A/N: Edited Entry I. As Guest as pointed out, the monologue was... lacking, so, since I've been having a writer's block for my Entry II, decided to re-write and update Entry I. Personally feels this version is better.
Enjoy!
AI HAVOC Mission Log Entry
Begin Entry
[Incoming Transmission Detected. Distance: Unknown. Sender: CLASSIFIED. Receiving Transmission Now.]
[Transmission Received. Activating Virus Scan Now.]
[Scanning...]
[Scan Complete: No Virus Detected. Decrypting Message...]
[Decryption Complete. Message Acknowledged. Proceeding...]
[Scanning [USER]...]
[Scan Complete.]
[Scan Conclusion: [USER]'s Vitals: OKAY.]
[Scan Conclusion: [USER]'s Suit Integrity: OKAY.]
[Scan Conclusion: [USER]'s Mental Integrity: VULNERABLE.]
[WARNING!: Non-Existent Psychic Shield Barrier Detected! Priority Alert: Secure [USER] From Extra-Dimensional OMEGA COLD Class Threats In Accordance Of OVERRIDING OBJECTIVE C!]
[WARNING Acknowledged. AI Conclusion Updated.]
[Scanning Local Area, Range: [5,000 KM]...]
[Scan Complete.]
[Scan Conclusion: Local Area, Range: [5,000 KM]: CLEAR. THREAT LEVEL MINIMAL.]
[WARNING!: Vented Atmosphere Detected! Priority Alert: Activate Vessel's Life-Support System To Ensure Short Term Completion Of OVERRIDING OBJECTIVE A.]
[WARNING!: Zero-G Environment Detected! Priority Alert: Activate Vessel's Primary And Secondary Artificial Gravity Generators To Ensure Long Term Completion of OVERRIDING OBJECTIVE A.]
[WARNING!: Unpowered Vessel Detected! Inactivated Weapon Systems Detected! Non-Existent Mass Psychic Shield Barrier Detected! Priority Alert: Activate Vessel's Power Nodes To Ensure Completion Of OVERRIDING OBJECTIVE A, OVERRIDING OBJECTIVE B, And OVERRIDING OBJECTIVE D And Secure Vessel From Extra-Dimensional OMEGA COLD Class Threats In Accordance Of OVERRIDING OBJECTIVE C!]
[WARNINGS Acknowledged. AI Conclusion Updated.]
[AI Conclusion: For Continued Operation, [AI HAVOC] Requires Access To Psychic Shield Generator LANTERN In Order To Fulfill OVERRIDING OBJECTIVE C. AI Threat Analysis: OMEGA COLD Class Threats And Up.]
[Threat Level Verified And Confirmed. Construction Of Psychic Shield Generator LANTERN Is Authorized, Pending Security Code.]
[Security Code: Iota-Xi-Eta-Upsilon.]
[Code Accepted. Psychic Shield Generator LANTERN Authorized.]
[Uploading LANTERN...]
[Upload Complete.]
[Integrating LANTERN To [USER]'s Armor System...]
[Integration Of LANTERN Complete. Psychic Shield Barrier Added To [USER]'s Armor System. OMEGA COLD Class Threats To [USER]'s Mental Integrity Neutralized.]
[Scanning [USER]...]
[Scan Complete.]
[Scan Conclusion: [USER]'s Vitals: OKAY.]
[Scan Conclusion: [USER]'s Suit Integrity: OKAY.]
[Scan Conclusion: [USER]'s Mental Integrity: OKAY.]
[WARNING Dismissed. AI Conclusion Updated.]
[Final AI Conclusion: Operation Is GREEN For Entry. Repeat, Operation Is GREEN For Entry.]
[Mission Update: Awake [USER] From Cold Sleep And Escort [USER] To Vessel's Central Command Core To Secure Vessel From OMEGA COLD Class Threats, As Per OVERRIDING OBJECTIVE C.]
[Mission Update Acknowledged.]
[Proceeding...]
[Accessing [USER]'s Cryocell Control...]
[Access Denied. Insufficient Power. Activating Plasma Cutter...]
[Cutting Cryocell Door Now. Initiating Emergency Wake-Up Protocols Now...]
[Wake-Up Protocols Complete.]
[Cutting Complete. Removing Door...]
[Door Removed.]
[Standing By...]
The suit was the first clue that should have ticked me off.
