Synthetic

Chapter 07: Relics

"There are no patrol routes, so we should be unscathed as long as we don't see more of those things...Follow me." I flicked my hand in a gesture for her to follow, relieved we didn't spend too much time in that room. Something about it was foreboding: why would such an active factory have a completely vacant storage room in its abandoned recesses? "Perhaps they sealed it off because of that sentry," I mused aloud. "If so, there is likely more than one causing the problem."

"Jesus. I hope I never have to see another one of those in my life," She remarked, fear dripping in her voice. "A-anyway. I would assume this is the place where abominations like that run wild."

Pushing open the massive doors of the warehouse, we made our way into a hallway. Off-white and rank with stale air, it resembled the choked passageways of a hospital. Yet, there was nobody to be found. Lonely blue decals resembling circuit boards and the faded red 'E' of Enterprise's logo could be seen on the walls, but the lights were all off. Somehow, finding this desolate spot brought me hope. Where there was a hospital, there had to be some form of human life. "I'm detecting some traces of skin here," I said, cocking my torso so I could filter more air. "There's not much oil left in it, so whoever left it behind was gone for a while. We may as well find out what happened to them." I noted, the ominous nature of the situation setting in after my lips closed. I realized my mistake had struck a nerve with my fleshly companion.

"She's not dead!" Ciela's eyes flashed with rage.

I recoiled reflexively, stammering, "N-noted. Is there anything that, er...disproves the eventuality?" I questioned more cautiously.

Without making eye contact, she calmed down with a few breaths. "She's not dead. She can't be."

"Let us continue," I remarked, hiding the exasperation within. What a response! I'd be perfectly fine without emotions if I was going to do that under their control! "We should get to the bottom of this first, okay?" I reassured half-heartedly. She gave a quick nod, but retained her glare.

We were soon faced by several doors: from what I could see, each half-agape glass panel led to a lab. A small glass sign on each one revealed they were all part of a 'biomedical wing'. My jaw could have fallen off my face. "Impossible," I exclaimed, excitedly pushing one open further. The (formerly) automatic door was merely crushed against the wall, closing halfway with a crack and puff of dust. From what I could smell, the dust seemed to be from crumbling concrete, and not human skin. Nevertheless, it was a most fascinating discovery. We found evidence of human employees! "You're...you're right! Why wasn't I informed about this?" I stammered, leaping into the abandoned lab with vigor.

"What did I tell you?" She remarked, the usual blend of fear and determination returning to her visage. She kept a twitching hand on her gun as we entered.

The place seemed long neglected, with shattered glass lying about the desks and papers haphazardly strewn about the floor. Racks which were likely once filled with clean utensils were on the ground, shards of what they contained scattered in jagged clusters. Beneath the wreckage I saw, a smashed pipette or the odd overturned microscope. Murky, ambiguously organic fluid lay in the beakers still intact, as well as clear, jellylike substances caked in dust. Though I dreaded to think of what enacted this destruction, my curiosity pushed me forward. "Watch out for the glass," I said on impulse. Seemed my 'Disaster Response' programming felt like kicking in...yet I was more certain the warning was earnest.

"Noted. We'll see if we can find more of those files," Ciela mused, tentatively stepping around the ruined lab supplies. I followed, carefully examining the pieces. A moist, rank-smelling file was what piqued my curiosity most. When I picked it up, it nearly disintegrated in my hands. "Have a look at this," I said, gesturing for Ciela to come closer. The page I was holding had dark smears left and right, but there were two recognizable words scrawled on it.

"COME BACK"

"Well. The five-armed thing is a writer and a janitor, or..." Ciela remarked, before we shared a glance of mixed horror and confusion.

"We...we're not alone in here, are we?" I muttered into the bleach-scented air, rather pointlessly. She didn't reply. My left forearm opened, and I placed the page inside. Evidence this intriguing couldn't just go to waste. "Right. Let us continue." My partner nodded, investigating a nearby bookcase. I bent over to pick up another folder, full of papers this time. "This whole place seems quite...familiar," I muttered quietly, still stunned by the confirmation of human life here. I leafed through the folder to find a lab report: hardly surprising, but it would greatly enlighten me on what was going on here. I felt my brow wrinkle in suspicion as I read its title.

"Mapping the Human Brain: An Overview"

Huh. What kind of factory would need details on the human brain? Unless...

"Doctor? I've found something that may...assist you."

For a minute, the inside of the laboratory was free of dust, and alive with vaguely human shapes in lab coats. Perplexingly, the equipment on the tables perfectly matched what I saw around me before. Someone was speaking, above the subtle hums of equipment.

There were a few more objects of interest laying around, it seemed. Driven on by this memory, I found another stack of papers in the drawer: leafing through them revealed reports that got increasingly familiar.

"An Exploration of Humanity: Investigating the Mechanisms behind Consciousness"

"The Nature of Memory"

"Synapse to Circuit: Engineering a Simulated Consciousness"

"Mada-I mean, C-Ciela...? I think I remember being here..." I spoke shakily. "Granted, I don't remember what I...they...were doing."

"Really? I can't blame you. The hell is up with all this equipment, anyway?" She said, examining the dish racks with great curiosity.

"Not sure," I replied, feeling my inner computer kick up and attempt to process what happened. Without another word, I excitedly rearranged the contents of my forearms, cramming in all the files I could. My mind was already racing ahead of me. Was I a person? A machine? Both? Perhaps a runaway experiment; something brought to life by that unfinished device my father so proudly stood in front of. Meat or metal, could my kind have been the reason this place was empty?

"Stanley?" Ciela cautiously interrupted my thoughts. She seemed more...shy this time around. "I know this is going to be a pain, but I have to get home now." I almost forgot: my internal clock revealed that our little adventure had taken about two and a half hours! It seemed I didn't acknowledge she had a life at home, subconsciously or not. "I have someone waiting for me, we'll just say. I don't think he'd believe I got torn up like this at university."

"S-sure. I'll escort you to the exit, if we can find it again." I fought back a request to have her stay, turning on my heels and gesturing for her to follow.

Unfortunately, I touched a table on the way out.

A small, seemingly insignificant test tube dropped out of a rack, a sharp plink announcing its untimely demise. We went stock-still, as though frozen in time. A clank sounded in the hallway.