Blood and Ashes

"Death is a great mystery,

which we will all sooner or later learn."

 

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

 

"Time is more valuable than money.

You can get more money,

but you can't get more time."

 

Jim Rohn

 

____________________

  The rain that had been falling all night had finally come to an end. The sun's rays, previously hidden behind impenetrable clouds, deigned to touch the earth, to provide the warmth that had been missing. It was past eleven in the afternoon when the alarm clock suddenly started ringing, forcing the girl lying on the bed to turn it off with a sharp movement of her hand. To be more precise, smashing it to pieces.   Her body grumbled something into the pillow, and her body struggled to rise and take the form of a sitting position. Her memory was gone, her head ached and seemed to be cracking at the seams, and her body wanted a few more hours of sleep. Rubbing her eyes, the girl got up and immediately fell to the floor, because her legs had stopped holding her up for no reason. Or was it the low blood pressure... probably more yes than no. - Mmm, nice start to the day, Ann Bunchoy, just perfect. It's about time you went to the doctor and got checked out, see if you have any ailments, - Today's plans are as simple as ever: go to the store, buy food, go to school, do your homework, skip the last period and party with your friends till late. Yeah, good past time. Now she was already 30, and she woke up not in her parents' house, but in her own house, alone. It was the year 2036? Glancing at the calendar, she gasped when she saw the real year and date: February 21, 2045. - Wow...what the fuck! Another dull day, work, dull neighbors, annoying employer, traffic, weather, lines at the store... how annoying! - Hitting the doorjamb, Ann wandered into the bathroom to clean herself up. Or at least try to do so. Opening the faucet, cold water rushed in, which the girl hurriedly washed her face with. One, two and... fuck! The water she washed herself with was completely black.   - Ugh, what a fucking day! - Her whole face was now the color of tar, but she was fully awake, which was good. Wiping herself with a towel, which would have to be thrown away after this, she left the bathroom and walked to the kitchen-living room to pour herself... a beer. That wonderful drink of the gods always helped. One can in the afternoon, and alert for the day. Walking over to the refrigerator, Ann pulled the handle and...empty. - Of course it ran out... it was a three-month supply! How could it run out in two weeks!? - Memories came back at that very second. In two weeks, the girl had consumed so much beer that a normal person would die at that dose. Slamming the refrigerator door shut, she decided to make do with plain water. But that, of course, had run out. - What the.. how come!? I'm out of water, damn it! Anyway, we have to go to the store, we have to make a list. - and then all of a sudden, the lights flickered, it was like time froze for a second and then resumed. But here's the weird thing, the power didn't come back on. - Better yet, why did this day even start? I should've just kept sleeping, no, the hell I had to come here. All right, what's on the list: Beer x20, water x20, bread x3, eggs x4, what the fuck are they called? I'm thinking vodka x2 and breadcrumbs x50 for a change.   I opened the door to the garage... by the way, it didn't open from the outside, so I had to go in the old-fashioned way from the inside. Entering the garage, there was no light here either, although the girl had specially wired a separate generator for the garage. Expected, on a day like this. - I hope you're working. - Said Ann, walking to her car. Surprisingly, the doors opened. Because they're on an ordinary, simple lock, not an electronic one. When it came to starting the engine, that's where the problem began: the car wouldn't start for some unknown reason. - Fucking nuts! Everything I touch turns bad! Why wouldn't you be working? You've been running since 2020 without a hitch, and then bam, you stop working? Yeah, let's at least see what's wrong. Maybe you didn't get enough oil or gas. Normally, though, this never happens. The hood is open, there are no breakages inside, the oil is topped up enough to last for another two months, and the battery was not checked, because there was nothing to check. All the gauges are dead, just like that! Is there some kind of outage? All of them at the same time? It's ridiculous, it's nonsense, it's total nonsense. Slamming the hood lid, the girl again sat in the car and tried to start it, but all to no avail - the car is dead, will not start. The fuel is enough to drive to the gas station, but the car does not even give a hint to start.   - No one will ever stop me from buying my own beer. Fuck it, I'll take a smaller one in metal cans, 10 of them. And that's it, just beer and a snack, maybe fish and chips, - That's the door to the street. The door opens and Ann is faced with a view of an empty street. No people, no animals, no-one. Even her hated neighbor is gone, and his car has a flat tire. - Did I sleep through the apocalypse, why is it so empty? - Sarcasm failed, fear slowly began to grow, because there was not a soul on the street, and the connection was not restored. Walking a little further, she approached the house of her annoying neighbor with his equally annoying dog, but the kennel was empty and the door of the house was wide open. - Mr.. What's your name? - His eyes fell on the mailbox. Last name's Jefferson-- Jefferson, right? Hey, anybody home? - nothing but silence. - Shit, what the hell do I do? It looks like a break-in, even though the door was open, but the cops might have a different take on it. God, no cops, there ain't no souls in here. I wish it was some kind of prank or something, though. Fuck it, I'll go in. - One step, then another, and she's in the house. Probably broken into.   - Anybody alive in here? Hey! - All his things were there: his jacket, a pair of boots, a small backpack full of old radio junk, even his cell phone was on the nightstand. Ann picked it up, a small cell phone that had seen a lot. She couldn't turn it on, it didn't work at all. - How am I supposed to get the news? They were all on the net, and newspapers.. newspapers, that's right! I'm sure there's been an issue of some kind, I guess. Okay, now I just need to find the nearest one. - her eyes fell on a piece of paper sticking out of a shelf that wasn't completely closed. The girl reached in, and opening the shelf, a pile of all sorts of papers fell out. From tax services, to court investigations, to meetings themselves, and.. newspapers, lots of newspapers. - Okay, here we go, 2026, anomalous solar flares.   2031, new dimension discovered, Earth-related-- what?   2036, a planet-wide temperature spike linked to the exploration of a new dimension. The government is keeping the whole thing under wraps.   I've never seen these papers before, and 2036? It's now. 2035! Or is there something wrong with my memory? Wait, 2036-- I mean, on this day!   2037, emergency evacuation of lab personnel, destruction of research equipment, Project Second Earth is shut down-- Second Earth? 2041, anomalous activity detected in Area 51, as well as 85, 349, 20, 13, 24, 2342, 395, 684 and 48. The data is still unknown, but it may be due to recent events around the country. The new president has many people worried, as he has decided to resume research on a dead project.. - A dead project? A second Earth.. here! That's the year that's on the calendar.. - Ann put aside the other papers, taking this one in her hands, she walked into the hall, sitting down on the couch and beginning to study the paper intently. February 19, 2045.   NewTime Newspaper. END OF THE LIGHT!?!   According to preliminary data, the temperature of the planet's inner crust began to rise rapidly after 2036, and has already reached a terrifying 1.25C in one decade! This was a record in the history of studying our planet and a new discovery that suggests the complete melting of glaciers. According to the new data, glaciers will completely melt by 2075 if the situation continues like this. Also, a project that was considered abandoned for many years has turned out to be active. Corporation Eserkue, “New Earth”, and that's how scientists have nicknamed it, means a complete copy of our planet. Also one of the universities was made a speech about the involvement of alien beings in the disappearance of a dozen people, but all cases closed. It's believed that the first humans to arrive on our new planet. - The next page was torn out on purpose and stained with something red. It was dried blood.   - Well, that doesn't make it any clearer, so I have more questions. Yesterday was fine, I got home, I was in bed by 1:00 a.m., and then bam, no one was there. It's still not working, great! - She crumpled up the paper and carefully put it in her pocket.. wait, why in her pocket when the neighbor here has a backpack? You can take it! It's full of crap inside, but it'll hold. Suddenly - there's another flash, and the light comes back for a second, and she sees the shocked faces of the people, and then it all comes back. Ann falls to the floor, holding her hands over her face. What. was. that. was!? She touches her nose, and it's bleeding out of it, in all the canons of the genres. - What the hell does that mean, huh? These weird transitions, these years that weren't there, and now this displacement.. it's crazy. Wait, this is a dream! Yeah, that's why it's like this, I'm just dreaming, right? A dream, just a dream. It's crazy too, I can't wake up. Oh my God, what a fucking stench! - she jumped up from the floor, her head spinning, her vision unfocused, but she managed to keep her consciousness. Another second and she was able to interact with her surroundings normally. The stench was coming from the refrigerator. - Okay, okay, easy. - jerk, and the refrigerator door's open. Holy shit, all the food was rotten, everything was rotten in general. From perishables to what was in canned goods to regular greens. It was literally rotten. How? It's only been a short time since the shutdown, at most, and now how do you tell the time if everything's frozen? Fuck it, close the fridge!   - I gotta get out of here, and don't forget my backpack. I have to find some food, or I won't last much longer.. Ann spent the next two hours trying to get to the nearest supermarket, which looked as if it had been bombed. All the glass had been smashed, the windows had fallen, the cash registers had been destroyed, and there was almost nothing on the shelves. It was like they'd fled from here in a hurry, trying to grab everything they could. She walked forward a bit, and approaching the racks, began raking the remains of the surprisingly non-rotten food into her backpack, asking leading questions along the way. - Why-is this so familiar to me? Not that the supermarket itself is familiar to me: I come here almost every week, but that the devastation.. the atmosphere is so familiar to me. Well, we should get something to eat and go where? I don't even know where to go, because there's no one here! - Ann let out a scream that echoed throughout the store. It was loud, very loud. Stop, something clicked. And then a horrible, heartbreaking scream, like hundreds of knives rubbing against each other. We couldn't wait. Packing everything that could be packed, Ann moved as quietly as possible toward the exit.   