Wednesday, 8 May 2024, 9:14am
The doctor continues to explain more of the procedure's technical details and the construction of the Forge until suddenly, all across the room, machines and screens sputter and flicker to life.
"Ah, she is ready!" The doctor whisks himself to a computer along the banks of machines and sensors that lined one of the walls, shouting instructions at the multitudes of assistants that ran about the room preparing various equipment for the upcoming procedures. The doctor tightens his gaze on a screen before him as his eyes flick between various names. "Yes, this one." He announces knowingly. "Paolo! Come! Come, Mr. Santos, you are our first victim for today!"
A quiet man with a soft temperament, the Brazilian 20 year old Paolo Peirera, reluctantly left his seat. "Yes, sir!" Paolo exclaims as he moves towards the center of the room, but the apprehension in his voice could not be hidden. He was a timid young man, but was well known among his peers for his resilience and mental fortitude, as well as the immense amount of general and specialized knowledge he possessed. The lone graduate is made to briskly follow a group of lab assistants who quickly whisk him away to a dark, cordoned off corner of the antechamber. After a few minutes, Paolo emerges, naked and barefooted, except for a pair of short black underwear. He skulks behind the lab assistants that lead him, his body barely able to remain upright under the weight of his worries and fear.
"Go Paolo! Victory or Death!" A sudden shout of encouragement springs from the audience, infecting tongues around it, and soon the entire group is in an uproar, hollering across the hall at their fellow graduate as he treks towards his painful fate. Paolo looks up with a solemn smile as he is marched towards the Forge but his friends' cheers spurs him to bravery and his smile turns to a grin dripping in inflated confidence.
The cheers quickly fade to murmurs of concern as Paolo is quietly directed into the Forge's operating chamber. His new found confidence is intensely tested as he meets the operating harness mounted into the chamber's center. The device looks akin to a modern day, technologically-powered breaking wheel in Paolo's mind.
Paolo's arms, legs and neck are secured via straps into moulded mounting points around the harness, his eyes bound with a slick, black, elastic cloth wrapped firmly around his head and his mouth filled with a thick, black, biting-block. The assistants carefully check over each of his restraints, ticking checkboxes on clipboards held tight to their chests as they procedurally finalise the preparations. After one final visual check, they exit the chamber and shut it tight, setting several locking mechanisms and shields.
"Right, we are about to begin! Stay strong Mr. Santos. This will be over soon enough, and you will stand one step closer to greatness! Now watch Brannon-Brook. See what it takes to stand toe-to-toe with gods! GAIA, start the procedure!"
"Affirmative." GAIA responds to Ravinok's wild order and the sinister contraption above the Forge operating chamber suddenly springs into action, crashing clunks ignite sparks of electricity that shatter into fluttering embers around the machine. Bursts of steam and plasma sputtering out from hidden vents rained around the room capturing every eye with its intense and powerful movements of operation. While inside the Forge, a shaking metal grid weaved with innumerable wires slowly descends from the chamber ceiling. It surrounds the area behind the operating harness, aiming countless tiny laser-barrels at the back of Paolo's body. He waits, tightly secured and suspended, quivering and cold, as his body soaks itself in fear-induced sweat.
A subtle rumble starts to spread across the room, seeming to emanate from deep within the facility's depths. The machines around the Forge soon follow, their electrical hums quickly growing in energy and intensity. The Forge's monstrous machine shucks and clacks increasingly faster and soon the entire facility seems to be singing in anticipation of the culmination of energy building up below it. The cacophony of sound rises in strength and oppressiveness until it reaches a nearly thunderous crescendo that vibrates through every atom in the vicinity. A tremendously powerful electrical pulse erupts through every wire and apparatus connected to the Forge and the central chamber lights up in brilliant shimmer of multicoloured oscillations as the laser-light grid that lines it begins its vigorous forgings. Each spectacular pulse of power sent through the Forge works its way through complex layers of computation and machinery that molds it into powerful pulses of vibrating photons. Each photon that leaves the wire grid carries with it a sliver of aetherite, and the duo are shot at near-lightspeed into perfectly placed etchings on Paolo's flesh, settling into his skin with a sizzling seer as they fuse with the cells around them.
"Gyaaaaaaaaah!" Paolo's scream shoots through the room, attacking every ear as the Forge dismantles his mind through the unrelenting pain of the relativistic aetheric injections. A wave of emotions washes over the graduates as they watch their friend's painful augmentation start to graft his flesh with the intricate aetheric-cally fused circuitry that forms his ARCH-unit. All eyes stood at maximum spread as the flashing light show in the forge burned Paolo's painful experience onto their corneas and into their minds. Ghazal bites his lip hard enough to draw blood, while others grip tightly whatever their hands can reach, digging into the plastic of their seats or the flesh of nearby body parts.
