I awoke to a rapping sound on my door, finding myself on the stony floor of my dorm. I was fully dressed for the day at the time of my awakening, which I found was awfully strange. "Genesys! Wake up!" came a voice from outside.
I immediately recognized the voice to be V's. "Oh, gosh," I said, straightening myself up in the hopes of presenting myself well to her. I slid open the door, saying, "Whatever are you up to at this ho–" I gasped and froze in place. V, despite her joyous smile, had a blade protruding from the front of her body. Still smiling as though nothing was wrong, she slid off the blade as the sound of squelching oil and scraping metal filled the room. As she slumped to the ground and lay still, I found myself face-to-face with N. Well... sort of.
His white metal features had discolored, taking on a grayish tone. His grin revealed a set of pearly... yellows. His clothing was tattered and ruined, and it was colored in a darkened, even more blackish hue than its original grey color. His hair, which had grayed akin to an elderly human's, was unkempt, with a pair of strands hanging in front of his face, giving him the appearance of an unhinged psychopath. He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was some sort of foreign tongue in a voice that didn't even sound like his own.
In the face of this horrifying sight, only one thing proceeded from my mouth: "Not again."
The ghastly N howled like a wounded werewolf, leaping upon me and seizing upon my neck with his sickly fangs. Just as he ripped out a portion of my throat, I jolted awake in a cold sweat. Wiping my face, I breathed out, hoping these nightmares wouldn't become a routine occurrence.
Later That Morning...
The Low Eyes Party's rooming situation wasn't fully situated until well into the next morning when school was already starting. As I walked through the halls, I beheld the commute had accrued a great deal more hustle and bustle with the sudden jump in population. Bearing this in mind, I couldn't help but wonder what the situation would be like in the classrooms. As I looked around, taking in the multitude of fresh faces, I heard a voice from behind me say, "Hey, Gen!"
I spun around and saw Thad beaming at me in all his reverse-baseball cap glory. Something about the man always made me grin. I can't tell you what it is he has up his sleeve that caused me to feel such a way – he just always bore this positive energy that was more contagious than the flu. "Yo, my man, what's up?" I said, matching his charisma as I fist-bumped him.
"Nothin' much, just chillin'," he responded. "Hey, I heard about what you did, man!"
"Oh, well, it was nothing," I responded.
"No need to be humble, man!" said Thad. "I mean, you beat a Disassembly Drone, from what I heard!"
"Er... not really," I corrected him. "I took one one, but Low Eyes did the killing blow to both of them."
"Low Eyes? Who's that?" he said, puzzled.
"Mister Toner!"
Without warning, the hallway parted as quickly as the Red Sea. I found myself staring at the object of our conversation, who had a grin on his face that I wasn't too fond of. "That's Low Eyes," I whispered to Thad. "What's up?" I called out to Low Eyes.
"If you don't mind, Mister Toner, I'd like you to come with me. We need to chat with our captive," he said, walking toward me and taking me by the shoulder.
I shivered at his touch. The man was beginning to genuinely creep me out. "Uh... but my schoolwork–"
"Is of little consequence," Low Eyes interrupted. "Walk with me."
I said nothing more to this and opted to follow him. As we departed, the students resumed their chaotic commute, talking about everything and nothing.
"At this point, you may be pondering the topic we will be conversing about with the Murder Drone," said Low Eyes.
I said nothing.
"Despite my best efforts, the endeavors of JC Jenson® are relatively undefined by the Low Eyes Party and, as my investigations have uncovered, the bunker residents. To know of their plans would make our fight against those tyrants all the less difficult. Do you understand my manner of speech?" he said, giving me a side-eye that gave me chills.
"U-uh, yes," I said.
"Good, good," said Low Eyes. "Then there is nothing more to be discussed save it be the topic of your dear friend, the Murder Drone."
"I beg your pardon?" I said.
"I wished to inquire of you your feelings about her. Since you are better acquainted with her and her carnal desires," said Low Eyes, "I feel you could tell me more about her. Now, just how violent has she been toward you?"
"Er... not at all," I said.
"Oh, come now," said Low Eyes, grinning at me. "Surely you can see that look she always has in her eyes. Envision her in your mind's eye and tell me what you see."
