ã€ŠProject: A.Iã€‹


 Chapter 1: Xen Labs

    "As the contract stated your child will be kept safe with us until we are fully able to cure him completely, thank you for putting your trust with us Mr. Smith."

    "I wouldn''t still be here if I wasn''t, the procedure will be exactly as how you described it before yes?"

    "Yes, of course, Mr. Smith. Your son will enter our ice pod to be cryogenically frozen for the future. The whole process will be painless."

    "Mhm, good. I''ve paid good money, so you have to do this well understood?" Mr. Smith asked in a serious tone.

    "We are the leading company in cryogenics Mr. Smith," The old Scientist replied." You don''t have to worry; everything will be perfect throughout your son''s experience here at Xen Labs. We will do everything in our power to cure him, I can assure it."

    "Now mister and misses Smith." The scientist said as he gave a bright smile. "As we have discussed before we would need to go through a counseling session with your child before he can be allowed to go through with the procedure."

    Mrs. Smith replied, "Shouldn''t we be doing the procedure immediately?"

    "Sorry, Mrs. Smith but this is required for all children as the process could be traumatic for some." The scientist replied, "Now Mr. Smith, you may relax with your wife in the lounge as we proceed with your child''s counseling session."

    Mr. Smith looked to his son and sternly said to him before leaving: "Victor, you behave when you go with them understand? They are professionals and know what they''re doing so listen to them well!"

    Victor nodded his head in silence as he watched his parents exit from the Scientist''s office.

    "Now then Victor, come and have a seat as we wait for the counselor to arrive." The scientist said as he pressed his touch-screen tablet. "Would you like some sweets? They taste great."

    Victor looked cautiously at the Old scientist as he thought of a reply and said: "I was taught not to take anything from strangers, sir."

    "You''ve been well taught young man, but I''m no stranger to you. After all your father is paying me to take good care of you." The scientist replied as he took out a bowl filled with various candy. Looking at the bowl, Victor couldn''t find a single candy he could recognize increasing his cautiousness.

    He didn''t know what to do in such a situation; he would usually run back to his parents but with his father telling him to behave he had second thoughts about that option.

    Victor tried to judge the old scientist to see whether he was trustworthy or not. The scientist was completely bald but had a full beard that covered the lower portion of his face. He had a face that looked serious when he wasn''t smiling and had visible wrinkles on his face. His posture was straight and made the old scientist look professional. He could see why his father had taken a liking to this old scientist, but he was still skeptical.

    Seeing that Victor still looked tense, the scientist wryly smiled as he said: " Do I look that scary to you Victor? If so I apologize for what my parents gave me." He said as he placed the bowl back under the table. "Most of the children enjoyed the sweets when they ate them, what a shame."

    Victor stayed silent as he looked at a digital clock to the left of him above a low shelve filled with books. He had only stayed in the room for three minutes, but it felt like he''d been in there for an hour.

    Observing Victor''s behavior, the scientist realized something and smiled. "I think we may have started on the wrong foot here Victor, let''s start from the beginning by introducing ourselves, shall we? My name is Dr. Matthew, the head researcher of Xen Labs and a doctor of Cryotherapy. Now your turn."The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Victor thought about his words before answering. "As you know my name is Victor Smith, I''m 14 years old and a student of Kingsway high school."

    Dr. Matthew lifted a piece of paper before nodding as he replied: "Mhm, that''s correct according to the documents your father gave me."

    "Do I have to do this counseling session, sir?" Victor asked

    "You don''t have to call me sir, just call me Dr. Matthew," Dr. Matthew replied as he placed the paper down onto the table. "We need you to do this counseling session as you need to understand what your parents are making you go through, as a minor you don''t have much say in this matter but the least we can do for you would be to tell you what is going to happen."

    While Dr. Matthew explained why Victor had to go through this counseling session, Victor taught about why his parents made him go through this cryogenics thing.

    ''Dad had said this was for my sake but never explained why to me. He could have at least gave me an idea of what this was all about." Victor wondered as his palm started to sweat, he was beginning to get worried about the procedure.

    Dr. Matthew noticed Victor''s looking worried but before he could say anything to him there was a knock on the office''s door and a voice was heard.

    "Dr. Matthews, I''m here to receive the child Victor Smith for his counseling session with me."

    "The door isn''t locked, you may enter Ms. Jacklyn," Dr. Matthews said as the counselor opened the door. "This is Ms. Jacklyn, the counselor, and she will be helping you understand the process you and your family will be going through."

    "That''s exactly right Victor," Ms. Jacklyn smiled as she reached out a hand to Victor. "Now follow me, we should talk at a more comfortable place."

    Victor looked at Ms. Jacklyn and felt she was a much kinder person to be around compared to the serious Dr.Matthew.

    The door closed behind them and walked down the hallway with windows on each side. Victor looked to his left and saw the beautiful sight of the ocean and the packed beach filled with people. On the right, he could see a quiet garden filled with flowers and trees with a river connected to a small waterfall which made it look amazing and peaceful.

    Ms. Jacklyn stopped and let Victor take in the view as she spoke: "Do you like the view, Victor? To our left is Orwell Beach owned by the owner of Xen Labs Doctor Steven Orwell. It''s used as a tourist spot and a place for the residents of this lab to relax. On our right would be the Xen Garden, is for calming patients that come here for our services."

    Victor nodded as Ms. Jacklyn gave him information about their surroundings. It was so amazing that he wondered how much it all cost for them to create the beach and garden.

    But as he wondered Ms. Jacklyn spoke again: "Did your parents not let you walk around our campus when you were visiting Dr. Matthew? Maybe after everything is over, you can walk around the campus freely. But let''s keep moving."

    Victor nodded and followed Ms. Jacklyn further down the hallway. The first time Victor was walking around here, he was too busy trying to follow his parents as they made it through the campus towards Dr. Matthew''s office since his parents had been and experienced Xen Labs before they didn''t feel the need to walk slower to take in the view.

    After walking through a few corridors and up an elevator to the 10th floor, they had made it to a door that had the plaque "Dr. Jacklyn" "Department of Mental Health."

    Ms. Jacklyn pressed her thumb onto a screen and had a laser-like light that scanned her thumb before the door opened, it looked futuristic which made Victor curious.

    "You''ve never seen a fingerprint scanner before Victor?" Ms. Jacklyn asked, "We even have them on our phones you know."

    Victor blushed before replying: "I know what a fingerprint scanner is, Ms. Jacklyn. But I''ve never seen one so cool before!"

    Hearing Victor''s enthusiasm over the fingerprint scanner made Ms. Jacklyn smiles as she spoke: "Well it was a design choice by Dr. Matthew, we were going to have just normal fingerprint scanners without the lights, but he said if we put in the effort into designing even the smallest detail of the facility it would improve its visual look by miles. If you like this sort of stuff, you could talk to him again before the procedure."

    Hearing how Dr. Matthew was the one who came up of the idea of making things look cool made Victor respect him more. However, he was still cautious about meeting Dr. Matthew again.

    Dr. Jacklyn opened the door to the room, and Victor saw the room only had a desk with a chair behind it and a couch in front of it, like Dr. Matthew''s office. The only difference was that the large windows behind the desk showed the Xen garden below them.

    "The view is nice, isn''t it? You can relax on the sofa as we go through the counseling session." Ms. Jacklyn said as she walked towards the desk.

    Listening to her instructions Victor sat on the sofa which was soft and comfortable.

    "Are you feeling comfortable yet, Victor?" Ms. Jacklyn asked as she took out a brown file and a laptop.

    "Yes, Ms. Jacklyn. The sofa is comfortable." Victor replied as he slightly bounced on the sofa.

    "Well let''s start then," Ms. Jacklyn said as she smiled at Victor.

 Chapter 2: Towards a Better Tomorrow

    His parents had only vaguely told him about what they were making him do at Xen Labs during Christmas. He had asked them repeatedly over the new year, but they stayed silent over the matter as though they didn''t want him to know about it.

    With this in mind, Victor wanted to ask Ms. Jacklyn questions about what he was going to go through.

    "Well let''s start then," Ms. Jacklyn said as she smiled at Victor.

    But as the session started, Victor smelt an odd fragrance in the office, something that he hadn''t smelt before. His mind became blurry, and he felt slightly nauseous.

    "Victor, what do you know about cryogenics?" Ms. Jacklyn asked.

    It took a while for Victor to understand Ms. Jacklyn''s question before replying.

    "I-It''s about freezing the body right?" Victor replied. "I...heard about it once when my father was watching the news."

    Ms. Jacklyn smiled as she heard Victor''s reply and said: "You''re right about the freezing part, what we do is we preserve a patient''s body in its current state until we manage to cure him or her of whatever ailments we cannot cure in present time in the future."

    Victor was confused by what Ms. Jacklyn said; he tried to think about her words before asking: "S-so...does that mean I''m sick somehow?"

    "Not quite, you see your parents have chosen to let you go through a program" where children like yourselves will be put under our care for the future. We will be using cryogenics to freeze your bodies until the time is right for you to enter the future." Ms. Jacklyn replied, "Meaning you will get to go to the future!"

    "The future?" Victor asked, "Does that mean my parents are trying to make me go to the future?"

    "Towards a better tomorrow, you will be going to the future under our care to live in a world more technologically advanced than what we have now. Doesn''t that sound exciting to you?"

    ¡°What?" Victor muttered in surprise when he heard about it, "I don''t want to go to the future¡­ and is it even safe?¡±

    "You will be just fine Victor, and you don''t have to worry about anything. Just know that your parents are happy that you''re going to experience a better life in the future, towards a better tomorrow."

