January 11, 2020. Saturday. 07:03 PM
Molave St., Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines.
Sus: (internally) (sighs) When will things ever end?
Maria: (laughs) Hey, My Boy, are you good?
(Absolute silence.)
(Complete darkness.)
(Sus feels nothing.)
(He was a thought without a mind, a motion without a body. He witnessed a soul be extinguished as if it was his. A first person view of an end.)
(Sus feels nothing.)
Suri: (a faint, static crackle) ...us... S...
(The silence shattered first. A low, warped hum returned, the sound of the servers, but it was a slurry of noise, like a recording played at the wrong speed.)
Sus: …
(Then, light. Not the clean, white light of the data center, but a smear of strobing crimson that bled into his vision, painting the darkness in hues of blood.)
Suri: (a faint, static crackle) ...Ss... Su...
(Sus lay pressed against the cold metal of the conduit, his body a trembling, disconnected shell. He couldn't feel his own breath. He couldn't hear his own heart. He couldn't distinguish between reality and memory.)
Sus: …
(The sharp lines of the racks bled into the scarlet haze, the concrete floor seemed to ripple like disturbed water, and the distant, muffled sounds of the battle were a distorted, meaningless drone.)
Suri: (a faint, static crackle) ...su... uS...
(Sus hears a laugh he knew, but the shape it came from was a void. Sus tried to push himself up, to focus his eyes, but his vision was a fractured, unreliable lens. The world was still a smear of strobing crimson and deep, swimming shadows.)
Sus: (internally) Boss… Maria?
(He could not see. He could only form a human-shaped hole cut out of the chaotic light, a silhouette of absolute darkness. The edges of the shadow seemed to fray and jitter.)
Maria: I'm glad you made it, My Boy.
(He felt for Suri's presence, for the familiar, comforting glow. There was a flicker, a weak pulse of light near his shoulder, like a dying ember.)
Sus: (internally) (his thoughts sluggish) Suri... what... What am I seeing?
(Nothing.)
Sus: (internally) Suri?
(Sus tried to move, to scramble away, but his limbs were null. His body wouldn't obey. He was a prisoner in his own shell, able to do nothing but stare up at the terrifying, familiar shadow as it took a step closer.)
Sus: (internally) I… I can't…
(The shadow's movement was slow, deliberate. It didn't have any signs of hesitstions, it flowed with a chilling, liquid grace. As it drew nearer, it seemed to expand, drinking the pulsating red light from the room, growing until it's almost the only thing Sus sees.)
Maria: (her voice calm, measured, almost soothing) I always knew you'd never let me down, My Boy.
(Sus was a tiny, almost irrelevant thing pinned to the floor beneath an eclipse. The scale of the shadow was impossible, a monolith carved from pure darkness. He felt a profound, crushing smallness.)
Sus: (internally) (catching his breath) I… I just want to sleep…
Maria: (the shadow knelt, a universe of darkness folding in on itself) …And I was right. You will always find a way.
Sus: (internally) (trembling) What was I thinking… I can't save Kevin…
Maria: You will…
Sus: (internally) (tears uncontrollably peeking his eyes) I can't!!
Maria: Save us! (her voice echoing)
(The shadow moved. Sus felt his body being dragged, the rough, polished concrete scraping against his cheek. His vision was a helpless, upward-facing blur of streaks and the dizzying lines of racks sliding past. He was an object.)
Rachel: (her voice strained with effort) Mother, the other two Enforcers… They're still disabled. We can still use them to test the Relic.
Maria: (her voice calm, effortless) Unnecessary. We already have the perfect subject. But you still shouldn't have played them. We lost two.
Rachel: (smirking) Oopsies! I only wasted the junior. You're the one who took care of the captain. He asked for it though (laughing).
(They stopped. Sus hears a hum, a deeper, hungrier sound. He felt thick, cold cables snaking from the sound like metallic vines.)
Maria: Prep our new host. The other two will be power supplies.
Sus: (internally) I… I'm nothing…
(Sus heard Rachel's grunts as she seemingly secured his limbs to the base of the humming machine, the thick cables locking around his wrists and ankles with a heavy magnetic click.)
Rachel: (panting slightly, a manic energy in her voice) Once Metro Aid launches, the user base will explode. S.I.S.A. will need a constant supply of energy to handle the data… more Sense-Cores.
Maria: Scaling will be handled by The Cloud. We just need to make the M.V.P.
Rachel: Right! Just need to solve one last issue…
Maria: (firmly) To figure out how the system can hold and process immense amounts of Molecular Memories.
Sus: (internally) I am nothing…
Maria: (a hint of a smile in her voice) And now… My Boy is here to save us.
Rachel: Yes! But wait… What about Kev?
(Sus's fractured consciousness snapped into a single, sharp point of focus.)
Sus: (internally) Kevin?
Maria: (she lets out a soft sigh) Yes, our original host. I initially thought he'd be the one… But My Boy didn't disappoint. (her smirk almost audible)
Rachel: (laughing) Yeah! We've been at him for months already! Been trying to use my special tea to get him but these two so freakin' love their coffee. Uck! (typing on a keyboard) Good thing nobody caught you at Dad's work. Your serpents did a good job?
Maria: (calmly) The security guards were eager to repent for their sins. They cooperated. We can still use him as a power supply like the two. He won't be useless… Kevin.
(The name echoed in the silent, screaming void of his mind, Kevin.)
