VOCOM
(Revised)
“You are not authorized to enter this section of Kortan Laboratories. To access the authorization, press in the key code on—“
“Yeah, yeah, I know!” I growled in frustration, punching in the code of Test Room 217’s overseer on the tiny little keypad on the daunting metal door before me. Only a computer would hold me up in trying to escape this place. I was in the middle of a hack-and-run, and this damn computer wanted all these codes!
PP2-Rx34.zip. There.
“You have entered the correct code. Please enter now, and remember to follow all Kortan safety protocol—“
I ignored the computerized voice as I propelled myself underneath the auotmatic sliding door before it fully had time to lift and entered the small office-like room, passing through the cool sheet of pulsating light (which looked like blue goo) that served as a second wall of security. I headed directly to the white plaster desk, knowing exactly what I was looking for.
“Where’s the disk, where’s the disk?!” I repeated to myself, shuffling though various stacks of files and papers that belonged to my past co-worker. This was an emergency, and I didn’t have long before the others found me.
The system core I was carrying was getting too heavy to hold in one arm, so carefully, I sat it down.
A sweat was beginning to break out along my lower back and forehead. The heat from the notion of getting caught was starting to catch up with me- even though I had never really fathomed myself getting trapped by the simplistic fools that still worked here.
“Where is it?!” I wanted to yell. I seriously had to hurry. Harvey Benlark probably already knew what I was doing. This place was already half-abandoned, and I couldn’t afford to lose any more time.
“Ah!” I cried with delight as I found the proper disk, papers and functions zip drive and gathered it in my hands. This was going to help me rebuild the system core. This was the very tool that contained tremendous power that somehow went unnoticed right under Kortan's nose. Well, until it was too late, that is.
I smiled and stuffed it into my pocket, bending over to pick up old KASNA; Kortan Assistant System Neuratonic Advancer. No longer would that name be used on that old core. This core was the AI- artificial intelligence- of Kortan Neuratonic Laboratories. It was a long story about how she ended up destroyed and in my hands- and it was a story I didn’t care to reminisce on. I had a very long, insufferable and horrid past here, and it haunted me every minute.
Of course, if I had such a bad experience with this place, why would I come back? One simple answer: revenge. I was stealing KASNA and I was going to rebuild her in order to help me take revenge upon Kortan for taking away everything I ever had.
That was my purpose.
I kicked down the glass door on the other side of this pitiful jail of an office, and made my way through, the heel of my foot throbbing through my heavy, steel-toed boots. I hated such a sensation, but when you didn't have time to mess with computers and wait for them to open doors for you, you just had to make do with more barbaric means.
Never would I have to step foot in this place again. Kortan Neuratonic Labs . . . the dreaded place I wish I had never known about. Even the name sent shudders down my spine. A neuratonic was a chemical invented by Benlark- the creator and owner of Kortan that was a basic mind-controlling compound. He liked to play with puppets- and the people that worked here were exactly that.
“C’mon, KASNA,” I huffed as I heaved the computer system core up onto a ledge. It was a bit spherical- and dented thanks to me destroying it- so I had to steady it in a way that it wouldn’t roll away. It was like a giant metal ball, and also scratched, scorched, misshapen and in need of desperate repairs.
I tore at some of the rubble that was in my way- in front of the corridor I was to use, to be exact. This place was a disaster. And I hadn’t helped by blowing parts of it up. Okay, most of it.
I still couldn’t believe I had managed to get back into Kortan without being shot, get down to the remains of KASNA’s lair, pick her up and continue to make my way out. The thought of how easy this was set my caution on guard, especially with the last remaining people milling about somewhere in the depths of the labs, no doubt.
When I first destroyed a lot of Kortan due to a past fight with KASNA, a lot of test subjects made a break for it- the ones that weren’t killed for rioting anyways. It seemed like I had sparked a good deal of protest here . . . but it simply just wasn’t my concern. I still didn't quite understand why I was their cause. I wasn't the one who came up with the brilliant idea of attacking KASNA in the first place.
Which was why I ignored the distant yells, small explosions and nanosparks being fired and lifted KASNA back off the ledge. I started to make my way through a hidden corridor that only lab workers used. It was dark back here, but I knew my way around. The metal catwalk that served as the major transportation method here in Kortan clanked under my boots. These things were everywhere that cement and linoleum floors weren’t. They were also very poorly outdated, but had been held in such good condition that Benlark eventually considered the antique floors to be "valuable; like walking on diamonds!". Too bad diamonds weren't all that rare, but I wasn't going to be the one to break the news to him.
“Alright, we’re breaking free!” I screamed with elated joy as I hopped over some more rubble that consisted of giant cement chunks knocked free from explosions and saw up ahead the light of an exit door. This was the corridor that would take me to the surface- above ground and out of horrid Kortan.
Now was an awful time not to have a Trans Shooter- traversing was so much easier with one. That was its intended purpose; to make bridges of compacted light beams that could sway and move at the wielder’s desire.