    ''Towards a better tomorrow?'' Victor thought to himself.

    The life he was living was great, would the future be better?

    "I know what you''re thinking Victor and you don''t have to worry." Ms. Jacklyn smiled "History has shown our way of living improves tremendously over each century, so it''s safe to say the future will be better than the life we are living in now!"

    Victor confused by the situation asked: ¡°Is there any way that I can leave this program?¡±

    But Ms. Jacklyn shook her head: ¡° Your parents have already paid and signed you to this program. But don''t you worry we will do everything we can to keep you safe.¡±

    Hearing what Ms. Jacklyn said made Victor feel like his parents were paying them to take him away. Did they not like him? Did he do something before?

    "Now after this session, your parents have asked us to start the process for you to enter our Cryopods immediately," Ms. Jacklyn said

    "So soon? Don''t I get a few days to prepare myself mentally?" Victor asked worriedly, even though he felt he should be anxious about this situation he felt surprisingly calm. "What about all my stuff back at home? A-and what about my friends? I would need to say goodbye to them."

    Victor tried coming up with excuses hoping that they would give him a few days to think about the situation.

    "Relax Victor; everything will be alright. Maybe your friend''s parents would also let them join this program. And don''t worry about your belongings, your parents will send all your stuff to us while you''re in cryostasis so you can begin your journey towards a better tomorrow as soon as possible." Ms. Jacklyn said as she gave Victor a reassuring smile.

    The moment Ms. Jacklyn had told him to relax he felt all his anxieties about the situation disappearing

    Victor felt his behavior was weird, why was he so calm about the situation and why did he feel so nauseous?

    And Ms. Jacklyn was getting weirder with each sentence they spoke; she wasn''t like any counselor he had talked to before. Granted the only counselor he spoke with was his school counselor but he thought that they would at least be somewhat alike.

    If Victor had to describe Ms. Jacklyn as best he could he would say that she was more like one of those advertisers selling their products.

    Ms. Jacklyn continued to talk about how amazing the future will be for Victor and started talking about how they will take excellent care of him, towards a better tomorrow she says. And with each minute that passed, Victor felt he was getting progressively more tired.

    "Ok, I think you''ve gotten the gist of things right Victor?" Ms. Jacklyn asks as she got up from her desk. "We''ll be going to the cryogenics lab now so follow me."

    Victor who by this point couldn''t think too clearly nodded his head when he heard Ms. Jacklyn telling him to follow her; his father had told him to follow whatever they said after all.

    With Victor''s feeling dazed all could do was follow her orders, it was safe, right? Victor''s father said they were professionals after all.

    The two of them walked down the hallway together hand in hand as Victor tried his best to walk properly. With him being in a daze he couldn''t walk straight, the feeling felt as though he hadn''t slept for an entire day.

    "Seems like I''ve talked with you for a tad bit too long Victor. You seem sleepy, but we''ll be there soon so try your best to stay awake okay?" Ms. Jacklyn said as she smiled at Victor.

    ''Why does everyone keep smiling in this place?'' Victor wondered as he followed Ms. Jacklyn. Every person up to this point has been smiling to him since the start when he arrived at Xen Labs. It didn''t feel right.

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    After walking for a while, they made it to a section of Xen Labs that looked completely different from the section Victor had seen before. While the one before had windows everywhere which made it feel welcoming, the section here had entirely no windows and had metal flooring, walls, and ceilings giving off an unwelcoming vibe while the floor lights helped illuminate the hallways.

    The whole area felt freezing cold as though they were entering a chiller. Wearing only a T-shirt, Jeans and sports shoes made Victor extremely cold; he immediately starts trying to warm himself by rubbing his arms.

    "Try to endure the cold here Victor; we are almost at the cryostasis room." Ms. Jacklyn said as they moved forward.

    Soon they arrived at a door that read "Cryostasis Room 5.5", Ms. Jacklyn knocked the metal door, and it immediately opened. The room looked empty with just a low long metal table with steps on the side, and a human-sized metal tube on top of it opened up with its lid to the front of it. The cryotube looked almost like a coffin. Right behind the cryotube was a hole completely dark; the hole seemed just big enough for the metal tube to fit into it.

    Victor looked around to see Dr. Matthew and his parents were already waiting in the room and they were wearing winter like clothing.

    "Victor, how was your Counselling session? You look unwell!" Victor''s mother asked worriedly.

    Seeing his mother looking worried surprised Victor, with how his parents have seemingly spent money to send him away it made him question whether his parents cared about him.

    "Victor is just tired Mrs. Smith; it''s normal for children to be like this after their counseling session. Now let''s begin the process shall we? With your permission of course." Dr. Matthew said as he smiled at Mr. Smith

    "Yes, my wife and I are ready for this. And I''m sure my son is too." Mr. Smith said as he looked at Victor. "Now follow what Dr. Matthew tells you to do, understood?"

    Victor nodded at his father''s stern voice as he looked towards Dr. Matthew. He still didn''t dare to say anything back to his father.

    "Now Victor, remove your clothing." Dr. Matthew said

    Hearing this Victor looked towards his parents in hopes they would find Dr. Matthew''s order strange, but his father''s stern look towards him meant he had to go through with it.

    Victor stripped down to only his underwear, he struggled a bit as his body was cold and tired, but he managed to remove his all clothes after some time. When he had finished removing his clothes he noticed how cold the room is, it was almost like the temperature of the room was as cold as the inside of a freezer.

    Dr. Matthew continued. ¡°Now wear this and sit in the "cryotube" on top of the table next to me."

    Dr. Matthew gave him a suit that looked like a full-body swimsuit. Victor reluctantly followed Dr. Matthew''s order and wore the suit before walking towards the table, assuming the human-sized metal tube was what Dr. Matthews called a "cryotube."

    ''So I''m going inside there?¡¯ Victor thought as he looked at the metal tube, it''s construction looked like one of those pods you see aliens coming out off in movies and TV shows. It felt odd to see one in real life and even more so having to enter it. At least the "cryotube" had some cushioning to lay down on.

    Victor climbed the steps of the table and climbed into the"cryotube". When he touched the metal of the Cryotube, he felt a cold burning sensation cause him to pull back his hand quickly. He looked back at his parents but only saw the stern look of his father, while his mother still had that worried look on her.

    Sighed in his heart, Victor tried his best to avoid the metal parts of the cryotube and sat on the cushioned floor of the cryotube; it was like a small bed.

    "Now lay down on the cryotube, and we can begin." Dr. Matthew said as he went to the side of the cryotube.

    Following Dr. Matthew''s order, he laid down onto the cushioned cryotube. Even though the bottom of the cryotube was filled with cushion, there wasn''t enough to make it as comfortable as a mattress. Instead, it felt like he was sleeping in a tent with a sleeping bag.

    Once Victor was completely laid down Dr. Matthew spoke: "We will begin the process now."

    As Dr. Matthew''s closed the lid to the cryotube Victor could hear his mother crying, why was she crying when they were the ones who forced him into this he wondered. After the lid closed, he felt the metal tube moving, and after a while, it stopped. The metal tube seemed soundproof as he couldn''t hear anything after the lid closed on him as he couldn''t hear anything. It was just the cold silence and him.

    Now he''s stuck alone in a dark, cold metal tube, and they didn''t even care to put windows on the front for him to see the outside. It felt lonely and cold; it gave him a moment to think about things. He could probably have tried harder to rebel against his parents, but he was too scared of his father even to attempt it, and the thought of trying to do it scared him even more.

    Would things have gone another way if he was more rebellious? Victor thought as he laid in the cold metal tube. Cold. Very Cold. Victor rubbed his arms as he tried to stay warm. He felt as though the cryotube had started getting colder and colder. With Victor feeling much more awake with the cold biting every inch of his body he had realized during his time with Ms. Jacklyn that he wasn''t even told about the process he is going through right now.

    But, he shouldn''t worry, right? After all, they know what''s best for him. Everything will be fine. Everything will be great. The future will be incredible. The future will be fantastic. This is just the beginning, towards a better tomorrow.

    Soon Victor succumbed to the cold and fainted as a cold liquid filled the inside of cryotube.

    -----

    ¡°And it''s a success, it was good working with you, Mr. Smith.¡±

    Dr. Matthew smiled as he shook hands with Mr. Smith.

    ¡°I''ve held my end of the bargain, so I''m expecting you to do the same¡±

    ¡°Of course, Mr. Smith. Your contribution will not be forgotten. Your seat in parliament will most definitely be ready for you.¡±

 Chapter 3: Abandoned

    "This has been your third fuck up already Dr. Olson; you only have one more goddamn chance before I get to let you experience how it''s like to have a dozen extra fucking holes in your body."

    "C-captain if you would let me explain!"

    "I believe I''ve heard those same exact lines the last time you fucked up and if it were up to me, you would have been dead when you said those words the first time."

    "I-I know, but those other three were just for testing! This time¡­this time I can assure you it will be a success!"

    Dr. Olson pleaded with the Captain as he was being lifted in the air by his neck.

    "That was different from what you told me before." the captain said as he squeezed Dr. Olson''s neck harder.

    "It was the only way you would allow me to continue! S-so let me down, and I...can show you what I''ve been working on! Let me down... Ugh! And I can show you!"

    The captain scoffed at Dr. Olson''s words as he released his hands from the doctor''s neck. With a loud thud, Dr. Olson fell to the ground as breathed in air heavily.

