The Gizmo- The Heroes Quest

chapter 5- The Voice

It felt like a long dream. I felt like I was drowning... Drowning in an ocean of darkness.

With my eyes closed, I try to swim back up. But it was of no use. I struggle, but I still keep drowning. I open my eyes to see a small ray of light above me. I try to reach it but to no avail.

Suddenly I hear a voice. It was as someone was giggling. It was different from the voice that thanked me when the medicure gizmo was turned on. I try to look around me while drowning, but I couldn't see anything except for darkness.

The girl speaks, "Hello my friend, Nuke! What a lovely sight, isn't it." Her voice was like that of a five year old yet slithery. I reply, "Is that supposed to be a sarcasm? All I can see is darkness. And... how do you know my name?"

She laughs as she answers to my question, "Well, of course I knew your name since a very long time! But let's not talk about it now. Hmmm, what shall we talk about?"

"Missy, aren't you the one who's supposed to know that!", I sigh.

While she begins to think with a loud "hmm". Annoyed, I ask her, "May I know your name? And why can't I see you?"

She answers, "Well, never mind my name, because.." There's a long pause.

"Because I'm a girl and I'm shy to say my name!", she chuckles.

"And about why you cannnot see me? That's because I don't exist!" She laughs to herself as she comments.

Confused, I ask her, "Was that meant to be a joke? what do you mean by 'you don't exist' ?"

Ignoring my query, she throws another question right back at me, "Do you know where are we right now?"

I shake my head and say, "I don't know."

"The darkness that you see, is my home"

"Your home?"

Yes, it's the bridge that connects reality and the internet. Right now, you can say that this is the link between your soul and your body. The link of darkness. You are between your real body and the virtual life that you are going to receive. But do not forget this, the two bodies are connected by this bridge. If your real body dies, you die too. But if you wish to stay here with me, you can cut of your ties with the real body and stay free forever. So what do you say? Join me?"

Her words looked so simple, but then I could feel something very suspicious.

"Join you? But how? And how is this supposed to be a bridge? All I see is darkness enveloping me!"

"Yes! Darkness is the bridge that you are passing through. All you need a detour and you would finally see light. But if you walk the path that you have chosen, then doom shall it be"

Her lines were for sure catchy, but hen I recollect something that the doctor had told me before he put the device on me. I murmur to myself, "Hang on to your soul."

"Huh? Did you say something?", she asks. I reply, "Nope, and about the thing which you said..."

"So are you joining me?", she asks.

"No", I answer confidently. The world's fate rests upon my shoulder. I cannot give up now. I rather fulfill a good deed and die a horrible death than escape from reality, living peacefully but with a hole in my heart forever.

"Oh, such a shame. I thought we could have fun if you stayed with me and the other girl who came to me years ago. Fine with me, even if you choose the wrong path", she says.

"So there's someone else with you?", I ask.

"Oh Yes! That girl was as confused as you, but she made the right decision and now she's living a wonderful eternal life.", The girl giggles.

After a while, I could feel my body touching the bottom of the ocean of darkness. I was finally able to stand on my feet. I stretch myself. Then, I find a portal in front of me, with it's size similar to that of my room. The bright light coming from it blocks the view of the other side.

"Well, I guess this is the last time we meet each other. I wish you good luck!" And then, the voice disappears.

I move forward and step into the portal, the portal that would give me a new ray of hope, a new life!

The portal takes me back to the room where my former body is. I look at it as though it's a duplicate of the current me. I look at Dr. Stoian as he gives a me a wide and welcoming smile.

He shouts, "Finally, I present to you my greatest work of all times".

A new crowd that i have never seen before stare at me blankly. And then they begin to clap as though they had just witnessed a magic show. He tries to shake hands with me, but my hand passes right through him.

He flinches a bit as it happens. "Welp! I guess I need to get used to this.", he scratches his head as he says that.

The crowd laughs and whispers fill the air like sawdust, and there's an other round of applause and a man in a grey suit shouts, "bravo!"

A minute later, my father enters the room, followed by the rest of my family. My mom, dad and Shu try to give me a hug together, but they all go through me and fall at once. I laugh as that happens.

Then, Dr. Stoian walks to the door and signals me to follow him alone. I follow him to another room without any further query. After all, there were things I had to tell him as well. I turn back once more as there's a hussle, with people glancing at me as they go whispering with their neighbor.

Dr. Stoian takes me to a small room. On the door, the nameplate said, "Dr. Stoian, professor of medical advancement of the Neurology".

The room is dark with light illuminating from the only window from which, the night sky was clearly visible. The only furniture that exists is a rectangular table and three chairs

He sits on the chair opposite and asks me to sit too. But then I realize that I started to sink in.

He laughs as he comments, "Maybe you have to get used to sitting in the air." Yeah, he was right. All this time, I wasn't walking on the floor, but in air.

Still standing, I look at him. "So...". I didn't know how to start with. Maybe I should let him to speak first.

He rests his head over his palm, taking the support of his elbow over the table. "Well, can you tell me what really happened over there?"

I nod and then start speaking, "After I lost my consciousness, I felt like I was thrown into darkness. I felt I was drowning in the darkness. Then I heard a girl's voice. She sounded like a five year old. She asked me to join her. She said I could be free then."

I hear Dr. Stoian clench his fists in anger as he murmurs, "That witch! What does she want from me?"

I continue, "Well, I refused. Somewhere within me, I could hear you telling, hang on to your soul. Then I reached the bottom of the ocean of darkness and found a portal to come back. With the portal, I came back to the room."

He asks me, "what happened to the voice after that? And did she tell you anything else?"

I answer, "The voice disappeared and also, she told me that there was another girl who had joined her few years ago."

The doctor stares at me with a stunned face. Then, he looks down and tears roll down his cheeks as he speaks, "The girl who she was talking about was my experiment's first test subject... My daughter.."