PROLOGUE
25 year old Clara Johnson was a shining pupil when she attended school. If any of her teachers were asked, they have would all say she was going to go far in life. She had no family, hadn't had one since she was 10, and no next of kin. As such, she was a perfect candidate for the job.
Working in the government came with many strings and many regulations, most of which made having a life outside of work near impossible. Clara was fine with that: She was introverted, though that was not to say she was antisocial, and thrived in the closed environments provided for her work. What her work was, she couldn't say. Classified, really. She couldn't even tell you where she worked, and could barely tell you the town she lived in.
It was a standard sunny day, the air light and cool around her. She smiled. It was just nice enough to remind Clara of all the reasons she left the South behind. She ran her fingers through her hair, pulling golden brown strands into a clasp as she stepped up to a large white building. It didn't stand out from the area, covered in graffiti and littered with advertisements, and no one noticed the small woman scanning a blank key card and pushing through the double doors. The entrance looked very much like a hotel: comfortable chairs occupied either side of the walkway, each grouping surrounding a small coffee table, and a large desk was pressed against the back wall. No one occupied it – no one human, anyway.
"Good evening, Legion," she greeted with a smile as she turned and headed down an oft-overlooked hallway. The lamp decorating the desk turned on its own, facing the woman and blinking in a friendly manner that she knew was simply him scanning her for illegals.
"Miss Johnson," the VI said in its stilted, computerized voice. "Welcome back. It has been 10 hours since your last visit."
Clara kept walking, but his voice kept up with her, filtering down to her through the fluorescent lighting that lined the ceiling. As he spoke, the lights brightened. She knew he was simply doing his job and escorting her, but she did enjoy the company.
The small computer had been one of her greatest achievements – though small was perhaps an understatement. She hadn't made him herself to any degree, and she had barely had a hand in his design. All she was offered was the chance to name him, and well, what better way to name something than after her favorite character?
(She also had a dog named Loki and a stuffed penguin named Lucifer, but those remained at her house and as far away from her work as possible).
"Your presence has been requested by Doctor Talia," Legion reported as she approached the end of the hall. "She is currently in her lab."
"Thank you, Legion. I will be there momentarily," she said, offering one last useless smile at the lights before pushing through into the main body of the facility. Legion's light flickered and disappeared, no doubt returning the majority of his capabilities on the lobby, and Clara hurried down a steep set of stairs. After a few moments she came to a door guarded by a man with heavy set eyes and a deep frown permanently pressed into his face.
"Hello, Miss Johnson," the man grumbled as she scanned the card and waited for her pin to be accepted. "You're here early."
"Well, work never waits," she said with a smile. He nodded as the door slid open. "Goodbye, Reggie. I'll see you again in a few hours, no doubt."
"Keep safe," Reggie cautioned her, dark brown eyes pressing into hers. "Everyone is worked up for some reason."
Clara blinked and a sliver of excitement ran through her – was it possible that they had finally succeeded? "Thank you. I'll be on my best behavior." She winked and he chuckled before nodding her through.
The next trip was significantly shorter despite the daunting length of the hallway. As Reggie had reported, the halls were flooded with personnel running back and forth from lab to lab, jabbering on an on about something she no doubt had little clearance for. She ignored the hustle and bustle and instead pushed onward through a large white door. The other side was surprisingly devoid of people save for one lone figure.
"Doctor Talia," she greeted. The tall, frail-looking woman hummed and waved the younger woman over.
"Look at this, Clara," she said, her thin, bony fingers flying across the keyboard as her eyes focused on the large armature before her. Clara watched curiously, stepping up to the large desk and waiting.
"Is that-?"
"Yes, it is," Talia said happily, a large smile stretching her chapped lips. "The transportation beam is in full effect. With this we should be able to send things between armatures at the blink of an eye – this is going to revolutionize the modern world! We could send supplies to troops in an instant, no more worrying about expiration dates. This is the future, Clara!"
"Where is the other armature located?" Clara asked curiously, leaning against the desk and bracing her head in her hands. Talia ignored her blatant abuse of protocol and continued talking quickly.
"The other side of the facility," Talia informed her promptly, pointing to a monitor that displayed a sister lab located in a completely different state. "We can observe it from here."
"Have you tested it?" Clara pushed anxiously. Something was eating at her, crawling up her arms and making the hairs stand on end. She brushed it off as nothing more than excitement.
Talia nodded. "See that apple?" she nodded at an apple a few feet in front of the young engineer, "We're going to send it to Facility A25 in a moment. Want to watch?"
Clara smiled widely, nearly jumping up and down from excitement. "Do I want to? Of course I want to!"
Talia laughed and pulled her dark hair into a bun, "Well, get ready."
Clara was practically vibrating in excitement, her fingers drumming against the counter as she leaned forward to watch whatever was going to happen. "Best seat in the house," she said, grinning over at her coworker.
"Activating the armature in 5," Talia said firmly, eyes focused intently on the logarithms in front of her. Clara's face hurt from smiling so much.
"4."
She was going to have to get something to eat after this – she had skipped breakfast and she was starting to feel the burn. She swallowed down any complaints, keeping her eyes focused intently on the armature.
"3."
Clara's smile faltered slightly as a strange tingling sensation crossed over her arms, sliding through her veins and settling deep in her stomach. She almost felt like she was going to be sick.
"Talia-"
"2."
"Talia, I don't-"
"1!"
There was a deep rumbling sound from the armature as it lit up, the bright white light nearly blinding Clara as it shot out towards the apple.
"Oh my god, Clara!"
She raised her arms, attempting to protect herself as the beam bypassed the apple completely and headed straight towards her. Talia's scream rang in her ears like an echo from far away, and then everything went dark.