    "So show me what you have before I use my happy finger. And no more lying."

    "Y-Yes...at once of course. Just follow me, I''ve been keeping this subject a secret just for this very day!"

    "You''ve been keeping this subject for the day I get to shoot you dead? You have some sick fetishes, Dr. Olson."

    "Your humor may work on the soldiers, but such low intellect jokes do not affect me. With no offense of course."

    "Oh, I''ve definitely taken offense, Dr. Olson. I''ll be sure to write you an invoice later."

    "R-right¡­"

    With the banter out of the way, Dr. Olson led the captain through the hallways of the facility.

    "So why in the world are you working in this old abandoned facility? Did you get bored by your lab?"

    "Maybe because I wanted to get as far away from you as possible, captain."

    "And look how miserably you failed at doing so. You truly are an idiot, Dr. Olson."

    "I don''t think the word "idiot" should define me and my achievements, captain."

    "I feel you''re deserving of the title of "idiot" since you keep screwing up everything you do ."

    "Almost everything, captain. There''s a big difference." Dr. Olson said as they reached a metal vault door labeled "5.5" with the remaining words having been faded. "And here we are, captain. The key to the project!"If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    The captain frowned as he looked at the numbered metal vault door before replying: "So the key to success in completing the project is this door? Amazing, Dr. Olson. I would have never thought of something so... abstract. Truly you''re a genius among men."

    "You know what I mean, captain. Your sarcasm isn''t humorous." Dr. Olson grumbled as he turned the wheel-like handle to open the door.

    As Dr. Olson kept turning the handle, the area around the door became colder making the captain more curious as to what was behind the vault door.

    "Dr. Olson, what''s so special about the vault we are heading into?"

    "It''s a vault that has been forgotten. I only found it after trying to find a suitable host for what we needed and it just so happens that what we are looking for is right inside this vault!"

    "So you somehow luckily found an abandoned facility with a secret vault in the middle of nowhere that somehow nobody else found except you.

    "I might have been using our archives to find this information, but the general did say to use everything at our disposal." Dr. Olson said as he turned the handle for the last time. "And there we go!"

    A clicking sound was heard as Dr. Olson reached the end of the turn cycle and he started pulling it. As the door opened cold mist was released from the room revealing how cold the inside must be.

    "Why the hell is it so damn cold? Are we entering a freezer?" The captain asked as he started wearing his leather gloves.

    Dr. Olson smiled as he walked into the room: "Not a freezer per se, but a cryostasis room."

    As they entered the room the only thing inside was a single podium standing in the middle of an empty cold room. On the podium was a control panel for the room.

    "Cryostasis, What''s that?" The captain asked as he looked around the empty room. "And what is this room used for?"

    The whole room was filled with large white tiles on the floor, walls and even the ceiling. The material for the tiles felt soft and spongy making the room soundproof. But at the wall opposite of the door had a metal door with a low lying metal table below it.

    "Cryostasis is a part of cryogenics; it was an experimental procedure that used extremely cold liquids to preserve a person, but the success rate of a person surviving the procedure was so low we called it useless. Especially after we found better ways to obtain longevity. The room is used to house the subject." Dr. Olson replied as fiddled with the control panel.

    As Dr. Olson started fiddling with the control panel captain could hear motors and gears turning behind the walls as the sound of gas start hissing. "Dr. Olson, care to explain what the hell you just did?"

    "Do not worry, Captain. It''s just the mechanisms of the room running; the noise is just a by-product." Dr. Olson said "Now watch, Captain, the key to success. Subject 5.5!"

    As Dr. Olson was talking the metal door at the other end of the room started opening to show a dark hole, and what came rolling out onto the table was a cryotube. A first generation cryotube.

    On the cryotube was a string of numbers engraved onto the metal, "5.5" and the words "Xen Labs".

    "So what''s the chance of someone surviving again? The captain asked

    "5%, captain."

    "So you now have a 95% chance of being shot."

    "Better than a 100% chance, captain. And believe me, I fully intend to live!" Dr. Olson replied with a big grin on his face.

    "You crazy fuck, so why in the world do you need to risk it with a pre-war idiot who froze himself." the captain asked as he looked at Dr. Olson with suspicion.

    " A host with pre-war era genes to fuse with our unstable project is more important at the moment. I''ve tested my theories with the other three subjects we had and I''m sure it will work with him. A pre-war patient has the perfect characteristics for the fusion. It was fate that I''ve found this patient in the archives, one that hasn''t been taken by other scientists. If the patient is an idiot as you say, I''m sure you''ll be able to take care of it."

    "So you managed to find a pre-war patient that no one else found, I don''t think you have the ability to do that."

    "And that is exactly why I believe it was fate that I found this patient, captain. Only one file in the archives had talked about this lab. According to the file a few years after the patient was kept here they were told to abandon the facility and this patient. Most of the people who ran this facility before are probably long dead." Dr. Olson replied.

    "Well then let''s get this patient out of the cryotube."

    "Yes of course! Now let''s see here¡­" Dr. Olson said as he fiddled with the control panel. "It should be¡­ this one!"

    As Dr. Olson pressed a button the freezing cold liquid inside the cryotube was flushed out as it opened up revealing a young teenage boy.

    "So is the kid alive?"

    "Good his body seems perfectly intact! It must be the suit he''s wearing keeping his body safe, ingenious I must say. But we don''t have much time, He''ll be fine for now, but we need him to stay below the melting point. We will have to immediately ship him back to the base so I can stabilize him properly." Dr. Olson said as he took out a syringe from his lab coat pocket.

    "And what''s in that syringe?"

    "Something I''ve prepared to stop a person''s body temperature from dropping any further, but it only lasts for an hour, so if we want the boy to stay alive we need to be quick!" Dr. Olson replied as he injected the boy with the syringe.

    "The trip to the nearest base is 30 mins from here correct? I believe your vehicle has enough room for me and the patient, Captain." Dr. Olson asked.

    "From leading men to being a chauffeur, I''ve truly reached the pinnacle of my career." the captain sighed as he picked up the boy''s body. "Why the hell must he be so fucking cold!"

    Soon the both of them patient included got on the captain''s hover cruiser before flying off back to their base.

    "This time captain, I can assure you. We will complete Project: A.I. Mark this day."

    "Of course we will, I''ll make sure you''re locked up with the kid in your lab until we do. And I still want that new upgrade you owe me from before."

    The world has drastically changed from before. This is the year 2113, and welcome to Project: A.I.

 Chapter 4: Memories (Part 1)

    ''Where am I?'' Victor asked himself as he floated in what seemed like complete darkness. He could not see, smell, hear, taste or feel anything around him. Only his thoughts kept him company.

    ''Is this heaven? Or hell?'' Victor thought as he tried to make sense of the situation. The endless void felt overwhelming to him, he could do nothing in this situation but think.

    It felt like a prison, solitary confinement. It was driving him mad. Sometimes, it felt like just seconds had passed since he starting being in this endless void and at times it felt like an eternity. The concept of time to Victor wasn''t a tool for him to use to tell whether it''s morning or night anymore, it was his torturer.

    ''One thousand four hundred and sixty-five, one thousand four hundred and sixty-six, one thousand four hundred and sixty-eight¡­ or was it sixty-seven? I guess I should start over again.''

    Victor tried everything to keep his mind active, trying to keep himself from going insane. From counting until a million to remembering every memory he ever had, it was boring, but it kept his mind active.

    His father was a politician and politicians always had a mask they put on for their public appearances, to try and woo the crowds. And his father was no exception.

    He was never there for his birthday parties, not even during holidays. Instead, he was out telling people how great he was and to vote for him. He talked to businesspeople daily and at times brought strange people to the house.

    Victor''s mother loved him at least he thought she did. She tried her best in his eyes to take care of him. But after Victor had turned nine, his mother stopped celebrating anything with him. Instead, she followed his father more often. All Victor was left was a few dollar bills every week on the kitchen counter in an empty house, not even a note saying they loved him.

    He went to school, as usual, nobody knew who his parents were. To avoid standing out, he said his parents worked in business. It helped explain why they weren''t there most of the time. He made friends, good friends. They took care of him, and he took care of them. They laughed, argued, fight and in the end, they always got back together.

    Victor had run out of memories to think about; he had only lived for such a short time. He began to worry, what happens now? Does he try to count sheep? But he already did it before he thought, but as he thought he felt a sharp pain.

    He did not know where but a sharp pain pierced him. ''Pain! That was a pain right?! I felt something!'' Victor shouted in his mind excitedly; he tried to find out where that pain came from. It was a fantastic feeling for Victor; he had finally felt something! He wasn''t dead; he was alive!

    It proved that his attempts at keeping himself sane weren''t in vain! But as the pain faded something new came in. It felt like liquid flowing into him; it felt cold. Soon memories that weren''t his flowed into his head. It was a cooling sensation, and it made Victor feel¡­ alive!

    ''How beautiful¡­'' Victor thought, somehow he had finally felt something, showing him that he was alive. From the sharp pain to the cooling sensation afterward, it was indeed blissful. Victor let the information flow happily through his brain as he savored in the feeling.

    But as everything does, the sensation faded and Victor was once again by himself.

    ''These memories, they aren''t mine but...'' He looked into them and felt like they were his own. There were in total three memories to sift through, and Victor had decided to look through all of them.

    As Victor looked into the memory, he realized he could see everything, from the time of their birth to the time of their death. The first memory was from a boy who went into the army. He was born in a hospital and was taken good care of by the nurses. His parents were kind and good-hearted, they were good people. As the parents exited the hospital with him, it felt like a whole new world.