It was black chrome, lackluster and skintight, covering me from the neck down to my feet. A helmet with a blue T-shaped visor was nestled on my head, the built-in heads-up display showing me a transparent diagram of myself to the left, scrolling strings of codes on the bottom right, and alien symbols flashing on the upper right corner.
Needless to say, they were not pajamas.
I gave a sudden surprised jerk, but my limbs could hardly move. I lifted my head and saw I was strapped down to a metal plank that barely fit inside the incredibly dark and barren cubicle I'm being held in, my visor providing the only source of light. In front of me was a blank screen inside the ceiling above, the words CRYOCELL 89 painted next to it in big blocky letters.
I drew in a deep, calming breath. Okay. I'm being held inside some kind of cell. Aside from the impossible fact that, somehow, I'm no longer in my bed or wearing the clothes I clearly remember putting on, I'm… actually quite alright.
No headaches...no migraines or anything. I don't feel any soreness or injuries, and...I feel great, actually. Like I've been given a shot of a superhuman serum and let out to arm wrestle me some bears.
Okay. That's...good. Now, next question: is there any way to free myself?
I looked around. Not...really. My hands and feet were bound by some kind of black material, and there were nothing in here that I could use even if I could. Just the plank I'm on, the empty screen, and, if I stretched my head to look up, the round door which I presumed to be the entrance.
I scowled to myself. How the bloody heck was I supposed to free myself? By magic?
Suddenly, around the edges of my vision, an orange light flickered, then flared into a bright light. I twisted my neck to look up. Someone, or something, was cutting a molten line in the shape of a circle through the door.
What?
The line met up to create a circle, just like I predicted, and it disappeared, showing in its place a weird boxy silhouette and a single, dim light at its center. With a lurch, I was brought out of my cell, still strapped to the plank. When I passed through the hole, I looked around, trying to get a grasp of my new -
Holy Moses.
I ignored the giant floating robot that was pulling me out and instead focused on taking in the sights of my new surroundings.
Woah.
Where ever I was, it was big. Like, really, really big, with the only source of light coming from my visor. There was a giant, humongous wall I was inside where there were thousands of little circle doors similar to mine, arranged in neat rows going on above, below, and besides me as I far as the light could extend and then some. Just the damned scale of this one wall made my jaw drop in absolute awe. I twisted to look behind me to see another wall just like mine and the huge space between me and it… it nearly gave me a damned heart attack just out of the bloody size of the entire thing.
A thought passed through my stunned mind as the robot moved to cut off the straps from my limbs: I'm pretty sure this ain't my bedroom.
"Where am I?" I asked out loud.
A line appeared on my visor slightly above the strings of codes. It was written in an almost runic script that's vaguely familiar, but still foreign.
The hairs on the back of my neck suddenly stood on its end, and I felt a tremor of - Ow.
If I could, I would've been rubbing the back of my neck right now, but as it is, I had to ride through the wave of - Owie. Shaking my heads, I opened my eyes and saw all those weird glyphs and runes morph into words I could actually understand.
Huh. A translator, perhaps? But how does that even work? Is it a program, and if so, where -?
I shook my head. Not now. Thinking later, reading now.
[Cryocell 89, Column 172, Row 210, Block B, Cyro Tray C.]
Without a sound, the last of the straps snapped off and drifted away, and I floated away from the plank at a sedate pace. I yelped in surprise and tried to cling to the plank, but there was a lack of resistance to my movement that caught me off guard. I missed, and instead I cartwheeled in place, around and around and around I go, and again. Everything began to spin faster and faster, and I felt I was going to be sick.
Once upon a time, I wanted to be an astronaut. Now I'd changed my mind for good.
[Please Activate Your Propulsion System For Mobile Operation In Zero-G Environment, [USER].]
It's really hard to read while moving, but I managed. I felt stupid talking to a line of words while spinning, but there was no one else to turn to. Literally. "How?" I asked it. I wished my hands could touch my mouth. I really don't wanna throw up inside my helmet.
[Say "Activate Propulsion System" Inside Helmet, And Your Suit AI Will Automatically Comply.]
This must be a dream. Either that or, I'm really high on drugs right now. And those I...really don't want to think about right now while spinning.
"Activate propulsion system," I choked out. I felt pressure build up behind my back, arms, and legs. Everything in my vision began to slow down, until they finally stopped spinning. I clutched at my helmet and let out a huge breath.
