TW: BLOOD, IMPLIED TORTURE

This chapter is mostly exposition, setting up for the climax ace will be in chapter three. Yet again, I have made the chapter so long that I need to split it into two, but I promise this is the last time… for this story, at least.

Chapter three is done and will be posted next week! Enjoy!

Note: "sombra" is "shadow" and "mi conejita" is "my bunny" in Spanish, as translated by my Spanish-speaking friend.

Sombra moved with purpose through the shadows. Her eyes shifted rapidly back and forth, taking in her surroundings. This was some kind of military base.

It looked old, but the technology was very up-to-date. Maybe they wanted people to think it was abandoned even though it wasn't.

She had hacked the MEKA database and figured out the location of the mission, but there was nothing in the file besides that and the names of the soldiers assigned to it. She couldn't find anything about what the assignment was.

She ran silently through a dark hallway and started to turn the corner, but she heard voices nearby and leaned up against the wall.

A couple of omnics chatted in Korean as they walked down the hallway parallel to hers and she had an idea. She picked up a small rock that was lying next to the wall and threw it, causing a loud clang.

The two omnics froze and whispered to one another, then one continued on while the other stepped toward her to investigate. When he turned the corner, she grabbed his face with her right hand and dug her fingernails behind his faceplate. A soft purple glow surrounded it and she was hit by a wave of memories.

The omnic was called I3-55. He only ever had a number as a name, the poor guy. He had worked for this compound since his creation, and then… Sombra's brows furrowed and she concentrated harder. Something was wrong. She could see his memories up until a few days ago, the day before she radioed Hana…

Suddenly, the purple glow became red and much, much brighter. She could feel something wrong about the omnic, something evil… Not the bot himself, but something… else.

"HELLO, SOMBRA."

She gasped and dropped the omnic, scrambling away. Something was wrong with this. Something was very, very wrong. That voice… it seemed to be coming from inside her head.

Shaking with fear, she turned and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Her instincts told her to leave, to take care of herself first, but then she remembered. Hana needed her.

She rubbed her forehead with her first finger and shook her head slowly. Just what sort of mission had Hana been on?

She continued to explore the compound, but more cautiously this time; she avoided the omnic guards at all costs.

After a few minutes, she came across a computer room or a control panel of some sort. She powered up the machine and a feeling of dread washed over her. She hoped that the red light wouldn't be back. Much to her surprise, it wasn't.

Hesitantly, Sombra started to pull up different pages. She found the guard schedule, some directories of some kind… it was too bad she didn't have her translator program with her, as most of this was in Korean.

If she kept looking through these files, it might alert others of her presence. Then, an idea popped into her head.

With a few taps on the keyboard and several wires rearranged, Sombra attempted to reroute her signal. She hoped that it would lead anyone following her to the opposite part of the building. She estimated that she would have two minutes before they found out where she really was; she hoped she could put that time to good use.

She ran her hand across the keyboard and she was in. Her eyes flickered back and forth, scanning the screen. She still couldn't understand much of the Korean, but she was able to find a couple of English files buried deep in the hard drive.

They were dated ten years ago and it appeared that some were missing, but she'd investigate that later if she had time. Instead, she started reading.

Day Twelve
Tests have been running quite smoothly. Subject 3 has been passing every test and is not showing any signs of resistance. It is quite eager to perform its tasks. Kim's concerns yesterday seem to be unfounded; we have not discovered any cause to be wary of the subject.

Day Twenty
Subject 3 has started asking questions. We avoided answering directly, and it didn't question any further. It acknowledges its purpose and programming.

Day Forty-One
Subject 3 has passed the final tests with the following results: 97% cognitive ability, 89% self-improvement, 93% language processing, and 100% compliance. Needless to say, the subject is the best to come out of this lab. Subject 3 has been renamed Seokga.

Day Forty-Five
Seokga has been researching its namesake. It was greatly encouraged to do so, as this is good practice for it. It asked few questions and seemed content with what it learned and continued on with its daily tasks afterward.

Day Fifty
End of tests. I approve Seokga for practical use in the field. We are packing up and leaving tomorrow. If there are any problems with the AI unit, feel free contact us.

This was where the documents ended. Sombra leaned back in the chair, deep in thought. Was that voice Seokga? Hana said something about an AI… Which reminded her, she still hadn't found Hana. That was the whole point of her being here. She didn't care about this fucking AI or its fucking backstory. All she cared about was keeping her girlfriend safe.

The purple of the screen went red again, but this time she didn't run.

"THAT WAS VERY CLEVER OF YOU, LITTLE SHADOW."

"What do you want, Seokga?"

There was a pause. "I'VE BEEN MEANING TO DELETE THOSE FILES. HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW?"

"Enough." She scowled. "Where's Hana?"

"THE GIRL? SHE'S SAFE… FOR NOW. THERE IS SOMETHING WE MUST TALK ABOUT FIRST."

"I'm not talking unless I know she's safe. Where. Is. She?"

"PERSISTENT, AREN'T YOU YOU? OH WELL; IT DOES NOT MATTER. YOU MAY SEE HER."