The pulse comes again, just as potent as before and Paolo's mind-melting screams repeat, more powerful and painful with each pulse that crawls up through the facility, exploding into his skin bullets of light and aether. The procedure continues regardless and every few seconds, a massive pulse of electricity moves through the room, rattling every occupants body with the explosion of energy. It would be followed shortly by another terrible scream that would echo through the chamber, reverberating through the minds of the graduates and shaking loose all confidence and bravery they've prepared for the day. The procedure continued. After 15 minute's Paolo's screams had fallen to somber howls and whimpers as his lungs ceased trying to expel the pain from his body through his cries. After 25 minutes in the chamber he was no longer vocal, but soft sobs and sniffles could be heard between the hammering pulses that hit him every 30 seconds. After 30 harrowing minutes the procedure finally ends and the Forge's machines slowly sputter and fade to a stop, as the sound returns to a soft electrical hum.
2 assistants enter the chamber and emerge helping Paolo as he tries in vain to walk under his own strength. The fresh aetheric-circuits of his ARCH-unit augmentation can be seen poking out from under his skin, the shimmer of the aetherite flickered through faintly. The complex lattice of circuits wormed their way all across the back of his arms and legs, crawling up his spine where its aetheric tendrils finally culminate in the small hexagonal semimetal port attached to his nape. The power-port of his ARCH-unit stood empty, awaiting the specialized aetherite power-core that would soon allow for the skills and abilities he would wield. The group watches optimistically as Paolo is quickly led to an adjacent room, and as he slips into the murk of the black-light, he uses all his remaining strength to twist his head back towards his audience, beam a toothy smile and lift his fist in triumph. "Reject the Impossible!" Paolo's roars in triumph and his words echo through the Forge with all the strength of its own powerful pulses..
"Victory or Death!" The graduates howl in unison as they burst out in rapturous applause. The group all jump to their feet in hollering celebration of Paolo's resounding victory over the Forge and proving to them th\at the path to their goal was an achievable one. Ghazal and Reyn smack each other's backs as they cheer wildly for their friend, fear and trepidations tossed aside in the face of Paolo's unshakable resilience.
"Ha!" The doctor bellows. "The product of Brannon-Brook! Excellent! Great job Mr. Pereira. You see, nothing to worry about. Mr. Santos will now be taken for healing and he will return to us good-as-new. Painful is the process, but great is the reward, yes. We shall now prepare the Forge for the next augmentation." The lab assistants crowd around the central chamber, tweaking and twisting all manner of devices. Calibrating machines and checking diagnostic outputs. 10 minutes later, the chamber has been purged of all remnants of aether, and the entire process reset, ready for its next victim. Ravinok starts blitzing around the room in whirls of molecules and matter as he personally checks various parts of the system, pinching his brow with knowing looks and muttering in Russian as he goes about his work. He completes his inspections with a satisfied grin and returns to his console to call out the next ARCH-unit recipient. "Lumari! Lumari Kruger. Come, you are next."
"Yes, sir!" South African 22 year-old, Lumari lifts from her seat and marches off, ready to start her procedure. Her bright blond hair flowed elegantly with each confident step as she moved across the room and the loud, resonating clacks of her shoes hitting the tiled floors ring with fearless certainty. She flicks her hair as she passes the ogling doctor and greets him with a tilt of her head and a sly grin before being collected by the waiting attendants.
"Paolo! Paolo's back!" Ghazal suddenly proclaims as Paolo appears from the black-light and starts walking back to the group, re-dressed and sporting a new aura of accomplishment. His stride filled with pride as he struts the length of the Forge's large chamber. He takes a seat at the front of the group, clearly meaning to show off his new acquisition, twisting his neck and shoulders to loosen his tight coat. Beneath his collar, his ARCH-unit seemed to shine brightly to the rest of the group, even though it was completely unpowered, its presence seemed to glow with unlimited potential and each graduate found themselves bursting with envy and eager to complete their own augmentations. The group oohs and aahs, some struggling to resist the urge to reach out and touch the amazing piece of technology. Their excitement seems to grow to a fever, their bodies and minds vibrating with anticipation and cravings of power.
Their celebrations are quickly muted with Lumari's arrival at the Forge chamber. The assistants bind her into the operating harness and prepare her body for the procedure, completing their checks and sealing the young woman inside. Her face, even bound and restricted, still dripped in confidence, her bite-block bound mouth twists itself into a grin as the doctor announces the start of her procedure and her prideful show of confidence was quickly replaced with reiterating screams of excruciating pain.
The morning continues with each graduate being subjected to the procedure in turn. Screams would fill the halls of floor B11, almost drowning out the crushing pressure of the Forge's operations. But the screams were quickly followed by rhapsodies of applause and celebrations of success as the graduates celebrated each other's strength and resilience. "Reject the impossible! Victory or death!" The phrase would be uttered proudly by all after each procedure and even Doctor Ravinok and the rest of the lab's staff could not help but be captured by the graduates' comradery and spirit finding themselves joining in on several rounds of the celebrations. A day the graduates feared would be marred in pain and torment, became an observance of their resilience. As morning gave way to afternoon, Reyn's turn finally came to pass. "Next, we have Mitchells' boy." The doctor says, staring intently at Reyn as he rises from his seat. "What do you have in store for us today, Mitchells? Please no funny business. The Forge, she is very fragile."