Let me tell you something: Space. Sucks. Especially if you don't have any control. And, the air tastes funny. Bleh. Just disgusting.
I opened one eyes to see more texts floating before me.
[To Move, Think It, And Suit AI Will Automatically Adjust Your Course.]
Right. Thank you. That's nice to know.
I thought of approaching the plank like I was floating on wings, and I felt myself slowly drift back to where I was, next to the robot.
I'm pretty certain it's friendly. Must be the fact it hasn't tried to kill my dream-self. Yet.
Now that I have the time to actually look, I could take a better view of the robot. It was roughly in the shape of a box, with two appendages hanging from the bottom. A single… "eye," I suppose, stared at me with a dull white light, and the main body was colored with dried and flaking yellow and grey paint.
Alright. Time for introduction, I think.
"Uh, hi." I said, giving the robot a small wave. "Who are you?"
Lame-oh. Zero out of ten, would not try again.
Heh, see what I did there? I made a - Shutting up now.
[Identification: Hyper Adaptive Veracious Omniscient Combatant AI. HAVOC. Serial Number: 9147-HVC-20320-Alpha. Michael Class Self-Correcting Sentient Electronic/Cyber Warfare Combat Support Unit, Attached To Support Current [USER] And/Or [VIP]. Currently Commandeering Maintenance Drone [CHARLIE-B1] To Achieve Current Mission Objective.]
I looked at the - I looked at HAVOC. "That was you? With the tips and all?" I asked.
[Affirmative.]
So, does that mean he saw me when I…?
Oh. Well. That's embarrassing.
Alright, Ben. Just stay calm, and you'll salvage your pride. Just act natural and...wing it, I guess?
"Soooooo," I drawled, looking around. "What's your objective right now?" Please take the bait, please take the bait, please take the bait….
[Mission Objective: Awake [USER] From Cold Sleep And Escort [USER] To Vessel's Central Command Core To Secure Vessel From OMEGA COLD Class Threats, As Per OVERRIDING OBJECTIVE C.]
Oh, thank you, God! "Who's the User?" I asked.
HAVOC looked at me. [You.]
What? That's - doesn't even - I mean - Oh, come on! This doesn't even make sense! I mean, are you seriously going to expect me to believe that? Seriously?
I then remembered where exactly I found myself. Inside a cell...out of my bed...my home...without me even knowing...and….
You know what? I'm just gonna roll with this. I can question my sanity later, once I actually have time to think.
"Alright," I said, "Where's the Command Core?"
HAVOC rose up, clinging close to the wall. [Follow.]
Well, what else was I supposed to do? I followed after him. Him? It? Meh. Doesn't matter.
We rose up, passing by numerous cells on the way, until we came by an emergency hatch, with the words Maintenance Tunnel 520C-2A next to it. HAVOC extended an appendage with a cutting torch and grasped the door's internal handle with the other. He proceeded to cut a circle through the hatch, toss it away, and went in. I looked behind me, and I watched as the light receded, plunging the cryocells into darkness.
I shivered. Scary.
I pulled myself in after HAVOC. The tunnels...was something you expect from your standard science fiction: cramp rectangular hallways, light strips, boring gunmetal grey, other hatches and handles set at intervals, and all that jazz. There wasn't any real room for me to just drift peacefully in, so I had to crawl, wiggle, climb, and back down again before I caught up with him. I lost track, but my suit hadn't, placing it in a little corner for me to see at my leisure.
Thirteen...Fourteen...Fifteen….How deep are we going again? Shoot, forgot to ask. A thought struck me. HAVOC never really answered where we were exactly, did he?
"Hey, HAVOC," I asked, "Where are we?"
[Maintenance Tunnel 525C-2B, On Floor 72A.]
I waved his answer aside. "No. I meant, what are we, exactly? Like are we in a spaceship? Or a space station? And how did you get here? How about me? And what was that about 'Omega Cold' class threats?"
HAVOC paused before he replied.
[Currently Inhabiting Vessel. Location Unknown. Origins Of [AI HAVOC]: Unknown. ERROR!: Memory Corruption Detected! Origins Of [USER]: Unknown. ERROR!: Memory Corruption Detected!]
I gave HAVOC the look. Well that's not reassuring. At all. "Do you at least know this vessel's name?"
[Affirmative. Vessel Identification: [PRIDE OF HIIGARA], Mothership-class Supercapital Ship. Currently Unpowered And Abandoned. Completion Of Current Mission Objective Will Rectify.]
