He was barely fitting in it, crawling with what little effort a man of his age could do; he was struggling with his back in such a position. Yet he kept crawling; it was his duty, he had to do it, for his son. Finally, he could see a little wide space in front of him, and he kept crawling until he reached the point where he could stretch his back a little; standing was not a chance. However, this was the easy part; the hard part was dragging the body back while not getting caught by Polibots.
He crawled the way till he found an exit, an exit leading into the night of the world. Beyond, the world seemed a better sight with humans around; there were trees, a lot of trees surrounding the city, houses, streets, and everything was filled with greenery. At a distance, he saw a house and decided to enter it, in hopes of finding a workable subject. He crawled up a tree outside the house, the star glimmering over his head, a cold breeze flew by, making him shiver, he slipped through the branches and fell over the roof of the house.
It was a girl, around 29, he had not seen anyone so young ever before. After all, there weren't any people being born. The world had no hope for children anyway. She was beautiful, her skin was black and glowing. He thought about how much she had left to do in this world, someone who never felt the warmth of the sun, someone who never fell in love, never had children, never knew much of reality. He wondered what life she was living in there? Would she be living a healthy life with a family that never truly existed? Would she have any idea that it was just code that created her surroundings?
He unplugged the neural connections, then her body maintainers. And he heard some noise outside, probably some cleaner attending to the house. He lifted the girl on his shoulder, barely bearing her weight, and he climbed the stairs, following the instructions of the navigator on his wrist.
The stars were breathtaking. 'Never did I see so many stars when I was young; they saved the world, I guess.' He noticed a Patrolor hovering nearby, he was just near the entrance to a closed mine, which led to his hideout.
Albert waited behind the thick, rotting trunk of a tree as the Patrolor drifted overhead. Its glowing red eyes scanned the ground beneath, mechanical limbs hanging like an insect's, twitching occasionally. The machine moved on after a few tense seconds, its low hum disappearing into the trees.
Albert crouched lower and pulled the girl tighter to his back. She was heavier than she looked, or perhaps he was simply older than he cared to admit. His muscles burned from the crawl and the climb, but there was no time to rest. He stumbled through the undergrowth, pushing branches out of the way, following the navigator's dim blue arrows on his wrist.
He reached the old mine entrance—a gaping hole in the rock, almost hidden by ivy and moss. He tapped the side of his glasses twice, and the scanner lit up. It read the signature embedded in the rocks and confirmed his identity. A soft click followed, and a piece of wall slid open, revealing a staircase spiralling down into darkness.
He entered, nearly slipping on the first step. The door slid shut behind him, cutting off the night, the stars, and the wind. It was like being swallowed whole.
The descent took time. With the girl still unconscious on his shoulder, he had to stop every twenty steps to catch his breath. The corridor lights flickered on as he passed, ancient yellow bulbs that buzzed like insects. After what felt like forever, the path levelled out and led into his base—his sanctuary, his hell.
Inside, the room smelled of chemicals and metal. The operations table was still stained from the last subject. Albert laid the girl down gently on the adjacent cot, her breathing shallow but steady. He moved around the room with practiced ease, checking her vitals, scanning her brainwaves. She was healthy. Perfect. Not corrupted by years of virtual dependence like others. He hoped, just maybe, her mind could resist the Virtuality Effect.
He sat before the camera again. His beard was even more tangled now, catching bits of food and blood. He hit record.
"Day 10900," he said. His voice was hoarse. "I've brought in a new subject. Female. Age estimate: late twenties. The body is well-preserved, possibly from a high-tier family. Still unconscious after extraction. I'm hopeful..."
He paused.
"As you know, all previous subjects fell victim to the Virtuality Effect—the mind collapses the moment it's yanked out of Androidus. But this one... she might be different. I-I don't know for sure. She hasn't shown the usual cognitive flatline, not yet. Maybe... maybe this is something. Or maybe I'm just desperate to see a sign where there is none."
He glanced over his shoulder. The girl stirred.
His eyes widened.
Her fingers twitched. Her eyes fluttered. Slowly, she opened them.
Albert rushed to her side, unsure if he should speak or observe. Her breathing was irregular. Her lips parted slightly as if struggling to speak.
"I… can't… move…" she managed.
Albert nodded, calming her with a hand on her shoulder. "It's normal. Your body's been static for decades. Your muscles have degenerated. You'll need time to adjust."
Her gaze darted around the dim room, pupils wide. "This isn't real… This can't be real."
"This is reality," Albert said. "You're free of the simulation. Androidus no longer controls you. You're awake."
A long silence followed. Her lips trembled.
"I want to go back," she said.
Albert froze. "What?"
She stared at the ceiling. "Back there... I had a life. A family. Everything made sense. Here, it's cold. It's empty. I don't want this."
She trembled. Her body was weak—far weaker than any normal adult. She could barely lift her arms. The prolonged immobility and dependence on life-maintainers had left her frail. But her eyes burned with a painful truth Albert hadn't prepared for.
He stepped back, shaken.
"You... you don't mean that. Androidus isn't real. None of it was."
"But it felt real," she whispered. "And maybe that's enough."
Albert quickly injected a stabilizer into her IV. "I've been trying to evolve humankind. Everyone else I've tried to save… their minds broke. Their bodies gave up. But you… You woke up. I won't let you go insane, for now, I'm putting you to sleep." He injected another syringe into her. Her eyes felt heavy and slammed shut.
'It was just a dream,' he told her before she fell asleep. 'and now the dream's broken'