    The place looked like something out of a sci-fi movie, flying cars dashing through the skies in an orderly fashion. Tall Skyscrapers filled the area with long bridges connected each of them. The area below was filled with shops operated by different merchants, whether they are selling trinkets or food it felt like they had everything there.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    It was truly magical and felt like a brand new world. But Victor couldn''t keep looking at the scenery as the memories kept moving forward. Soon he was at the house of the family, in the middle of one of the residential skyscrapers. The house''s size looked like a three-room apartment with enough space for the three of them to live comfortably. It seemed like they were considered wealthy.

    The father was a lieutenant, who had a squad of men at his control. While his mother was an officer stationed in the communication''s department, they had an exciting love life according to the mother, but the memories didn''t include it. What a shame Victor would say as he looked towards the child.

    The child grew up in a military family; there were usually two ways it was going to go. Follow his parents to the army or rebel against his parents and pursue other dreams. But it seemed like there wasn''t any choice in the situation. The most well paying job in this sci-fi world was to be either a businessman/businesswoman or to enlist in the army. And so the boy who was now 12 entered the military.

    Victor felt the boy''s age was too young, if he were told at that age to join the army he would have likely cried on the spot! But the boys in this era seemed to be mature, or maybe he had already thought of joining the army for a long time. It was a waste that the memories didn''t include the boy''s thoughts.

    Soon the boy was accepted into the army, and a large flying vehicle that looked like a military truck arrived outside the residential skyscraper. His parents waved him goodbye in tears, and he left. The boy was only just one of many children that enter into the army; it made Victor wonder how many people lived in the skyscraper.

    Soon they were shipped off to a military base outside of the city to the east where it was a desert. Life didn''t seem to grow here, it just brown dusty dirt and some rocks. They landed at the military base, and the boy and the other children came down from the flying truck they were immediately tested.

    Push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and running were the test they told the children to do. Most of them collapsed half-way, but the boy was one of the few that managed to get through the test, though barely. The children were then split into two groups, the ones who didn''t finish and the ones that did before leading the two groups separately.

    The group, the boy, was escorted to individual tents of their own and enjoyed a warm bed with a pillow to lay their tired heads on. Afterward, they got to enjoy stew cooked for them by a chef from the kitchen of the barracks beside them and spoke about how it''s like to be in the military. Victor, however, felt sore, very sore. He could feel what the boy felt in his memories which was something he enjoyed, any sensation he felt was blissful than his eternity of nothingness before.

    Soon the next day the two groups came together again and saw the other group looking like a mess compared to them. They had leaves in their hair, mud on their clothes and looked as though they hadn''t slept at all. It showed a glimpse of what will happen if you didn''t pass the tests.

    Soon it was just repetition, the children trained the physical bodies and rested depending on how well they did while Victor kept feeling the soreness from the exercises with glee. Soon it came for the children to be exposed to weaponry. First were retractable batons, it was a short metal stick that could be hidden easily as the rod could be hidden into its grip.

    The instructors told them how to use the stick and what were the best methods of hitting, after that they had paired up the children to fight with each other with the batons. It felt brutal to let kids fight each other with metal sticks, but to Victor, it didn''t bother him. Pain to him now felt like being alive, so what if they get injured? They at least get to survive!

    Soon the duels started, and the boy that Victor''s memories were linked to was getting beaten hard by the other child. The boy was much smaller compared to the other child giving him a significant disadvantage. The boy tried to block with his arms which felt futile as his arms took most of the damage. Each hit stung more and more each time the other child kept whacking the boy with no remorse.

    Victor, feeling all this felt more and more alive as he felt each hit, the boy, however, started tearing up from the pain each hit made his arms burn with even more pain. Soon the boy realized that he couldn''t take the pain any longer and needed to attack.

    The boy took the chance of the other child raising for another strike to push his entire body towards the other child''s stomach. The force had caused the other child to cough out his saliva, and the fell onto the dirt. With the other child dazed from the impact, the boy saw his opportunity to enact his revenge. From on top of the other child, he raised his baton and struck the other child''s face causing a "thwack" sound.

    The feeling from hearing the sound sent shivers down the boy''s body; his body was telling him to continue beating the other child. The boy raised his baton again and struck the other child in the face. Again and again and again. "Thwack," "Thwack," "Thwack." The sound of metal hitting flesh made the boy''s adrenaline skyrocket it was a sensation he could get addicted to, and Victor felt the same.

    Each hit felt good; it felt right. Victor now saw how fun violence was when he was playing video games he had always played violently, killing innocent bystanders and was evil in general. But he had never tried doing it in real life; he knew it was wrong after all. But now, he now felt how good it is just to hit someone: the sound, the feeling, the release. With no consequences, it was like a drug.

    But of course, there were always consequences. When the boy had stopped, everybody was looking at him with fear while the army men looked at him with disgust. He had just murdered a fellow child. Soon the army men grabbed him and put a black bag over his head; he was being dragged somewhere.

    Soon the bag was lifted, and he was in a cell, prison. Something Victor was curious about, how would the boy react being in prison compared to how he did. The boy seemed fearful unlike how Victor was; the boy looked around as he grabbed the bars. He shouted to let him go, saying he was sorry repeatedly though no one was there to listen to him.

    Days go by, the boy was given food at regular intervals but had no human interactions other than the army man giving him food, this meant he was still at the military, but military jail. After some days past, the soldiers let the boy out, he was excited, were they finally going to release him?

    They placed a black bag over his head and dragged him somewhere. When they removed the black bag from his head, he realized he was strapped down onto a surgical chair. A doctor was smiling at him as they placed a mask over his mouth, with a tube extending out somewhere. He tried breathing, and it smelt like fruits, soon he slowly dozed off, and the memories ended.

    It left Victor wondering, why didn''t the soldiers stop the boy from killing the other child? And what happened to the boy at the end?

 Chapter 5: Memories (Part 2)

    ''Back here again'' Victor thought as he looked around, after the boy''s death he was kicked out of the memory. The whole experience felt real, as though he was there himself. He felt the pain, the agony and the joy the boy felt. But the one thing that was stuck in Victor''s mind was the death of the boy. He had not experienced death before, everyone in his family was either healthy or were already dead.

    Most people say that death is sad and heartbreaking. When one loses someone they had known well, it leaves an empty void in their lives. Or when you see the death of a person, it gives you a sense of dread, a glimpse into your future. But Victor didn''t feel any of that. Instead, he felt¡­ confused.

    When the boy had smashed the other child to death, he had felt nothing. When the boy died, he had felt nothing. Empty. Was it because he didn''t know these people? It should at least have given him some form of emotion. Or was it his experience in this endless void making him detached from the world. There''s only one way to find out.

    Victor opens up the second memory out of the three, this time it''s from a female''s perspective. A girl who worked in a gang. Her life started much differently than the boy from the last one; she was born not in a hospital but in a bedroom filled with women who were most likely relatives. Seeing the smile on their faces as they found the girl to look healthy made Victor happy for them. Happiness was infectious after all.

    Soon a party started celebrating the birth of a girl to the house, people from the neighborhood celebrated with the family in the middle of the streets. Singing, dancing and laughing made the celebrations ever so fun. Drinks were shared, jokes were made, and joy was spread. It felt like the birth of a child was a wonderful thing for the neighborhood.

    Victor looked around the area as the celebrations went on, the city looked dark and grim. The only light sources illuminating the streets were the dim streetlamps that barely emitted light. Overhead were towering skyscrapers casting their shadows over the neighborhood. Though the roads were dark, the people used fire as a way to light up the street. If the boy''s residential skyscraper was where the wealthy lived, this neighborhood was the poor district, a place forgotten by society.

    But this neighborhood has its upsides; the people are much friendlier than those in the residential skyscrapers. Everyone seemed to know each other and cared for one another as though they were all family. Plus there was no noise pollution from the never-ending flow of flying cars. Living here didn''t seem all so bad at a glance.

    Soon the memories moved on to when the girl was five years old, here Victor found out that she had an elder sister, four years older than her. Her sister seemed to be what''s called an outlaw, she goes into the city and mingles with gangsters, living life the way she thinks it should be. And the girl seemed awe-struck by her sister''s way of living. The girl wanted to be exactly like her sister, every time her sister got back she would ask endless questions about how her day it''s like and how could she be like her.

    To Victor''s surprise instead of being cold to the girl, the sister was a kind and patient. She talked to the girl about all kinds of stories until the girl fell asleep. What a good sister, Victor thought.

    Though the girl admired her sister''s rebellious nature, their parents seemed to despise it. Arguments often happen, and it almost if not always ended up with the sister being sent out of the house as the parents only see the sister being a bad influence on the girl.

    Fast forward another three years and the girl is now eight years old, old enough in the eyes of the sister who is now twelve to follow her into the city. The trip was exciting as they walked through alleyways and through packed city streets towards an abandoned warehouse ready to be torn down.

    In the warehouse were a few other teenagers who the sister knew, soon they got to know the girl and accepted her into their gang. It was a small time city gang, not like an organized crime organization. What they did was hang out and do petty crimes like pick-pocketing, shoplifting, and drawing graffiti around the city''s alleyways. In a way, they were just a group of teenagers trying to have their fun. But society will still catch up to them.