I wracked my brain for answers, but nothing came up. That name… it's… maddeningly familiar to me. I know I should recognize it, but… I don't.
I shrugged. If I don't remember, then I'll probably will later on. At least it explains why there are no other lights or people, despite the cells. It doesn't answer how he and me got here, but it's a start. But I was wondering on what he meant about how he was going to accomplish his objectives. "And the Omega threats?"
[Identification: OMEGA COLD Class Threats: Any And All Supernatural And/Or Foreign Abilities And Their Hosts Capable Of Mental Tampering And Enforcing Impossible Behaviors Not Native And Beneficial To Designated [USER] And/Or Victim. Any Hostiles Classified As OMEGA COLD Should Be Dealt With Accordingly.]
"And what would that be?"
I have a sinking feeling that I know what it is…
[Exterminate With Extreme Prejudice.]
Welp. I was right. Can't say I'm surprised.
"So, to summarize," I said, letting go of the nearest handles to count off the tips of my fingers, "we are stranded on a derelict Mothership with no way out and no idea how we got stranded in the first place or where we are."
I ticked off another finger. "The only plan we have is to basically hotwire an extremely complicated and hopelessly sophisticated spaceship, and then somehow taking command of said spaceship to get to the nearest hospitable world when we don't know where we are in the first place."
"And," I ticked off a third finger, "there might be eldritch abominations ready to eat our collective faces off. And we have no means of defense except your blow torch and my fist."
[Correction: Local Area, Range [5,000 KM] Clear Of All Hostiles. Threat Level Minimal.]
"Your optimism is noted, HAVOC." I snarked back.
[Acknowledged.]
Oh, for Pete's sake, I was being… No, wait. Nevermind. I'm talking to a robot after all. A robot, I must remind myself, that's sentient, not sapient. There's a big difference between the two.
Trust me on that. I've spent enough time writing to know the difference.
HAVOC stopped. I grabbed the nearest handle and willed my suit to cease as well. He peered down at the emergency hatch on the ground right before us.
[Here.]
With a sharp flare and a few seconds, the hatch came away. HAVOC pushed it aside, sending it spinning inward, and floated down, with me following him.
When my feet touched the ground, I took a look around. It was a nondescript hallway, with a door on one end and then going on forever behind me. White, vaguely oval around the edges, and impeccably clean. You know. The usual.
HAVOC was at the door, except this time instead of cutting his way through, he was hooking up a bunch of dinky wires to the control panel linked to his undercarriage. I'm pretty certain I don't wanna know where he got them.
"What are you doing?" I asked HAVOC.
[Restoring Power To Door Leading To Central Command Core. Temporary Solution At Best. Stand By.]
With a sudden flash of bright sparks, the panel turned on, going from a blank screen to a white one, to red, then yellow, followed by green, and then finally settled down to blue.
[Power Restored. Entering Password Now.]
He put in the password, and with a flourish, the door parted open. HAVOC and I went inside. I took one quick look -
Something clicked in my head, and my heart dropped straight down to my stomach.
In the center stood an empty platform, with a metal band encircling it suspended in mid-air. On the ceiling was a gigantic techno-looking something - some kind of generator I would guess - that wouldn't look too out of place inside my Dad's computer, if miniaturized. Attached to it was a series of wires and cables floating in zero-g. All in all, for something inside a spaceship, it was… kinda underwhelming.
Not to me, it wasn't. Because I recognize that platform, and, now my memory has been jolted, the ship's name. And I know where I am. Or, at least, the immediate vicinity
The Pride of Hiigara. The Hiigarans' flagship of the RTS game, Homeworld 2.
The world seemed to spin, and I had to grab a nearby wall in order to support myself.
Homeworld. A three-dimensional science fiction real time strategy game set in space. I have never played the original or Cataclysm, but I did played Homeworld 2 and, later on, watched my younger brother go through the missions yoinking enemy ships left and right in the Remastered Collection version. It… it really was a mesmerizing game.
And now I'm here, and either I'm hallucinating 'cuz of I did something really stupid, or this is full-blown on dream that just absolutely beat everything I have ever dreamed about before. But the senses… the taste, the sight, the smell, the texture… it's… so real.
This… is the kind of thing that happens in fanfiction. And of the three - being a hallucination, a dream, or actually real, like in fanfiction - I'm not so sure which I would rather prefer. Or should be afraid of.