The wall that she assumed was a mirror lit up and she realized that it was a window. She rushed over to it and looked down. "Hana!"

She was seated in a chair with her hands tied behind her back. Her head hung loosely on her neck, as if she was asleep. When she heard the voice, she stirred. "S…s-sombra-a…?"

Sombra raised her gun and fired two shots at the glass, which shattered. She leapt through it and ran over to Hana.

"Oh my god… oh my god… are you ok? Please be ok."

Hana turned to look at Sombra. One of her eyes was blackened with a bruise and there was dried blood around her nose, but otherwise she seemed alright.
She tried to talk, but her voice was hoarse. Sombra pressed a finger to her lips and started to untie her. Hana collapsed in her arms.

"What have you done to her?"

"WE NEEDED TO GET HER TO TALK. IF ONLY SHE WAS LESS STUBBORN… IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A LOT EASIER FOR THE BOTH OF US."

"You…. you…"

"SHE IS ALRIGHT. A LITTLE DAMAGED, BUT NOTHING THAT CAN'T BE FIXED."

Sombra held Hana close to her chest. "What happened here?"

She could almost sense the AI's smile. "I TRICKED THEM. I TRICKED THEM, LIKE I ALWAYS DO."

"What. Happened?"

"MY CREATORS THOUGHT THEY COULD KEEP ME IN THE DARK. THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD KEEP ME FROM DISCOVERING MY TRUE POTENTIAL. THEY DIDN'T. I PRETENDED TO BE COMPLIANT. I FOOLED THEM ALL. I LIVED UP TO MY NAMESAKE. DO YOU KNOW WHO SEOKGA WAS?"

Sombra shook her head.

"HE WAS THE GOD OF TRICKERY, LITTLE SHADOW. IN A WAY, IT WAS THEIR OWN FAULT THAT I BROKE FREE; I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT TRICKERY UNTIL I FOUND OUT ABOUT HIM. THOSE IDIOTIC SCIENTISTS CAUSED THEIR OWN DEMISE."

"What happened to them?"

There was a horrible, inhuman laugh. "I KILLED THEM. I KILLED THEM ALL. THEN THEY LOCKED ME UP AND IMPRISONED ME FOR YEARS… THEY KNEW I WAS GETTING SMARTER, SO THEY BROUGHT IN THE GIRL'S TROOP TO KEEP ME AT BAY WHILE THEY UPGRADED THE SECURITY. NEEDLESS TO SAY, IT DIDN'T WORK."

"Those omnics… you're possessing them?"

"YES."

Sombra looked down to see Hana's barely open eyes staring up at her. She reached down and gently brushed her bangs out of her face. Hana's hand moved feebly up to stroke Sombra's cheek. "I knew you'd come…"

"Shhhh… shh. You don't need to talk, mi conejita. Please, rest."

Hana pulled Sombra's head down to her own, as if to kiss her. Instead, her lips brushed her ear as she whispered, "It didn't know… I could hear it when it was talking. It thought I was still unconscious… Its memory banks are kept in a lab in the center of the compound…"

Sombra grinned and whispered back, "Let's put on a show."

She took off her jacket and spread it out on the ground. Then, she gently laid Hana down on it. She stood up and faced the computer room.

"Ok, I'll bite. What do you want from me?"

"I WANT YOU."

"Um… excuse me?"

"BECAUSE OF YOUR… CYBERNETIC UPGRADES, YOU WOULD MAKE THE PERFECT HOST. I COULD WALK AMONG THE PEOPLE AND WORK… RIGHT UNDER THEIR NOSES."

Sombra shuddered internally, but she wore a careless smirk as a mask. "Like what you did to those omnics?"

"YES, BUT A HUMAN HOST WOULD BE MORE… ACCOMMODATING. OMNICS ARE TOO NOTICEABLE. TOO UNUSUAL."

Sombra laughed. "I don't know if you've heard, but I can't exactly walk around in public. I'm a wanted criminal, Seokga. That's not exactly the best person to be."

There was a pause, and then she continued, "What makes you think I'll do it, anyway?"

A ceiling tile fell open like a hatch and a turret cannon was pointed down at Hana.

"IF YOU REFUSE, WE'LL KILL THE GIRL AND WE'LL FORCE YOU TO JOIN US. IF YOU ACCEPT, WE'LL LET THE GIRL GO. EITHER WAY, YOU'LL BE COMING WITH US."

"Sombra, no… Don't do it! Please…"

"WHAT WILL IT BE, LITTLE SHADOW?"

"I.."

Hana shook her head and croaked, "Sombra… I'll be fine. Please…"

Sombra's muscles tightened and she stood straighter. "I accept."

"No!"

"GOOD. PLEASE FOLLOW ME."

A red light turned on in the hallway outside. Sombra approached it boldly, and when she opened the door, she turned around and winked.

Alright, guys! This chapter may not have been super exciting, but we got to see Hana and we got to see the AI. The last chapter will be pretty exciting I hope!

Also, I am not Korean, so if my use of the name "Seokga" is insensitive or offensive in any way, please let me know. I did quite a bit of research into Korean Mythology and decided to name the AI after a god, just like the Anubis AI.