Sus: (internally) (the sluggishness replaced by a sharp, cold rage) Kevin? What did they do to you?
(He fought to see, to force the distorted crimson world into focus. The strobing haze swam before him, the shadow of Maria a formless horror.)
Sus: (internally) Suri?
(Nothing)
Sus: (internally) Where are you, Suri?
(Nothing)
Sus: (internally) No… Not like this. He needs me. Focus! I… I need to focus.
Rachel: He's strapped in, Mother! I'll go connect Kev with the other power supplies.
Sus: (internally) Fuck. I can't focus. I can hear everything!
Maria: (sounds of her finger seemingly swiping and tapping on a touchscreen) Make sure they're connected securely this time, Rachel. We have limited assets.
Sus: (internally) How can I focus?! I can't smoke…
Rachel: (giggling) Sorry, Mother! I get too carried away with Verse Killer things. Hehe!
Sus: (internally) The lollipop? (pauses) No. I… they're gone.
Maria: (seriously) Well, the press did get what they wanted. I'm almost done preparing the Relic. Just making sure the signals maintain to be analog and not digital.
Rachel: (excited) Wow! Good thing you found a working cassette player!
Maria: (calmly) Cubao Expo. Rachel, be thorough and make sure The Metro has no access to our developer accounts and other digital assets. We need to make sure no one can stop us from publishing the Metro Aid App.
Sus: (internally) I need to move fast. Suri… C'mon.
Rachel: (eagerly) On it! All our ads and campaigns are also scheduled already. Targeted here in our district. Used my own bank accounts too. Yay!
Maria: Good job. We start with young people and move our way up. The Relic's ready. Prepare Kevin and the other power sources.
Sus: (internally) Kevin! No! I'm coming!
(As he strained against his paralysis, a new sensation registered—the feeling of cool, recycled air on his ears. The familiar weight on his head was gone.)
Sus: (internally) My headphones... They took it off.
(Sus breathes deeply through his nose)
Sus: (internally) Doesn't matter. I don't need them. I don't need anything but him. Just remember… remember Kevin.
(Breathes out)
Sus: (internally) Friday nights at Cubao Expo… arguing which place to go.
(Inhales)
Sus: (internally) Kevin laughing so loud while outside it's embarrassing to stand next to him…
(Exhales)
Sus: (internally) Thursday morning coffee over comic books while everyone else talks about news…
(Inhales)
Sus: (internally) His stupid, hopeful whistles when things go chaotic at work…
(Exhales)
Sus: (Internally) His voice…
(Inhales deeply)
Sus: (internally) "Don't worry, bro. I got you."
(A long exhale)
Sus: (internally) …
Maria: Rachel. Is the network active now?
Sus: (internally) Kevin… I'm here.
(The strobing red world vanished. The warped hum of the servers ceased.)
(Absolute silence.)
(Complete darkness.)
Suri: (voice clear and strong) Sus?
(Sus feels something.)
Sus: (internally) Suri… You're back. I lost you. Where did you go?
(Inside the controlled, silent void of his mind, Suri's form solidified, its light a steady, reassuring pulse. It tilted, a gesture of pure confusion.)
Suri: Back from where, Sus? I'm always here.
Sus: (internally) Doesn't matter. We need to stop them. I don't understand but they're going to use Kevin as a power supply.
(The void collapsed. The world snapped back into focus: sharp, clear, and terrifyingly real. The strobing red lights were no longer a distorted haze but a clean, rhythmic pulse. He could see Maria and Rachel clearly now, standing by the humming machine, their faces illuminated by a holographic interface.)
Maria: The combined output from Kevin and the others should be more than enough to sustain S.I.S.A.'s core functions. A successful M.V.P. trial is assured.
Rachel: (clapping her hands together softly) Perfect! I'll take care of their disposal after the transfer. Ooh! Good thing I prepared new Bible verses! Channel 8 is going to love this.
(The words hit Sus like a physical blow.)
Sus: (internally) We have to stop them! Now!
(A surge of pure adrenaline and rage coursed through him. He struggled against his restraints, pulling with all his might against the thick cables binding him to the machine. He opened his mouth to scream, to warn them, to do something.)
Sus: Rachel! Boss Maria! Stop!
(Sus's voice, raw and desperate, echoed for a moment in the vast data center before being swallowed by the hum of the servers.)
Rachel: Hm?
(Rachel jolted, her eyes wide with surprise, taking an involuntary step back. Maria, however, didn't flinch. A slow, knowing smile spread across her lips. She turned her head.)
Maria: (her voice calm, laced with a chilling warmth) Hello, My Boy. Finally. (raising a familiar red cassette tape to half of her face as she looks at Sus)
(He struggled against the thick cables, the magnetic locks holding firm without a single groan. His muscles screamed, but his bonds were absolute. The rage and betrayal boiled inside him, spilling out in a torrent of desperate words.)
Rachel: (smiling and waving) Hi, Sus! What's up?
Sus: Why?! Was everything a lie?! Fun Fridays? Our… lunch outs? The… the trips? Everything?!
(Maria looked impressed. She took a step closer to one of the consoles. Typing on the keyboard as she seemingly opens the case of the cassette tape she's holding.)
Maria: I have never valued anything more than our team... Our family.
Sus: (voice trembling) Kevin… he's our friend! He trusted you! We were a team!
Maria: (pauses) But to be a leader, a true mother, you must be willing to make the hard choices for the future.