Reyn lets off a half-chuckle as he makes his way to get dressed for the procedure. His mind, always flooded with thoughts and possibilities, fear and worries, was now calm and confident, he had carefully calculated his prospects and the possibilities that they present and was ready for whatever lay ahead. He finishes his clothing preparations and walks back towards the Forge operating chamber. As he passes the doctor, they share a silent nod and Reyn looks back at his graduation group one last time before stepping into the heart of the machine. Ghazal could clearly be seen wildly waving his arms at the back of the group. 2 thumbs held high. Reyn moves into the chamber and is quickly strapped in place by the waiting attendants. The bitter sterilization on the biting-block burns his tongue as he is forced to bite down and sucks the goosebumps out of his skin. The situation grows claustrophobic as new factors and inputs start flooding Reyn's mind and he finds himself struggling to find a grip on his anxieties as he processes the situation.
"Four seconds in. Four seconds out." He assures himself. He relaxes his body and clears his mind, rooting himself in the facts he understands and conclusions built on sound logic. His mind is braced and prepared for its coming assault.
"GAIA. Start the procedure!" The doctor's command rings out and GAIA affirms. The machines in the room spring to life once more, building up their power until it would come crashing through the system. Billions of volts of power feeding into the laser array lining the chamber. The brilliant cascade of lights immerse him as hundreds of powerful rays bombard his body with lasers and aether. The pain is unbearable and his mind races to make sense of the sensations, trying to find a solution or escape, but a torrent of new possibilities envelop his thoughts, leaving no place for coherence as his mind succumbs to the symphony of extreme stimulation. He tries to scream, but it is too late. He is no longer conscious. His body is already lost to him, vanishing in the waves of agony that overwhelm him with each nanosecond he is subjected to the barrage of light.
But as the machine weaves a web of pain through every cell in his body, a tiny splinter of raw aether is released and it quickly slithers through his bloodstream as his heart violently pumps itself to a fever to keep up with the uncontrollable movements of muscles across his body. The aether forges a path through his mind and into his subconscious, merging again with the ocean of possibilities that lies within and in an instant, all Reyn's physical pain vanishes, his body feels weightless. The universe seems to have evaporated around him, replaced by a deafening silence.
"Is it over?" He wonders to himself, opening his eyes with hesitation. His vision finds an empty void, a nothingness surrounding him in every direction. "Am I in black-light room? Did I pass out?" His thoughts sounded out loudly, but before he could finish them, an invisible splash of liquid seemed to hit him across his entire being. "What the hell!?" Another splash hits him from the darkness. "Hey, what the fuck is this!?" Another splash. Reyn grows frustrated as each word, each thought seems to bring another spray of fluid. He lifts his hand to wipe his face only to promptly realise he had no hand. He had no eyes nor a body, there was nothing. He was just him, an untethered consciousness floating in an endless void. The thought hit him again like a pail of water. "What the hell is this? Am I dead? Did that fucking machine kill me? What the hell's happening here?" His thoughts start flowing freely, feeding off the possibilities swirling in his mind, each one bringing with it the same splashing sensation. And before he knew it, he felt as if he was drowning.
Invisible torrents pull at him, his every thought growing heavier, becoming an anchor to his consciousness, dragging him to the depths of a psychological vortex. The ocean of thoughts and ideas sat above him, the pressure of infinite possibilities slowly crushing him against the walls of his inner-mind and Reyn quickly falls into a mental limbo as his mind gets locked in an infinite loop of self-processing. He screams and cries and begs. Every emotion, every feeling, all washes over him in unison in a never-ending cascade of his cycling thoughts and ideas that seem to crush his mind into a single point. A singularity containing all that he is and could ever be, a new form of sentience is born to him. A him, inside himself.
"Reject the Impossible!" the words erupt from within, christening his new existence. "Victory or Death!" He roars as the phrase becomes a feeling, a thought that becomes a flaming fixation that lights his way in the oppressive void that holds him prisoner in his own mind. An omnipotent obsession breaking through every possibility and probability in its way. His new existence brings with it a self-understanding and realization of who and what he is, and suddenly, he feels his body again.
Heavy at first, but quickly becoming lighter as his new mind lifts itself from the infinite ocean inside himself and for what seemed like an eternity he pushes and struggles, his mothers word fueling him in a battle against his own self-oppressions. Eventually he bursts forth into a calm, undulating ocean. The ocean of possibilities housed in his mind, and he understood. Not through knowledge or feeling, but through raw, primal connection where he lay.
"Four seconds in. Four seconds out." He whispers, smiling to himself as he gently floats on an infinite ocean that bends into the sky as it reaches the horizon. Gentle eddies and currents barely break its surface. There was no sky, just an emptiness that seemed to stretch and wrap itself around this new existence. No sun, or stars or moons, yet there was a dim, warm illumination that lit the world with a sunset like shimmer of unworldly golden shades. Reyn soaked in his new state of being. It was unfathomable, unimaginable and impossible. Yet, he lay, warm and comfortable inside his mind, content and filled with an absolute surety of who and where he is. The sound of a sudden plop startles him, but before he can react, he finds himself instantly consumed in an eruption of brilliant shimmering light.
"Mitchells! Are you ok, boy?" Dr. Ravinok yells as he suddenly appears in Reyn's vision.