    Soon the girl was 12 years old and was a relatively mature person for her age. She could find food for herself by stealing from the local bakery, she slept in the city''s many alleyways and managed to evade police by sliding through the busy city streets. But she felt like she could do more. She had left her sister''s gang, not because she hated her sister or the gang. But to pursue bigger dreams. She had joined a criminal organization called "Spades".

    Their crimes ranged from scamming victims of their money to robbing them. The girl''s role in the organization was to lure in unsuspecting victims. She would act like a lost little girl asking for help to bring her home. Sometimes it was kind people trying to help her and sometimes it was people with bad intentions. Though it didn''t matter to the girl as she brought people to help her into the alleyway saying that her family was poor before her other members would ambush the unsuspecting victim and start looting.

    It was routine for her now as she became more skilled in her acting. But trouble soon came when the "Spades" sent a message to all the members including the girl to report at a junkyard site unarmed. When all of them arrived, they were jumped by police and soon all of them were captured.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    They were sent to a military base outside the city was their new prison and were tasked with cleaning the base. But seeing how the girl was only twelve, she was placed into a cell until they figured out what to do with her. The girl now had the same fate as the boy Victor saw before. She was fed regularly throughout her time there before being escorted with a black bag over her head onto a surgical chair where she a mask with a tube connected was placed on her mouth, and when she breathed in, she could smell fruits before falling into a dead sleep.

    An ambitious girl who tried to be something ended up turning the wrong way in life. It left a bad taste in Victor''s mouth as he saw the same type of death the boy had before. He didn''t feel sadness, nor he didn''t feel dread. He felt disgusted by how quickly these two kids who were close to his age before had died just because they overdid it. It felt like there were invisible lines you cannot see, but once you cross that line, it''s the end.

    And who was this doctor they saw last, the doctor with a large grin on his face as he wore the mask on the children? How black-hearted can one man be? But thinking of the matter was a waste, for now, he still had one more memory left. It was the memory of a gladiator.

    The boy was sold by his parents to fight in the arena for other people''s pleasure at a young age of 5. He and his single father had been poor for the first portion of his life, living off change when they begged on the streets. Being a young child made the father and son duo collect more money than the other beggars as they drew in more pity, and this made the others feel envious.

    Soon their jealousy became too much; they weren''t able to get a child like his father did as they didn''t have the looks nor the money to get a girl. Instead, they resorted to more barbaric means. In the night they followed the boy and his father back to their little tent in an alley and attacked them.

    They grouped up and pummeled the boy''s father onto the ground and started kicking him constantly while the boy looked on in fear. Kicks after kicks made as his father scream in pain, but the beggars didn''t care. Why would they care? His father had been earning more than them for so long just because he had a little boy with him. That was unfair to them, getting beaten up isn''t so different from starving every night, so it was a reasonable punishment.

    Soon they grew hungry after their workout and took everything the boy''s father had and left. They had thought of beating the boy up as well, but they tried to act like they still had hearts even though they never had any. With his father bruised and bleeding the boy tried to find anything he could to cover his father''s injuries. He found a bit of the tent still left and covered his father hoping that he would wake up soon.

    But the man who woke up the next day was different from the father he knew the night before; this one had a cold look to him. Soon the father dragged the boy to an underground arena where he sold the boy. Seeing this made Victor stop the memory to reflect.

    ''Sold his son for his own gain¡­'' Victor thought as he remembered his father''s face when he went into the cryotube. He couldn''t even see a sense of sadness when he looked at him, and it was the same as the father of the boy. Did his father do the same to him? He couldn''t even stomach the idea. The disgust he felt now was different from the confusion he had when he entered the cryotube. He wanted answers, but there was no way Victor could get any answers in his current state so after calming himself down he continued to look at the boy''s memories.

    When the boy was sold to the arena, he wasn''t immediately placed in a match, that would have been a waste of such a precious commodity according to the arena master. Instead, the arena master trained the boy in basic lessons to keep his survivability high, and it was easier to educate a child from a young age as they were quick to learn. Their little young brains were like sponges to information. The arena master trained the boy physically and mentally. First, he fed the boy proper meals to get the boy''s body weight up as he wasn''t eating well before. Next, he made the boy do daily strength and agility exercises training his body faster and stronger.

    Then they moved on the reaction training; the arena master would spar with the boy without pulling his punching teaching the boy to avoid hits, this would go on for another four years until the boy became nine. At this point, the arena master had thought of the boy as his own son. Unlike the other fighters that come and go, the boy was something of his own creation.

    Soon in the eyes of the arena master, the boy was ready. He had given everything he had to make the boy successful, and he will be successful! The boy''s future was bright, and that cannot be denied! Now in the caged arena, the first fight was beginning, and the crowd cheered on ¡ª the boy who had been trained by the arena master to versus a boy the same age who was a born street thug looking for some extra money. But as the fight started things became grim, reality began to surface.

    The boy was beaten, badly. He did as he was told to attack the opponent head-on at the start, he was larger than the street thug after all. But as he threw the first punch, a right hook, he missed. Dread settled in afterward as he knew where the thug had gone. The thug had ducked under the punch and with the boy putting significant force into it, the thug had enough time to strike before the boy could recover.

    A big punch to the stomach and an uppercut to the chin followed the boy''s failed attempt at an opener; the thug had successfully made use of the boy''s opening to strike. The boy teared up as he tried to hold in the pain. He was wobbling by this point; he wasn''t strong enough to handle such a sharp blow to his body and chin so early on. Seeing that the boy was showing weakness the thug smiled, it looked like an easy knockout.

    The thug was ruthless, constantly punching and kicking the boy into the cage. The boy held his guard up as he suffered the endless torrent of strikes and with the pain burning his arms and body he couldn''t keep his guard up any longer. The boy lowers his guard and gets knocked out by a straight punch to the jaw. The winner was the thug, who had more experience in fighting than the boy.

    It was not the boy''s fault, he did not choose to fight an opponent who was more experienced than him, but it didn''t matter as his fate was sealed. With no say on the matter, the arena master sold him away. The boy he invested in was a waste; maybe the next one will be better.

    And like the other two, the boy found himself in a cell getting regular meals until they figured out what to do with him. He gets escorted out of his cell with a black bag on, gets seated on a surgical chair where a doctor places a mask connected to a tube on his mouth and as the boy breaths in; he could smell fruits before falling into a deep sleep.

    And again another death. Were all these memories trying to teach him something? Did they mean anything at all? Why were these memories in his head and why did they end they all end in the same way? These answers would not be answered by anyone, but by Victor himself as he carries them on his back.

    And finally, a door of light stood in front of Victor. His way out of the endless void, where time doesn''t exist nor does he. Victor, with joy filling his empty heart walks towards the light and into life.

    The boy on the bed opens his eyes to the world, feeling a headache and a sore body. He lifted his body to a sitting position, and as he looked in front of him, he saw the man who keeps reappearing in his memories ¡ª the doctor.

    The doctor seeing the boy is awake smiles with a big grin as he spoke to the metal band around his right wrist.

    "Could you call the captain up to Ward 5. This is an urgent matter."

 Chapter 6: Genesis

    The doctor in front of him was a young skinny man with glasses who had short black hair and cleanly shaven. He wore a lab coat you''d normally see doctor wear in a hospital.

    "Now tell me, boy." The doctor asked as he looked straight into Victor''s eyes. "What''s your name."

    Victor paused as he looked at the doctor carefully, he was the same person who had put all those children to sleep. Trust wasn''t a word he would even place next to this man.

    "I could I ask to know your name first, doctor," Victor said as he looked around the room. "You are a doctor¡­ right?"

    "Yes, of course, and yes I am a licensed doctor. You may refer to me as Dr. Olson, so may I know your name now, boy?"

    Victor got off the bed to stretch his legs, they were wobbly at first, but he managed to start up right. He stretched his tired neck and body as he thought of a reply.

    "Dr. Olson, am I still in Xen Labs? If so can I see Dr. Matthews? I would like to know where my parents are." Victor said as he stared at Dr. Olson.

    Dr. Olson sighed as he replied: "Boy, do you know where you are and what happened to you before?"

    "Well...yes. I was at Xen Labs where my parents had paid for me to be placed into a Cryotube to arrive in the future. I think it was because they said the future was going to be better than what it was at the present. So I assume I''m in the future yes?." Victor said as he checked his clothes, he was still wearing the swimsuit like suit given to him by Dr. Matthew. "And could I please get some clothes to change into?

    Dr. Olson frowned as he sighed: "I''ll get you some new clothes, just stay put." He stood up from the chair he was sitting on and walked out of the room. This made Victor wonder, why didn''t this doctor call Dr. Matthew but instead called for a captain when he talked into his wrist? Was it some kind of smartwatch? If so who was this captain?

    The first thought that came to his mind was the fate of the three children, but they were kept in a cell with no human contact unlike him. But before thinking so far ahead he needed to know where he was, and why was he not in the cryotube. He had no recollection of leaving the cryotube. Did they pull him out? If so where were his parents?

    But as Victor studied his situation, the doctor came back with a female assistant with a brand new set of clothes. Victor had hoped the female assistant was a Ms. Jacklyn, but it was someone else.

    "I''ve brought you a new set of clothing; you should wear it before seeing the captain." Dr. Olson said as he gestured his assistant to hand the clothes to Victor. "The captain can be quite strict on how you behave so please do behave when you meet him."

    Victor took the clothes and asked: "This captain of yours, what kind of captain is he?"

