, I felt a strange sense of calm wash over me. It was as if I had known her all my life, and this connection was more than just a coincidence. The machine hummed softly in the background, and the screen flickered with images, hinting that Rose's story was about to unfold before our eyes.
To be continue....