Darkfall

4: the truth often hurts

The car ride is long and relatively boring. When we pull into a long driveway, Aran tells us we're there, at Ryven Clark-Banks's house.

The house is more like a mansion than anything else, a brick mansion with mechanized fences and gates around it. Aran, Leeg, Darkfall, and I walk up the driveway, and a man steps out onto the porch of the mansion, an amused look on his face.

"Well, well, look what we have here," he says in a deep, gravelly voice. The man is a few years older than Aran, and he pulls a package of cigarettes from his coat pocket. He pops one in his mouth, lights it, and starts to smoke. Beside me, Darkfall — I mean, Lore — stiffens almost imperceptibly  as she looks at the man.

"Ladies, meet Ryven. He's my cousin, like I said before, but he is a bit of a prick," says Aran.

"Oh, Aran, you wound me," says Ryven, clutching his chest. "I hope you know that Zero told me all about you four coming.  He also helped locate the others, the ones in Umbra who haven't lost their fuckin minds."

"Please tell me it was a secure network he used," says Darkfall.

"We are not idiots," says Ryven. Aran scoffs, and Ryven glares at him. "I also want you to know my fiance is here. He is upstairs resting. So no violence, alright? We don't do that here."

"You are getting married? To whom?" Aran asks.

"Not that it's any of your concern, Cousin, but his name is Zak and he's a wonderful man. I love him with all my heart and soul. If you so much as breathe wrong at him, my guard dog will likely tear you apart."

Without thinking, my programming kicks in.  I snarl.  "I'd like to see it try."

Ryven looks at me.  "Uh, right."

"Perhaps we should go inside to talk," says Leeg.

"She's right." Aran looks at Ryven.  "May we come in?"

The inside of the house is big and posh, very polished and very.... expensive. Ryven leads us through a main entrance room covered in polished wood furniture and ornate paintings from before the world changed. Before people embraced those like me and Darkfall.

We walk into a big living room, a large TV sits on a low table by the right wall next to the door, and all the seats in the living room are plush and face it. Ryven sits down on a chair by the fireplace, and he folds one leg over the other. He leans back, smoking still.

"Make yourselves comfortable," Ryven says.

Leeg and Aran sit down together on a couch, and Darkfall and I remain standing. Ryven looks at me and her and frowns.  "You can sit down, you know."

"That would make us and our charges vulnerable." Darkfall stares Ryven Clark-Banks down with an intensity I've never seen her use before.  Why is she so tense around him?

"Uh, sure," Ryven says, confused.

"Ryv, we need your help," says Aran.

"I know you do. And I know why. But my answer is and will always be no."

"Let's go. This was a waste of time," says Darkfall, glaring at him once more.

"We came all this way. Your fucking AI thing said you'd help us!" Aran hisses.

"Calm down, Aran. You wouldn't want to offend your girlfriends here." He gestures to me and Darkfall with his cigarette. "Yes, I know what you are."

Darkfall clenches her fists.

"You don't scare me, girl," he says. Ryven looks at me and Darkfall, his eyes darkening. "In fact, I am not even the slightest bit intimidated by you two."

"Come on, we're leaving. I knew this was a pointless endeavor," Aran snarls, glaring at Ryven.

Ryven groans and tilts his head back. He stands up and walks over to a nearby cabinet. I glance at Darkfall, and she steps closer to him. And I step between Leeg and Aran and Ryven.

When he turns back around, he holds a strange device. The device is cylindrical and glows red on one end. He walks up and hands it to Darkfall. She looks down at the object, frowning.

"What is this?" she asks.

"It's called Essence-Slayer. I know, it sounds dumb, a dumb name for something that could end the fucking world," he says coldly. 

Aran stands up then.  "How the hell did you get this?"

"Calm down, Aran." Ryven turns to Darkfall again. "This is worse than the Mindcage. It .... it is purely evil."

"What is it? Why haven't we heard of it before?" Leeg asks.

"I .... my father didn't make this. Your .... your mother did," Aran stammers, looking at the cylinder in Darkfall's hands.

"I know, I know," says Ryven. "But one thing you should know is that she perfected its power. It is powerful, a weapon unlike any other. It is able to absorb someone's life, and convert them into .... well, into data. Turning them into a ghost in the machine."

"And then they either store your data, your very consciousness, or they .... implant it," Aran mutters.  "It's actually how ...." He swallows and faces me. "You. It is how you exist, Argent. You .... were turned into an AI this way. Programmed into thinking you never lived, and my father thought that would be a mercy. I want to correct his mistakes, Argent. I'm so sorry for what my family has done to you."

"What?" I ask, my eyes wide.  "Your family killed me. Turned my soul into an AI, and now .... now, I'm forced to be your slave. Your .... guardian. You did this to me! You trapped me and made me your ...." I choke on the words. I turn and storm out of the house.