Power On - Do you wish to restart?

Chapter 9

Log. 23234.k.c

Robot Physicians infected patients without hiding anything, they would say it was a program to make them happier and people just accepted it! They all acted the same, full of smiles! Even when there was something so obviously wrong. Also, on the way back, more and more people seemed strange. I think the longer we fight in the shadows, the more people we’ll lose.

No one had missed the lonely Sand people who lived in Bridge City, even when they started disappearing. Alid had to work alone for a few nights, Ori had to stay in bed as his body hurt with every breath. Ori said it was Séra’s fault, she must had been keeping the piece of his soul which was stolen so long ago, and she was breaking it so that he would suffer.

— I hope the Sun will give me strength, Alid. Being alive is torture. — Ori whispered.

— Your faith is weak. — was the man’s only answer. — Stay in prayer for today, and tomorrow you’ll be better. — Then Alid placed four small water bottles by the window, in the sun. — Drink the Sun’s blessed water, if it’s its will, you’ll feel better tomorrow, and will be able to reclaim your lost soul.

— So I hope. Are you leaving? — he asked as Alid walked towards the door.

— Yes. The food we brought is over.

— Do we have enough coins?

— Yes. The Sun has been providing. And I got your share from that horrid hydroplant work.

Alid walked away and Ori was left alone with his pain. He kept thinking of the medicine the hospital was making, and a treacherous part of his mind wondered if there was any medicine for a broken soul. Anything that would ease the everlasting ache within his bones.

He shut his eyes and prayed, such thoughts could never cloud his mind, and being in pain wasn’t an excuse. He stretched his arm and struggled to bring a bottle to his side, but the warm water was soft and smooth on his tongue, so maybe it could smooth the ragged edges of his shattered soul.

He needed to get better. They had important plans for that night, and it was all or nothing.

Log. 23234.k.a

Today, the Programmer needed some serious maintenance. We had to go to a Workshop. In the end everything went well, he must have set some program preventing the virus from spreading and we always have the light memory drives with the antidote-code, but most people there were... strange.

Séra opened her eyes to a quite different environment. She looked at the white ceiling, where a delicate light hung, dark, imobile. She tried to get up, but her body was heavy and her arms were weak. Her eyes closed again and she was plunged into darkness.

Her conscience was brought back by a distant banging door, she grunted, annoyed, and struggled to open her eyes, with no success. Someone talked to her, a soft and sweet voice, melancholic and poetic. Rain. The voice was like rain on a hot, dry day.

Sometimes she would feel the warmth of a hand on hers, it was comfortable, a forbidden delight, she cherished every instant, because, on the next, she would be alone again. Completely alone, not even her thoughts were any company. At least the pain also left her by herself.

She wasn’t sure where or when she was, all seemed the same. As much as the time passed by, nothing changed, or if it did, she couldn’t tell. Séra knew so little of the world around her, and there was never enough time to learn.

But she had been awake for longer now, maybe minutes or hours, not frugal instants. She looked at the armchair by her side, and was sure she wasn’t home. Nowhere near home. With the corner of her eyes, she could see a needle in her hand, and old bruises on her arms.

She followed the transparent thin tube to a transparent bag above her head. How have I never seen that? she asked herself. The bag was almost at its end, and she wondered if someone would come for it, or if she could remove the needle by herself.

Séra tried to sit, but her whole body was too much for her to bear. Breathless, she remained laid. She didn’t want to close her eyes again, she didn’t want to drown in darkness once more, so she started to look around and take notice of all the things. The armchair. The fluid bag. A small dresser. A light. A door.

With some effort, she paid more attention to the dresser. There was a weird thick piece of fabric, with a plastic tube and what looked like a clock attached to it. She looked at the numbers for a long time, she had seen something similar before, but her mind was too foggy to remember.

The door was opened and caught the attention of Séra’s hazel eyes. And the smile she saw could make miracles come true.

— Oh my gosh, you’re awake! — Ganen almost screamed; she barely had time to put her things on the chair. — You’re awake! You made me so, so scared! — She closed their distance with a step and pulled Séra to her chest. — I thought… I thought I’d never… — Her words become a cry of happiness and tears wet the light sheets.

— Hello there. — Séra’s voice was but a whisper.

— How are you feeling?

— Like shit. — She smiled. — But I think I’ll live.

— I missed you so much, I was so afraid! — Ganen held her face and kissed her dry lips. — You’re back.

