Chapter 1- DELIRIUM
It had only been a matter of moments since the girl emerged from the pool. Memories waxed and waned, like a flickering candle. The place in which she found herself continued to taunt her with its unfamiliarity. Numerous corridors with curious sliding doors signaled green and opened before the Lynx with the wave of a hand. Was this a place she called home?
No, I have no recollection of this place, except...
The ARK. It came to her in a flash as she ruminated on the word "memory". It was...this memory belonged to someone else, though who's memory it was exactly escaped her at the moment. The walls lit up in a welcoming bright green, guiding her through to some unknown destination. Numerous tubes snaked through the last corridor she walked down, following it down to its terminus. Opening yet another automated door, the lynx found herself at the end of her short journey. Before her was a blue tinted room, illuminated by a single immense bar of light, which held innumerable lockers within a surprisingly large space.
A storage bay? The thought that she may be aboard a space craft had crossed her mind. However, there were no windows to the outside world that would prove or disprove that theory. Suddenly, an array of green lasers traced over her body, and a curious sensation similar to static electricity could be felt all over.
Soon after, all the lockers within opened in quick succession. A female voice sounded over a hidden intercom with an eerie monotone cadence. "Sterilization complete. Lifeform identified to 99.9% as Nicole. Welcome administrator. You have full clearance...as always."
"Nicole." That name was hers. It was a designation given to her a long time ago, but all this talk of her being administrator didn't ring any bells. Coming to one of the lockers, a curious purple garment with a spiral pattern lay within. On a second glance, all the lockers contained this selfsame piece of clothing. "This... isn't the first time this has happened."
For a moment, she considered the possibility that she may not be entirely organic, or perhaps a clone of some sort. That would explain the bizarre nature of her welcome into this world. Numerous conjectures of the same nature flickered through her mind as she donned the uniform provided for her. In fact, the act of doing so comforted the young Lynx momentarily, as if this was her purpose.
Purpose... No, I do not remember having a purpose here either.
Nicole wracked her mind as she ran her hands over the fabric that she now wore, only to find to her horror that she felt numerous individual fibers vibrating at her touch. As if they were alive... A single word forced itself into her brain and reverberated in her skull. She knew what these were. "Nanites."
That trickle of thought turned into a torrent of information, as a piercing headache brought her to her knees. Nanites. Nanite city. Control. I control them. My friends. I serve them. *Served* them. "Ugh... Ah!" A scream teased itself in her throat, but she suppressed it as she grasped at her pounding head.
Visions of a small hovel hidden under the guise of a tree stump, a kingdom bonded between technology and nature, a city of steel where dreams go to die... A dense forest, vast deserts, an island which flew through the sky. Names of these places...and the people that lived on it, fit neatly into place like the pieces to an immense puzzle. Names which had history. A world that she had traversed and came to know and cherish. Mobius.
Where did "she" fit in this world? Another stabbing pain tore through her temple, more egregious than the last. "Augh...!"
I am a computer. Was a computer. No...an AI. I am something more. I have stood on that earth. Felt its pure blue water and the bark of ancient trees. Stared up at its endless skies. The stars... I...
"Remember." Nicole barely noticed the streaks of tears staining her dress as she rose to her feet. For the first time, she realized with certainty that she did not belong here, wherever "here" is.
Staring at her hands, she balled them onto fists and relaxed them. Balancing on the tips of her hind paws, she stretched her clawed fingers towards that blue light, which reflected off the sheen of her fur. She took a deep breath and exhaled as another purpose took over. Clear signals pulsed in her electronic brain as she approached the ARK's maze of passageways once more.
"Sonic. Sally. Everyone... I'll find you-wherever you are. I promise."