(Her voice was filled with a serene, terrifying conviction. She pushes a button on a seemingly vintage cassette player connected to the vast machinery and computer in front of her. Opening the slot for the tape.)
Maria: The world is blind and deaf, My Boy. It stumbles in the darkness, causing its own pain. The future shouldn't be just for the privileged.
(Maria points to the lifeless body of Rashid.)
Maria: It can only truly move forward, evolve, if everyone can feel it, sense it, the way we do. And for that new world to be born, some sacrifices are necessary.
(She paused, her shadow seeming to look over at the other side of the room, where Kevin presumably lay.)
Maria: Kevin… he is a regrettable, but necessary, collateral damage.
(A raw, guttural sound of pure rage tore from Sus's throat, but it was a choked, weak thing. He thrashed against his restraints, his body shuddering with a fury he had no way to unleash.)
Sus: (to Maria) Stop this, Boss! Please! There has to be another way! I can help you!
Maria: (to Sus) (looking at him intently) I know you will, My Boy. I know you will.
(Rachel giggled, a high, sharp sound. She skipped over to the three incapacitated Enforcers, looking them over like a child choosing a toy.)
Rachel: Let's start with the tracker. Barely useful, but I'm sure his Sense-Core will add a nice little boost.
(She leaned down towards Daniel, her voice a cruel whisper.)
Rachel: I think after this, I'll cut your ears off and leave you in a confession booth near Project 4. Sounds good? (giggling) Get it? Haha!
Maria: (her voice sharp, not looking up from the cassette player) Rachel. Gloves.
(Maria calmly pressed the rewind button on the vintage machine. A soft, familiar whirring sound filled the air—the sound of magnetic tape rapidly spinning backwards.)
Sus: (straining against his bonds) Rachel, stop! Don't do this! Boss, please!
(A calm, synthesized female voice suddenly filled the data center, overriding the hum. The S.I.S.A. engine spoke.)
S.I.S.A.: Sensory Intelligence Synthesis Agent initiated. Please wait.
Maria: (ignoring Sus, her eyes on the rewinding tape) (to Rachel) It's important that the host Extracts from the Relic completely, from beginning to end.
Rachel: (pulling on a pair of thin, latex gloves) (to Maria) Yup! All the other test subjects went crazy with Sensory Overload before the ten-second mark. They really needed to be unalived. Hehe!
(She placed her hands on Daniel's head. A faint, sickly green light began to glow around him, flowing in thin tendrils towards the S.I.S.A. machine. Daniel's body convulsed, and a muffled, agonizing scream escaped his lips.)
S.I.S.A.: Five percent charged.
Sus: (internally) (his mind racing with panic) No… Suri, we have to do something! Explore Maria! Now! Find a weakness, a code, anything!
Suri: (its voice strained and weak in his mind) We can't, Sus. Our energy… it's too low from the last two. We're still recharging. There's nothing…
Sus: (internally) (watching in horror as the light around Daniel intensified) Julia is next. And then… and then…
(A cold, heavy certainty settled in Sus's gut. There were no options left. He watched as Rachel, humming a cheerful, off-key tune, moved towards Julia. The last conscious Enforcer didn't struggle; she simply let out a long, weary sigh, her body slumping in resignation.)
Sus: (internally) We need to do something. Think, Jesus. Think!
(Maria, having finished her preparations with the cassette, walked towards Sus. The whirring of the rewinding tape had stopped.)
Maria: (to Rachel, her voice thoughtful) The test subjects may have failed because they didn't have the proper equipment to absorb the frequencies completely.
(She stopped in front of Sus. The distorted crimson light of the room swam in her glasses, but for a moment, her eyes behind them were perfectly clear, and they locked with his.)
Sus: (his voice a weak, broken whisper) Boss Maria…
(Her expression was unreadable, almost gentle. She reached out, her fingers delicately tracing the side of his face. The touch was warm, familiar, but this time, different.)
Maria: My Boy…
(With a practiced, fluid motion, she slid the Sound-Shifter headphones back over his ears. There was a soft click, a low hum, and he felt a strange, invasive connection as she plugged a thin cable from the headphones directly into a port on the S.I.S.A. machine.)
Maria: (to Rachel) Once the host is active, we can prove to the Council, to the world, that our vision is the only way forward.
Rachel: (as she placed her gloved hands on Julia's head) The User Experience will be flawless! They'll just use their phone's microphone, Extract any question they have about their lives. 'Where are my keys?', 'Will my crush like me back?'. And S.I.S.A. will give them the answer!
Maria: That's just step one. This… Sensitive Energy Synthesizer. Will eventually have all five senses. A true Metro Aid.
Rachel: (giggling with excitement) One Sensitive for one world!
Maria: (turning back to Sus, her voice filled with a profound, almost reverent gratitude) Thank you, Sus. For making this possible.
Sus: (the words tumbling out in a final, desperate plea) Please… don't hurt Kevin. Please, Boss, not him.
(Daniel's body began to convulse, the sickly green light flaring around him. From across the room, Rachel called out cheerfully.)
Rachel: Whoops. Looks like Daniel's done! Hey, hey, Julia! You're next!
S.I.S.A.: New Sense-Core installation complete. System at seven percent charge.
Sus: (to Maria) This doesn't make sense, Boss... You can't scale this without hurting everyone!
Maria: (looking down at Sus, her certainty unwavering) It's the only way.
