You couldn’t believe it. It was Pete, a friend from college. You thought you’d never see anyone from your life again after what you did.
“Dude, seriously what are you doing?”
He sounds mocking. It’s not very kind of him not to at least say hello. Even after what you did, after leaving everyone behind and work here in this dump for your last resort, your maybe chance to do things over or different, to flee from your rotten life which you so hate you think if someone decides to find you and visit, saying hello is the least they could do. Pete doesn’t seem interested in your glare though. He just walks in and throws the morning paper on top of your desk, with an article towards you.
“One volunteer requested for testing a experimental project. A budget of $1000 is rewarded to the volunteer, no matter the outcome. If you’re interested, find the abandoned hangar at … ”
It’s the article you placed in the news paper to lure a test subject, a ticket out of your life. You wonder what the deal is.
“So are you here to volunteer?”
“No, idiot. I know you, you don’t have any money what so ever. I told you, you should pay people back. Then I find this, looking like you’re about to give money to a stranger. Money you need to pay your debts”
He is right about the debts, not about paying back. You worked out everything. It took you a few banks and loans, but you needed every penny to design the probes. Of course it would count as stealing, but your body is about to leave you anyway. You don’t care, and no one is going to take those debts over so there is no problem.
“Dude, leave me alone. If you’re here to wipe in my mistakes, then do that somewhere else.”
You continue make your final adjustments for the programming on your computer. Pete angrily checks out what you did to this big room in silence. Even though it was a hangar, it’s a working lab right now. It has its own generator, electronic locks, nice lightning, camera security, computers, several chemicals, a fume a nice desk and of course your projects, including the failed ones. A set of leftover pods attached to a machine clearly stands out most. Pete is looking at it for a while. Meanwhile you stare up closely to a small vile filled with a transparent liquid, almost like water, but you know they contain your utmost priority and secret project, your Nanoprobes. There are over a million in there.
You attach it to a needle and inject it on your blood stream. A computer is clearly showing the actions the probes take in your body with red dots. The program isn’t active yet though. It should speed up the process if they are already at your brain fully prepared for download, which is why you did that.
“Dude, what the hell?”
You realize Pete saw that and startle a little. If he finds out what you’re up to it could ruin everything.
“Drugs.”, you quickly reply. It’s a little suspicious lie, but you didn’t have a better idea.
“And you’re on drugs, great. So great.”
Surprised that he accepts that answer you return your eye focus to the monitor and see them as red dots traveling through vanes of your bloodstream. You take another check at the transmitters and the receivers as well as any backup protocol you made. (This has to work), you think. (I tested everything, calculated every possibility. There’s no way it can fail.) You happily look at the monitor, then back at Pete. Should you really test it on him?
Then with a startle, the door slams open. An older woman, Asian looking and about in her fourties drops in.
“Is this the place where something is tested?”
She has an Asian accent. You’re not too happy about what came in, but at least there is a volunteer. Finally an escape of life. When you were about to answer her, a man walks in, also Asian looking.
“No! You will not be the volunteer. I will take your place.”, he says to the woman.
Suddenly they start arguing in Japanese. Then two kids walk in. A moment later a western looking modern business woman with shades walks in as well. Followed by a tinned guy, who looks like a skateboarder. Several other people come in as well, most of them speaking languages you don’t understand at all. Worried you quickly switch the screen to cam view outside. A tourist bus is parked in front of the building and there are several cars. There’s a whole crowd coming this way.
“Crap.”, you say accidentally out loud. You know why they are here. You were so busy with it and afraid no one would come you added a little message to your advertisement. You can tell they all hold the newspaper. They’re here, not for you but for the reward.
Suddenly everything becomes really noisy and crowded. People asks all sorts of things to you about what is going on, what the plan is and who you’d pick. A translator does most of the word. Eventually you told everyone you’d only going to pick one, and then some Japanese guys figured out a way for you to decide it.
A moment later, your white board is borrowed. All your calculations are erased, well not that you mind, you have the in the computer anyway and somewhere in your journal, instead they made this sort of tournament board with people their names on it. Everyone is taking even more space now, as they are all competing with each other, all sorts of one on one games, such as card games and chess.
(How the heck did this happen?)
You look around. Even outside of the room there are people. All sorts of people, playing games. You wonder if they are going to camp here next or something.
You do several calculations on your computer. Probes are the only thing that count in your mind right now after all. They don’t need a medium. You made them so they can literally fly towards the target. Although that takes a while due to them being so small, it is also the reason. They shouldn’t even be able to notice them if they are out in the air. The only problem is wind. First you planned to let the computer shut down the air filtration system, so the room becomes air silent, and lock the doors. That way the probes can freely go towards the target without interruption on the fastest possible way. The problem is, if you now close the door people will start wonder why and who knows, maybe your one target is actually outside. You’re glad there isn’t too much wind today as it is almost standing still outside, but still it might take long for the probes to reach the target. Long enough for them to move. Though as long as they are within two mile radius, the probes receive their programmed command from your station here. You guess they can’t go far on foot to avoid it, unless they take the bus or cars. It’s getting tricky.
You think of what to do and decide it may be best to choose one target now anyway since they are all so busy with this tournament, and probably argue after wards. (Stupid money wolves), you think. Good thing they are money wolves. At least you have a wide variety of selection right now.
You notice even Pete is playing, but since he is an idiot and closely similar to your old life, you think you skip him out of the selection. You also don’t really want to be too old. You’re already thirty-six. Twenty years of work goes to these probes. You still can’t believe you started it on your sixteenth, your run from life and deepening into science. You really hate it, your life, even though it was completely successful, till you were fired on age of twenty-seven due to lack in socialization. Being a scientist was boring, well… you mainly did it all to find a way to escape the life you were in. You left everything behind, your family first, later your friends and even your girl friend. You kindly regret that a little since you did have a good relationship with them. Still, you don’t like your life so much it was well worth it. This project became your life or way to life instead. It better work, it should work. You trust it works and it will.
You want to have a fair life, a different life instead. You have so many people to be jealous on. Even these tourists and money wolves seem to have a better life. You quickly make a nice walk through the selection and made a decision.
(I’ll become you.)
You make your final changes and set the targeting system to the programming. You hide yourself behind one of your failed projects, since it will probably cause you to faint and you don’t want to make a panic mess. You press the button and initiate the machines. Almost immediately you can feel something move in your head. The download must have started.
You guess it’s going to hurt a little.
-Who did you pick, what preference did you have?-
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