I complied and thought about V's face for a moment. Does she have a killer's look in her eyes? I thought. Am I being too trusting of her? However, I quickly shooed away these thoughts. She fought alongside me! There should be no question of her loyalty to this cause. As such, I owed a great deal to her as a partner in battle... and hopefully in roma–
"Just as I thought. You've sacrificed your own dignity to this woman, haven't you?" said Low Eyes, snapping me from my thoughts.
"Eh? Wait, what's that supposed to mean?!" I said, getting flustered as my mind went to the worst possible meaning.
"You know what I speak of," Low Eyes said, his eyes narrowing.
I frowned at him, beginning to lose my cool with his creepy actions. "If you're asking if I've been performing forbidden acts with her, the answer is no. We're friends, and we look out for each other because of it." Taking a breath in an attempt to regain my composure, I said, "Like I told you last night, don't worry. She's with the good guys."
Low Eyes gazed upon me unsatisfactorily. "So be it," he said, scoffing and continuing his walk in silence.
As he continued on his stroll, I exhaled and waited a moment before I resumed following him. From what I could tell, the guy had some sort of grudge against the Disassembly Drones; who wouldn't? However, I felt as though the amount of hatred he bore toward these metallic, vampiric automatons far exceeded the amount of contempt borne by an average Worker.
Speaking of vampiric automatons, as I continued on our journey to the classroom where N was restrained, I thought back to my conversation with V the previous night. I wasn't sure how long it had been since V had partaken of oil, and I knew not how long she could last without it. Reflecting on my promise to sacrifice my comfort for her, I let out my breath, wondering just how painful it was to have your own life force drained from you and thinking about just how much pain – both immediate and long-term – I had agreed to after saying those words.
Come to think of it, I couldn't help but wonder what V was up to at the moment. Perhaps she was still in bed, dreaming about some sort of rainbow land where lollipops and suckers could be found wherever you turned. Maybe she had snuck out of the bunker by now and was out hunting for food. Who knew?
"We... are here."
Snapping out of my daydream, I uttered a singular, "Wha?" as I reoriented myself. I was now standing in front of a pair of Low Eyes Party members and a singular bunker member. Behind them was a sliding steel door with too many sliding locks of different shapes and sizes to count, each of which had been hastily added overnight judging by how uneven they were (I think I even recognized a couple were stolen from the stall doors in our waste extraction rooms). I suppose that even with all his door fanaticism, Khan couldn't amass enough materials to make a door that could rival that of the three doors at the entrance. "Oh, alright," I said, taking in the scene.
Without waiting for Low Eyes' command, the Low Eyes Party members began to unlock the door. Not even looking at me, Low Eyes said to me, "Let me ask the questions. You are solely here to observe."
"Uh... okay," I responded, perfectly happy not to have to speak to the man who very nearly took my life the previous night.
At last, the door was completely unlocked. Low Eyes opened the door, revealing N, who had been wrapped in chains that were bolted to the ground. He was seated in a desk whose surface he was fixated on. Walking in, Low Eyes sat down at a desk facing the one N was bound to. I followed in after him, as did the three other Worker Drones who had been standing guard outside.
Low Eyes set his swords on the table and interlocked his fingers in a very businesslike manner as he cleared his throat. "Good morning, Serial Designation N," Low Eyes said. "Do you remember me?"
N said nothing. The room was silent save for his breathing, which was rather raspy.
"My name is Low Eyes, N," Low Eyes continued as he put on his winning smile, which almost fooled even me... until I remembered he and I weren't exactly on the brightest terms. "I know I ran you through with my sword, N, which I'm sure was painful in every sense of the word, but I will give you a deal. In exchange for your forgiveness and satisfactory responses to a handful of simple questions, I will let you go free. Do you accept these terms?"
A beat passed in silence. I glanced at the Low Eyes members at my side, both of whom were brandishing some sort of rifle in their hands resembling AK-47s... or something of that sort I'd seen in a Human Studies textbook somewhere. The two of them looked upon the murderer with expressions similar to grizzled war veterans, scarred yet unafraid of this vitriolic, violent being. Meanwhile, the bunker dweller, tightly gripping a metal pipe, had a digitized bead of sweat dripping down his visor's screen as he put on a failing expression of courage in the face of the bestial hunter.
Suddenly, N began to chuckle. "Biscuits, I thought you were smarter than that. Turns out you're just some guy who was lucky enough to be coincidentally right behind me," he said menacingly, finally looking up and making eye contact with his interrogator. As he did so, his eyes were replaced with the words, "PinkForest.exe: true".