(Rachel's gruesome work on Julia finished with a final, sickening flicker of green light. She dusted her gloved hands and turned, her eyes landing on the other side of the room.)
Rachel: Oof. Not much from that lady. Okay, Coffee Boy! Your next!
(She started to walk towards where Kevin lay, but Maria's voice, sharp and commanding, cut through the air.)
Maria: Wait.
(Rachel froze, turning back to Maria with a look of confusion.)
Maria: Julia and Daniel's Sense-Cores should be enough to initiate the host connection. That is the priority.
(She walked towards Sus, the red cassette tape's case held carefully in her hand.)
Maria: The Relic isn't strictly necessary for S.I.S.A. to function. But a host enhanced by its memories… it will accelerate our timeline tenfold. The Savior… Made this for a reason…
Rachel: (her voice filled with reverent awe) Yes, Mother.
Sus: (thrashing uselessly against his bonds) No… Don't do this… Please…
Suri: (its light pulsing frantically in his mind) Sus! What are we going to do?!
(Maria stood before him, her expression serene. She reached out and pressed a button on the side of his headphones. There was a sharp click, followed by a faint, descending electronic tone.)
Sus: (stares at Maria) Boss…
(Complete Silence.)
(Sus watched, trapped in the silence. He watched Maria move with an unnerving calm towards the cassette player connected to the S.I.S.A. machine.
Sus: (He screamed, a frantic, desperate torrent of pleas) !!!
(There was no sound. There was nothing.)
Sus: (internally) (inside his head, but his own thoughts were muted.) !!!
(Maria's finger, long and elegant, hovered over the play button. A single, dark triangle.)
Suri: (screaming) SUS!
(A soft, mechanical CLICK echoed in the silence.)
ksshhhhhhhhht
(The first sound was static. A simple analog that felt like sandpaper dragging across the surface of his brain. It grew in volume, a waterfall of white noise that threatened to erode his very consciousness.)
Sus: (screaming inaudibly)
(The noise then fractured, blooming into a million impossible sounds at once—sounds of multiple out of tune guitars plucked out of tempo, fractured keys of pianos hit aggressively without a melody, percussions hammered with no signs of rhythm.)
Sus: (internally) When will things ever end?!
(And then, through the chaos, came the voices. Clear, sharp, and legion.)
Faint Voices: (a chorus of his own voice, a thousand versions of himself speaking as one) Unus! Persona.
(A thousand fractured reflections of himself appeared around him, all of them screaming. He was the analyst, the friend, the son, the criminal, the savior, the victim. His identity was shredded into a million conflicting pieces.)
Suri: (its voice glitching) Too many… too many!
(Shards of mirrored light, each reflecting a different Sus, streamed towards Suri, glowing in red. It tried to absorb them, its own form flickering violently as it struggled to process the contradictory data.)
Sus: (internally) Who am I?!
Faint Voices: (a choral voice, beautiful and sharp as splintered glass) Duos! Aesthetika.
(The red light of the room exploded into a blinding spectrum of impossible colors, each one a physical blow against his senses. He felt the beautiful, agonizing pain of seeing a color that his mind was not built to comprehend.)
Suri: It's so beautiful! It hurts!
(Swirling motes of these impossible colors flooded towards Suri. Growing multiple eyes almost all over its body. Each looking in a different direction. It swelled in size, trying to contain the mesmerizing data, but the intensity was too much, causing its own form to shimmer and bleed the now orange light at the edges.)
Faint Voices: (a dry, ancient whisper, like dust settling on a tomb) Tres! Terminus.
(He felt as if he was back in Rashid's mind, feeling the snap of his consciousness extinguishing. He felt his own heart stop so vividly he could picture its form within Suri. It was the absolute, undeniable feeling of an end. The image of a heart with Siri was engulfed in a glass apple inside a yellow pyramid.)
Faint Voices: (a cacophony of a thousand pleading voices, all speaking the same word in a desperate and overlapping) Quattuor! Optare.
(Seemingly endless maps, spreadsheets, plans, and formulas surrounded Sus. With voices of people he seems unfamiliar with screaming their wants and needs, a tidal wave of conflicting hope and despair. All forming a green cube trapping him and Suri inside.)
Sus: !!!
Suri: I can't… which one… which way?!
(Four heads of shining emerald serpent skulls emerge from Suri, pulling it in all directions as it tries to absorb the conflicting streams. Each head connected to seemingly infinite spines. Slithering everywhere.)
Sus: (internally) Make it stop… please…
Faint Voices: (a distorted voice that sounded like a recording played backwards, yet the word was perfectly clear) Quinque! Regredi.
(Sus and Suri were pulled backwards through time, his own memories unspooling in reverse at a nauseating speed. Childhood, infancy, the womb, then further, devolving into something primal, something less than human, a single cell dividing in a forgotten ocean.)
Suri: Sus!
(Streams of blue light flowed into Suri and then tried to violently pull back out. Its swirling patterns spun in reverse, its panicked voice emerging as a distorted, backward-sounding static. Its form briefly shifted into a silhouette of a woman seemingly wrapped in hollow patterns and the jaw of an enormous beast.)
Faint Voices: (a deep, resonant voice that seemed to vibrate from the floor, heavy with the pressure of a great weight) Sex! Assidere Ligare.
(Dense, heavy particles that moved like liquid metal slowly oozed into Suri. Its form compressed, its movements becoming sluggish as if it were being crushed by the sheer weight of the data.)
Sus: (internally) ARGHH!
(An immense, physical pressure crushed him from all sides. A huge dark hand emerged from Suri. Leaking indigo glows from and around the Sense-Core. Pinching what seems to be a scale. A side weighing a heart and another, a brain.)
Faint Voices: (an ethereal, cosmic voice that echoed from no single point, seeming to come from the stars themselves) Septem! Meta.
(His consciousness was stretched beyond the limits of his skull, beyond the warehouse, beyond the city. For a terrifying, infinite moment, he saw the curvature of the Earth, the silent dance of satellites, the cold, uncaring face of the cosmos. It was a truth too vast, and it was breaking him.)
Suri: (shaking left and right) ARGH!
(Vast, shimmering veils of cosmic violet dust, far too large to contain, washed over Suri. Another hand emerged and stretched its form desperately, becoming thin and translucent, almost disappearing as it tried to process the memories.)
Faint Voices: (a calm, serene voice that seemed to loop on itself, the end of the word seamlessly blending back into its beginning) Octo! Perpetuus.
(And with the eight word, came nothing. All the previous colors started flashing sequentially faster and faster, back and forth, with explosions of sounds seemingly corresponding to each of the seven.)
Sus: (internally) I can't… There's no escape… There's no…
(A perfect loop. The agony seemed eternal. Sus stopped fighting it. The frantic energy that had coursed through him, the desperate need to find a way out, simply... dissolved.)
Sus: (internally) When will things ever end.
(Complete darkness.)
Sus: (internally) I'm… I'm sorry… Kevin…
(With a final, resigned thought, he turned his focus to his Sense-Core, to the only other being trapped in this beautiful, screaming hell with him.)
Sus: (internally) Suri?
(Suri was a wreck. Its once smooth, glowing surface was a network of deep, crystalline cracks, spiderwebbing across its form. The single, glowing thread still coiled tightly around it, squeezing, causing it to flicker like a dying lightbulb. It was overwhelmed. It was broken.)
Sus: (internally) I tried… I… I tried…
(He gave up. He let the last of his will fade away, and in that moment of absolute surrender, Suri's own frantic, looping energy stilled. Its two points of light, its eyes, focused and locked with his.)
Suri: (its voice single, clear, resonant whisper) You are…
(The cracks on Suri's surface didn't repair. They widened. With a silent, shattering sound, Suri's spherical form broke apart into a thousand pieces of fractured light.)
Sus: (internally) I'm…
(The thread snapped.)
Suri: You are…
(But the pieces didn't scatter. They hung in the void for a split second before violently rushing back inwards, coalescing not into a ball, but into a new, terrifying shape.)
Suri: Sus!
(A humanoid head and torso, forged from a black, glassy material that seemed to absorb all light, yet was defined by the deep, scarlet fractures that held it together.)
Sus: Suri!
(It had no face, only a smooth, reflective surface. The soft, gentle lights were gone, replaced by glowing, red orbs that pulsed with a raw, internal power from within its semi-transparent form.)
Suri: (its voice was different now—not a whisper, but a calm, synthesized, and powerful broadcast) I am ready.
(Sus's eyes snapped open. The world was sharp, clear, but utterly silent. He saw Maria and Rachel standing a few feet away, observing him with a detached, clinical curiosity. But they were not the only ones in the room anymore.)
Sus: (internally) (shocked) What?
(Looming over everyone, superimposed on the physical reality of the data center, was Suri. Its new form was immense, a terrifying, room-sized titan of fractured black glass and internal, crimson light.)
Sus: (internally) Suri…
(Its silent, featureless head nearly touched the ceiling, and its glowing red orbs, now the size of beach balls, regarded the scene with an unnerving stillness. Maria and Rachel were nothing but tiny figures standing in the shadow of his colossal, invisible partner.)
Sus: (internally) I still can't hear them...
(A sharp, clean CLICK echoed in Sus's ears. The headphones.)
Suri: (its new voice resonated with pure power) You can Explore now.
(The world flooded back in with perfect clarity. He could hear the low, hungry hum of the S.I.S.A. machine, the soft, rhythmic breathing of Maria, the slight, impatient tap of Rachel's finger on a console. Suri had re-synced them.)
Rachel: (to Maria) (whispering) Is he still…?
Maria: (to Rachel) 30 seconds in. It must be complete now.
Sus: (his eyes locked on Maria, his voice no longer a plea, but a low, steady command to his Sense-Core) Show me everything.
(The colossal, humanoid head of Suri tilted slowly. The central, scarlet fracture running down its "face" began to widen, splitting apart with a silent, grinding motion.)
Suri: As you wish.
(From within the widening chasm, a new, even larger orb of brilliant red light emerged, pulsing with an intense, raw energy that made the room's emergency lights look pale and weak.)
Sus: …
(It flashed once, engulfing the entire data center, Maria, Rachel, and Sus himself in a blinding, absolute crimson.)
Suri: Initiating Explore.
(The red snapped into a new image. A stark, grey room. Rows of identical metal cots under buzzing fluorescent lights. A young Maria, no older than seven, stood alone.)
Orphanage Matron: (voice cold, distant) You have no one, Maria. Remember that.
(A harsh red flash, like a camera bulb burning directly on his retinas, and the scene shattered.)
Sus: (internally) Boss…
(He was now in a vibrant courtyard filled with red lanterns. Children with sleek, straight hair and sharp features played games, their laughter sharp. The young Maria stood at the edge, her softer features and wavy hair marking her as an outsider.)
Another Child: (a cruel, dismissive whisper) You're not like us.
(Another searing flash of crimson, and the courtyard vanished.)
Sus: (internally) …Maria…
(A dark training room. A teenage Maria, drenched in sweat, her knuckles raw, repeatedly striking a wooden dummy. The impacts were sharp, rhythmic, furious. A stack of books on finance and global economics sat on a nearby bench.)
Maria: (panting, her voice a raw growl of determination) Again.
(The red light pulsed violently, the sound a deep, painful thrum.)
Sus: (internally) I believed in you…
(A quiet, sunlit garden. Manang, looking exactly the same, gently adjusted a younger Maria's stance.)
Manang: (voice firm but kind) Your anger is a tool, Maria, not your master. Focus on it.
Young Maria: (bowing her head, her voice thick with emotion) Thank you, Manang. For believing in me.
(A deep, blood-red light washed over the garden, dissolving it into mist.)
Sus: (internally) I followed you…
(A sterile, holographic boardroom. Shimmering figures of what looked like Council members regarded a stoic, adult Maria.)
Council Member 1: (voice dripping with condescension) She is capable, but her background… She is not from… (pauses) Giving her control of Metro is a risk.
(The red light fractured the image into a thousand sharp, painful pieces.)
Sus: …
(The boardroom was gone. Maria was alone in a void, facing a single, blurred figure whose features were indistinct, its voice a venomous hiss that slithered directly into Sus's mind.)
Blurred Figure: You don't deserve this, Hernandez. You will never be one of us.
(A harsh red flash.)
Sus: …
(Sus's eyes snapped open. He was back. The data center was sharp and clear around him, the strobing emergency lights painting everything in a rhythmic, bloody pulse. Towering over it all was the colossal, silent form of the new Suri.)
Sus: (internally) No…
(Maria and Rachel were staring at him. Maria's expression was one of triumphant satisfaction. Rachel's was of wide-eyed, childish curiosity.)
Maria: It's completed.
Rachel: Wow! He did it!
S.I.S.A.: System ready.
Maria: (to Rachel) Integrate the host.
Sus: (his voice was a low growl, raw and full of a strength he didn't know he possessed) Stop. I'm warning you.
Rachel: (completely ignoring him, turning to Maria) Mother, are we sure this is enough power? We should get Coffee Boy's Sense-Core first, just to be safe. We need this to work perfectly.
Sus: (his voice rising, a tremor of fury in it) I said stop!
(Maria and Rachel continued to ignore him as if he were a buzzing insect. Maria considered Rachel's suggestion for a moment, then gave a single, decisive nod.)
Maria: That's a valid point. Okay, prepare Kevin. I'll attend to our host.
(As Maria started walking towards him and Rachel turned to move towards Kevin, something inside Sus broke.)
Sus: STOP!
(The colossal form of Suri moved in perfect sync with his will. The chasm on its featureless face split wide open again. The great central orb, no longer pulsing but blazing with a furious, impossible light, flashed once. A wave of absolute red that did not just illuminate the room, but consumed it.)
Sus: (his voice, now impossibly calm and clear, cut through the dead air) This ends now.
(Maria and Rachel, who had been focused on their work, spun around. Their eyes were wide, darting around the spot where Sus was supposed to be bound.)
Rachel: What the?!
(A sharp snap of magnetic locks breaking echoed from the S.I.S.A. machine. They saw the thick cables fall to the floor, limp and disconnected.)
Rachel: (panicked, her eyes scanning the empty space) Where is he?! What's happening?!
(Maria said nothing, her expression a mixture of shock, fury, and a dawning, terrible understanding.)
Suri: (its synthesized voice resonated in Sus) Accomplish the mission.
(The soft, deliberate scrape of a shoe sounded from across the room. Maria and Rachel's heads snapped towards the sound. Sus was moving towards Kevin.)
Maria: (a breathless, almost admiring whisper) The test was a success.
(He stepped out of the oppressive shadows. He was no longer a victim. His eyes, burning with a cold, focused rage, were locked on them.)
Sus: This is over.
Rachel: (a feral scream of pure rage tore from her throat) Wow wow wow! Let's see what The Savior can do!
(She lunged, a blur of motion. The thin, silver blade she'd used on the rookie glinted in the dim light, aimed directly at his heart. But the world for Sus was different now. It was silent, focused.)
Suri: Left.
(He could feel the shift of air as she moved, sensing the bunching of the muscles in her arm a microsecond before she struck.)
Suri: Above.
Sus: …
(He wasn't a fighter, but he didn't have to be.)
Rachel: Ha!
Suri: Right.
(He stumbled back, a clumsy, ugly-looking dodge that was just effective enough. The blade hissed past his chest, missing by an inch.)
Rachel: Hey! Stay still, shithead!
(He kicked out, not with skill but with desperation, knocking over a tray of medical equipment that clattered loudly in the unnatural silence.)
Sus: I trusted you.
(Rachel snarled, spinning for another strike, a whirlwind of aggressive motion. She was faster. Stronger. But Sus and Suri could feel her coming.)
Suri: Shall I finish her?
(It was like time itself had slowed her attack. The angle of her wrist, the force of her lunge, streaming into his mind before the blade ever reached him.)
Rachel: (her voice a defiant snarl) Let's see if The Mother was right!