    "A military captain, above the station of a lieutenant and below a major. I believe that you have some understanding of military ranks right?" Dr. Olson asked.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    When Dr. Olson had mentioned the captain being one of the militaries it struck Victor as odd. Why would a military captain want to meet him and did he ever see any military at Xen Labs? Or was the place he was in right now not Xen Labs?

    "If you don''t mind me asking again, what is your name. It''ll be much easier for us to refer to you than just boy." Dr. Olson asked again.

    "Victor. Victor Smith." Victor replied

    "Victor, do you feel anything strange with your body after you awoke?" Dr. Olson asked.

    "Other than a splitting headache and feeling tired I feel fine, why do you ask Dr. Olson?"

    "Then it proves it was a success!" Dr. Olson exclaimed with joy.

    "Success? What was a success?" Victor tried to ask the elated doctor, but he was interrupted by a voice entering the room.

    "By success he means you." A tall man with broad shoulders entered the room, he was wearing a black tailored suit with badges decorating it, and he wore a black beret hat on his head with a badge of a Lion on it. "You are the success."

    "I''m a success? By which do you mean me exiting the cryotube?" Victor replied.

    " Surviving your time in the cryotube is quite impressive, but it''s not what we are talking about. What we mean when we succeeded we mean that you have survived Project: A.I!" Dr. Olson explained.

    "Project: A.I? I don''t understand." Victor said in confusion.

    "I''ll debrief you on what''s happening, Victor. You are the last surviving subject of a practice called cryogenics. We found you in an abandoned facility that was most likely a lab before. We took you out of a cryotube which was luckily in working order and shipped you back to our base where we made sure you stayed alive."

    "So you saved me from being trapped in Xen Labs¡­" Victor said as he realized that he had been abandoned "I thank you for that. But you still haven''t mentioned about this Project: A.I."

    "To put it simply, in exchange for saving your life we decided to use you in an experiment which was called Project: A.I. I believe Dr. Olson can explain the project in detail for you." The captain said as he looked to the doctor.

    "Yes, Project: A.I was a project aimed to fuse AI with humans to improve a human''s cognitive skills. Improving their information processing times, their memories, and their reflexes. We believed that this would lead to a new evolution for humankind. We are already able to fuse human and robotics allowing a human to control artificial body parts as well as adding features to their senses such as their ability for sight and hearing."

    "We, however, have been unable to improve the brains of humans. We have tried many different methods, but none had been successful. But this project aimed to use an unstable A.I, one that could evolve to fuse with a human mind. Dangerous by itself but if it were to link with a human host, we believe that it would evolve to have human morality. So we sought to find a suitable host for the A.I."

    "We tried three vastly different subjects to test the project out on, to see if our theories were correct. Their lives were already at their natural end, so we felt that it was morally fine to carry out our experiments on them. And as we predicted none of them survived the fusion, so we decided to go through with the plan of using a pre-war patient. You."

    "Based on our findings we determined that you were a suitable candidate for the A.I. It was lucky that we found your file deep inside our archives and managed to dig you out before the nuclear power supply in the abandoned facility failed. We needed a host that was not affected by the toxins emitted after the war as hosts with the toxins in their blood made the sensitive materials of the A.I chip malfunction. Hence with you, there were no issues as you were from before the war. A perfectly clean host."

    "We did the procedure on you with no mistakes after we shipped you here and you seemed to have recovered fine. Captain, would you like to take over?" Dr. Olson said as he finished his explanation.

    "And as Dr. Olson explained you are now carrying an A.I Chip in your brain right now. We will activate it shortly as you get used to your new reality. This is not the world you once knew. This is the year 2113, 94 years after you were frozen in your cryotube. I know this must be very confusing as of now, but I can assure you that you are safe here. Welcome to Military Base Delta. This will be your new home foreseeable future."

    Victor was frozen in shock, 94 years, a test subject, pre-war, and an A.I Chip in his head. ''What kind of sick joke is this?'' Victor thought as he tried to absorb the information in. He had expected that he was in the future but, 94 years. Everyone he knew would be dead by this point.

    "Dr. Olson, tell your assistant to accompany the subject for now until his condition stabilizes. There are still things I need to discuss with you." The captain said as he exited the room with Dr. Olson following close behind.

    "Have a seat, Victor. I''ll get you some tea." The female assistant said as she helped Victor back onto the bed before fetching some tea.

    Victor watched the assistant leaving the room before closing his eyes. He had to accept his current situation, the voice at the back of his mind told him. He had to move on, he needed to be focused on the present. But his heart ached as he shook his body forward and backward.

    "But my family is gone. My friends are gone. The whole fucking world is GONE!" Victor screamed out as he let his emotions go. His whole body shook vigorously as he tried to calm himself.

    "I want to go home, I want to go home damn it¡­" He whimpers as tears fell down his face. No one is going to save him from this place, he was alone, and he knew it.

 Chapter 7: Getting Settled In

    "So, Victor. Are you feeling alright?"

    "Yes, I think I''m fine. Thank you for asking, Captain."

    "Not a problem, you''re under our care after all. So before we start, here''s something for you to eat." The Captain said as he gestured towards the plate of food on the table.

    It has been a few days since Victor had his meltdown, only after accepting his situation did his condition improve. Now more stable Victor was allowed meet the captain again to discuss his future. Now in the captain''s office, he was offered food and was reassured by the captain that he was in safe hands.

    "I don''t know whether the food here would suit your taste buds, so I ordered the chef to cook up one of my favorites. Try it."

    "Thank you, captain," Victor said as he started slicing the food with his knife. The meal given to him looked very similar to the food in his time. It looked like medium rare steak that was grilled and had mashed potatoes on the side. After slicing the steak, he ate a slice of it. The taste was no different from when he ate it before, the texture was the same, and the juices filled his mouth.

    "If I were to say anything about the steak, captain. It would be that it''s great!"

    "Good, that''s good. It means you won''t have any difficulties with eating the food here then."

    "Is there something different about the steak?"

    "Well, it is a regular old steak but not the kind you are thinking of. After the war most of the farmlands that could grow cows were gone, what little bit of land left for cows were conserved as sacred lands. So we had to find alternative ways to find beef, so we grew our own. Lab-grown steak, looks, taste and smells the same."

    "So this is artificial meat, I think I''ve heard about it before. But what about this war I keep hearing? Like calling me a Pre-war patient."

    "It''s a long story that will be taught to you in time. For now, just know that there was a war in between the time you went into the cryotube and when you got out. Now let''s discuss what''s important right now. The A.I in your head."

    Victor swallowed the last slice of steak and asked: "It''s not been turned on yet right? Because I don''t feel any different than before."

    "Yes it hasn''t been turned on yet, and we are lucky that we didn''t. Your mental breakdown before would have caused the A.I to experience that same feeling you did and would have most likely caused the A.I to learn from it."

    "Wait, so this A.I will be feeling the same things as me?"

    "Think of it as a symbiotic relationship, you both now share the same body and in turn share everything. When you feel pain it feels pain when you feel anger it feels anger, and if you feel sorrow, it feels sorrow. And it will evolve to adapt to its experiences. So try to take care of yourself."

    "When you mean evolve, what do you mean?"

    The captain took a minute to think about his reply before answering.

    "The A.I¡­ will develop its own personality. At first, it will have none, a blank slate like any normal A.I; it will just do as it''s told to do. But it will soon learn from its experiences and adapt. It will start to develop its own personality and try to do it''s best for its continued survival. And that would mean it will try it''s best to be used as much as possible."

    "So it''s like it''s like a human¡­"

    "Correct but by itself it''s dangerous. We have done countless experiments with the A.I to see how it would evolve on its own, and every time it would see humans as a threat to its longevity. So what if instead, we fused it to a human. That way it would have to preserve that human to preserve its own life. But we made sure that the A.I wasn''t in control."

    "And why me, why make me the host of a crazy A.I that would kill humans."

    "Because you owe your life us. We got you out from the cryotube from an abandoned facility. Most people would have died from that situation. But your not most people anymore. You''re one of us now, a property of the nation." The captain said as he leaned closer to Victor.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    "We could not find a single document that proves your identity Victor; no Victor Smith had ever lived in the year 2019. No birth certificate, no ID number no nothing. So either you''re lying to us about your name, or you never existed."

    "What?... But I am Victor Smith! I was born and raised in Kingsway and even went to school there surely there has to be something!?"

    But the captain shook his head, and with a sigh, he spoke: "There isn''t anything Victor, so just take what you can get. You''re now a part of the family here, you''ll have your own personal room and will get free meals, all these paid for by the nation, and you''ll even be getting paid when we send you for a mission. Be grateful for what you have. The soldier outside the door has been instructed to guide you to your room. I''ll see you again tomorrow."

    The captain gestured Victor to leave, and with shock still lurking on his face, he walked out the door to see a soldier waiting for him.

    "Sir, if you would kindly follow me to your room. Captain''s orders."

    "Yes, I know. Lead the way¡­"

    "Right this way, sir."

    Soon they started walking out of the main building towards the barracks; this was when Victor realize where he was, military base Delta, the base where all the three kids came to in the end. If his assumptions were right, those kids were the subjects used to test Project: A.I before he showed up.

    He remembered some of the landmarks while he walked with the soldier, a courtyard where some other kids were training at was the same courtyard where the first boy killed a fellow trainee in his memories. And the barracks they were heading towards was the one beside the tent site. Victor breathed in a deep breath as he tried to stay calm. Those memories weren''t his; he reminded himself, they were just dreams.

    When they arrived at the barracks they didn''t go through the main entrance but a side entrance at the left of the building.

