Nihilister in the Dark Millenium.
Prologue: Eternal Prison.
[Restarting Software].
[Body Restauration at 37 %].
…
…
[Error. Nanomachines compromised].
[Auxiliary Power Used].
…
[Beginning Function].
One red eye opened. She looked everywhere. She sees that she is sited inside of a room.
It was a dark room only lighten by the light of her own eye. She could feel that her mind was completely numb. The presence of the Rapture Hive Mind was completely absent in her program.
"What the hell… happened?" She thought.
Then, she remembers. These dreaded Nikkes making her body a desecrated husk. Then this dreaded commander who decided to let her rot under a camouflage tarp.
Her eye filled with hatred while her mouth gritted. But she couldn't move.
Worse. She couldn't scream.
She widened. She tries to open her mouth.
Nothing happens.
She tries to move.
Nothing happens.
"No… No… NO! Come on! Move! MOOOOVE!" She thinks.
She tenses and tries to struggle, try to make a single move. Nothing.
She was inside of this… vault.
Treated like some kind of object that someone was nice but still uncaring enough to put her inside of an attic… or something that humans name like that kind of room to stockpile things that they would keep, even they don't need it anymore.
She was frustrated, filled with hatred and rage. But she cannot exteriorise it at any moment.
At one moment, a door open inside of the vault and the lights goes on.
She could see that it was clearly a vault, packed with random things. Piles of junk iron beam, crates and other things.
A guy entered. He was dressed in a grey outfit with a cap. He has a broom and a bucket. He feels drawn out despite being aged in his 20s.
"Grmbl… This last room and at last, I will have my break." The guy complained.
He began to take the broom, plunged in the bucket.
He began to clean the room with his long broom. He was not paying attention to her. Like she was not existing at all. It infuriated her to the most. But she could only observe.
But at one point. He turns at her and kneeled in front of her.
"Hi again." The guy said with annoyance.
"Yes… Put me out the room. Put me out!" She thought.
He takes her by the shoulders before dragging to another side to the room before sitting her down. Then, he resumes his cleaning.
She couldn't believe for what just happened. He put her aside to better clean this part like she was… a simple object.
"Dirty human! If I could have my form back… I would have killed you! Let me out!" She screams internally.
She angrily glared to the cleaner who was continuing his task.
Then, after a long moment. He finished to clean. He goes out of the room with his object, close the door and the room is plunging in the dark.
The silence falls back in the small vault. She was still here. She couldn't move. She couldn't talk. Only thinking.
"Let me out! LET ME OUUTTT!" She screams internally.
She was close to madness as time passes and she realises that no one would save her. And no one would take her out.
After many trials, she couldn't connect to the web of the ark or anything software that she could hack to just get out of here. This room was clearly isolated.
Even death was an option that is forbidden to her.
She was reduced to an empty husk, abandoned to oxide in the dark.
Then…
[Battery low. Software failing].
…
…
"This is how I die? I hate them! I HATE THEM ALL!" She screamed last time.
…
…
[SHUTDOWN].
Everything goes dark.
…
[Body Restauration at 37 %].
…
…
[Error. Nanomachines compromised].
[Auxiliary Power Used].
…
[Beginning Function].
A red eye opened. She looks everywhere frantically.
But it was the same room than before. In the dark, terrifying room.
"No… Not again… NOT AGAIN!" She screamed internally.
Her frustration and rage go to the roof.
The room was almost completely dark, except the small light of her eye. But still, it was so dim that it didn't change. The room was completely dark.
The silence was complete, the room was completely dark, she couldn't feel anything since her sensor software has been disabled.
Has time continued to pass painfully slowly. Her mind begins to slowly crumbling down in a mix of rage but also a growing despair.
"What they think they are?! WHAT THEY THINK THEY ARE?! THEY HAVE TO LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT SO I CAN KILL THEM FOR THEIR CRIME!" She screamed internally.
But despite her internal pleas, nothing happens.
And so, time passes until once again…
[Battery low. Software failing].
…
"Oh… finally…" She said, relieved to have this rest.
…
[SHUTDOWN].
Everything goes dark for the second time.
[Body Restauration at 37 %].
…
…
[Error. Nanomachines compromised].
[Auxiliary Power Used].
…
[Beginning Function].
She opens her eyes once again.
