Rip

Recollection initiated...

Video analysis commencing in..  5...4...3...2...1...

I remember that... It was a cold day. I could spot the small snowflake bits that were visible through the Gearcraft chamber window.

Recollection interrupted...

For future reference purposes, unit is to clarify any concept that can be deemed unknown by the contemporary viewer.

Gearcraft chambers are large laboratories, where dream force is stored within standard issue 20x8x8 centimeter sized glass containers, and then compressed into a core, for an automaton. Automaton is then to be installed the core, and its work to be initiated.

Recollection reinitiated...

I looked at the snowflakes. They were...cute. They felt warm, at least to my eyes. Snow is supposed to be cold. Snow IS cold. Yet when I look at it, something makes me feel...warm, inside.

I can hear the H.A.T men talking. At least I think that's what they are. The guy with the fedora comes up to me. I cannot react in any way... He is watching. I can hear a name "Ophis". He creeps me out, his very presence is...disturbing to say the least.

He is whispering something to another man, who I can identify as "General Kyros". He seems revolted.

A transcript of their dialogue can be found within my archive as well.

Initiating transcript...

K: You can't do this to her!

O: There is no other option. She's a failed experiment all in all. We can't transport her as well. It is too costly. Besides, the operation is our best shot at trapping Lucy Smith, as you must know.

K: She is going to die! We are responsible for this...for her! We can't just blow this place up with her in it. That'd be...

O: She is a lifeless body, with hard repressed consciousness, pumped with unearthly amounts of dream force, and then fit with a bunch of Special Weapons. Which would have been a great advantage, if you know, she worked. But she doesn't.

K: She's a person! We can't just abandon a living...

O: General...she is not living.

K: I...

O: We'll discuss this later...

Transcription ended...

I feel horrible... Is this pain? I don't know... It is so confusing and... I... This must be pain! This cannot be anything else. Does that make me a human then? The fact that I can feel?

Kyros approaches me. I can see his eyes are full of sadness. His arm extends... Is he reaching out to... Then his arm stops moving towards me. The tank I am in... He's touching its glass surface right now.

He turns around, and leaves. The normal procedures begin once more. The force-type special weapon is inserted around my left shoulder. Same with the other shoulder. These stabilize the dream force injection process. The rest of the armor is inserted, and the injection tubes are inserted in its surface.

This has always been a bit of a bizarre experience to me. It always feels like its the first time. First, its the wait. If I could sweat, I'd probably have some rolling down my face.. It is terrifying...consuming...

Then there is the sensation of being "filled" with some liquid. It feels like taking a deep breath, but also much heavier. My body weights down, yet the fluids of the tank manage to keep me afloat. And then... The burning sensation. For a moment, it is as if my entire body explodes, and is consumed in fire. My veins heat up, and so do my muscles.

Beneath it all, my skeleton, the bones now transformed into a dream force empowered alloy crumbles for a moment, yet the pieces flow within the same boundaries as my bones. It is excruciatingly painful, yet I doubt anyone bothers.

Why should they...I am after all, a lifeless body, with hard repressed consciousness, pumped with unearthly amount of dream force, and then fit with a great amount of Special Weapons. Which would have been a great advantage, if you know... I worked. But I don't.

I am then, shut down, as per on course. The procedure is complete...

Recollection terminated...

Re... Recoll... Ection ini...

Video analy...

It's hot in here now. I cannot see anything, but its hot. Why can I n... compl... my senten...

My syst... are out o... tu... I canno... cope. Syncing requi...

Syncing commenced.

... ... ...

Syncing completion 20%.

My eyes ope... slowl...  I see a lot of oran... It's fire? Stra... how stran... Why is there fi.. here?

Syncing completion 44%.

The Gearcraft chamber is destroyed. I can see most of its walls and structure crumbling down. I can also see it is far bigger from what I could origi... see.  It seems my system has been dama... on... more.

I am havin... difficu... articula... for this very reaso... Cannot proce... I requ... help.

Syncing completion 81%.

I am nearing full syncing. It seems articulation problems have stopped occurring. I will soon be able to observe my surroundings completely. Wait... I feel movement. My tank is being displaced. What is... What is going on? I'm scared.

Syncing completion 100%.

Full systems synchronization achieved. Unit's mental and sensory processes can now be fully carried out. Verbal interaction is still impossible nonetheless.

Apparently, the entire place is aflame. I can see the sky has turned red. It's also night time. I walk past a massive burning pyre... The flames, dancing all around it look so beautiful. Their burning tip is twice as high up as my head.

The energy coming from these flames... Is it one of my sisters? It must be! But why did she fire at me? I do not know. I should take a look around as well.

There are soldiers, metal soldiers...automatons? No, no, they are entirely made of dream force. Summons. Four of them are holding my tank. They look very bulky, and are easily at three meters tall. There is this strange blonde woman walking in front of them, cutting a path through the ruins.

There is this cloud of nanomachines floating around her, eating any sort of obstacle, or dousing small fires in our way. They carry me out of the former Gearcraft chamber, and then into the woods.

It is dark in there... I look back, and can only see faint orange lights. I hear noises though... H.A.T standard issue military carriers. The woman hears them too. She orders the summons to move faster.  She tells them to drop me mid way, if the H.A.Ts get closer.

I am once more...alone. Abandoned. Useless. Undesired. All of those words are fitting, yet all four need to be used to properly describe my situation. Not even my would be kidnappers care about me.