My ribs were hurting from the bruise I could feel forming due to KASNA heavily pressing into my side. I hoisted her higher into my arm’s grip.
I had to get out of here. But of course, I wasn’t going to do that without their precious KASNA: their main system, their main intelligence, their very center of being and purpose at Kortan Laboratories.
I made my way through the confusing corridors after running through the exit door, headed for where I knew the main lobby of Kortan to be- the closest part to the surface of this massive, goliath, underground realm.
Once the small, narrow, dank and dark corridor opened up into a massive, immeasurable cavern of a lobby, I ran straight down the main catwalk towards the ugly red carpet of the front admission offices.
I flew past them, ignoring all the ‘WELCOME TO KORTAN NEURATONIC LABORATORIES, WHERE YOU BECOME A PART OF SCIENCE!’ banners promising false hope and commitment, as well as through the abandoned offices. Their tubeless neon holographs had burnt out long ago, yet the shadows of where each letter used to be was still dark enough to be mistaken for spraypaint.
I headed straight for that small little door at the end, the one that led up. Up to freedom.
I opened it, flew through despite KASNA’s lagging weight, and ran up the stairs as fast as I could. The stairs led up into an abandoned, archaic grocery store that served as Kortan’s disguise- that way unwanted visitors wouldn’t dare come near and other nosey authorities wouldn’t ever know about this place. That was what this place was: a giant, dirty secret.
As soon as the stairs opened into the gray, abandoned, dusty grocery store, I hurriedly made my way towards the front and to the automatic glass doors that only functioned if you hit the secret switch- another way of keeping people out.
The doors opened and I fled- cringing from the sudden light. Being outside was more dangerous than inside at that moment, especially with KASNA in plain sight in my hands.
The cracked pavement of the broken parking lot before me crumbled under my flying feet in a few spots. It was badly faded- almost a light gray from a normal asphalt color, with several bunches of vegetation growing up between the large cracks. Even an oak tree had managed to take root and grow to an immaculate size in the middle of it.
I was headed towards my poor, small car- parked inconspicuously towards the far side.
“Wait! Wait, Vera!”
I jumped at that all-too-familiar British voice. Quintley.
I reached my car and quickly kicked at the unlocked door, shoving KASNA onto the passenger seat once it torpidly slid open and then hurriedly yanked at it to make it close again. I stood in front of it protectively as I swirled around to face him. A soft click alerted me to the door having fully slid shut again.
He ran towards me, sweat clumping his red hair and dirt coating his white lab coat.
“What?!” I snapped. I didn’t have time for him.
“You can’t . . . you can’t . . . !” he stopped before me, leaning onto his knees and panting. “There is too . . . much here! You can’t . . . just bloody leave!”
“I killed Kortan, Quintley! Why else do you think I’m doing this? Because they fired me?”
“They only fired you because they knew you could control the whole bloody system if you tried!”
The lab entrance- the cleverly disguised grocery- shook and rumbled with faint, underground explosions.
“Buzz off! I’m leaving.”
“Why? Because you’ve stolen KASNA?” he looked at me dead in the eye. He looked desperate for me to stay here, and once more I wondered whose side he was really on. He had betrayed me twice, and now that he knew I had KASNA, I wondered if he’d do it again. It was only because he was a bit of a ditz at times, but no more of a clumsy moron than a brain-dead monkey.
“You have to stay, Vera! This is your fight! You can’t afford to leave now! I can’t afford for you to leave!” he continued.
“You should have thought of that before you tried to kill me!” I screamed, angrily making my way to the other side of the car. He chased after me, to my high annoyance.
“Vera, wait.”
I slapped my hand onto the recognition pad on the door and hopped in after it slid open, pulling it shut behind me. I had left the window down and was now regretting it. I punched the ignition button and started the engine with stark determination. I had to leave, dammit!
“Vera, I take it back! Y’knew I was losing my mind- I had no control over myself—and you were the one that put my access code into KASNA’s core!” even now his thick accent never failed to intrigue me, especially with his queer manner of talk.
“It was an accident, dammit!” I growled. “You told me to trust you when KASNA went haywire. Now look where we are!”
He shook his head, his ginger mop of hair flopping side to side. He pinched the bridge of his nose, pushing his dark-blue-rimmed, rectangular glasses up a bit. He knew he was losing this battle.
“I helped you through the testing. I helped you escape twice- three times now!” he pushed his glasses back into place and scowled down at me in frustration.
“You won’t stop me, Quintley. And I don't see how this is helping me. If anything, you're wasting my time!”
“I never said I was!" As usual, he ignored my jabs. "You have to come back. Take KASNA somewhere safe and come back!”
I ignored his pleas as I sped off down the dirt road that snaked through the seemingly endless, grassy plains. This place was basically in the middle of nowhere—and unfortunately, I lived just on the outskirts of it.
I was leaving Kortan Laboratories behind for good, and I was never coming back.