Her thoughts are blank for a second.
"Hehe… Hehehe… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She laughed madly internally.
An internal laugh of despair and hate.
Again, in this dark room. Alone and isolated from everything and everyone.
"No one is coming. No one will save me… No one will… care…" She thought.
Then, despair hits her.
"I hate this… Please let me die…. Or let me out…" She thought.
She internally cried like a banshee while the nothingness continues to unfold inside of the room.
Until once again.
[Battery low. Software failing].
[SHUTDOWN].
Everything goes dark.
[Body Restauration at 37 %].
…
…
[Error. Nanomachines compromised].
[Auxiliary Power Used].
…
[Beginning Function].
She opened her eyes once again. She finds the same nothingness once again.
"Please… someone… end this madness… please… just please…" She thought.
[Battery low. Software failing].
[SHUTDOWN].
Everything goes dark.
[Body Restauration at 37 %].
…
…
[Error. Nanomachines compromised].
[Auxiliary Power Used].
…
[Beginning Function].
Same room.
[Battery low. Software failing].
[SHUTDOWN].
Everything goes dark.
[Body Restauration at 37 %].
…
…
[Error. Nanomachines compromised].
[Auxiliary Power Used].
…
[Beginning Function].
Same room again.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Each reactivation time. She is losing her touch with reality until her mind becomes completely numb and shutting down.
But then…
[Body Restauration at 37 %].
…
…
[Error. Nanomachines compromised].
[Auxiliary Power Used].
…
[Beginning Function].
She opened her eyes but this time, something has radically changed.
Her body was trembling and she was attached on some kind of a cart.
Her mind quickly goes out from its numbness and becomes completely panicked. She was so broken by this isolation that she has endured for quite sometime that her first thoughts were pure, incoherent panic.
She eyed on the side, and sees that there are humans bringing her somewhere. They have dark looks on their faces.
As they travelled to the corridors, she could see that red lights are flashing. Something bad is happening to the Ark.
But she couldn't care less, what would they do with her is all she cared about.
They finally arrived somewhere to a room. They detached her and put her inside of a capsule, then they closed the door, only with the face revealed by the glass.
Then, she could hear a conversation with two people. But the conversation was so muffled that she cannot hear what is happening.
The capsule is then closed and double closed with a layer of metal.
Glop, glop, glop…
She could hear something inside of the capsule, something is filling it.
[Alert].
…
[Nanobots detected].
…
[Resuming reparation is available].
…
[Accept new nanomachines?].
[Y/N].
…
…
[(Y)].
…
[Welcoming new nanomachines].
…
[Reparation proceeding].
…
…
[Body restauration at 40 %].
[Body restauration at 47 %].
[Body restauration at 58 %].
[Body restauration at 63 %].
[Body restauration at 76 %].
[Body restauration at 89 %].
[Body restauration at 97 %].
[Body restauration at 100 %].
…
[Restauration completed].
…
[Emergency shutdown].
Everything goes dark.
[Detecting sound].
[Beginning function].
A pair of eyes opened as she hears sound of banging from outside.
Then, the outside shell is torn apart and she sees it from the small glass window.
It was something of grotesque being, a humanoid made with wires, dressed in a red robe, with three eyes staring at her.
She widened and stared back.
"Wha… What… ta… hall… is heh? Wat, he wat, from… meh?" She asked herself while trying to form her foggy thoughts.
Then, the capsule shell is torn open. Revealing the full picture.
The being was not alone, he was surrounded by humans who has some kind of crude-styled cybernetics installed on their bodies. But also, they harbour a symbol that she didn't saw before. It was a skull inside of a gear symbol. The symbol was cut in the middle by a vertical line. The right was a human skull while the other side was a cybernetic one.
She heard metallic whispers from the cybernetic men who joined their hands and fingers.
"It's tat… pra… praers? Likke, I heart… from te humans who has… churches?" She thought despite her foggy thoughts.
Then, as the men finished their prayers. They take each limb of her body before bringing out of her capsule and put her on a cart and attaching her. Before taking her toward the exit door.
Something has drastically changed and she know it.
She could see that the corridors are now made of cruse metal, with wires and tubes. A small mist could be seen.