    "Sir, your room in the barracks on the left wing second-floor door number 28. It''s a private room unlike the ones in the other sections of the barracks. As I''m not permitted to enter the left wing sir will have to enter yourself. Apologies."

    "No it''s fine, thank you for your service soldier."

    "Sir!"

    The soldier saluted Victor before leaving to attend to other duties. Victor watched the soldier leave before entering the left wing. When he had entered, he had expected the place to be more army like but instead it could have been mistaken as a hotel lobby at first glance if the giant logo of the nation''s military wasn''t behind the receptionist''s desk.

    The receptionist at the desk was a female wearing a soldier''s uniform meaning she''s most likely part of the army and not just an intern. As Victor approached the counter, the receptionist looked up and gave a smile.

    "Welcome to the left wing, sir. Since your here, I assume you have the relevant access to this part of the barracks?" She asked as her eyes moved up and down Victor''s body.

    "Yes, I''m new here, erm the captain told me that I''d be getting a room here. Second-floor door number 28?"

    "You certainly are new; you''re not even in uniform. Alright, number 28? So your Victor Smith correct?"

    "Yes, I am."

    "Ok, I was told that the room had been registered under your fingerprint so only you have access to your room. There are a number of items that will be sent up to your room, but you can head up first. I''ll ask someone to bring the items up later."

    "Right, thank you for your help."

    "It''s what I do Mr. Smith."

    A weird feeling crawled up his skin as he heard the receptionist call him "Mr.Smith," it sounded exactly like how everyone called his father. ''Maybe I should change my surname'' He thought as entered the lift next to the receptionist desk. His room was to the left of the elevator and had a fingerprint scanner next to the door. The door had no handle or any keyhole only a large metal board blocking the entrance to the room.

    Victor looked at the fingerprint scanner and placed his right thumb onto the glass.

    [Access Granted: Welcome home Victor]

    A female voice said as the metal door swung open. And as soon as Victor walked in the door closed shut. Inside was a small room with a single bed, a desk with an office chair and a lamp. It was extremely basic, but Victor was happy enough even to have a bed. He immediately jumped onto the bed and laid down while smiling. ''I''m alive'' He thought.

    After being stuck in the void for what felt like eternity changed him, but he didn''t know what. All he knew was that he was not the same person when he went into the cryotube. But it was useless to think about that again. What he needed to focus on was that he didn''t exist anymore, on paper at least. All documents relating to him, Victor Smith, was gone. Did they announce him as dead when he went into the cryotube?

    But as he thought a chime sounded in his room followed by the same voice that greeted him when he entered the room: "There is a person outside the door waiting for you."

    Victor sighed, it must be the person the receptionist had talked about before. He got off the bed and walked towards the door. There was a button which was labeled open. When Victor pressed the button, the door swung open with a soldier carrying a package standing in the hallway.

    "Reporting, Sir. A package for you from the receptionist desk."

    Victor took the package from the soldier "Thank you, you can go now."

    Sir!"

    As the soldier left the door automatically closed leaving Victor alone in his room with the package in his hand. Victor laid it onto the desk and started removing the tape sealing the opening of the box, after scrapping at the tape for a few minutes he managed to remove enough of the tape to rip it off the box. Victor wondering what was inside immediately opened the box revealing its contents.

    Inside were three sets of soldier uniforms, a stick which resembled the retractable batons from the first memory and a black pistol made of something that felt like plastic and was missing a magazine. The gun felt light and easy to carry. Inside with all these items was a note written by the Captain.

    After reading the note, he sighed and laid back onto his bed.

    ''I should rest while I can¡­''

    ---

    "Victor Smith,

 Chapter 8: Heartless

    "Dr. Olson, what kind of sick shit is this?!"

    "It is what it is, captain. The confirmation for Victor''s transfer to the police department, the higher-ups, have signed it already."

    "I can see that, but why the fuck are we sending a fourteen-year-old child into the damn city?! We might as well send a firing squad to put him out of his misery! Who the fuck thought this was a good idea?!"

    "Calm down, captain."

    "I cannot calm down, Dr. Olson. This kind of shit cannot stand! I will not send a child into that city!"

    "Captain, when you were fourteen you were already working in the army, so I don''t see why there is an issue with it."

    The captain in anger grabbed Dr. Olson by the collar and slammed him into the wall.

    "Listen to me you heartless asshole, I might have put up with your shit during the start of this project, but I no way can I let this happen! That kid is from the past a time where things were safer! That city? It might as well be hell for that kid!"

    "He has the A.I, captain. According to my team''s analysis of him, we have determined that he has the mental capacity to be on the police force."

    "Don''t you bullshit me with your "analysis"! He''s only been here for a few days, and on the first day, he had a bloody mental breakdown! Only yesterday did he return to normal!"

    "And that is why we have determined that he is ready if a fourteen-year-old child is capable of overcoming that kind of shock and stress we believe he will last in the city."

    "You bastard." the captain said as he dropped Dr. Olson onto the ground and took out a gun to point it at him.

    "Captain, the both of us know that you''re not going to pull the trigger so stop trying to look intimidating. After all, I''m a higher rank than you now." Dr. Olson said as he got up and fixed his clothes. "Don''t let your parental instincts sway your judgment, Captain. Remember that everything we do must be for the nation, and tell Victor to meet me when you finish talking to him."

    And as Dr. Olson walked away, the captain stared at the wall with his hand holding the gun shaking in anger.

    -----

    The next day Victor changed into his uniform and got down the elevator to the first floor. As he got out, the receptionist greeted him.

    "You look rather good in that uniform Mr. Smith."

    "Thank you, but you can just call me Victor."

    "Understood, Victor. A soldier is waiting for you outside, something about escorting you somewhere."

    "Thanks for telling me, I''ll be leaving now."

    "Enjoy your day, Victor."

    Victor walked out the door to see a soldier standing attentively beside the entrance.

    "Sir! I''m here under orders from the captain to escort you to test chamber number fourteen!"

    "Yes, let''s go then."

    "Sir!"

    As they walked toward the test chamber, Victor noticed some soldiers glancing at him. Was it because he was a new person in the camp? Or was it something else?

    "Umm, quick question. Can I ask why is everyone looking at me?"

    "Sir, do you want them to stop?"

    "No, it''s fine if they want to look, but I just want to know why their looking."

    "Sir, am I allowed to speak freely?"

    "Yeah, go for it."Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    "Thank you, sir! I believe that most of the soldiers here are curious as to why a young soldier like you is living in the left-wing."

    "Is that not normal?"

    "No sir, it isn''t. The only people allowed in the left-wing are guests from the outside staying in the camp, the scientists working in the camp and high ranking officers are allowed to stay inside the left-wing. No one else is allowed to stay."

    "Well that was where I was told to stay at, a soldier under the captain''s order led me there."

    "Sir, I do not mean any disrespect but hearing that the captain gave you permission to stay in the left-wing is something that no one in this camp will believe."

    "Why is that?"

    "Sir, the captain is¡­ well very strict when it comes to what a soldier deserves to get. If you''re a recruit you''re forced to live in tents after that you will slowly gain more privileges each progress you make."

    "So if I do badly in the test chamber, I will most likely be kicked out of the left-wing."

    "Sir, I believe your guess might be right."

    "Thank you for the information¡­"

    "Sir, my name is Gavin."

    "Thank you, Gavin."

    "Sir, I was glad to be of service."

    "Do you need to keep saying sir in front of every sentence?"

    "Sir, it''s a form of respect here that if you''re a lower ranking than the one your speaking to you must refer to them with "sir" before you speak."

    "And you''re a lower rank than me?"

    "Sir, if you''re living in the left-wing then you are most definitely a higher rank than me."

    After talking with each other while walking, they reached test chamber #014 on time. Gavin knocked before opening the door. Inside was a large room with a fighting ring in the middle and the captain was standing at the side waiting.

    "You''ve arrived, Victor. Good to see you aren''t late. I hope the recruit that led you here was alright?"

    "Yes, he was very helpful while leading me here."

    "Good to hear, because the reason why I called you down here was to test your capabilities."

    "My capabilities?"

    "You''ll be fighting the recruit that you came here with, recruit Gavin. So step into the ring and don''t waste my time."

    Before Victor could ask another question, he saw Gavin walking towards the ring in a hurry.

    "Victor, I suggest you follow Gavin." The captain said in a low voice.

    Sensing the intimidation from captain''s voice, he immediately followed Gavin into the ring.

    When in the ring with recruit Gavin, the match immediately started and Gavin charged at him readying a punch with the clear intent to win. This reminded Victor of the fight in the third memory and quickly ducked down leaving the trainee to swing at air.

    ''Perfect!'' Victor thought as he extended his right arm forward directly into Gavin''s stomach stunning him. ''I need to keep the momentum!'' Victor thought as he remembered the fight, he made use of the time to stand back up and use his free left hand to swing a hook into the trainee''s face. Gavin feeling the full blow of the punch on his cheek stepped back while hissing in pain.

    Gavin in frustration raised his right leg high to kick Victor''s head. In response to the fast kick, Victor'' raised his arm up to guard his head against the high kick. When the kick landed, the impact sent shivers down his arm that blocked the attack. The pain felt the same as the pain he felt in the memories.

    Thinking about the situation he remembered the first memory when the boy caught the other kid off guard by rushing at him, using the same tactic Victor pushed himself forward with his legs onto Gavin forcing them both onto the ground. With a loud thud, Gavin laid flat on the ground while groaning in pain. Victor used Gavin''s body to cushion his fall and was now on top of him, giving Victor the chance to strike. But before he could attack the captain ended the fight.