The plan formed quickly: canned food, a hand, a throw, and a run for the door. Everything worked perfectly, she ran with all her legs to the door, holding the half-open backpack, which she had not had time to close. A few meters and there it was - the exit. She literally flew out of the supermarket, falling to the asphalt, rolling over several times and hitting her elbows hard. Her backpack was lying somewhere to the side, of course, with a torn strap and scattered contents, but the main thing was that she was able to escape from this something. - I don't even want to know what it was. - Ann stood up, shaking off the dust and rubbing her injured elbows that had drops of blood on them, she walked over to her backpack and slowly began to gather the contents back up. Now, her path would be in an unknown direction, there was plenty of time by the looks of it, which meant one thing: it would be a long walk. Eserkue? Where are you, Eserkew? Ann zipped up her backpack, slung it over one shoulder, and walked forward, looking around the town she'd grown up in. Same old same old, just with no one.. just empty, not a soul, except for the unknown in the supermarket. It was past one o'clock, I think it was the eighth hour. The time was nearing evening, the clouds were gone and the sky was covered with clouds, it was beginning to get dark. The girl walked in the middle of the road, every now and then noticing strange, and sometimes smashed to pieces cars, which, by the way, were not working.   "It's so empty.. no, literally everywhere is empty, what happened overnight? Not a single light burning in the windows, no illumination, and in general the whole town.. it's like it's dead. All right, take it easy. I need to get to the nearest building and wait out the night, because it's a long way home. What--what is it?" Ann looked closer, and noticed something coming out of the mall, dumping a body on the pavement. “Good God, what the fuck!?” Adrenaline increased by leaps and bounds, she needed to seek cover right now, because she certainly wasn't planning on becoming a victim of these things. Five seconds of looking around, no escape, no distraction. They don't seem to be able to see, but they can't hear any better. "We need something loud that they can be distracted by. A what? A can, canned food, of course!" Ann as quietly as possible began to open her backpack, and took out a can of canned food. But because there was a void, everything inside the backpack tumbled over and made a loud noise, which attracted the critters' attention. She froze in horror, the creatures were already starting to approach, her inner voice was screaming "run", but then why was she still standing there doing nothing?   When one of the strange zombie-like creatures was already a few meters away from her, Ann threw a tin can at his face, which distracted him and let her escape. Two seconds, two seconds... "hurry, hurry the fuck up! Where, where to go!? There's no places, the skyscrapers here are all closed, for fuck's sake! There must be private houses! Why the fuck aren't there any? A house, some fucking office, whatever!" With all the speed she could muster, she crashed through the door, the growling behind her never ceasing, the rumbling intensifying. It felt like the whole city was running after her now. The door wouldn't budge. "Bitch, open up! Bastard!" - Hey, who's inside, open up please! These bastards are gonna eat me alive, open the fucking door! I'm gonna blow your brains out, motherfucker! - Abruptly, the doors opened, Ann was grabbed by her shirt and thrown inside. The unknown creatures recoiled from the torchlight that another creature, outwardly resembling a human, was holding. "Who.. is.. is that fucking human? Far from human." - Get up, help me! I'll distract them, your job is to close the door. Two levers, and you pull away from you, okay? Then do it! - Before Ann could even realize it, the thing that had saved her life threw the torch out the door, right into the crowd of mangled mutants. "Two levers, and then away from herself.. away from herself what? Damn it, don't be stupid, Annie! It's simple.. two levers down, and then this thing away from you, I mean.. yeah, do it already!"   Two levers down, only the odd button left. From yourself, then, from yourself. The doors are closed. Can we relax? Looks like we can. The room was unlit, there was almost nothing to see except some strange buttons, and a red light by the brush where Ann stood. - Just a second, I'll turn on the lights... the autonomy of this facility is not to hell. Betta was supposed to send out engineers, but they never showed up," the species reasoned aloud, tapping something on the dashboard, where there was only a small amount of power. Something dripped from the ceiling as the light blinked on, illuminating a small passageway and this room. The doors she entered through looked like a circle, as if they had been used once underwater. Two keys to open and close, it made sense that the system here wasn't simple. Everything was dusty, as if no humans had been here in decades. - Welcome to the research station of the Eserkew Corporation. My name is Barry, and I am the artificial intelligence of this station. You can't really tell from my appearance, can you? Haha, well, we'll catch up. And you are, I presume, from Batt's crew? - The robot stared at Ann, waiting for an answer. Or rather, as he stared, not at her, but at the monitors behind her. It became uncomfortable. - No, what... what had happened here, anyway? What is this place, how long has it been in my town!? - And that's the plain truth. She didn't remember this corporation or any of the stations, much less this building.   - This is Research Station Alpha, controlled by the Eserkew Corporation. Uh, what do you mean, you're not part of Bette's team? Then who are you? - Anne hesitated for a moment. Of course, she had expected such an answer, but still the fear and uncomfortableness didn't leave her. Plus, the place looked like it had been abandoned a long time ago.   - I.. Ann Bunchoy, and I live a few kilometers from here. Just yesterday, everything was fine, and then today, this is the horror of the city. What happened here?   - Ann. Bunchoy, uh, just a second, processing a list of Berlin residents.   - Berlin? I was.. what? I was in L.A. What's Berlin, it's Europe!   - I've searched all the databases, but you are not listed as a citizen residing or registered in the city of Berlin. I apologize. Maybe the computer systems are malfunctioning. What are you interested in, Anne Bunchoy? - "Is he serious? I told him seconds ago exactly what I needed, and he.. God, artificial intelligence"     - What happened to the city? Where did all these mutants come from, and why does it seem to me that there haven't been people on this... station for a very long time? - "Just three questions. I think the intelligence here can handle it." - Let's start by going to the elevator, down to the command center so I can process your three questions from there. I can answer one though, come on! - The robot tore out of its seat, starting to walk towards the elevator. Ann had no choice but to follow him, with her.. - By the way, leave your things in those lockers. Don't worry, no one will steal them: there are cameras everywhere, and... anyway, I'll wait for you in the elevator! - "It's finally quiet. Shit, what a mess. Berlin, how could I be on another continent? And why... my home then moved here with me? Shit, so many questions, but not one answer! Okay, we need to be calmer, process everything carefully and... oh, here come the lockers." The lockers weren't in the best condition: rust had worked its way in somewhere, several others were lying on the floor, and only two were in more normal condition. Opening a locker, a small badge fell into her view, with someone's name written on it. "Jefferson M.V, awarded for new achievements in science and AI development. I wonder if you're around here somewhere... or dead? I'll take this with me in case I need it." There was a lot of stuff to store, for the backpack held enough: a couple of cans, two canned waters, a rusty wrench, a rusty screwdriver, and an old photograph of the building where the supermarket was located.   Closing the drawer, Ann put the badge in her pants, and deciding not to linger any longer, headed back out. To the elevator. “The robot's still waiting, no wonder.” - So, are we all packed? - Mmm, should we go? - She needed to find out what had happened, and preferably faster. - Then let's go! - The robot took two wires out of his hand, connected them to the elevator panel and-- - Floor 87, in charge of the station's autonomous power supply Robot model A500. "What? 87 floors underground!?!? What the fuck kind of complex is this? “Holy shit, I'm shocked, no, I'm fucking shocked!” - Request processing. Request acknowledged, motion initiated. - The elevator shook first, causing Ann to grab the railing, and then the elevator started moving.   - So, Ann Bunchoy, you wanted to know about what happened on.. Suddenly the light blinked on, the elevator shook and it stopped. "Barry? Barry, hey! Shit, did it get unplugged? The lights... mgm, electricity, class. What's there to do? Oh, fuck!" Suddenly Barry's head shimmered, and sliding into two halves, an unknown chip flew out of his head, falling to the elevator floor. "It couldn't have gone any better...okay, what do we do now? Think, Anne, think! Luke? Not the best option, but though... what else is there to do when there's a complete lack of power?" The girl looked around the elevator car, but nothing in it looked like a cutout for a hatch. Then, looking at the floor, she did find... nothing but a chip that had fallen out of the robot. There wasn't much to see, so shoving it into her pocket, she started running her hands across the floor until she found the right cutout. "I should hit it with something heavy, but what's heavy? Unless... well, no, I can't carry his body all the way to the 87th floor! And I probably can't pick him up either, so what do I do? I got the screwdriver, oh God, for once I'm not a stupid idiot!" To my great surprise, the screwdriver was almost perfectly sized for the screwed bolts, but it took a while to unscrew them... a long time, felt like about 40 minutes. The last bolt was out. Ann got up from the floor, stretched her back and kicked the hatch with all her might, which flew into the dark void of the shaft.   - You didn't think to bring a flashlight, you idiot," she muttered aloud. - she muttered aloud, praying that the stairs were near the elevator shaft. And, to her surprise, it turned out to be. Plus, the red lights came on, signifying some unknown malfunction. "And if the elevator suddenly goes, who knows what kind of technology there is and how the electricity is generated here... yeah be cool, everything is de-energized! And if there's backup power, how do the lights work? They don't. Shut up, all of you. It's only the fifth floor, oh God, it's a long way down now. Just as suddenly everything came on, systems beeped and some unknown voice boomed throughout the complex. - Alpha Research Complex personnel, evacuate your workstations immediately! Evacuation is in progress, repeat, evacuation is in progress. All your belongings are to be left here, with only your pass and identification. For security reasons, the complex will be closed for quarantine, Alpha 1 station will operate under quarantine for an indefinite period of time. - "Quarantine... so they isolated the whole complex, and this robot took me there? Why? Did it want me to break the lockdown? Then the same question: Why? All right, Ann, crawl into the fucking nothingness." Everything was fine. Some of the elevator doors had been ripped out, broken and lying right in the shaft itself, creating a kind of stable bridge, some were closed and leaking some kind of unknown liquid that smelled horrible.   But starting from the 20th floor, strange things began to happen: first, it became harder to breathe, as if the ventilation hadn't been working properly for a long time; second, the stench was simply unbearable, and more and more strange goo dripped from the doors, falling onto Anne's hands, neck, and hair. But what Anne saw when she reached the 25th floor was indescribable: half of a torso, presumably human, was sticking out of a door. The blood had long since congealed, but the sight was... simply horrifying. "If one part of the body is here, then the other... oh god, it's terrifying to even think about. What the hell happened here, did some kind of infection spread?"   On the 35th floor, Anne was descending the stairs, her arms and legs aching from the long descent. She couldn't last long in one position when suddenly her feet hit a solid surface. One kick, and it turned out to be another elevator?   "Two elevators in one shaft? It seems they really didn't care about the working class here. Or how is this supposed to work: two elevators in the middle of the shaft, and people transfer from one hatch to the other? That's insane! But... fine, I can't go any further. Guess I'll have to go through this elevator. Wait, what? The top panel is functional! So, I can start the elevator without being inside it, perfect! But how... okay, it's not super important: the main thing is that I can do it and I will! Just gotta figure out what button does what... damn, it's getting harder and harder to breathe, and the only way is down, unfortunately. Alright, let's try... so..."   Finally, she examined the control panel; there were only two buttons: red and blue. Blue, presumably, was up, and red was down. Instantly pressing the red one, the elevator let out an unnatural rumble, and then began to descend. Her guesses were correct; now her journey would be much faster than before.   The 40th floor looked even worse than the others. Oxygen, it seemed, was getting scarcer and scarcer, and the air itself was noxious with notes of a smell resembling rat poison. Even more black liquid, even more strange stains, and even more bodies protruding from doors.   The 50th floor was met with the elevator becoming heavier to descend, as if something was slowing its progress. "What the hell is this? It's moving at... god, you can't even call this speed. It's crawling like a snail, is there some giant web it's trying to get through or..." Suddenly, the elevator plummeted downwards at a frantic speed. Anne grabbed onto what could be called... well, you couldn't call it anything, the elevator was hurtling down! "Cables snapped!? Fuck! What do I do, what? Jumping isn't an option, but neither is staying, damn it! We've already passed 20 floors, and it doesn't look like it's stopping! Wait, emergency brake... of course, there has to be an emergency brake on the control panel! Just... gotta reach it."   Clenching her hands tighter on the beam, Anne tried to flip onto her stomach to reach the elevator's roof with her body. She had already passed the 60th floor, trying with all her might to reach the control panel, but then – an impact, and her body was thrown straight through the doors, breaking them. Her consciousness blurred, her body shattered. For a few last seconds, she blacked out, while the elevator crashed, emitting a very massive sound that echoed throughout the complex.     At the bottom of the shaft, a fire raged. Smoke, black as night, rose upwards. It was unknown who inhabited the complex, but they were definitely awakened. Anne lay on the 84th floor, her entire body bleeding, clenching and unclenching. It seemed that life was already draining from her, until something strange happened.   Alpha Complex, come in, confirm activity in your sector. Alpha Complex, this is Beta, come in, confirm activity in your sector. We are investigating the cause of this energy surge, strongly recommend you respond to the call. Alpha Complex, this is Beta, end transmission, - a message echoed across the floor from a radio that hung near what were once the elevator doors. An indefinite amount of time passed until Anne finally regained consciousness. And it was far from pleasant, as it might have seemed.   "God... cough, cough, what? Mmh... damn, my back... legs, arms, my whole body! What... what happened, I... Ahhh... motherfucker! Oh... shit, I didn't make it? And where am I now? I can't see anything..." Anne tried to get up, but her whole body seemed unwilling to obey her control, stubbornly refusing to even lift itself. She had to crawl somewhere, just anywhere... "Light...? Yes, it's light! I don't know what's here, but I don't care. If I don't do something now, I'll die here, like the others I saw in those... doors. Phew... okay, come on Anne, one last push." A railing, she got lucky. Grabbing onto it, with excruciating pain and simultaneous cracking in all her bones, she managed to stand up... well, as much as possible given the current conditions. But there was another problem: the railing didn't lead into a room; it was just there, like... just there, without any purpose. "Gotta make sure I can even stand... I guess, I don't know. Everything in me clicks, like I'm some kind of stress toy. Damn, it's so stuffy... it's like all the air has been removed. Wait, what? There's not much air here... very little, it's so hard to breathe... Gotta turn on the ventilation here, faster... I hope that's what I need. Alright, Anne, come on... gotta do this."   Time seemed to slow down considerably as her body tried to move forward, pulling away from the useless railing. Before her eyes was blurriness, darkness, and the only source of light – a chip that, for some unknown reason, began to glow. Ahead, something crashed loudly, making Anne flinch instantly and hold her breath. "Calm down... most likely, just the... wind. There's no air here, what the hell kind of wind? God... I'm blacking out, my eyes are closing, my head aches, and before my eyes are silhouettes pulling their hands towards me... gotta go, gotta go, no time to waste! No time left!"   Fighting her fear, she continued to shuffle forward in search of a room, and finally found one: a slightly ajar door, from which a faint, yellow light emanated. Anne's consciousness slowly but surely drifted away from her, and her steps became heavier and heavier. She had to lean on the wall, which slowed her movement even more. Suddenly, a single knock broke the silence of the entire room, sending another shiver through her body. And then another, and another, as if something was hitting either the wall or the door.   The walls, it seemed, narrowed, becoming smaller and smaller, and the door – further and further away. Her heart was pounding, her legs refused to move, and her arms wouldn't obey. Her brain was going crazy from the lack of air, and Anne was about to lose consciousness. Finally, the door, she managed to reach it. All that was left was to go in and hope that this room would help her in some way. But, just as she entered the room, her body collapsed lifelessly, and the chip she had been holding rolled away under a chair.     