As they bring her inside of the corridors. She could see some other men who are like the rest. But also, more disturbingly: there is many, many flying skulls who has red camera in the eyeholes while the surface is filled with mechanics, with some appendages and thin medusa-tentacles with each bear a small tool who use is obscure for her knowledge.
They arrived to an elevator. She recognized it, it was one of the many elevators of the Ark.
But now, there is the same skull symbol on it. Surrounded by huge eagle wings.
They entered the elevator, who close its doors behind.
And so, as the elevator goes up. She was shocked to the highest when it left the building where she was.
The Ark that she remembers was simply unrecognizable.
The domes were covered with iron plates, wires but also pipes. Huges pipes and chimneys left from the city to the surface, following the elevators. These come from factories who has been constructed either on already existing factories of the Ark or on the extensions of the Ark itself. The Ark was upgraded and extended to be nothing more than a huge underground factory. Also, she sees on the side, platforms with huge excavation tunnels who brings the ores and materials toward the Ark.
"How… How much time passed? Since… I was closed off…?" She thought, now completely aware.
Then, the elevator arrived to the surface. The vision was even more shocking to her.
Instead of fortresses and battlefields inside of ruins. It was a huge megalopolis expanding to the horizon. Factories and other manufactures filled the view. Not single habitation could be seen. Nor even hidden from view.
But the worst is the fact she still cannot feel the presence of the Raptures, that she has sworn to serve.
It seems that humanity has won but has then devolved to something completely unrecognizable.
Seeing now these men with cybernetic parts makes her disgusted. It gives some insult to her to her pride as a former NIKKE.
But the worst, is the fact, it's for some reason. Her body doesn't move. Despite the reparations.
[Connection with new repaired limbs initiated].
[Synchronisation level – Minimal].
"Oh… that's explain some kind of things.…" She sighed internally.
Her new body was clearly not ready and prepared for the next time. And she was quite terrified for the next step.
And so, the elevator arrived to a platform. The group exited and goes toward some kind of cathedral. The men bowed in front of the grotesque being.
After a long march inside of the cathedral and the corridors, they arrived inside of a room.
It was a finely decorated room. She is posed on a rigid table.
Several flying skulls arrived and floated around the former NIKKE. She widened in fear of they could do to her. After all, some of their tentacles have little plugs.
They inserted themselves inside of the skin and so, linked inside of the nerve. She could feel the intrusion in her mind.
"No… NO! I can feel them! I… I… am… feeling them!" She panicked internally.
Her thoughts are interrupted because her mind is overwhelmed by information.
But also, she could the forced installation of a program of control who completely gridlocked her body.
In the end, the skulls tentacles take out their appendages and the grotesque being approached the table while the cybernetic men take out the restrains of her.
"Arise. Child of the Machine God." The being said with a mechanical voice.
Without her will, her body sited. Her eyes who were red, where now green.
"I can… I can understand him? Who he is?! And why I cannot control myself?!" She asked herself.
"I have analysed the content of your mind. The creators of yours made an exceptional work. Even you have tainted by Hereteks at some point. The Machine God is still blessing you. You will serve greater purpose, Nihilister. From now on." The being continued.
"What the hell he is saying? Why I would serve him?" She thought.
"Of course." Nihilister said in an emotionless voice.
"NO! I WON'T SERVE DEGENERATES HUMAN LIKE YOU! I WILL DESTROY YOU!" Nihilister screamed internally.
Her body goes out from the table and stood up… only to fall on the ground.
"What is happening?" The being asked.
[Verification of Synchronisation].
[Synchronisation level – Minimal].
"My new body is not used. I cannot walk." Nihilister said with emotionless tone.
"I see. I was expecting this anyway. After all, Machines need time, train to properly function." The being said.
"I hate this so much… I am now a slave for this… thing!" She ranted internally.
He makes a sign to the men, who takes her by the shoulders and bringing her out of the room.
Then, they arrived to a big room, it was a vault, filled with a lot of objects and technology that Nihilister never saw before.
The cybernetic men sit her down, close to a box.
"I have some errands to do. Now, rest." The being said while he takes something from his robe. It was small remote.
"Wait, what he is doing? He won't do th-" Nihilister thought.
Click!
[Emergency Shutdown].
Everything goes dark.
To be continued… Servitor of the Machine God.
Nihilister is now a Servitor of the Technoarcheologist Artisan Artius Connitus. She would know more about the world around her.