I have no reason to watch this. My end will come in a matter of moments as well... Most likely. If not, then the life awaiting me is going to be just as painful and meaningless. There is no choice.

Recollection terminated.

Systems shut down.

Recollection initiated.

Video analysis commencing in.. 5...4...3...2...1...

I find myself waking up in a bizarre place. There are trees here. And its sunny. My sensors tell that it is likely summer. Meaning I have been shut down for around six months. A similar procedure is being held here apparently, to the one I underwent while in the possession of H.A.T.

I hear the word "Reality Engine". From what I can gather, it is a randomly occurring anomaly, in the Gate.

I seem to no longer be tied to the H.A.T archive A.I. I will clarify the unknown terms myself nonetheless, for the sake of analysis.

The Gate of Worlds is a base dimension on "top" of which other worlds exist. Accessing it grants travel to these worlds, as well as contact with the volatile energies present in the Gate itself.

A Reality Engine seems to be an anomaly of the Gate. It is named thus because it serves to the "engine" to a new perception of reality. The ones managing me at the moment, seem to think it can replace the need for an Absolute Power, until today, the term used to refer to certain daemon abilities, in the function or creating an Anti-Boundary weapon.

I have been equipped with the same armaments as before. Yet I... Have strange visions this once. There's me, standing in some sort of building...it looks to be a school. With people I do not know. I look smaller. I FEEL smaller in these visions.

There is this woman who smiles at me every time I leave the building. She escorts me away... Is she my dream-representations familiar? I can only assume. I do not understand these visions. Maybe it is the consciousness of the original body? Mismanagement, lack of knowledge on the original protocols may imply damage in the repression measures, explaining the visions.

I shall ignore them for now. It also appears that the scientists have no possession of said Reality Engine. They have built a compartment for it though... Around by back it seems. One of my vertebras which served to contain the data on interaction with H.A.T personnel has been emptied out, and turned into a "pocket" for the possible engine. I have data involving their findings on it uploaded as well.

But something bugs me still. Why did I wake up at this time? Did my sensors pick something up?

And as I contemplate this, I hear gunfire. The scientists shut down everything they can, and then take only the data they absolutely need. I am left there...again. What did I do wrong this once?

The base is raided, and the doors are stomped down, before H.A.T personnel run in. I see Kyros at their head. He looks around, and then, seems to approach my container. Tank... Who cares! The THING they have put me into.

He extends his hand...the same way he once did.

"Is that you? Harana? Is it...you?"-he asks, in a voice that is almost imperceptible. I wish to say yes. I wish to break free of this, and yell "YES, IT'S ME." Please understand, possible viewer. I was aching for recognition back then. I wished there was at least someone who would not leave me. Someone who would remember me... Who would care.

I needed to do something. I MUST do something. I... I cannot let this slip off... I just...can't. I must act... I must.

In my contemplation, I had failed to notice how Kyros was gawking in shock. The soldiers had gathered up around me as well, for some reason.

"Did you...see that too, General?"

Once Kyros heard the question, he contently nodded.

"Yes. Please report to General Ophis that the Autonomous Chaos Weapon Model 4 shows signs of response to outside stimuli. Feel free to note anything else you wish."

I... I did not understand. I need to know what has happened. Accessing the camera system of this building, especially considering how it is nothing but a primitive H,A.T base prototype, designed to be managed by a single system, is fairly simple for me.

Browsing through the most recent sights...zooming in... I cannot believe this!

I had...nodded? That was right when I was thinking I had to signal Kyros somehow... This... This is wonderful!

Recollection terminated.

Recollection initiated.

Video analysis commencing in.. 5...4...3...2...1...

After my last shut down... Things have gone for the worse. I was indeed taken by the H.A.T. They removed me from my tank, and inserted me in a far larger mechanical system. Carrying me via a group of standard issue carriers, they let me off...somewhere.

Once the walls of my "chariot" are blown off, I can finally see... Blackness surrounds me, and in front me, the sight of a massive, distant orb. Am I... In space?

I seem to have been made into a satellite. What surprises me though, is the fact that the system attached to me, contains a non-standard model cannon. It is...huge. And the energy sources attached to it are huge as well. This thing could wipe a City off the map with ease!

As if provoking fate with those words, a signal is sent from... I cannot tell where...

Unwillingly, I am to direct the canon towards one of the Cities, indeed. Once more, unwillingly I must... No!

No! This.. It cannot be! This... This is...

I need to fire the canon there. To... Obliterate the place. I do not wish to do this. I try to resist the urge yet... In the end, it wins me over.

The blinding red light is enough to tell me of the horrible thing I have done. Can I ever forgive myself?

But... Maybe... Maybe in the end something came out of this. People need me! They require my help, whether it is with killing thousands of innocents or... What matters is that I am finally not alone. I am needed... I...

I am just as useless as I once were. I am just as alone... And now I have just wiped off a bunch of potential future friends...

I... I am going to end this. Self destruction protocols...they must be somewhere...

Yet, this is when I notice the strange vessel heading my way. Private... The type generals use.

It lands on the main deck, and only one man landing. He moves closer, walking past the stairs and towards the core of the station...towards me.

How can he even breathe in this sort of environment? Or even walk, considering the lack of gravity, all without any suit, or proper isolation of the area?

The door opens...and I finally look upon Kyros. His gaze is scornful, and filled with regret.

Yet... I shall not leave my only friend waiting this once.

For the very first time, I hear my own voice...

"Hi, General Kyros. How are you today?"-and a smile to go with it.