Suri: Don't move.
(The silver blade in her right hand aimed for his throat, while her left hand crushed a small vial, releasing a cloud of the same sickly-sweet, cloying fume she'd used on the Enforcers.)
Sus: (internally) (his voice cold and absolute) Finish this.
(The colossal form of Suri responded. The great central orb on its face blazed, and the world was once again washed in silent crimson. The colors of the data center bled away into a stark, monochrome landscape of black and white.)
Suri: Ending.
(The only color that remained was Rachel, mid-lunge. The fume from her scent weapon was nothing but a harmless, colorless cloud.)
Rachel: (laughing) Bye, latebloomer!
(She landed where he was a moment ago, her blade slicing through empty air. Her head snapped left, then right, her eyes wide with frantic confusion. To her, he had simply vanished.)
Rachel: Where—?!
(He didn't need to be a fighter. He didn't need technique. He just moved, his body coursing with strength he didn't know where from. As she turned, still searching, he gathered all of his rage, and his newfound power into a single, open-handed blow.)
Sus: Shut the fuck up.
(He swatted her.)
(A single, wet crack echoed in the profound silence. The impact sent her flying halfway across the room. She slammed into a server rack with a sickening crunch of metal and bone, then slumped to the floor in a heap, unconscious.)
Suri: (its synthesized voice echoed in the controlled silence) Completed.
(Sus walked over to where Kevin lay on a gurney, a mess of wires and tubes connecting him to the S.I.S.A. machine. With a deliberate, steady motion, he ripped the cables free. The faint green light in the tubes sputtered and died. He then turned to face Maria, who stood calmly across the data center, watching him.)
Sus: Boss Maria…
(Their eyes met across the silent, still room.)
Maria: (a genuine, proud smile touched her lips) I am so proud of you, My Boy, Sus. I always knew you would be the one to save us.
Sus: (his voice was a low, simmering growl of raw fury and heartbreak) I believed in you. All I ever wanted was to follow you.
Maria: (she began to walk slowly towards him, clicking her laser pen, the sound sharp in the silence) And you will. Together, we are going to change the world.
Sus: This is over, Maria. You have no moves left. Backup is coming. There's no escape.
Maria: (she stopped a few feet from him, her smile unwavering) You just unlocked the power of a Relic. Do you even know what that is?
Sus: …
Maria: (continues) They are items built with Exploited materials from Molecular Memories, imbued with capabilities that can be harnessed by the worthy.
(Sus glanced at the colossal, silent form of Suri, his new power made manifest.)
Maria: Not every Sensitive can absorb that kind of raw power. Most would have their minds shattered. Sensory Overload.
Sus: (his jaw tight) That won't happen.
Maria: (her smile widened, becoming something sharp and predatory) I know it won't. Not to you. But what about him? (glancing to Kevin)
(She gestured with her pen to the vintage cassette player. A thick cable ran from its output jack into the main console of the data center.)
Maria: The Relic is linked to the speakers of this entire facility.
(She reached over and pressed the rewind button again. The soft, menacing whir filled the silence.)
Maria: When I hit play, every soul in this room will hear it. You will survive, Sus. You have the capacity. But how about your best friend?
Sus: (eyes widened) You!
Maria: You better pray his Sense-Core is as strong as yours. You better pray.
(The soft whirring of the cassette player stopped. The tape was fully rewound. He saw Maria's hand reach for the play button, her finger descending in what felt like agonizing slow motion. This was it. The end for Kevin.)
Sus: STOP!
(The colossal form of Suri moved. The red orb on its face pulsed, and a new wave of crimson light washed through the room.)
Maria: Nngh!
(Maria froze, her finger a millimeter from the button. She was paralyzed, but her eyes, wide with a mixture of fear and awe, were locked on Sus.)
Maria: (her voice was strained, the calm facade finally cracking) This is… impressive, My Boy. You've proven your point. Now let me go.
(But Sus wasn't listening. The understanding of her betrayal, the sight of Kevin bound and helpless, the weight of a world he never asked for—it all crashed down on him at once. A raw, guttural scream of pure, undiluted anguish tore from his throat.)
Sus: I JUST WANTED TO SLEEP!
(Another, more violent flash of red light, and something inside him snapped. He wasn't controlling this anymore. He was just a passenger, watching through his own eyes as his body moved with a purpose he didn't command.)
Sus: …
(He watched his hands reach down and rip the final cable from his chest, freeing himself. He watched his legs carry him across the silent room until he stood before the paralyzed Maria.)
Maria: Sus! Jesus Magno! My Boy!
(With a simple flick of his fingers, he released her. She gasped, stumbling back, and immediately lunged, her movements a blur of expert martial arts.)
Suri: …
(A high kick aimed for his temple, a swift jab to his ribs, a spinning backhand—she was a whirlwind of precise, deadly skill.)
Sus: …
(But it was useless. He watched his own arms raise to block, not with technique, but with absolute certainty. The impacts were jarring, but they felt distant, like tremors from a faraway earthquake.)
Suri: Shall I finish her?
(Each time she struck, his body would counter with a simple, brutal shove, a raw application of force that sent her stumbling back, her skill completely nullified by his overwhelming power.)
Maria: (panting, her composure gone) You have to listen! You are The Savior!
(His body's only response was to take another step forward. She lunged one last time. He watched his own hand raise, open-palmed.)
Sus: STOP.
(He swatted her.)