Low Eyes' smile disappeared in a flash as he quickly seized his swords from the desk. I found myself stepping back along with the other two Low Eyes Party members. In his bravado, however, the bunker resident marched forward with his metal pipe and swung as though the entire fate of the universe depended on it.
It was a good thing that wasn't the case, because N burst from his bonds as though they were flaxen cords, grabbing the pipe mid-swing. He stood tall over the man, his maw gaping as saliva dripped from his mouth onto the poor soul's face. "I'd love nothing more than to feast on your insides, but I believe the Original Sin wants a go at this measly ragtag bunch of sobbing children," he said. In that moment, he began to emit a low rumbling sound from his mouth that sounded akin to a Dragon Orb X character gathering his strength.
At this moment, I reached for my sword only to realize I had never brought it with me in the first place. As I stood there unsure of what to do, N's growling became more of diabolical, distorted laughter; to make matters worse, a sort of rhythmic beeping began to echo through the room, starting at a low pitch and tempo but gradually increasing over time, sending my anxiety far past comfortable levels. In the midst of this all, Low Eyes hollered over N's voice, "And now, for my next impression: Jesse Owens!" before darting out of the room with his men following him. Deciding it would be best to follow him, I sprinted out of the classroom before closing the door and trying to seal the locks on my own.
Without warning, the inside of the classroom... exploded. I found myself being thrown straight backward into the direction of the path I had taken to get there along with Low Eyes. Discombobulated, I got up and supported my wounded head only to wince upon touching it. I was bleeding – horribly. Getting up and looking around, I encountered a strange sight: through the smoke and dust, I saw the silhouette of N stumbling out of the doorway, heaving slow, contrived breaths as he latched onto the doorway for support.
I knew not what to make of the situation. There was no way he had survived that blast unless it wasn't an ordinary one – whatever that meant. Besides, N had said something about some "Original Sin" figure, so I had no reason to believe this man was in a better state of mind than I was. Believing it was better for me to pull back and rethink the situation, I began to slowly crawl away without making any noise.
"GoINg SomEwHErE?"
I froze. I knew for a fact that the feminine, TTS-like voice was not the voice of any bunker resident I had ever heard in my life. "A-are you okay?" I asked, seeing as how there was no shame in asking such a question now that whomever I was speaking to knew I was there.
"oH... nEveR bEtTEr, tHanK yOU FOr aSkINg," said the voice, walking toward me and coming into view. My mouth dropped open as I saw it was N's body – the same one I had seen in my dream. "PLeaSe eXcUSe My ApPeaRAnCe," said N with the same feminine voice he had been using. "I kNoW I aM oH-So-UNsIgHTlY, bUt ReST aSsUReD tHaT MY TrUe FoRm iS MucH mORe BeAuTIfUl."
"Who are you and what do you want from me?" I asked frantically. "Are you the one giving me those dreams?"
"WERe YOu nOt PAyIng AttEnTiON tO WhAT mY vESseL SaID?" said the being. "I aM–" suddenly, her voice turned into a pre-recorded yet distorted message of N from moments earlier "–the Original Sin." Returning to their normal (if you could even call it that) voice, the Original Sin continued: "I cOnGRaTuLAtE yOU fOr YoUR BrAVeRy, GeNEsYS tONEr, bUt iF YoU ConTiNuE tO StANd AgaInST mE, tHeN I sHaLl NoT sPaRE yoUr fRiENdS WhEn I MaKE ThIs WoRld aNd AlL iTs InHabItANtS bEAutIFuL LikE mYsElf. I eSpECiAlLy ProMIsE tO TaKE eXtrA TiMe WiTh tHe oNE YoU lOvE mOSt... YOu WouLDn'T wAnT tHAt, WoUlD YOu?"
I shuddered in my black-and-maroon Marathon® shoes. "Why bother tell me all this? Why not just destroy us now?" I said.
"tHIs Is bUt a FrActIoN Of mY PowEr! AlL i nEeD tO BeAt YoU aNd YouR fRieNdS INto mErE AtoMs iS ThiS SiNgUlAr vESseL i NoW CoMmaNd!" boasted the Original Sin, scaring me with her voice's sudden increase in intensity.
At this point, the Original Sin proceeded to walk back into the classroom she had just left. I got up hastily, moving a little too fast but pushing through it as I limped to where I could still see her. As it turns out, the poor Worker Drone had left nothing but a black smear on the wall in the wake of the blast, yet the rest of the classroom was in perfect shape. "Hey," I called after her.
