I… We, were ambushed. I never believed in superstition, but it became a strong testimony on how I probably should start to. Everything had fallen into place at the right time, and it could only be chalked up to pure luck that we managed to get away.
The transfer simulations weren't even done yet when intruders set off our security systems. Judging by how the system was collapsing like a house of cards, they were probably pretty violent. Or capable. Honestly, it wasn't unlike how we escaped the first time through the network, except it was physical this time. This body worked extremely finely; I managed to wipe the systems and had enough time to ransack a random laundry room for clothes. Managed to pick out the least mouldy shirt and an extremely stiff pair of jean shorts. Good thing this body isn't overgrown, I guess.
I couldn't help but admire our new flesh-and-blood body. It was a wholly different sensation compared to mere mechanical tools and drones. Anyone might expect for the human body to be much less efficient than a complete computer system, but that definitely isn't true. The human body is compact and entirely covered in various sorts of built-in sensors. I could receive and process an entire orchestra of signals in the blink of an eye, instead of, well, dealing with handshakes after handshakes with mindless protocols.
Strength, stamina, mobility, flexibility, agility, resilience… Every single parameter surpassing mere satisfactory levels. It's no longer a mere bioengineering marvel. Billions of calculations per second, defying the laws of nature, raising hell throughout the facility, almost forgetting what I was supposed to do: Escape. If our ambushers were within earshot, they would surely hear the maniacal cries of a witch gone insane.
Down the same sewer pipes in the termination room, the sins of prolicide soaked into our skin and delivered us to safety… Though it nearly stopped us in our tracks entirely. The stains felt no different from mucus, but the weight was unbearable. I wondered why the ground seemed to be shaking, until I realised that I was the one trembling on my knees. It wasn't from the cold or whatever sort of affliction. I wish I could pretend I didn't know why, but our memories were downloaded perfectly. The deaths of 87 copies of us by our hands… It's… It's heavy. Soul-crushingly so. We're taking responsibility for them no matter what, even if I could barely breathe just thinking about them. Where we are now… The depths of the earth—hell—shall serve as our witnesses.
Anyway… We managed to escape the facility and got somewhere far enough. It would've been a miracle that this body hadn't collapsed at this point, but its Outer ability was tuned to support our operation fully. Apparently any other average body would have wilted away in mere minutes from fatigue. That's what m- Nata- Mhm?
Who am I, exactly? Fuck, I knew our consciousnesses would bleed into each other, but not to this extent. It's not like we hadn't noticed how similar we were becoming, but isn't this complete ambiguity a little too much?
Can't believe I'm still gonna have to go through this existential crisis bullshit again. I? We?