(The impact sent Maria flying across the room. She slammed hard against the far wall, her laser pen clattering to the floor, and crumpled into an unconscious heap. A final, concussive flash of red light pulsed from Suri.)
Sus: (internally) (catching his breath) I… Kevin…
(Sus gathered all the strength he could to pull himself towards the cassette player. Ejecting the tape and securing it inside his pocket.)
Sus: (internally) (looking at Kevin) You're safe now…
(Absolute silence.)
(Complete darkness)
January 13, 2020. Saturday. 12:01 AM
Molave St., Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines.
(Sus's eyes fluttered open. The first thing he saw was the still, pale face of his best friend. He was lying on the cold concrete floor, right beside Kevin's gurney. The unnatural silence was gone, replaced by the low, crackling hum of damaged electronics.)
Suri: (a familiar, gentle orb of light floating beside him, its glow a little faint) Hello?
(He pushed himself up, his muscles aching with a deep, profound exhaustion. He looked around. The data center was a wreck. Server racks were overturned, shattered glass littered the floor, and the acrid smell of ozone hung heavy in the air.)
Sus: (internally) What a mess…
(He walked through the wreckage, his feet crunching on the debris. He saw them first. Rashid, Daniel, and Julia, lying still near the entrance, their faces peaceful. Then, by a sparking console, the rookie, Gelo.)
Sus: (internally) This kid… He just wanted to help… They all did.
(His gaze fell upon the main S.I.S.A. terminal. The screen was cracked and flickering, but it was still active. A single line of text glowed before the screen went dark: UPLOADING. He then looked to where he had left the two women.)
Sus: (internally) Maria… Rachel…
(They were gone. The restraints he'd imagined lay empty on the floor. An icy dread washed over him. They had escaped.)
Sus: (internally) I will find you…
(He shut the thought out. It didn't matter. Not now. He rushed back to Kevin's side, his fingers trembling as he felt for a pulse in his friend's neck. It was there. Faint, but steady. He saw the gentle rise and fall of his chest. A wave of immense, shuddering relief washed over Sus.)
Sus: (internally) It's okay. I got you, Kev. We'll find a way to wake you up. I promise.
(As if hearing his thoughts, Kevin's eyelids began to flutter. Then, slowly, they opened. His eyes were unfocused at first, then they landed on Sus.)
Sus: (a wide, genuine smile broke across his face, the first in what felt like an eternity) Kev! Oh, thank God. You're back!
(Tears of pure joy and relief welled in his eyes. He couldn't stop grinning.)
Sus: Tara and the kids… they've been so worried. Everyone has. We missed you, man.
(Kevin stared at him, his expression a complete blank. There was no recognition in his eyes, only a deep, unnerving confusion. He swallowed, his voice a dry, unfamiliar rasp.)
Kevin: Uhh… Hey… Bro? I'm sorry. Who are you? And… where are we?
(Sus's smile faltered, then collapsed. The joy that had filled him moments before turned to ash in his mouth. He stared at the stranger wearing his best friend's face, his heart fracturing all over again.)
Kevin: Bro?
(Before he could even form a response, a deafening boom echoed from the entrance of the warehouse as the heavy steel doors were breached.)
Unknown Voice: Stop!
(Beams of powerful flashlights cut through the dim, ruined data center. Heavy footsteps thundered on the concrete, accompanied by sharp, clear shouts.)
Police Officer: Hands where I can see them! Don't move!
(Sus, emotionally and physically exhausted, slowly raised his hands. A team of heavily armed police officers swarmed the room, their movements professional and efficient.)
Sus: (internally) What now…
(As they secured the area, a second group entered. Familiar faces. Sarah, Lisa, Emma, and Marcus, their expressions a mixture of grim determination and shock as they took in the carnage. And with them, Manang.)
Sus: (his voice cracking) Manang?
(Lisa stepped forward, her gaze firm but weary. She corrected him, her voice low and heavy.)
Lisa: That's Mistress Fei, Sus. The head of the Council.
Mistress Fei: Mr. Magno. Are you okay?
Sus: (swallowing hard, his voice hollow) They're gone. Maria and Rachel… they escaped.
Sarah: (her voice was the same, yet now it carried the weight of absolute command) We know. Calm down, Magno. We will handle it from here.
(They were escorted out of the building, past medics grimly attending to the lifeless bodies of the Enforcers. Sus slung an arm around Kevin, who moved with a docile, unnerving confusion, a stranger in his own skin.)
Marcus: (whispers) Hey, Magno. (shaking his head) I told you not to do anything. I'm glad you're okay.
Sus: (internally) Kevin…
(As they stepped out of the warehouse into the cool, pre-dawn air of Molave Street, Sus felt it. A strange, low-frequency hum in the earth beneath his feet.)
Sus: (internally) What is happening now…
(A nearby police car radio crackled to life, the newscaster's voice tinny and urgent.)
Radio Announcer: …in other news, PHIVOLCS has raised the alert level for Taal Volcano. Increased seismic activity and phreatic explosions reported…
(Sus stopped. He looked down at his best friend, who stared back with empty, questioning eyes. He then looked up at the sky, which was just beginning to turn from black to a deep, bruised purple over the familiar streets of Cubao.)
Sus: (internally) …
(He checks his pocket for Maria's cassette tape. Pulling it and staring at its scratched and matte exterior. Gripping it with his hand.)
Sus: (internally) When will things ever end?
End of Volume 01