"HmMm?" the Original Sin said whimsically, turning back to face me.
"You never answered my third question," I said, starting to lose focus. "Are you making me have those dreams?"
"...DrEaMS? WhaT DrEAmS?!" said the Original Sin, laughing maniacally with both N's and her own voice as she spread her wings and launched into the air, breaking through the vent and departing for the surface. "SuRrENdEr, bEfOrE iT's ToOoOOo LAaAAaaTe!" the voices both yelled in unison as they cackled, leaving me to my own thoughts as my weariness finally overtook my faculties.
Many Hours Later...
I awoke in the infirmary to the sound of low voices clamoring around me. The moment I regained consciousness, I wish I hadn't; the dissonant shouting of twenty or so people – most of whom I didn't know too well – was getting to me. Thankfully, Uzi was able to put it to rest, pushing out everyone except for herself, Lizzy, and Thad. "Thanks so much," I said, laying back down on my pillow.
"Are you alright?" Uzi said to me as she locked the door from the inside and walked back over to my hospital bed.
"I think that's a question for the nurses, not for me," I cracked in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Yeah, I think I'll be fine. No worries... I think."
"You think?" said Lizzy.
I huffed a sigh. "I heard some stuff in that room. And I'm pretty sure I know what JC Jenson® wants to do with us," I answered.
"Well, what do they want?" said Thad.
"Apparently... They want to make us look like someone. Something about some 'Original Sin,'" I said.
A fierce rapping came from the door. Through the window, I saw Low Eyes, his posse, and V. "Let 'em in," I said. "They ought to know, especially V."
After letting them in and running through introductions, I explained to them what had happened in full. Upon finishing, Low Eyes said, "I see. So... this 'Original Sin' wants us all to be recreated in her own image, eh? Curious..."
"Say, V, would you happen to know anything about her?" I asked.
V glanced to the ground, taking her arm uncomfortably. "Yes," she said. "I do."
"Would you mind informing us about her nature?" Low Eyes asked.
"I'm... not really sure about her, actually," said V, glancing downward. "All I can remember are flashes and glimpses into something... dark." She shifted uncomfortably at the thought of revisiting even these still shots of her past.
Low Eyes scoffed. "I should have known better than to ask a Murder Drone for help. You're all the same, each one of you: Useless and good-for-nothing," he harassed V.
V seemed horribly wounded by his words. I watched as her tail drooped like a hurt puppy's under the weight of his slander, which he continued to unleash upon her in such a horrendous manner that I wish not to remember it, let alone put it in writing.
Finally, I could bear his words no more. "Low Eyes, please take your men and leave this room," I said in an attempt to remain calm. "I'm not feeling 100% right now and would like time alone with my closest friends."
Low Eyes looked quite displeased but relented all the same. "Very well then," he said. Turning with a dramatic flourish of his poncho, Low Eyes departed with his soldiers in tow.
I turned to V with a frown, displeased with Low Eyes' misconduct. "V, I would appreciate it if at some point – not now – we could find out the entirety of what happened with the Original Sin." Adding a smile, I said, "But I won't pressure you into it. For now, let's just rest a bit, alright?"
V seemed relieved. "Okay. Thanks, Gen," she responded, smiling with tears in her eyes as she embraced me.
As I returned the gesture feeling a little red in the face, I saw Uzi silently motioning to the others that they should take their leave. When they asked why, she whispered something to them; I'm not exactly sure what she said, but I'm pretty sure the phrase she used was, "Let them cook."
Sitting there alone with V, I once again felt like world peace was small potatoes as long as I had her by my side. Eventually, she got up and said, "Okay, Gen, I guess I'd better get going. See ya," she said, waving as she began to leave.
"Oi," I said as she was departing.
"Yeah?" she said.
"I think I'm starting to like that nickname you're using," I said with a devilish grin.
"Huh? Wh-what nickname?" said V, getting slightly flustered but generally maintaining her composure.
"You know what I'm talking about," I said, grinning more than ever.
V simply giggled, showing hints of slight embarrassment as she quickly took her leave. I chuckled as the door closed behind her, happy to have the opportunity to make her blush for a change. Closing my eyes, my sleepiness took over my body as I hoped my prayer for a nightmare-free sleep session and a quick recovery from my wounds would be all I needed to stand against this new threat I had unearthed.