X75

A short story inteded for a game

Have you ever felt alive?

 

He passed a few trees, the darkness engulfed him but a faint light flickered from a streetlamp in the night. He saw a park bench in front of him, just appeared like a ghost in the dark. He walked to the bench and sat himself down slowly. A man came past him, in dark clothes and dark umbrella he hurried through the rain, trying to skitter away like a scared mouse. Yet he didn’t care about the umbrella man. He took his hand into his pocket and took out an old and battered photo, of a man and woman holding each other. “I knew a man once” he thought for himself as he tried to clean the old picture. “A man that had the entire world before him, a man that was everything he could be” He closed his eyes and put his hands together over the picture “The greatest man I ever knew”.

 

-Years before-

 

One morning in late June Peter was on his way to work, planning to go to work as he always do and at five he would return home to his lovely wife, yet this day was  special. Nearly at work his phone rang, it was the director.

-          Hello, I’m just a few minutes out. He answered with a bit of uncertainty in his voice.

-          Good morning Peter; I was just calling to tell you to be in my office as soon as you get here.

Peter looked a bit surprised

-          Um, right sir I’ll be right up.

The director hung up and Peter’s car started to increase in speed. He arrived and took the elevator directly to the top office, he scratched his head a bit as he had not seen any other car or employee at the parking lot or in the corridors, it was well passed eight now. Yet he did not think much of it, he stepped out of the elevator and was meted by the manager.

-          Excellent that you could come with such short notice.

He smiled and stretched out his hand, Peter answered the handshake with a bit of insecurity.

-          Always sir.

The director started to walk down the corridor, Peter following at the side.

-          As you know this company is the leading manufacturer of weapons in the world and that we have had this position for six years.

Peter listened in closely but with an inch of confusion.

-          But the reality is that we are not selling anymore, high product costs with low profit have been stalking us for months now.

The director stopped in the middle of the corridor.

-          Since the war is long over and no major conflict in the world none longs for the destructive force of weapons anymore. ‘

He put his hand on Peters shoulder.

-          Did you not wonder why you did not meet a single worker when you got up here? We are making a major reformatting of the entire company.

Peter had been struggling and fighting his way to his position for years and he would not just let it disappear in thin air.

-          Whatever you want me do, I will do it.

The director patted Peter on the shoulder and continued to walk through the corridor; he opened the massive doors to his office and stepped in. Peter closed the doors behind him. It was clean, neat and tidy. Large open areas and the directors’ desk was the only major piece of material in the entire room. The director approaches the large window behind his desk, overlooking the large factories beyond the main building.

-          What needs to be done at the moment is top secret, and I want you to be part of it

Peter walked closer to the director and stopped right in front of the large desk.

-          Sir?

The director turned, holding his hands behind his back

-          Your expertise is needed for our new equipment, utilizing new technology and we need our top developers on the task.

Peter saw an opportunity to hold his position within the company.

-          I would be honoured sir!

The director smiled and walked around the desk, putting his arm around Peter.

-          Terrific, you are to begin immediately, step into the elevator that will take you to our factories.

Peter stepped into the elevator and the doors shut closed behind him. The directors’ voice echoed through the speakers.

-          I have to remain here to handle some more urgent business, but you will get assistance as soon as you reach your destination, good luck to you.

The elevator descended in a rapid rate and as the doors opened Peter was blinded by a bright flash that burned into his eyes.

 

-Told from Peters perspective-

 

The light felt as a fire was burning over my eyelids, yet in a few seconds the light faded away and I dared to open my eyes. To my surprise the torture that had been bestowed upon me was just a ceiling lamp. I paned my vision but all I could see was a cramped white room, a ceiling lamp and walls and some sort of bench I laid on. I tried to move myself from my current position, but immense pain filled every nerve in my body.

-          Ah, what the hell!

I bent my head, even that hurt me beyond belief, and I looked upon my body. It was not my body; every part of it was replaced with something I could not even comprehend. Some sort of robotic construction with silver alloys had replaced my limbs and torso. Panic was rushing all over me, as I started to freak out I fell of the stretcher. Slamming hard on the metal surface, a clinging noise penetrated my ears and I was in, yet again, more pain. I almost started to cry and hyperventilate, “What is happening, where am I!?” In an attempt to lift myself up from the floor I moved my arms, I could feel every inch of the metallic surface, it was cold. I crawled up on to my knees and took a deep breath. I banged my hand on the stretcher and pushed myself up; I was able to stand on my somewhat own legs. I started to inspect the monstrosity I had become. Some silver metal casing concealed most of the machinery inside me, it looked very humanlike. I was able to bend my feet in different angles, my knees and arms along with my hands functioned as normal hands. My torso had a large metal plate covering it, hard yet flexible. “What is happening with me?” Suddenly the room went dark. I stretched my hand to the wall and tried to figure out what was happening. Then I heard a clicking sound, as if something was unlocked and as it was an opening appeared in the room, bright light shone through a doorway. Even as my eyes were a bit blinded I stumbled myself out the exit. Just as I entered the door closed behind me, I looked around. I had come into a large empty room, glass surfaces on one side and white walls on the others. I walked towards the windows; three of them were positioned high up on the wall and lighted up.