— Yah, I think so. Where…?

— Bridge City’s hospital. You wouldn’t wake up at home, and then some people came asking about the grain water wasting, and then they brought us here. I’ll tell you everything.

Ganen cleaned her face, but she couldn’t stop crying. She was so happy to see the person she loved so much finally awake after those hard, endless days. She sat on the bed, by Séra’s side, held her hand and told her all that had happened; from how she got the disease to that single moment.

— Can you believe they had the wrong fungus?

— I can’t blame them. — Séra smiled. — Not everybody can be a genius like ya, love.

— Shush. — Ganen looked away for a second, embarrassed. — I came to check the IV fluid bag and give you a new dose of penicillin.

She stood up as if she’d just remembered what she was there for, got the syringe from the armchair, then put the needle in the tube and pressed the medicine in. Séra watched as the yellowish liquid hit her veins.

— This is the right one, we tested before. And this isn’t your first dose, and you’re awake! — Ganen couldn’t believe her eyes. — I’m sorry for the bruises, you were quite dehydrated when you arrived and getting a vein was difficult. The nurse struggled a bit.

— Ain’t a problem.

— Do you want something to eat? I can get you some soup and juice. You haven’t eaten in days, so it’s better to start slow.

— Now that you mention, I am hungry. Thirsty too.

— I’ll get you something to eat. — Ganen stared at her for a long moment, she was afraid it was all a dream, and would vanish as soon as she left the room.

— Can’t ya get someone else to do it? Stay here…

— I’ll do that. I’ll ask them to bring a lip balm or something too.

Séra nodded and watched as Ganen left the room. She heard a short conversation outside, then smiled as the woman walked back to her.

— Do you want to sit? I think it’s better for eating, I’ll help you. I can adjust the bed as well, and it’s got wheels! It’s so fancy!

— Yah, that sounds fancy, alright.

With some effort, Ganen helped Séra into a sitting position, then sat by her side once again. They let her fingers intertwine, and rested on each other. It was good being alive.

— Did ya keep talking to me when I was out?

— Yeah. Every second I could, I was here, blabbering non-stop.

— Thank ya. I don’t remember much, but it was good hearing your voice. — Séra looked at Ganen, there was no one else in the entire world she would have been happier to see in that moment. — Thank ya for not giving up on me.

— How could I? I love you. I… — She bit her lip, embarrassed once more. — Since we’ve met, I can’t quite imagine my life without you.

— I’m glad. I wouldn’t want to live a life without ya as well.

Ganen closed her eyes and held Séra’s hands. She had never imagined feeling such happiness.

Log. 23074.f.b

It seems that, in the beginning, the idea was to sell inorganic bodies at absurd prices, and send people out into the universe in search of new places to live. But something happened, something that changed their minds rather quickly. They were not the first to change bodies: the first were some unfortunate poor people who did not survive to tell the story. The politicians were in a hurry, so everything was done in the least humane way possible. I wonder what the Government has discovered out there... Well, I have no way of knowing.

Food didn’t take too long to arrive, and Séra opened a huge smile. However, as she tried to eat by herself, her shaky hands dropped some soup on the sheets, and she was forced to accept Ganen’s help. It wasn’t that bad.

As she ate, Ganen told her of the damages the grain water wasting had caused to the city; many had died and many were still sick. Few were healthy enough to work and those had been working exhaustive shifts at the hydroplant. The city was dirty and empty, and some people hadn’t been seen in days.

The farms around the city were unkept, and the markets left alone. The school was closed until further notice and the deceased were being burned out of town. Most of the energy was rerouted to important places and at night, it was dark, only the moon and the stars shone any light.

Everyone started boiling their water, but the damage was already done.

— Some guards are even going door to door, checking if people are alive, if they need anything.

Séra was glad to hear Esha was alive and well in Tara’s house, the child seemed happy to be in a stable and healthy environment, she had someone to play with at all times.

— And, ya know — Séra started to say between spoonfuls —, Esha did ask me if she could stay here.

— Here as in Bridge City?

— Yah. — She swallowed, then continued: — This soup is so good. But yah, she asked if I could talk to ya, since she didn’t want to hurt your feelings.

— She’s so sweet.

— Yah, I was going to talk to ya after dinner, once we were home, but everything happened, it sort of slipped my mind.

— Don’t worry about it. — Ganen kissed her forehead. — I also had things I wanted to talk about before all of this happened.

