Chapter 3: Rebirth [1]
Stepping out of the train, my eyes were greeted by that same boring orange sky that never seemed to change.
I've heard stories of how the sky used to be blue back in the day, and how folks used to call this rock the "blue planet."
But apparently, after the shitshow known as 'World War 3', our sky decided to switch to a badass shade of red.
And over time, thanks to some real catastrophic shit, it gradually morphed its color into orange.
Of course, being more apt in engineering, chemistry, and math, I didn't know much shit about history of our planet.
I had also received training as a laboratory assistant, mainly in medical laboratory science, from my grandfather. But, my true talent is in the field of computer science.
Well, shit...I know it all sounds geeky as hell, but being stuck to the damn bed most of the time and unable to live like a regular person, didn't leave me with a whole lot to do.
So, I dived into a shitload of subjects, studying most of the time.
I got closer to the place, some dude approached me.
"Ah, you gotta be Dr. Hope's grandson," he barked, his voice all rough.
"I'm the security sentinel 'round here. Follow my ass 'cause Mr. Reynar's been waitin' for your arrival," he explained his existence to me.
And so, I followed.
Following the security guard, I passed through a large metal gate and was then approached by a beautiful woman who had an Indian appearance.
She was wearing a lab coat. "Hello Noah, I'm Dr. Amodini. Assistant to Sir Hope. He sent me to come and get you," she said, motioning for me to follow her.
A smile appeared on her face. "He's waiting for you inside the lab. Follow me."
'I don't mind following your beautiful ass-back!'
'I mean back! Jess what a mis-slip.'
Good thing I didn't actually say it.
***
A small poem to explain what confronted me—
Steel. Grey. Cold.
Wires. Glasses. Doors. Updated from novelbIn.(c)om
End of poem~
People donning white coats and dresses.
Unfamiliar machines and hovering white orbs--drones I guessed. This was the sight that greeted me on my way, following Dr. Amodini's beautiful as--back!
I meant back!
Damn it! This mis-slip just keeps happening all the time!
I shook my head in my own disappointment.
Finally, we arrived at a pristine, all-white room, void of any belongings or objects, an empty tomb.
Telling me to stay there, Dr. Amodini took her leave. I tried to not look at her beautiful back as she left.
The white room was completely empty, like a blank piece of paper. There was nothing.
"Hmm..." I absorbed the scene.
'Oh?' I saw something.
I take back my previous statement and that there was not nothing in the room.
There was something— a white metallic table and a chair and a door at the far end, which suddenly opened only to reveal an old man.
"Ah, Noah. You are here!" His voice echoed.
The old man was stooped with age, his face etched with lines of experience and wisdom.
But there was a fire in his eyes, a glint of determination that belied his age of 78.
"Grandfather Hope," I greeted him with a nod.
Darkness—that was all I was seeing.
'What is this place?'
...
-"No..."
Hmm? Did I hear something?
No, more importantly, where am I?
...
-"Noa..."
What was that? I could hear something in this otherwise pitch-black space.
-"Noah!"
"Noah!"—Alerted by the voice, I jolted awake. "Hnfhaaaa!"—I took a deep breath and sat up abruptly, but felt 'something' beneath me.
As the view in front of me came into focus, I realized I was inside the same laboratory. But, instead of being hooked up to the contraption, I found myself sitting in a bed.
Pant! Pant! Pant!—I took a few deep breaths until my sense of reality slowly returned.
"Noah, are you alright?"—Someone placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Dr. Amodini, her black eyes peering into mine, my body still naked.
"Yeah... I think I'm okay. Sort of. What happened?" I asked.
Dr. Amodini handed me a bottle of water, advising me to hydrate myself.
"You passed out. Lost consciousness," Hope, my grandfather, responded, his attention fixed on typing something on a holographic monitor hovering above a box-like contraption device.
I looked downwards to find a thick cable resembling a massive electric data cable emerging from my lower back, specifically around my tailbone area. It was directly connected to the contraption my grandfather was typing into, while I still held onto the bottle of water.
Honestly, the sight of the wire plunging into my tailbone region felt so bizarre that it evoked a phobic sensation, almost as if my rational reasoning was urging me to flee in terror. I could almost sense the delicate lymph tissue and pulsating blood ...
"Relax, Noah. This is simply part of the procedure," Dr. Amodini reassured me, not shying away from my naked body.
"How long was I unconscious?"
"For four hours,"she replied.
I quickly gulped the entire water bottle.
Once my thirst was satisfied, I remained seated on the cold medical bed, still naked, except for my lower part.
Hope exclaimed, "It's done!"—TAP! He tapped a command on the holographic monitor, and—????????????!
"Ouch!" I glanced down to see the tube that had been inserted into my back now being ejected.
'That's so strange,' I furrowed my brow.
[Serial number: 01Z-619. Activating the 1st generation of Nanomachines. Scanning the user's physical data...]
Suddenly, I began hearing a voice inside my FUCKING HEAD!
And accompanying the voice was an eerie light emanating from my body.
"WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" I stood up, feeling frightened.
"Noah, relax!" Hope approached me, offering comfort.
[Scanning complete. All vital's are okay. Condition healing... ]
"The hell is happening ! I can hear some voice in my head... It ..it feels weird! Like 'something' is inside of me!"I blurted, losing my resonality.
"Noah calm down! They are the Nanomachines!" Amodini tried to comfort me while embracing me into a comforting hug. "Relax!"
[Deploying Oxytocin to regulate emotional state.]
[Monitoring and regulating blood pressure.]—The same voice rang in my head but I immediately found myself calming down... Almost like someone sucked the panicness out of me.
And after sometime I was explained of the whole situation.
"The Nanobots runs under the system developed by your father. The system AI can talk to you inside your mind. Think of itas an assistant. It's normal"
'Normal my ass,' I almost let out.
But I only nodded.