Unipsi, lovely entity

chapter 68: ghosts

Not particularly happy but with no other options Scilla followed Iris as they left the car at the station and ventured into the tunnels. Being calmer and slower, Scilla started to look around the newly illuminated tunnels. It seems that the entire mega structure was built around cuboid structures connected by roads. There were no real patterns just chunks of space dug underground. The endless and lifeless tunnels gave Scilla a peculiar sense of desolation and decay. It was a strange contrasting feeling. The place had no dust, no rust, no plant overgrowing in the metal cracks. There were no metal cracks to begin with. However all was silent, all looked new yet used. On the ground Scilla spotted small scratches and some dark trails as if a heavy vehicles used to pass there. But where were they now? There were a lot of parking spots all empty. Looking up she noticed a series of monorails. It was the first time seeing them.

“Iris. What are those on the ceiling?”

“transport rails. There is a weapon storage nearby. Can’t really lift nuclear warhead by yourself can you?”

“I ain’t that buffed”

“… wouldn’t say so. You are the size of a house and can lift 500kg of cells. Our species are really different. It’s really funny.”

“being the size of a house is a compliment?”

“well yeah. Huge and powerful things are cool. I wish I had the same strength”

“we all have our qualities”

“you don’t have to tell me. But I don’t really like how my species evolved… I mean how the Morfians were”

“I don’t know much about anything that was here before us. Well to be more specific almost no species knows anything about the interstellar past except yours. That is just a bit above us”

“oh… really?”

“yep.”

“well… do you know what Humans defined as goblins and elfs?”

“sort of. Small greenish things that rape women and tall slim snob magical dudes right?”

“they do what to women?”

fuck I forgot about the collar.

“what did you heard?”

“that, silence, women”

“well the collar cut a word out for you. Let’s just say that they killed women.”

“oh. Well mix the 2 together and you get a Morfian… sort of. They were greenish humanoid creatures usually between 140cm to 160cm with a bunch exceptions on both sides. Pointy ears and pointy teeth. Instead of going big like your kind did, they went small. Instead of single bad ass hunters they had groups of people. Even if I want I will never be as strong as you. It’s a pain in the ass.”

“oh… my little cute demon. I wish I could manipulate brains like you do. We all have limits”

“well it’s a cool feature. But I would prefer independence over a power to effect other social creatures that I never met”

“you will. Once we figure out how to leave this place”

“you know a lot about outer space right?”

“wouldn’t say a lot but surely more than you why?”

“would you show me around? When the time comes of course”

“sure why not”

Scilla was confused by Iris behavior. At times she was friendly while the moment after she would be hostile.

They didn’t walk much, just a block away from the station, when Iris stopped in front of a door and touched it. A confirmation beep came out of it and it opened revealing the entrance of a house. The entrance was a square room that immediately turned on the right to bring into the living room. Iris walked in and took her shoes off before walking to the living room. Scilla decided to do the same.

The house was big, not excessively big but it had 4 bedrooms, each shared a full bathroom with the one beside. There was a big living room, a fairly spacious kitchen both connected to a small underground garden. Lastly a storage room and a third bathroom for the guests.

Immediately Iris rushed away to check power, water and food. Everything was working. The small garden even had flowers. This zone was probably used and not forgotten like the one they slept for a night.

“The right room near the garden is mine!” shouted Iris from the room in question while Scilla was still processing the new place and the joy of a working toilet.

She of course went to visit Iris that didn’t close her door. The joyful creature was rolling on her bed when she noticed Scilla. Their eyes met and Iris stopped to smile widely and then resume rolling around emitting happy sounds.

“emh… don’t want to disturb your… ritual. Just thanks for… accepting my request to rest”

Iris stopped rolling and sit on her bed with her legs stretched.

“yeah… about that… there could be an issue”

“what issue?”

“I looked the pantries and all…”

“we are out of food… oh shit, not good”

“NO!. I… may looked like a know what I’m doing… but I don’t really know how to cook without a self heating element… you think you could cook?”

“do the stoves work?”