-          That will be close enough X75, you can stop right there.

I looked around me but saw nothing, but at the windows I could see three manlike shapes. I walked closer so I got a better view of them. They were middle age men in lab coats, rather bad beard growth too.

-          X75 stop! The test in a few moments so step back to the marked area please.

I did not have a clue what he was saying but I walked back to the side were the door was, guessing that it was the marked area. I stepped near the wall and a loud roar filled the empty room, I looked behind me and several car sized blocks came out of the ground, the ceiling and the walls. Everything was shacking and white squares were moving all around the room when it all seated it all looked like an obstacle course.

-          Begin!

“Where in god’s name is I and who are these people?” Yet I didn’t have time to pounder on that thought, as the wall behind me was pushing me forward. Pushing me right towards another block, I had no choice but to try to escape up the opposite block. I flexed what I believed was my muscles and jumped up towards the block. Apparently it worked perfectly; I had flown three meters through the air and landed on my feet on the block. The wall smacked into the edge behind me. Even as my legs and arms had been replaced I felt every muscle and nerve working as I jumped up. The wall continued to move across the block, I had to think fast to get through this obstacle course.

-          Now this is getting interesting

*GAMEPLAY*

 

The wall stopped behind me and the men in the window was nowhere to be seen, so I figured I could keep going as it was the only way to go. I walked through the corridor and to the right of me the wall was covered with a window, and inside was a man.

-          X75 status report!

I did not have a clue what he was talking about.

-          Who are you and what is X75?

He appeared surprised by my answer, looking at me with awe.

-          Check ok!

The light went off and a door was opened at the end of the hallway, I had no other choice and the man was gone so I walked out. A similar room as before, only with more blocks on the ground

-          Activating X75s matter transformer.

I looked up in the room and there were the men that had looked at me earlier, also the other man that talked to me in the corridor. Suddenly I felt a light jolt in my arm, as I raised it a burst of blue light came out and hit a block just a few meters away from me. It pulsed blue and as I touched it the block moved several feet away from me, almost as it was made of paper.

-          Check is okay, begin!

*GAMEPLAY*

 

The block bounced on the opposite wall, I was just about to run across it when the blue pulse stopped and it started to fall down to the ground. With haste I jumped off it, yet it was three meters to my target. But I managed to get my hands on the edge of the block, holding on as tight as I could I pulled myself up. I took a deep breath as I walked to yet another doorway, as before this one closed after I entered. To my right the man was back behind his window.

-          Here we go again.

-          You are not as I thought you to be.

That was the most human thing anyone had said to me since I got here. He wrote something on a piece of paper and passed it to me under a small hole under the glass. Just as I took the note the light went off, a door opened at the other end of the corridor. When the light was so close that it reflected upon me I took the note and read it.

-          When straying in the dark, think of the light. Well isn’t that rather redundant

I walked into the room

-          X75! The antimatter transformer is activated. Begin!

 *GAMEPLAY*

 

I fell down the hole and the darkness engulfed me, I was gaining even more speed and it started to whistle past my ears. I pushed my arms to the side as much as I could, try to stop the downfall. Sparks flew at all direction but the speed was slowed before I hit the ground. I could feel some pain in my legs but I was still in one piece.

-          Let’s never do that again!

I looked around me to try and pierce my vision through the pitch blackness, but nothing.

-          What now…couldn’t someone turn on the light about now?

Suddenly a bright flash appeared in front of me, yet it was projected from me. I turned my head and the light followed my vision, it was coming from the right side of the head.

-          That’s net; let’s find a way out of this hamster hole.

I looked around the surface and saw a peculiar hole on eye level, as big as my finger. From curiosity I pushed my finger in and noticed that it locked itself into position. I was not able to pull it out again but I managed to turn it clockwise. I turned my finger and the hole lit up in blue, I was then able to pull my finger out. I looked at it but didn’t see any visual difference.

-          Okay, what now?

The entire room started to shake and unexpectedly the walls started to rise up from the ground, under it there was another room, they continued up to the roof and looked like they had always been there. The room was as white and big as the ones before. To the right of me something looking like a speaker arose from the ground.

-          X75, this room will test object controllers. The room will get darker throughout if not the appropriate buttons are pushed and these will be positioned on each side of the room.

Large blue shimmering buttons appeared in the middle of each wall.

-          Yet with a twist.

The microphone descended into the flood and soon as the little hatch closed, the entire world turned upside down. Light started to fade and the room twisted, the floor became the wall to my left and I fell to my right wall as that was now the floor.

-          Now this is interesting.

*GAMEPLAY*

 

The last button turned blue and the room stopped spinning, I sat myself down on the block nest to me and looked around the room. Just as I started to relax a bit the floor panel under me cracked and I feel down, almost immediately I hit something else, it was a table that was slowly dropping down. I panned my vision on my surroundings and noticed several bull’s-eyes on the walls and some sort of maze-like structure beneath me.

-          Don’t like the looks of this.