A gray, boundless veil surrounded Anne's consciousness. Suddenly, a sharp white light blinded her, and she had to squint.   - What... get that away! - She tried to push the light source away with her hand, but it didn't work. Another attempt led her to feel skin and a strange, cold liquid on her hand. And then, her receptors came to life and...   - God, fuck, oh shit! - She instantly fell off the operating table, landing on the floor and pressing herself against the wall, rubbing her eyes and seeing the room she was in. It was indeed an operating room, or rather, an experimental chamber. And what she had touched was the decomposed corpse of a human, the liquid an unknown black substance.   - Oh, you're awake! Excellent, I thought you'd... become like them, - a voice, a damn voice, it was the robot Barry. But... how? How did everything suddenly come to life?   - You... what the hell is going on here!? Why are there so many human corpses!? Why are there decomposed corpses here? What, in general, happened here!? Why is Earth a complete... mess!? - Anne gesticulated wildly with her hands, which... were covered in something metallic. What... what? How?   - Oh, my apologies, Anne Boonchuy! We had some minor power supply issues at our complex, and due to this surge, all floors opened up, and, essentially, the quarantine was lifted. I've already notified management, but no one has responded yet. Please proceed to the common hall, it's to your right and straight ahead. I'll answer all your questions there, - the connection broke, and the doors opened.   "And how is he going to explain that!? Why are my hands covered in metal? Why is my... my whole body covered in metal, except for my head, what the hell is this!? Fine, I'm gonna get all the answers from this robot, damn it. And if he refuses... he'll face consequences."   Anne left the room, looking around. The corridor was divided into three sections: left, right, and straight. "The robot said go right, but what if I check the other corridors? Maybe I'll find out more than this tin can can tell me." Turning left, she reached what appeared to be a kitchen area. The light was dim, so her first instinct was to find a light switch, which, for some reason, wasn't there. Instead, there was a panel; pressing it... "Whoa, a touch-sensitive switch, how surprising... so surprising that I don't even care. But I definitely care about the body at the table... and there's a laptop, a regular one, perfect!" Suddenly, the speakers on the floor crackled, and the robot's voice rang out.   - Anne Boonchuy, I see where you are. You might not know the way, but right is when you exit your room and go not to the kitchen area, but to the common hall, which is to the right of your right hand. I'm waiting for you, please be quick.   - Listen, I... I just got lost, okay? I'll be there soon. And what's with my body? - She replied weakly, glancing at the ceiling. There didn't seem to be any cameras, which might work in her favor.   - Understood. But if you get lost again, I will be forced to personally guide you to the correct location. As for your body... I'll tell you about it once you're in the common hall. Hurry, for your own sake! - The speakers hissed again, then went silent. Anne gave a small smile, though it was hard to call it a smile. She had about 5 minutes before the robot would come and escort her to the common hall.   "Laptop... gotta read up on some info." Her footsteps echoed in the empty room filled with rusty, metallic tables. Approaching the corpse, she saw that its head was gone, and something unfamiliar was sticking out of its neck: technology she didn't recognize. The corpse's hands rested on a laptop, possibly trying to finish something, but it was killed in that state. Gender... was it possible to tell? Looks like female. Anne immediately and carefully, as much as possible, took the laptop from the corpse and saw the inscription: Meredith, you have logged out of your account. Alpha Complex personnel thanks you for your merits in protecting personnel. Your account has been credited with millions of dollars, you can check it at... link deleted or expired   "Meredith? Hmm... let's see what you've got hidden here. Let's log into your account... Damn! It requires a password, and how would I know that? Is there a hint...? Aha, there is, 'Badge'. So, the badge number, most likely. And hers... here it is, lying on the floor." Anne placed the laptop on the table, and pushing the corpse aside, took out the badge, on the back of which was written the code "2342... what? That number again!? Did she work for two corporations at once? 2342, that's a testing zone, or a military base, well... like Area 51. Total bullshit... but okay, maybe it's a coincidence." Sitting back down, she pulled the laptop closer and entered the code. A 'waiting' notification flashed on the screen, and, after 5 seconds, she gained access. Voice Memos Messages Project "ARK" Connection Seismic Activity Amplitude   "Great, even more confusing names. Alright, let's start with the memos, and there are... 7 of them. They are dated from 1989 to 2044, a long period of time. Well, let's see, or rather, listen."   Anne pressed the first recording, and it began to play. First, for about 10 seconds, there was only distorted sound, and then – voices.   Recording 1 Meredith, are you recording? Alright, today is October 21, 1989, time.. uh.. Daniel, what time is it!? 8 PM? Excellent. Today, we are implanting a neural chip, developed to provide its speech module, into a human for the first time. Twenty-five years of development, multi-billion dollar investments, and finally, we have created this prototype. This will be the first time the chip is implanted into a human brain, so the consequences may be irreversible. Marcus, is everything functional? Excellent, let's begin! Don't worry, Mr. Jefferson, it will be painless.   "And then this Jefferson... so, he was the first test subject? A speech module? Did they want to make something like an intracranial translator? What... that's insane. Not the idea itself, the idea is good, but the fact that it was 1989, and I doubt something like that could even exist. Anyway... phew, I'll just keep listening. No matter... there's very little time left."   Recording 2 Please calm down, personnel, I understand that due to unfulfilled instructions, our complex has been quarantined. I perfectly know my rights and responsibilities, and, as your supervisor, I order: immediately evacuate the complex. We don't know what kind of infection has started and from which test subject specifically, but, higher management has ordered to close our project. My project... into which I poured my soul. Project "ARK" must be carried out!Meredith, immediately cease your attempt at revolution! Otherwise, I will have to implement emergency protocol.Barry, don't interfere, you yourself know what it's like to serve those like them! Your consciousness was forcibly plunged into a robot, and your memory was completely reconfigured. A threat is approaching that no one can even comprehend.Meredith, you are confusing yourself with your own expressions, jumping from topic to topic. Immediately cease your revolutionary act!I'm not confusing myself, this is agitation, I can't control it! And... enough of this, we... I must save this project. You must understand! Decades of development, it's about to turn into its second decade, I want to save all of you!Meredith!? Please, friend, come down! They'll kill you! Don't you know the orders? They don't care who they hit, especially under conditions of increased danger and the implementation of military and quarantine measures!Elizabeth? I thought you were for me... for my project, but you... you're just like them!That's enough, detain her.I won't let you, you bastards, let go, no, no!And what is this? A recording device? Are you trying to frame us, Meredith? This is the highest form of punishment! Recording abruptly cuts off with a gunshot   Anne sits and continues listening to the recordings, each one worse than the last, and each dated to different periods of time. Enough time has passed, and it seems the robot is tired of waiting.   - Anne Boonchuy! - A sharp cry, if it could be called that, rang out right beside her, making her flinch and fall to the floor, rubbing her eyes in shock. A robot in a human suit... or, a spacesuit? stood before her. It looked like her suit, but instead of a head... what the hell was that?   - What... Barry? What the hell are you... oh god, I just... damn it! - She exclaimed irritably, grabbing the edge of the table and slowly but surely rising, coming eye-level with Barry.   - Not only did you violate the order and the initial plan, but you're also listening to unauthorized recordings! Do you know what consequences that could have? - The tone in which the robot said this was more annoyed-relieved than angry.   - Uh... well, maybe? Damn, I don't understand anything here, and I was trying to figure it out! And you... what exactly are you?   - Anne Boonchuy, we've been through this. I am Barry, the Artificial Intelligence of Alpha Complex, and as you've noticed, I can connect to other bodies too. But fine, if you want answers to your questions here, then so be it. Please have a seat, we have a long dialogue ahead of us, - the robot pulled out a chair, as if inviting Anne to sit, which she did. He sat across from her, simply staring straight ahead.   - Uh... so? - Anne squinted, raising an eyebrow. It was strange that the robot seemed to be lost in thought, but then, as if pulling itself away from stray thoughts, it spoke again.   - Alright. Let's start with the fact that the body you are currently in is, in essence, not your body at all. Your original body perished there, in the distribution room. You were incredibly lucky, because after you essentially dropped my consciousness, it perfectly settled into the correct spot under the chair. All energy immediately started working, the ventilation, though with great difficulty, also started, but unfortunately, your original body could not be revived. We had to proceed with the consciousness transfer protocol. Upon opening your skull, I managed to find a black box chip, which allowed me to transfer your consciousness into this body. However, some things were required that I obtained with great difficulty. For example, specialized gel, which was on the 62nd floor, and I had to get there through the vents, as other passages were sealed and could not be opened. Then, on the 83rd floor, I found a body that was not deformed, and cutting off its head, I took the body and attached your head to it with a ring. By the way, it's better not to remove your head, for your own good. And then, trifles: sewing your head back on, assembling the necessary parts, and reviving some organs, - it was impossible to describe Anne's shock when she heard such detailed news about her... or rather, not her own body.   She couldn't compose herself; her hands involuntarily began to tremble from the full realization that she had experienced death. She had died and was resurrected, but in someone else's body.   - How can that even be!? What... what the hell are these chips? Why was there a damn chip in my head!? ANSWER ME! - It was impossible to control her emotions, being so shocked by the story.   - I ask you to calm down, Anne Boonchuy, it was a standard procedure..   - Who the hell are you kidding, you metal freak! You're a human yourself, an "AI" he is - yeah, right... idiot, your memory was completely erased, this program code was implanted, or... I don't know what, and now you act like a simple robot.   - Please, Anne Boonchuy, be reasonable. Calm down, none of that happened. You wanted answers to your questions, and I am giving you answers to your questions, nothing more. After these answers, I will be forced to fulfill my original objective: to evacuate living organisms, in this case, to evacuate you.   - Okay, fine... I'm calm. Then another question: what happened here? Why was the quarantine protocol implemented? And what are these monsters on the surface?   - Ah, you mean the Pale Ones? A Pale One is a type of humanoid creature that became non-human during experiments. These are the last specimens that broke through, and because of them, the quarantine protocol had to be implemented. It all started with a common illness and quickly escalated into a full-blown viral infection affecting the entire body of its host.   - Okay, and... what happened to the planet? Why is there nobody here at all? No animals, no people, even few like you! What happened after that?   - Analyzing data from satellite systems... error, satellite link destroyed. Hmm, that wasn't the case, this is... strange. Analyzing Earth's surface, analyzing seismic activity amplitude, analyzing air... nothing, I can't find anything. And that means everything was put out of commission, and everything is much worse than I could have anticipated. If the virus reached the equipment, it could reach us at any moment... we must go! Take the chip from my body, and take it with you. It will be useful! Please, trust me, and proceed to the capsule zone, find a device called a construct, it looks like a phone mixed with a regular remote control, you need to go to section C! - Barry sparked, the remains of his head drooped, his body collapsed to the floor, for nothing held him up now. The chip flew out of its socket, falling not far from his body.   "Great, I'm alone again and I have to deal with this nonsense. What did he say about section... C, I think... some kind of device... well, if he says the threat is near, then..." Suddenly, an explosion boomed from above, and the electricity flickered, then went out. Then it came back on, but only very, very dimly. "Even better..." Anne closed the laptop, and decided to take it with her. Fear intensified as a melody resembling a children's lullaby began to play. "What the... where is that coming from, who's making that sound!? Gotta go... damn, faster..."   Her walk turned into a quick stride, and then, when something very close by shattered with a horrible cracking sound, her stride turned into a full-blown run, quickly closing doors behind her. But the melody didn't subside, her head started to ache for some unknown reason... "Section C! There, I made it, damn it!" She tried to open the door, but nothing happened – it was either locked or de-energized. "What!? What the hell, you damn robot, I hate you! Grr... goddammit, open up, you piece of shit, open up!" Pounding on the panel did nothing, and the melody became clearer and clearer. And then a voice... she began to hear a distant voice and heavy footsteps.   - "You motherfucker! Fine, be smarter, be... damn, it's impossible to calm down! Where do I go!? There are three passages here, and they lead nowhere but to closed doors!"   - Hush-a-bye, baby, on the tree top... - The voice became even clearer, and it became clear that this someone was singing an old lullaby... no, it couldn't be, this couldn't be.   - Hey, what the!? Listen, I'm armed, just try to come closer, you bastard! - Anne tore a rusty, old fire extinguisher from the wall and decided to use it to fight off whatever was approaching beyond the door.   - When the wind blows, the cradle will rock...   - When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall... - The door opened by itself, and Anne was about to kill the creature when she suddenly realized, it was...   - S-Sasha? What? H-how!? You've been dead for ten years, how can this be!? - "I'm completely confused now, my hands... I don't know what's happening, why is she here? What happened to her? And... why is she singing this... strange melody?"   Suddenly, the light flickered, Anne, in fear, slammed the fire extinguisher into what was pretending to be Sasha and, not feeling the door behind her, began to fall. And she fell, directly onto the floor, and the door closed behind her as quickly as it had opened, leaving something behind.     Earth, 2015   Hop Pop can't even begin to guess where Sprig and Polly might have run off to. Sprig is one thing; he always loves to disappear somewhere, but Polly? Especially in such a world-shattering situation! He couldn't settle down, pacing back and forth, constantly wondering where they were and where they could have gone. Suddenly.. three knocks from somewhere outside, on the metal hatch. People immediately fell silent, looking at the hatch in surprise. Two soldiers, along with Glam, instantly aimed at the hatch, awaiting further action. The lights were extinguished, and they held their breath.   - It's our own, open up. Glam, this is Colonel Seberyak! I can't hold out much longer, the filters will run out soon. Let me in, I came with survivors! - Of course, with survivors... he came to kill everyone, and he's far from a colonel, and Glam knows it. So he gave the command for no one to respond and to stay silent, not making a sound.   - Glam, what the hell!? There are robots here, they're going to kill us, are you serious? Open the damn hatch, or I'll open it myself... with an explosion! - Not a sound could be made. Glam understood this perfectly; no one could make a single sound. He also understood that they would most likely have to go deeper into the tunnels, all the way to the former subway tunnels.   - There's no one here, Master, what's the next order? Continue surveying territories where there are still people? Understood. Everyone, follow me! - Metallic footsteps sounded, the entire surface shook as the robots began their march under the command of an unknown entity.-   -Radiation's getting worse, let's go even deeper... cough... - Glam fell to what could be considered the floor, coughing up blood. Indeed, the radiation wasn't just on the surface; it would penetrate underground as deep as possible. They had mere days until everyone perished. And even worse, the temperature was rapidly dropping, forcing them to bundle up as warmly as possible.  

***

 

Project Blood and Ashes.

 

Written by: Klira

 

Original story taken from Disney's animated project “Amphibian” and another animated project also from this corporation “Gravity Falls”.

 

Voiceover (in the future)

 

Animation (comic book, in the future)

 

Patreon (in development)