“yep”

“then yes, I can make something for us. But I don’t know the ingredients so I can’t promise they will be good”

“can’t be worst than gray mush”

“if it’s the same mush that 511 made me taste, then you are right. That thing tastes worst that shit”

Iris tilted her head and blushed.

“you… you… eat shit?”

Scilla was taken aback for a second.

“what? The fuck no! It’s a way of saying”

“oh. And what’s that?”

“a combination of words that doesn’t really make too much sense but conveys a message generally understood”

“oh. Cool. I want to learn that”

“with time”

Now that she finally could, Scilla announced that she was going to shower but soon after returned to the living room to look for Iris. She found the creature turned away from her, crouched in the garden really close to a flower plant.

“Iris can you help me a second?”

Iris turned around as fast as she could, almost as if she was startled. Half inside her mouth there was one of the white flowers of the garden, stem included.

Scilla facepalmed herself for a second.

“Not you too with the flowers. What the deal with eating them?”

“taste?” said Iris as she picked a new flower and hand it to Scilla.

“no thanks. Does at least taste good?”

“mmh… not really. A bit dry, kinda woody. Not much flavor other than generic cut grass”

“yeah… I could have lived without the review. Anyway emh… I’m kinda lacking clothes to change into. And maybe more importantly. Can you show me how the shower works? There are buttons and switches that I can’t read”

“oh… sure. You looking for something traditional like the one I’m wearing or…”

“Iris, hate to interrupt but I think we will be lucky to find something that fits me”

“I don’t know. Old sisters were massive.”

Fortunately for her the shower became easier to use once explained. Idra also managed to find some clothes that fit her. They had nothing in particular except the long sleeves with pockets. Then after both had showered Iris invited Scilla to sit on the living room couch for a moment.

As Scilla sat Iris moved closer. Scilla was invested by a sweet smell coming from Iris. She probably didn’t care to be scentless like 511 or didn’t have the correct product to achieve so. In either case she smelled really good, like an unknown field of mixed flowers.

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“by the way, I was thinking to leave you for a bit” said Iris while looking at her hands. She was showing her patterns to compensate being nervous.

“why?”

“well, few streets away there should be a, a place filled with guns. I kinda need to get one”

“isn’t this place safe?”

“it is. But by law we both need a gun so now that I can I want to get a couple.”

“emh… ok. What should I do in the mean while?”

“I don’t know… do you like watching TV shows?”

“yeah like everybody.”

“then…”

Iris went to her room and returned soon after with a tablet in hand. It was different from the one she took from the generator room. It surely was more crude. She handed it to Scilla and after she grabbed onto it Iris pressed a couple of buttons. The TV turned on and started an episode of the survival show that 511 liked. 608 must have liked it as well.

“the tablet controls the whole house electronics. I set it to shared language and to auto translate audio. I put on a show that I liked. Kind of a pity that I don’t have the new seasons. Bye”

Iris walked away leaving Scilla a bit confused but intrigued. She could do what she wanted and so she immediately switched show to look for more interesting things.

I wonder. Is there something that shows how their civilization is? Like a slice of life thing? She won’t get mad at her return right?… nah she told me to entertain myself.

After some research she finally picked a show but as it started the screen glitched. Images corrupted before her.

“what the fuck?”

The fuck is happening to this piece of shit? I thought their technology was super advanced and it’s fucking exploding before me.

But then her head started pulsing and spinning. She heard that now too familiar humming as the screen stabilized. She partially recognize what she was looking at. It was a video feed from a power armor. Whoever was inside didn’t matter. In the middle of the screen a machine was coming down from the low ceiling.

“I know it’s you” said the armor user. Her voice was the almost same as Iris. For sure it was an Idra.

The machine rotated. It resembled a human whose feet have been stuck into the ceiling. It had cameras all over the front and clearly slots for retractile arms.

“good morning child. I need further explanation…” that was ISAG.

“don’t bullshit me robot. You are the traitor”

“484 I beg your pardon, but I don’t know what you are referring to”

“I just told you to keep your shit to yourself. You are the only one without any alibi and with enough knowledge to help her get around”

“your reasoning is almost correct child. However I must remind you that I cannot oppose the Founder’s orders. My freedom is conditional.”