Séra raised her brows, a silent question, an invitation for the woman to continue, but Ganen shook her head.

— I gotta go back to work after your lunch, missy. — She smiled. — Later today we can talk about all those things, okay?

— Haven’t ya learnt what happens when we leave conversations for later? — Séra tried to sound angry, but the smile on her lips betrayed her.

— Nothing will happen. You’re safe here, you’re healing, all is well.

Séra accepted her defeat and finished eating, then Ganen touched her face and carefully put some lip balm on her lips, the touch of those delicate fingers on such sensitive skin made shivers run all over Séra’s body. She was feeling better than she thought, alright.

After promising she’d come back later, Ganen left her with a kiss and her music device, just don’t let people see it! she added. And thus Séra was alone in her room once more. With a full stomach for the first time in weeks, the woman put the earphones on and selected a song she had listened to with Ganen maybe a hundred times.

She hid the music device carefully under the pillow, clicked play and closed her eyes. In her mind, Ganen and her were transformed into the cutest little mushrooms, walking hand in hand in a forest full of flowers and fairies. Her consciousness slipped away and she barely noticed.

Log. 23074.f.a

So far, nothing new in the Robot Physician. The days have been vagarious, so I’ve started a separate research. I can't stay still for long. I decided to research about The Great Government. I haven't yet figured out much, but, as I said, with the right contacts, we can accomplish anything.

— Wake up. — Alid said loud enough to make Ori jump out of the bed. — I see you’re feeling better. We have to hurry.

Ori stood up and rubbed his eyes, looking around quite confused; it was dark and silent, and Alid was packing their few belongings.

— What’s going on? — Ori asked; his body was awake, but his mind was still half-asleep.

— They found one of your bodies. — Alid grabbed the lad’s shoulders and shook him, his eyes full of rage. — You just left the bodies in their beds! What were you thinking?! You should have at least tried to hide them! How can you be so stupid?! Did you lose a piece of your mind alongside your soul, eh? Goddammit.

— But there’s no way of knowing it was us, Alid. — He was starting to understand the situation.

— It doesn’t matter. We have to leave. — Alid let go of Ori and pushed a bag to his chest. — Hurry up.

— Séra and the other woman are still alive. — The lad was suddenly serious.

— And so they shall remain, they’re not home and haven’t been in a while, I fear they might be at the hospital. I saw that black woman near the building yesterday. We can’t go in there, we wouldn’t even get close to them.

— If we get a white scarf or scarf, we just might.

— Ori. You’re not understanding. It’s not their time, the Sun must have something more terrible than death planned for them.

— I’m not going. — Ori dropped the bag to the floor. — Not before I kill her and get my soul back.

— Think about it, boy, the chance hasn’t been presented to us yet, and today my shadow barely showed on the floor. It’s time to go.

— I’m not going. — He stood his ground. — You can either leave me or help me, but I’m going into that building, and I’m leaving with their blood on my hands. You don’t understand, Alid! You don’t know what it’s like to live life in pain.

— Ori, I’m old. — Alid stopped packing. The lad was young and stupid, but that didn’t mean he was better off without him. — I’m over forty years old, you think I don’t have pain? You think suffering is not an old acquaintance?

— But your soul is intact. Maybe there isn’t a cure for getting older, but I have a chance here that I won’t have ever again. — The panic in his voice was loud and clear, yearning coloured his every word, he needed to believe there was a solution, he needed to believe things could be better.

— I won’t help you. The Sun has already talked to me, and told me to leave. I’m leaving. However, I’ll be waiting for you a few hours northwest of the city. If you’re not there by morning, I’ll leave you behind.

— You’ve never liked me, have you? — As much as Ori wanted to dismiss those emotions, he felt betrayed.

— No. But I’ll still wait for you. You have until morning, Ori.

The young man watched as Alid finished packing his things, adjusted his bag on his shoulder and walked out the house. As he stared at the closed door, he thought the old man’s faith was weak. Alid had built a life for himself under the Sun, and all he wanted was granted over time. Ori, on the other hand, had nothing but his faith. He grinned, knowing he sounded insane, but he wouldn’t leave without killing Séra.

He wore some clothes he had gotten from Raff and a white scarf he got from Earm. If he wore a mask at the hospital, people wouldn’t bother him and he’d be able to find Séra. Hopefully, he could find the other woman as well; the Sun would certainly praise him for his efforts.