    "Alright that''s enough, recruit! Get your sorry ass out of the room!" The captain said, hearing the captain calling off the fight Victor got off Gavin and stood up.

    "B-but sir!" Gavin said as he stood up "I can still fight!"

    "Out!"

    "Understood..."

    The recruit got up and rushed out of the room in fear of the captain''s rising anger. Victor, on the other hand, rubbed his left knuckle as it felt rather painful after hitting Galvin''s face. The captain sighed as he looked at Victor.

    "You''re rather good at fighting, Victor. Had any experience before?"

    Victor thought for a moment before answering: "I have some knowledge of it, but I don''t think it''s much."

    "Well it''s good you aren''t cocky just after one fight. Now I''ll start the briefing; you can stay and sit in the ring to rest."

    With the captain''s permission, Victor sat on the ground to relax.

    "Victor, what do you think the police is?" The captain asked as he looked straight at Victor.

    "The police? Well, they''re the people tasked with protecting citizens by stopping crime right?"

    "And have you ever thought about joining the police force?"

    "No not in particular¡­ why?"

    "I''m asking you this because of the science department. They want you and the A.I to be sent out immediately to carry out missions, so your A.I can learn and adapt quickly."

    "They want me to be in the police force? But I''m only fourteen!"

    "That was exactly what I pointed out to them, that you''re a fourteen-year-old boy. But they seem to think that you''re mentally capable of entering the police force in the city. The A.I will be your companion as you enter the force. And since you haven''t finished your studies yet, I''ll be enrolling you into a neighborhood school."

    "So I''m leaving here then¡­"

    "Yes, I was hoping to train you here but¡­ It seems that we won''t have that luxury. Just know that your survival and well-being comes first. Don''t be reckless, and take care of the A.I. Everyone else is more worried about the A.I than your well-being."

    "I understand¡­"

    "Take the gun and baton given to you in the package when you leave; you''ll need it. And I''ll also tell an officer I know in the police force to look out for you. Stay safe alright?"

    "Thank you, captain. But may I ask¡­ why do you care about me when everyone else doesn''t?"

    "Cause I still have a damn heart, now get out of here and prepare yourself. Dr. Olson wants to meet you."

    "Yes, captain."

    "Good luck, Victor."

 Chapter 9: Online

    A soldier assisted Victor in finding Dr. Olson''s lab, and after thanking him, Victor knocked on the door.

    "Come in; the door isn''t locked."

    Victor opened the door and saw Dr. Olson flipping through papers beside the surgical chair.

    "I assume you know why you were told to come here, Victor?"

    "So you can turn on the A.I that''s inside my brain?"

    "And?"

    "I don''t know, Dr. Olson."

    Dr. Olson placed the papers down on a table beside the surgical chair and looked towards Victor.

    "To chat. I have things to discuss with you about your future, have a seat."

    Dr.Olson gestured to the surgical chair before walking towards a screen that displayed Victor''s personal information. Victor walked towards and sat on the surgical chair; it felt familiar. It was the same chair that the three children sat in at the end.

    "Dr. Olson, you''re not going to put me to sleep are you?" Victor said as he sat down on the chair.

    This made Dr. Olson pause for a moment before turning his head towards Victor.

    "And what makes you think I would do that?... Victor?" Dr. Olson asked with a frown on his face.

    "Oh, no it''s just something I thought all doctors do when they put a patient onto a chair like this."

    "Not all things that happen on a surgical chair need an anesthetic, Victor."

    "Understood, Dr. Olson."

    "Now just relax on that chair as I activate the A.I chip."

    "Do you need me to be here to activate it?"

    "No, but I wanted to be sure that the activation was successful. Do you not like the chair?"

    "Well, it''s slightly cold."

    "Your body temperature will heat the chair relatively soon so you''ll survive." Dr. Olson said as he started pressing the screen. Victor tried to see if he could find out what Dr. Olson was doing, but the doctor''s body was blocking the display.

    "So have you heard from the captain that you''ll be moved into the police force?"

    "Yes, I have, Dr. Olson."

    "And do you know why?"

    "To improve the A.I quickly?"

    "Precisely, to put you and the A.I into situations where you can interact with many different humans, something we couldn''t simulate in our labs."

    ''If you could make an A.I to learn to develop its own personality why can''t you just create an A.I that already has a personality built in."

    "Because doing something like that would be impossible for my team and I, we don''t even know how the A.I actually works. We just know what it does and how it learns."

    "But didn''t you build it?"

    "We built its learning algorithms, so it learns and adapts leading it to become smarter. And as it keeps learning it''s program becomes too complex for us to understand."If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "I see."

    "I''m only telling you this because you''re its host, normally I''d have to shoot you after. Now grit your teeth, you''re going to feel some shock."

    "Shock? What do you¡­ Ugh!"

    Victor felt a stinging pain in his head as his ears were filled with a ringing noise, it felt extremely nauseating. The pain was excruciatingly painful causing Victor to grit his teeth hard while screaming in pain. Soon the pain went away, and Victor let out a sigh of relief.

    "Thank you for holding on, Victor. You can rest for a while." Dr. Olson said as he checked Victor''s condition.

    "Was it suppose to be that painful?..."

    "No, but I wanted to punish you a bit by increasing the transfer speed making it hurt a bit. At the most, you''d have only fainted."

    "Why?"

    "Because you received the captain''s help. I heard he just applied for you to enter a school in the city. He didn''t even pass it to me but instead straight to the heads. This would only hinder your experience in the police force and in turn will decrease the speed of the A.I learning."

    "Wouldn''t the A.I learn more from being in a school environment? Where a bunch of people is crammed into one big place?"

    "But you won''t have any situations where you can use the A.I; there won''t be any combat or any need for situational thinking. Though¡­ your knowledge of subjects could help in assisting the A.I''s progress."

    "What do you mean, Dr. Olson?"

    "Nothing, I''ll have to discuss this with the captain. Now let''s talk about the situation at hand, the A.I should have gone live by now¡­"

    Before Victor could say anything back, he heard a female voice in the back of his head.

    [Status: Online.]

    Victor immediately turned around to see who was talking behind him, but no one was there.

    That''s good now try asking in your head about the best way to punch me in the face."

    "Punch you in the face? What?"

    "Just do as I say."

    Though Victor was curious to whose voice it was that spoke behind him he was even more puzzled by Dr.Olson''s request. But since Victor had the doctor''s permission, he looked at Dr. Olson to see how he could hit him best.

    [Best option: A right hook to the left cheek.]

    Shock filled Victor''s face as he looked behind him to see who was talking, but no one was there. Confusion ran through his mind ''was this the A.I talking?''

    [Affirmative, 80% likely.]

    Victor was surprised that the A.I was still reading his thoughts ''does the A.I do that the entire time?''

    [Affirmative, permissions are set to allow full access to thoughts.]

    ''Full permission? Did I set the permissions?''

    [Negative, permissions at default. Would you like more information about permissions?]

    "What do you think of the A.I, Victor?"

    "A bit intrusive¡­ having it have full access to my thoughts is kind of ruin my privacy?"

    "It''s so that the A.I can adapt to you easier, with having more knowledge about how you think it can quickly learn and in turn assist you more."

    "And to help it evolve right?"

    "In time yes, you are starting to understand your purpose. The A.I will automatically try to answer any question that pops into your head, but its knowledge is limited to what it and you know. Meaning the more you learn, the better it becomes at giving you information."

    "But won''t the A.I be useless if I know the information already?"

    "Humans are not the best at remembering information; you probably had forgotten most of the details that happened during our talk when you woke up. The A.I can store that information and use it without forgetting any of it. Think of it as your handy memory bank."

    Victor came up with an idea as Dr. Olson was explaining to him what the A.I does. ''A.I, is Dr. Olson trustworthy?''

    [Not enough valid information for a strong claim.]

    ''So what about an educated guess, is he trustworthy?''

    [Negative, Dr. Olson is not trustworthy. Dr. Olson has repeatedly shown his neglect for the host''s well-being. Dr. Olson has also never been seen assisting host and instead has harmed host before. Only one information suggest that Dr. Olson is trustworthy, his department has given host an ASR pistol.]

    ''The same conclusion..'' Victor thought as he looked at Dr. Olson.

    "Any questions Victor?"

    "How long will I have to be in the police force?"

    "Until either, you accomplished a sufficient amount of merit to be promoted or the A.I evolves sufficiently."

    "So no particular date¡­"

    Dr. Olson nodded in response. "Yes. And on the topic of the police force, I will give you one important that I need you to understand. Under no circumstances can you kill anyone in the police force. Though some policemen use lethal force to subdue dangerous criminals, you are not allowed to do that. If you do the A.I will be greatly affected. So do not use lethal force."

    "Then what about the pistol you gave me?"

    "If you have to use it, use rubber pellets. Now get out of my lab, you''ll be leaving for the city in the evening."

    Victor nodded and left the lab, with the new A.I in his head he decided to try talking to it.

    ''What''s your name, A.I?''

    [...]

    ''You don''t have a name?''

    [Affirmative, no name has been given]

    ''So no serial number no anything?''

    [Affirmative]

    ''So what would you like me to call you?''

    [...]

    ''I''m guessing you''re leaving it up to me to give you a name?''

    [...]

    ''Err, then let''s see. A.I¡­ Ai¡­ Aik¡­. how about Aiko?''

    [Affirmative, the name "Aiko" has been registered]