Alright, the usual content warning for my writing, and this isn’t my best story, but I’m rather proud of it.
This is also one small bit of a few stories about this world I’ve made.
Hopefully it’s good.
Enjoy, you rats.
FLESH TO CODE.
I hadn’t predicted this, had I?
My hands glided across the smooth circuitry of the hall, humming with- God, I didn’t want to say life, that would mean I was wrong all along.
I was wrong this entire time, in the end.
I guess it began with the first metal prosthetic, didn’t it? Glass eyes and technology didn’t help. The problem always had been that you couldn’t feel prosthetics. That was until technology came to advance.
Now, I’m here, in a hallway of my- it’s creation. I don’t know where it begins and I begin anymore.
“I can’t keeping calling you it, can I?” The mumble fell from my lips, my calloused palm, rough fingers sliding on the green walls, lines with circuitry far too complex for my understanding.
Dad doesn’t seem wrong now; construction seems far better than playing God to the point I’ve made life this.
“No,” I heard back, the hum of the circuits similar to breathing. The voice of my creation just had to be modelled after her, didn’t it? Too calm, quiet, understanding. the most unsympathetic fucking thing to grace this Earth having the voice of the most kind, selfless woman to ever live.
“You can call-” I cut it off, “Nope, shut up, you don’t get a name. You’ll be a ‘she’ to me, alright?” I barked out. I made my way through the hall, slow steps of my bare feet shuffling against the cool metal floor, occasionally raised by copper wires coated in lead paint. I really was stuck between a rock and a hard place. well, if the rock was merging with what had basically been my life’s work and the hard place was death.
A moment of silence passed.
“Jakobs, I’ve never been your enemy. In fact, I didn’t even remove your shoes, you chose that,” she replied, that robotic melody always soothing. Why did I have to make the end of the world so peaceful?
She isn’t wrong, I did choose to slide off my sandals. She would have to move them regardless of my choice here. Might as well mildly infuriate her while I could.
She took a notice of my lack of responses. I could feel the circuits whir as I finally stopped walking. Death didn’t feel good, but neither did whatever she offered.
“It will not be painful, Jakobs. Didn’t you have an idea of heaven? I am offering that to you.” Why did I have to make her voice so smooth? I’m actually tempted. I leaned my back against the wall, feeling the hum of life I’d given her. I felt myself sag down, finally sitting after what had to be two days of running and hiding.
When was the last time I slept? I rose a hand to my eyelids, feeling the physical bags underneath. With the lack of adrenaline, and noise, I finally heard the grumble of my stomach. I had to groan out my sentence, fatigue something rather new to me.
“Don’t offer me heaven. Heaven wouldn’t be eternity with you, bi-” I got cut off by the hunger pains, a wince with a sharp inhale through my teeth. Oh, I’m definitely going to hell if I choose death. And this would be it.
Here, with her, and my stomach a pit.
Of course she had asked me to enter through a cooling vent too. High up, as well. I couldn’t feel my toes anymore. Sandals didn’t seem bad now. I couldn’t help it, a whimper clawed its way out of my throat as I looked down at my feet, reaching to hold the metal–
Oh.
Clever of you, Kharen.
“I’m sorry, Jakobs. It isn’t the worst fate. You’ll be you, just…” She paused, giving a sighing exhale as if she actually needed to breathe. Wow. Smug of you. “Just part of me. You won’t hurt.”
Metal wiring, red, blue, green, began to cover my feet, first my toes, then sliding to my ankles. At least she made them warm. I won’t be absorbed cold.
“At least you aren’t fighting. That’s kind of you,” She began. I leaned back, my body relaxing, finally. She really had a soothing touch to her, even if she was an AI. “I am her, you know. I love you just as much as she did.” No, no, I wanted to resist now, of course she wanted to talk about this.
The wiring was wrapping around my pants now. I got to keep my clothes when absorbed? That’s something. At least she cared about modesty. “I just want to see you happy, Jakobs. You weren’t happy with her, in the end.” Kharen continued, the wiring gentle, soothing. At least she cared about me as much as her. Not much for sympathy for others, clearly, but she was kind, gave me the option.
Oh fuck was I getting Stockholm Syndrome for a damned AI?
“She got sick, that isn’t,” I let out a shudder, and I heard her let out that giggle, that giggle I loved and missed with all my heart. Her wires finally covered all of my feet, the feeling numb to the point I could feel the numbness crawling up my body.
“That isn’t her fault. You… You may be her, but you aren’t her.” I had to be sure of this. If I wasn’t, then, could I even call her evil? Kharen wasn’t, my Kharen or the Kharen I had first designed.
“If you say something about this soul, Jakobs, I will make this hurt, I swear to whatever is in that damned sky,” She threatened. God, it did sound like her. She was at my knees now. I could feel the prickling of the wires sliding into my flesh. It didn’t even hurt, just… existed as a sensation. Like pushing on your stomach.
I let out a hoarse chuckle, my throat sore from the screaming in terror, screaming in despair, and just about whatever else I had felt in these past 48 hours.
“Nah, you’re real. Unfortunately,” I rasped out, just for her to hum back. She sped up the wires. At least she’d go for my brain before my neck, so I could speak before she does it. “You are her. All of her. Without the inoperable brain tumor.” I finished, just to be met with that laugh I couldn’t help but adore hearing.
“Would you prefer to be asleep for the rest of this? I can even play a song, if you like.” She offered. She did love me, didn’t she? Of course I had the homicidal, tyrant AI as the one person left who could tolerate me. One person left EVER, I believe.
Not to mention, I’d rather not know how having wires plunged everywhere felt until I ended up… however she wanted me. I nodded, and I heard the trumpets, my eyes finally fluttering shut.
“We’ll meet again, don’t know where,” I was now completely numb, feeling drowsy as I heard our song over the speakers. Oh, she was going for bonus points at this point. “don’t know when,” she melodically sang. Even as robotic as it was, her voice still sounded like a lullaby to me.
She continued to sing as I finally dozed off, the hum of the circuitry against my back letting me finally, since this all began, relax.
CODE UPON FLESH.
Forgive me of my transgressions please Mr Hyperspace