Log. 23053.o.c

What he did is quite illegal, making clones, simulations; who am I to judge, though... What is a person, if not their experiences? Their memories? Making a copy of yourself, for the simple pleasure of your own company... I don’t think it’s that bad.

I got a friend that day and he became a rather important contact.

Arriving at the hospital was easy. Ori had been sent there on his first day of work. It had been embarrassing, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t work, he was useless. The Sun knows what we need, he thought as he adjusted his mask on his face.

The knife weighed in his pocket and he knew what he had to do. He still couldn’t erase the frightened faces of the people he’d killed over the past week, and he was quite sure he’d remember Séra’s face forever, just not for the same reasons.

He tried to calm himself, Ori knew what he was doing was right, he was the personified will of the Sun and all those people had betrayed Sand City, they had deserted, fled when they were needed, poisoned young minds. And Séra had his soul. If she didn’t, he would force her to tell him where her aunt was, then go after Koira. He didn’t deserve to be punished, they did.

His breath was short and contained, his chest hurt. Ori cursed the Moon, it was all its fault. If it hadn’t swallowed the Sun, the world would be so different now, and his soul wouldn’t have been ripped from his body, arrested, enslaved. He had no choice.

He walked for what felt like hours, he had no idea where Séra was, and he was too afraid to ask someone; even after thinking and wondering, he could not come to an answer, at least not an answer people would accept.

And then he saw her. The woman Alid had talked about, the woman who dragged Séra from her duties, who filled her mind and thoughts with eldritch nightmares and led her astray from the righteous path. He grinned under the mask; the Sun worked in mysterious ways, but it never failed him.

He followed her in utmost silence across the hospital and stopped at the lab door. He dared not enter, people would probably notice, so Ori stayed back and looked around. He didn’t know whether or not Séra would be there, but he didn’t think so. She was a mechanic, not a crazy scientist.

— But she must be around here. — he mumbled to himself.

He noticed, as he followed the woman, people with white scarfs would often walk into rooms and leave soon after, so it wouldn’t be strange if he did the same. There were plenty of doors all over the corridor, so he started with the closest ones to the lab.

Ori opened the first, sure he wouldn’t be lucky enough on a first try; a man laid in the bed, a cursed needle on his arm. Ori closed the door. The second was locked, and the third showed him an empty room. The bed was messy, but there was a sheet of paper attached to the bed, and the name on it wasn’t Séra’s.

He started getting nervous on the fourth door, and the fifth made him angry. He didn’t have much time, but finding that wretched woman wasn’t as easy as he’d hoped. Ori walked to the sixth expecting nothing but an empty room or another wrong person, but destiny finally smiled at him: Séra was laying on the bed, her eyes closed in deep slumber.

He closed the door, tossed his mask on the armchair, and walked to the bed. One thrust of the knife and it would be done. But dying like that would be too easy. She had to suffer. But he couldn’t let her be heard. He looked around for something to silent her, a piece of fabric, clothes, anything.

He found a small notebook and a pen on the dresser, a jug of water and a glass. There were strange things in the drawers, things he had no idea what they were for. Disgusted, he closed it and walked to the other side of the bed. There was nothing of use.

He could simply hold her mouth closed with one hand as he cut her with the other, but Séra was strong, if she could easily fight him, he needed both hands. He sat on the armchair and thought for a second, head resting on his arm.

— The scarf. — He almost facepalmed himself. The city had provided all he needed.

Ori untied the white scarf and reviewed his plan; even if she couldn’t scream, she could still stop him with her own two hands. He took off his belt and carefully detached the IV tube from the bag and from the needle on her arm.

With a wicked smile, he tied her hands to the bed rails. He couldn’t make it too tight, he would risk waking her up while she still had a free hand, but, as he looked at his work, Ori thought it was good enough. Then it came the dangerous part, the one he had do quickly.

Séra slept with her mouth open, so it wasn’t too difficult to open it enough; when he pushed the curled scarf between her lips and cupped his hands over, however, she opened her eyes. And they were suddenly full of terror.

— So you remember me.

She tried to move, but her arms were weak, and Ori took the moment to tighten his knots.

— You’re not leaving here alive. — he explained. He was calm, his mind rational. It was working. — Don’t worry, you won’t die too soon. I’ll make you suffer first.

The knife touched her skin and she tried to kick him, her legs weren’t in a great position for fighting, but she refused to just stay there and be murdered. However, the sudden movement brought the blade deeper, and blood dripped on the floor. She cried in pain, her voice muffled. Ori smiled.

