Elira

Prologue

My heart pounded in my chest as I ran, each time my feet hit the floor a jolt ran through my body reminding me of why I was here. The cold air cut through my throat, and was sharp in my lungs. My face was burning. My body ached. I was nearly there. I was nearly out. Please, please just let me out.

"Stop! Stop right there!" Someone shouted from behind me. I turned. Big mistake. The guards appeared at the end of the hall, one by one. I was outnumbered.

No, I still had a chance! I had to. The door was just around the corner. I forced my legs to move, I willed my body to keep going. Just a little further. I felt a sting in the back of my neck. I was nearly there. I could make it. Just one foot in front of the other.

My determined stride  turned to a slow shuffle as I leaned against the freezing wall. I looked up but I couldn't make out where I was anymore. Which hallway was I in again? Either way it was starting to shake, no spin. No, that was me. My feet gave out from under me, betraying my trust. I could feel the them coming closer. I could feel them approaching. They were saying something but I couldn't hear them.

I tried to get up, but couldn't even make myself sit. A dull pain pulsed throughout my body,  as I laid there hunched over on the floor. I couldn't see. My hair must've be in the way. No, no there would be a painful amount of light seeping through from the over head fluorescents. I couldn't see at all. I couldn't hear. I could hardly move.

I willed myself to get up, to run, I was so close. So damn close. My body stayed on the floor, defiant. There was shouting. I couldn't hear but the vibrations made it clear. They were here. They jabbed something into my neck, where the stinging pain finally ceased. My muscles twitched and a dull pulses turned to a hot, throbbing pain.

    I opened my mouth to scream but no sound came out, as much as I could hear. I tried and tried again, calling, begging for help, though I knew nobody would come. My chest tightened as I started to gasp for air. I attempted to speak again but started coughing instead. Something was caught in my throat, it was tearing up my insides as coughed desperate to get it out. My hands were splattered with a sticky, baby blue substance. Ectoplasm.

    It was all over the floor, my clothes. My insides were coming out. The warning served clear. Make this as easy as possible or things will get painful, fast. The threat rang true as the pain grew more intense, making me want to scream again. Tears slid down my cheeks, stinging my eyes, I bit my lip, it began to bleed I could taste the unsettling sweetness in my mouth. I didn't stand a chance anymore.

I fell, hoping for a cold relief from the searing heat that was going through me. Unfortunately, the frigid floor did nothing to cancel out my pain, it only clashed with the flames, worsening the problem rather than resolving it. I should've known it wouldn't work, I knew how the body worked, what else would I have learned with the countless hours I spent in the labs? I knew how the human body worked, more importantly, how mine did, I should've known. I should've known.

I wasn't thinking. That's why I'd been caught. I'd been stupid and reckless. I saw a chance and pounced. This wasn't a game of cat and mouse, though. It was a battle against fate, a power beyond my comprehension or ability to bend. Why else would I be here? Why else would I fail time and time again to escape?

I knew what was happening. I'd lost. I was being rebooted. My time as 100 had ended. It was time to go.

A chillingly familiar voice rung through my head "Restarting experiment 23, exterminating variant 100 - 01, recalling prototype .3, reverting to prototype .3, reboot initializing in 5..."

Ah, I was wrong. It was a restart. Those tend to be less painful, according to my databases. Then again, no data had ever survived a reboot. Without a reboot to compare to, what I was experiencing seconds prior seemed to be the worst pain thus far. They were getting more aggressive, more desperate, just like me.

"4..."

By now I was in control of my body again but I didn't get up. What could I do in 3 seconds time? Nothing useful. The numbing fluid had been released but exhaustion was persistent. God, living was tiring. Why was I here again? My arms felt heavy. No not just them, my entire body was threatening to shut down before the restart.

"2..."

I gave in, I wanted my last moments to have some semblance of peace, at least. I closed my eyes as the final number rang out.

"1."

...

restart complete