“conditional my ass. We can’t let that thing roam around freely”

“that thing is your sister” replied the machine. In contrast to 484 who was heating up, ISAG was cold.

“I don’t give a fuck that we are related. We all saw her. It’s our duty to preserve our race. The Founder instructed us to avoid his mistakes and to keep the one he made away. 608 is one of them”

“I agree. 608 is too dangerous to be allowed to leave Weeping Sky. But allow my 400 years of wisdom to speak. We should not oppose 608, rather trick her. If she believed that we will bring her outside once older she will behave. Otherwise her constant escapes will increase and so will her effort to catch a ride on a ship”

484 remained silent. It made sense but at the same time she couldn’t trust the machine.

“trickery is your specialty isn’t it? Make good use of that” continued the machine.

“this isn’t over.”

“as you wish. You know where to find my interfaces in case you need me again. Farewell child”

strange… why did ISAG call her child instead of daughter like she used to do with 608? maybe it’s a time issue, when was this video recorder?

The video stopped and so did her headache. The TV returned to the main menu but Scilla was busy trying to patch up the pieces together.

Time passed and about 2 hours later Iris returned. With her she was carrying a backpack and 2 compact sub machine guns. Scilla walked to the entrance where they met.

“I’m back kiddo. Mum got you a gift” said Iris handing out the gun to Scilla.

“thanks mum, a sub machine gun. My favorite” replied Scilla.

“yeah I was tempted to grab an assault rifle but they are a bit too big and so are their magazines. Here grab those as well...”

Iris pulled out of the backpack 4 magazines for Scilla and a belt to store them.

“remember this weapons are for defense only. It’s almost impossible that anything could get near the base alive. Even more impossible to get in, but just in case. Give me a second and I’ll teach you how to shoot”

“I’m a soldier I know how to shoot”

“I suppose so. I just have to show you how to engage the safety and how to fold and unfold the gun.”

It didn’t took much to show Scilla how to operate the peculiar contraption. In contrast to most civilization that still utilized chemical based guns, Esterians almost exclusively used electromagnetic guns. On average those weapons provided more power but smaller magazines due to the space occupied by capacitors, batteries or whatever was used to store energy. In the case of the Esterians, power and precision was all they wanted so the sub machine gun ended up contained only 13 bullets. The peculiarity of most Esterian guns was the demagnetizing ending stage. The last section of the barrel was built to remove the magnetization from each bullet making it magnetically inert. This allowed to bypass magnetic dampening armors. The cost of course was even more reduction of available space.

“I know I have a lot of questions, but do you mind if I ask more things?” said Scilla.

“I have questions too, so go on.”

“were you a little rascal?”

Iris smiled widely.

“sort of. I mean I loved to explore and I was good at sneaking out. My sisters always freaked out and searched everywhere for me. Fun times”

“do you still like to play hide and seek?”

“what’s that?”

“the name of what you were doing as a kid”

“oh. Yeah it’s fun.”

“meh… there is no good way to put this, would you say that you are dangerous?”

“yes. I’m objectively dangerous. Why? Are you growing scared of me?”

“no… I’m just wondering about the differences between you and 511”

Iris didn’t reply, just stared at her.

She didn’t caught me lying right? She can’t, she has no sensors.

As per Scilla request, they rested a couple of days. Those 2 days of cohabitation were peculiar. 608 was a silent, distant but incredibly creepy roommate. She was usually working on her tablet but when not, she would behave oddly. Being distant yet staring at Scilla. She would not even reply to her. Just stare at what she was doing. This odd behavior intensified during cooking. Scilla being the only one capable of preparing food, made dishes for both. During the process Iris would stare at her but never get closer. When asked about her behavior she would deny it, avoid answering or simply ignores Scilla’s attempts. Scilla was also fairly sure that Iris was also staring at her while sleeping but she couldn’t prove it. Of course such behavior worried her. As the 7 day started Iris breached into Scilla’s room.

“good morning sleepy girl. You have rested enough. It’s time to go get the other generators. Get ready to travel”

The half asleep Scilla nodded but then asked.

“Iris are you planning on eating me?”

“no?”

“then why do you stare at me at night?”