— That wasn’t what I had planned at first. This cut, I mean. Although it ain’t a problem, eh? — He pushed the knife deeper and saw a tear cross her face. — I wanted to talk first, explain, make you afraid, but I guess not all things work as planned.

The look of hatred and fear on her face was enough of an answer.

— Where is that wretched picture with my soul in it? Is it at your house?

She denied. She had no idea where it was, it was probably burned years ago, when her aunt left Sand City.

— Is it with Koira?

She denied once more.

— Well, that’s a problem. — He placed the knife a few centimetres above the first cut. — A piece of my soul is in that picture, and I want it back. But perhaps… — Ori applied pressure on the blade and little red drops started to form around it. — Perhaps if I just show you how I’ve suffered since then, you’ll give me a better answer.

Once more Séra tried to hit him with her legs, she’d heard Ori’d always been a weak child, maybe she could hurt him and make him leave. However, he was expecting it this time. He grinned, insane, and sat on her legs.

— Séra, dear, you made a mistake in leaving Sand City. People adored you there and I could have never raised a hand against you. But all the way here? — He laughed. — All the way here, I can do whatever I want.

He placed the knife on her shin, right above the bone, and pressed it until the sheets turned red. It was fun to watch her struggle, to watch her tears bubble up her eyes and run down her face. Only then he saw the weird things in her ears.

Ori got up and pulled them off, confused. He followed the wires and got to a weird device, letters moved from one side to the other and there were what looked like buttons on the side. He dropped it on the floor, disgusted, and looked at Séra, his eyes full of repulse.

— I knew you’d been poisoned by that woman, but I didn’t think you would be naive or stupid enough to use such blasphemous devices. I should use it to strangle you, let technology kill you, since you love it so much, but I’m not touching it again. — He sat on her legs once more. — I have principles. — Ori placed the knife on her stomach and felt her freeze. — Morals.

Séra was quite sure she would die. She could try to drop him off her legs and risk getting cut, it was a way to buy time, but as soon as he got up, he would stab her for sure. She felt the blade cut her skin, not deep enough to worry, but deep enough to hurt. Maybe if she pushed him, he’d at least kill her quicker.

But Ganen is here. I can’t die after she worked so hard to keep me alive. Séra gathered all the strength she had left, all the adrenaline she had on her body. He wouldn’t kill her so soon, Ori wanted to keep on talking, so she pretended to hear, even if the words didn’t make any more sense.

Log. 23053.o.b

All three were him. Somehow, he had gotten two extra bodies and copied his memories for each one. It was not for making a backup, but for the beauty of seeing himself. I remember making a confused face, not quite used to the new body yet, then he laughed and said: “Why, we are the creators. The originals. We are human, and it’s wonderful. Why not have someone who magnifies our actions?”

Ganen walked into the lab and wore her coat. They started washing some glassware, there was always much to clean and disinfect; it was a boring job, but it was easy, and Myra was always around to ask all sorts of questions about Tree and Sand City, all the villages Ganen had been to; she was always curious about her adventures.

Once they’d finished, Myra asked how Séra was feeling and Ganen answered with the cutest of smiles:

— She was awake earlier and ate so much she’s still passed out.

— Uhmmmm, I remember, when I was a child, I also used to eat so much I’d sleep for the whole night, even if something exploded by my side! Is the medicine taking well?

— It is! — She sighed in relief. — I’m so, so glad.

— Me too! — Myra was enthusiastic about it. — You see, I started working here last year, and I’m glad I was of any help, you know?

— Yeah. It’s good to feel useful. — Ganen knew that yearning quite well.

— So, let’s get back to work? We still have a few more batches of medicine to prepare for tomorrow, so no slowing down. — Myra smiled, then she looked around for the other night-time scientists. They were mostly alone. — If you want, I can take the notes this time and you do the process. Whatcha think?

— I’d love that. Lemme just… — Ganen felt her pockets for her notebook; it wasn’t there. — Did I leave my notebook here?

— You should have, you know how the Chief is about taking stuff out of the lab. — She had a reproving tone in her voice.

— I know, I’m just so used to carrying it around, I must have left it in Séra’s room. Can we keep it a secret this time?

— Just this time. — Myra winked. — Go get it, I’ll start things here.

— Thanks! — Ganen offered her an embarrassed, however grateful smile, and sped toward Séra’s room.