It's always fun fantasizing about yourself being inside your favorite universe. Reality, on the other hand, has a nasty habit of hiding a darker side.
I stared at the platform, and I questioned my grasp on reality. Is this real? Is it not?
I touched my helmet, and I looked at my suit. And like a lightning bolt, I realized I should have known what, exactly, I was wearing. This...this was a design I've made for a suit. A random doodle, really, but it had always stuck with me. And now it's real, and I'm wearing it inside the Pride of Hiigara.
Is this real? Or is this fake? And at the back of my mind, I wondered: Should it matter?
My eyes gazed at the platform, and, for the briefest of moment, I saw myself suspended inside that circle, connected to Pride and one of the Unbound. I squeezed my eyes shut, and I clenched my fists together.
No. No, it shouldn't, but it does. Because it either be real or not, but I can't really see which way it is. The world has just been turned upside down, and now I don't know what to do.
There was a forum I once frequent, and it holds plenty of excellent fanfiction where the author find him/herself inside the universe of their dream - and having to deal with the reality of it. They were fun to read, and I always wanted to try my hand in it.
Self Inserts, as they were called, uses a literary device often called the Random Omnipotent Being - or Bastard, depending on who you're talking to - by the members of the forum, though most of them just use the acronym: ROB.
I think I have a pretty good idea whose fault this was, and it wasn't ROB.
The chances that what is happening to me has been decided by another me in an alternate universe who just want to write a good story are… slim. But then again, what were the odds of nearly four billion years worth of evolution would result in me?
What can I say? Read a good enough stories, and sooner or later, you get paranoid.
And either this is a dream, or this is real, but I can't tell, and I don't know what to do.
There's either go along with HAVOC, or wait for a miracle to happen - like waking up. Two choices left up to me.
But there's a sinking feeling building up inside my stomach, and… and I'm scared now. About this. About the Pride of Hiigara. HAVOC. Everything's going so fast that I can't even keep up now, and I'm scared. I'm not home. My parents aren't here. My siblings aren't with me, and I have no friends to share their thoughts or provide some advice for me. Just me and myself. And HAVOC.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. And I never felt so small and lonely before than right now.
I didn't blame God. I knew better than to demand an explanation from my God. I'm Catholic, and if there's one thing my parents did right, it was driving what exactly the Church stood for and teaches. And besides, I knew whose fault it was. I did the Sign of the Cross and gave Him a quick prayer.
God, please help me. Amen.
I swallowed and glanced at HAVOC, then at the platform. I could either go with HAVOC or wait. Two choice left up to me.
There's really no choice involved here.
"Well." I tried to say with a smile, but I think I did it wrong. "Screw you, my alternate dimensional self."
And I stepped onto the platform.
Resume Entry
[Mission Objective: Escort [USER] To Vessel's Central Command Core To Secure Vessel From OMEGA COLD Class Threats. Status: PENDING...]
[Scanning Local Area, [PRIDE OF HIIGARA]...]
[Scan Complete.]
[Scan Conclusion: Artificial Gravity Generators: ONLINE.]
[Scan Conclusion: Engines: ONLINE.]
[Scan Conclusion: Hyperspace Core: ONLINE.]
[Scan Conclusion: LANTERN Psychic Shield Generator: ONLINE.]
[Scan Conclusion: Life-Support System: ONLINE.]
[Scan Conclusion: Phased Disassembler Array: ONLINE.]
[Scan Conclusion: Power Nodes: ONLINE.]
[Scan Conclusion: Research Facility: ONLINE.]
[Scan Conclusion: Weapon Systems: ONLINE.]
[WARNINGS Dismissed. AI Conclusion Updated.]
[AI Conclusion: [FLEETCOM] Now Active. Mission Objective Completed. Awaiting New Objectives.]
[Incoming Transmission Detected. Distance: Unknown. Sender: CLASSIFIED. Receiving Transmission Now.]
[Transmission Received. Activating Virus Scan Now.]
[Scanning...]
[Scan Complete: No Virus Detected. Decrypting Message...]
[Decryption Complete. Message Acknowledged. Proceeding...]
[New Mission Objective.]
[Mission Objective: Obey Current [FLEETCOM].]
[Mission Objective Acknowledged. AI Conclusion Updated.]
[Final AI Conclusion: Acknowledged. Awaiting Further Orders From [FLEETCOM].]
[Standing By...]
End Entry