The table reached the floor and just to the side a hologram appeared, it was the man that handed me the note earlier.

-          You might remember me, Peter.

I was stunned that he addressed me with my real name.

-          You know who I am?

The hologram faded a bit and started to buzz, making the image blurred.

-          Listen to me Peter, The others doesn’t know I’m talking to you but they are on the way to observe you.

I sat myself on the table and listened.

-          I saw you before but who are you exactly?

The hologram faded in and out constantly.

-          I’m Professor Damsen and I want to tell you to look for the signal.

The hologram sparked during the last message but I managed to make out what he was saying, the imaged faded away and the room was yet again silent.

-          A signal he said?

I didn’t have much time to think about it as a microphone called out for me yet again.

-          X75, the tests are promising so far, only targeting system is required as of now.

I looked up and the maze lighted up some course with all the targets around the room.

-          The targets in front of you are lighted with different colours and they need to be fired with the right type of power.

A buzzing sound was heard behind me and some floor panels light up with electricity.

-          3...2...1...begin!

 *GAMEPLAY*

 

I walked down the hall with the rifle in my hands, and even as there weren’t mine by definition the weapon felt very natural.  The hallway ended and I only saw a steel door.

-          Do I have to bang my head on this on to get it open?

A small pedestal raised itself from the ground next to the door.

-          X75! You have now finished the course, please plays the rifle here.

I laid the rifle on the pedestal and the door opened, the bright light flashed me for a second. Inside there were three men standing in the middle of a smaller room. One was my manager, the second was Professor Damsen and the third was one of the men in white coat I saw earlier.

The manager took a few steps forward.

-          Good work X75, you have exceeded our expectations significantly, just one more task left.

A floor panel behind them opened and up came a young man, strapped to a metal chair. The other professor behind the manager pulled out a rifle and passed it to me. The manager walked forward and gave handed me one sharp edged bullet.

-          You will load this single bullet into this Q8 prototype rifle and put it inside this mans’ head, he has no purpose anymore.

I looked at the gun and the manager moved away so I had a clear line of sight to the captured man. He was sweating, had rope twisted around his ankles, hands and mouth. He wouldn’t be going anywhere. I loaded the gun and pulled back the safety. I aimed down sight towards him; I could see the fear and sadness in his eyes. He started to cry where he sat, clinching his eyes. To my right I noticed Professor Damsen carefully pointing at the wall next to me and nodded.

-          To hell with this!

I swiftly turned aiming to the wall, fired. To my surprise did a large part of the wall crack and pieces fell down as if they were glass. Behind the hole were several computers and a group of other men that was observing different screens. The bullet had passed through the wall and whistled its way past them, hitting a large computer as it started to sparkle and set itself on fire. A loud alarm went off and as I looked on the man on the chair he was free and he ran out with the other men from the room. Professor Damsen was still there however and he had opened another door out of the room, completely dark. I followed in pursuit, as I passed the doorway it closed shut behind me. I turned on my head light but I still couldn’t see anything.

-          This must be a rather big room.

The lights in the room turned on and revealed the room. It was enormous, larger than any I had been in before. I looked on the closest wall and there were hundreds of different schematics and drawings of weapons and vehicles, things I had never seen before. As I walked along this wall I noticed that they were connected with arrows, as some sort of technology tree, and then I reached the end.

-          What the hell?

There I saw a picture of the same robot construction that I was made of, along with rifle and arm device.

-          What is this!?

-          This is the beginning, this is you.

I turned and there stood Professor Damsen. He walked up to me and placed himself next to me.

-          You are the beginning of all this, the technology within you will bring all of this that you see on this wall.

He picked up some sort of remote from his pocket; he pushed on of the buttons and out came a projection of earth.

-          You are the beginning of this.

After a few seconds the image was changing, large pieces of metal started to positioned themselves over the surface, until it was completely covered.

-          What is this?

Damsen turned off the projector and the image flickered away.

-          Thanks to the state of the earth and the climate as of now the world leaders have come up with a plan to save the planet, yet taking away the one thing that have been keeping us alive. Block out the sun.

I stumbled back a bit as I tried to grasp what this man was saying.

-          Listen to me Peter. You must get away from here and run as far away as you can. They will hunt you and your family down, they will stop at nothing!

Damsen walked to a console by the wall and tapped in a number so a door opened to the side.

-          If they catch you they will never stop to perform test on you and I just can’t take part in that anymore.

He patted me on the back and pointed outwards.

-          But where will you go Damsen?

I could hear that he chuckled a bit.

-          I have a few things to finish here but I will be alright, hurry yourself now!

He gave me some sort of paper in my hand but I didn’t had time to look as I ran out the door and the light from the sun burned in my eyes.

 

-Present time- 

 

The rain had stopped and the moon was on its way down, the man still sat there and holding the picture of the couple. It was a picture of Peter and his wife.

-          That was ten years ago and they are still looking.

He folded the picture back in his pocket.

-          I knew a man once, and that man is tired of running!

He tilted is head upwards and the metallic face of X75 was revealed.

 

The End

Author's Note

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