“I don’t”

“don’t deny it like you do with the constant stares. I won’t get mad or anything. Just tell me the truth”

“if you care so much fine. I’m taking notes on both your behavior and physical health.”

“why?”

“to measure if the HBE is doing something to you, why else?”

“oh. Thanks. Well let’s eat and go then”

with their bellies full they moved to the station.

Iris operated with the station control system for some minutes before an automated train arrived. With that they departed and went toward the next reactor. This process immediately became a routine considering the number of reactors to turn back on. Each time they would arrived at a new station. Iris would take Scilla with her to eventually restore the backup power, then she would dismiss her and let her wander around. With a tablet for her as well, Scilla roamed around looking at what the structure had to offer. After all she was to no use to Iris. This freedom brought a lot more surprised than expected.

Scilla’s adventures however took an unpredictable turn almost immediately. After few empty or filled storages, more houses and food factories Scilla found an immense cuboid. Based on the map the structure she was approaching was around 2 km x 1,2km on 3 different levels.

Upon entering the room remained dead. No automated lights or vocal assistants. It was abandoned. Scilla pulled out her torch and went in. She passed through several security checkpoints, after them the narrow corridor expands to give space to hundreds of glass cylinders. She pointer her flashlight at them to see better if they contained anything. They had nothing in it except several robotic arms and machinery covered with needles.

Then in an instant Scilla’s body gave up on her. She fell on the ground while the room gained colors. Light. She looked around in confusion as the room was now functioning. The tubes contained some sort of organic materials. In some there were undefined blobs of flesh being poked with needles. Yet in others she could see a more defined mass of meat. It had the vague shape of an unborn child suspended in some greenish fluid. Scilla had no time to understand or analyze anything that the building returned to its abandoned state.

Is this where Idras were made? Those could be like… I don’t know but it could explain what I saw.

Scilla ventured deeper into the dark and rusted facility. She believed to be on the right track to reach then end when she stopped. In front of her a wall with massive door. They were open enough to let her walk in peacefully but not fully open.

As she walked deeper into the 100 meters of security doors the air started to stink. It was not a pleasant smell at all. It felt as if it was coming from a rotting distant corpse.

To no surprise it was indeed dead organic matter. Inside Scilla was welcomed by a “delicate” stench of dead. In front of her eyes, and almost as big as the entire room, there was a square chamber. The frontal side looking at Scilla was destroyed. Behind the hole the source of the smell. Metallic structures kept in place the remains of an organic entity. The abomination was grown on the metallic substrate and merged with it. Whatever it was used to be sort of spherical with flesh stretched to connect it on the metallic supports. That piece of meat had several mouths, an uncomfortable amount of eyes and teeth growing at random. It looked like an even grosser tumor mass. The front lower side was tore apart. As she was wondering for how long it had been there her body gave up on her again. This time she could at least move her hands on front of her face to avoid slamming it on the floor.

Alarms were echoing in the room. As she stood up the structure was intact and the creature inside alive and screaming. Even beyond a thick glass that things was so loud that it dwarfed the alarms.

In front of it Idras with weapons and long sticks ending with half circular devices. Then the scream got interrupted by an explosion. Pieces of meat and glass shards were shot everywhere as a newborn with tentacles all over herself came out sliding on the greenish fluid. The Idras tried to push the collar on the infant but the tentacles fought back with force. They shifted in both shape and composition to counterattack the Idras.

More Idras poured in as Scilla saw one of the initial Idras being tossed with ease against the ceiling.

It was pure chaos for 4 minutes when finally one of the Idras was able to attach the collar on 608 that returned to the newborn form and started crying like a normal baby.

The vision ended.

I… that things is 608. She almost killed her sisters. Her family. And that thing has been here for 27 years. How the fuck did it not decompose more? Fuck. Fuck fuck! I should not be here. I… I… the fuck do I do now?

Scilla was comprehensibly shocked. She was finally understanding the real nature of 608 and as all Iris’s sisters did before her, she was starting to fear Iris. 608 was indeed a monster. A monster that almost killed one of her sister the second she was born. A creature born from an abomination and with dubious ends. The same creature that she was helping and that ha clearly some mental issue.