Reborn.exe

₦Ø₩ ⱤɆ₳ĐɎ ₮Ø Ⱡ₳Ʉ₦₵Ⱨ

I walked back into the lab with a cup of coffee in hand. B-5120 laid on the examination table as usual. I stared at her with excitement. I looked back at the monitor which said,

𝙴𝚡𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙱𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚎.𝚎𝚡𝚎:  42% 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚎

 𝙴𝚡𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙴𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜.𝚎𝚡𝚎:  86% 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚎

𝙴𝚡𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙼𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜.𝚎𝚡𝚎: 32% 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚎

It was still going to be a while before B-5120 would be up and running again. Too bad, I was looking forward to doing more experiments with her again today. Instead, I decided to work on some programming for a machine that was designed to help surgeons perform surgery. Nicholas, my old neighbor, suggested the project after losing a patient, his niece, during a medical procedure, he felt so guilty and nearly quit his job because of it. He was as broken as I was when Beatrice had died. We spent a lot of time together during those days, sympathizing with each other and getting drunk. I was actually expecting him to visit today to check in on the project.

There was a voice coming through my buzzer, "Hey, Coline. It's Nicholas!"

I walked over to my buzzer, "Come on up,"

A few minutes later, Nicholas walked through the door. We hugged and greeted each other. "How's the project going?" Nicholas asked.

"Still working on the programming. Hopefully, I'll be able to send the programming to the engineers downstairs soon," I answered.

"What about the other project?" Nicholas smiled.

"B-5120 is nearly done. Just need to download some files to her hard drive and she'll be ready to go. The files are downloading right now, but they're going to take all day," I sighed.

Nicholas walked around the lab and stopped at the table B-5120 rested upon. "Is this her?" He trailed off in awe.

"Yep, once the programs download, I'll be running a few tests to see how well the experiment went. I'm just scared she won't turn out the way I'm hoping," I explained.

"What are those red streaks on her face?" He asked.

I turned to face him, "I don't think you want to know,"

"Ew," Nicholas cringed. "Can't you wash it off?"

"I already tried, it won't come off," I shrugged.

"Gross," Nicholas finally said, "Well, I better be on my way to work, but is there any possible way I could see B-51-whatever up and running? Maybe you could give me a call before you start her up?"

"Sure, but you'll have to watch from a distance. Safety measures and all that," I explain.

"You think it will be necessary to take those precautions? You're the best programmer I know. I doubt you'll make any mistakes that would make it malfunction," Nicholas assured me.

"It's just the law, Nicholas," I sighed, "but yeah, I'll call you when she's ready to go."

"Sounds great, see you later!" Nicholas headed out the door and I closed the door behind him with a slam and continued my programming on the machine.

***

I raised my head from the desk, the skies outside were a dark black and the stars were shining. The room was nearly pitch black other than the lamp glowing from the examination table and the big monitor. I looked at the clock, which said 10:45. My eyes widened, realizing that I had wasted time on a cat nap. I look back at the monitor after yawning,

𝙴𝚡𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙱𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚎.𝚎𝚡𝚎: 99.9% 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚎

𝙴𝚡𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙴𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜.𝚎𝚡𝚎: 100% 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚎

𝙴𝚡𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙼𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜.𝚎𝚡𝚎: 98.9% 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚎

A wide grin spread across my face, she was so close to completion. I walked back over to B-5120 and examined her closely. Her blank screen, bolted to her face and causing the red, stained streaks down her face. I unsuccessfully preserved her eyes, that's why I had to replace them with a screen, but the rest of her face is the same. Her hair, skin, and mouth is still intact, so her face is still organic but her skin is pale and lifeless, after all, I wasn't able to preserve her body for possibly a day after her death. Her brain is still there, too, but the bullet she took to the head damaged it, that's why I have backup files of her memories. Her brain is the only organ left in her body, the rest of them were replaced by circuits and wires. I replaced her hands with metal ones, now she could project holograms and show things like the state of her system or the weather or time. The holograms could tell me if she was malfunctioning and what was wrong with her so I could identify and fix the problem easier. I wanted her new life to be as hassle-free as possible. I wanted her to feel like a human again.

I wrote down notes while I waited. I decided to even call Nicholas while I waited so he could enjoy these final moments of anticipation with me. I tapped on his contact and gave him a call. The phone rang once, twice, and then I heard a "Hello?"

"Hey, Nicholas! B-5120 is almost done and I remember you saying you wanted to see her start up when she was ready so I think now is the best time for you to come over." I exclaimed.

"That's exciting, Coline! I'm nearly done with my shift, don't start without me!" Nicholas hung up without another word. I put my phone back in my pocket and waited for him. I heard a small ding coming from the computer and saw that Beatrice.exe was 100% complete. The only file left was Memories.exe. I continued waiting for Nicholas, looking at my old notes throughout the process of building B-5120. I even tried rubbing the red streaks off of her. How was she going to live a normal life if she had blood stains on her cheeks? However, I was still unable to remove them. I don't even remember how they got there. I mean- obviously they were there from me drilling the screen onto her face, but they didn't appear until the next day.

Suddenly, from my back pocket, I felt my phone buzz. I took out my phone, the bright screen momentarily blinding me after being in mostly darkness. It was a text message from Nicholas,

Sorry, but I can't come over. I'm heading to a major surgery that I must tend to. Feel free to start her up when she's finished, I'll come by later to see her.

That's a bummer. All's well, at least he's allowing me to start her up without him and not making me wait. As if on cue, I heard another ding come from the computer. Large letters appeared on the screen.

𝙴𝚇𝙿𝙾𝚁𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙿𝙻𝙴𝚃𝙴

𝙳𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚊𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚑