/Niko
All the while there was some odd sense of a situation, right after the video, then with the others just sitting there to at least get some gist of what we're in, the AIO voice sounded in my head - "There's another awakened. I'll direct you to the pick up point."
AIO spoke through the com system so we'd all hear her: "Allow me to guide you to the kitchen. There's prepared food and condiments for you. As well as a little surprise."
"You what now?" - Verin fumed as she listened. - "Do you really want to boss me around, you junk set of whatever base you're on?!"
Ary walked over to take Verin by the hand. Made it to grab tightly from the third try, as Verin did her best to fight him off. "Come on, we're all confused and pretty tired. So food seems like a good thing to start with." - Ary lets out.
"Indeed," - Killian adds, - "Some nourishment surely would be beneficial."
We all follow along with the directions that AIO gave. From this room, to the side hallway, to the elevator. Pressed number 4. Then Got out, another hallway and at the end the large metal door. As we approached - it opened.
The area in front of us looked like the living quarters. From the chill area that's something along the lines of "sitting" area, with some chairs, some puffy things scattered, large monitor the size of a wall, the other side of the room - tables with chairs, behind that - kitchen with cooking area and a small bar. Though the very much unexpected part - was seeing robots. Android-something robots. Some more basic, some a bit more humane looking. They were setting the tables with food, drinks, cooking food and prepping all in the kitchen.
Fascinating sight caught everyones attention.
"Please, do take your seats, enjoy the feast in your honor." - AIO let out for us all to hear.
"You should head back to the elevator, dear." - AIO spoke to me personally.
I grabbed Killians hand - "I will be back. There's a side quest thing."
Killian quizically looked at me, shook head and said - "Go, I'll keep them occupied."
I let go of her, mouthing "Thank you", as I walked back to the elevator.
Standing there in the hall, I wondered what it could be.
"So what am I waiting for?" - I ask AIO.
"The proper question would be 'Who?', rather than 'What?'. Give it a few minutes." - AIO replies.
"What do you mean?" - I let out.
"There's a surprise I though you mind find interesting." - AIO adds. Though the whole sentiment of the system NOT willing to reply directly started to irk me. What is this about? How come it took a few moments for it to just switch from the supposedly obedient AI helper, to a scheming aired one?
The door of the elevator open and I see a long haired man. Oh, he's absolutely ragged. But somehow familiar.
"Come along, it's going to be a long one." - I let out, turn around and listen to his footsteps behind me.
"Who is it?" - I ask the system internally. Silence. "You better reply, if you want me to cooperate."
"Registered user 5383, David Grey, nickname David. Pass holder S class. Unlimited availability, no restrictions." - AIO reads out information and then silence.
We walk to the kitchen, others are already at the table, looking at the food in front of them.
"What's this?" - Killian asks.
"Guess our trick of getting out did take some others without their consent out of the system." - I reply.
David takes a seat next to me, as I sit next to Killian. The whole large table allows us all to sit together.
There's some soup looking thing, some greens, some odd looking prepped food. But I guess it's all for us to be able to just down the food after a prolonged period of pretty odd nutrition cycle. Guess prepped to restart the digestive system, so we don't crash out.
Everyone looks at the food like it's not trustworthy. I get that. So I take the spoon and try some soup. The taste is not bad, the creamy thing indeed. Then others follow my suit.
Around half an hour in silence as we eat. Guess we all have a bit to think about.
Then the food finished. We sat there, just staring at the table. Robots came about to clean up, then left.
"Why the long faces?" - AIO spoke up.
"And suddenly you acquired the skill of sounding brazen. How come?" - Killian lets out tiredly.
"Ah, that's due to the connection of the main office to us, finally. It was a long while to access the system, due to safety protocol on the mechanics of research facility separation… Oh, but don't mind me. I'm only here to help." - AIO announces.
"So who are you?" - David asks, as he takes stock visually of all of us.
Killian takes the wheel of explaining. Points to each of us, sharing the nicknames we had in the system. I guess sharing the real names is not a thing.
"You?" - He looks at me. "I sort of had a feeling, but I do wonder: What the fuck did you do, so that all of us were pulled the fuck out, huh?"
I look at him, not really sure how to answer.
"You do realize, that I woke up in a bloody office room filled with mummified corpses, a dude on the floor bleeding out, with air so shitty it spun my head. To get myself half standing to find a damn card to get here. What a way to go. And that's right after I was enjoying my time in the fine apartment, with a drink in hand." - David sounds irritated, though tired, like the rest of us.
"So that's where he was, huh?" - I let out.
"Are you talking about me?" - Davids voice got a bit more angry.
"David," - I begin.
He cuts me right after I call his name.
"And how do you know my name if I'm yet to say it?" - He could kill with his eyes if he could.
"We're all granted a pass depending on the registered profile we acquired when we got here. Either that, or the system just decided our level of information access. So I asked the system who you were, whilst we walked towards here." - I let out
"Ain't that sneaky, huh? So you knew and said jack shit." - David shook his head.
"Does that mean we don't have the same access to the same information?" - Verin asked.
"That does sound discriminatory. That activation key did say that we're pass holders A." - Ary let out.
"There's a few of us with another pass code." - Killian adds.
"So it IS a discrimination." - Verin grimaces.
"Ok fine. Let me begin from the start. Whilst we were in the system, there was an event where the war erupted in the magical realm. Ary and I met up in there and went to get the weapon together from the old ruins." - I start.
"I did intercept some info out there, but that's because Adrian was abducting people in the other realm, so I had to at least share that intel, when YOU" - David looks at me, eyes throwing daggers, - "did some shit that got me to come back to my apartment, remembering half the damn warcrimes you've commited along the way in that place."
I roll my eyes.
"Yeah, that did happen. But there's a bit more." - I let out a sigh, then continue, - "You see, when we were in the ruins below, getting into dungeon - I saw Hikaru. But um… That was sort of messed up." - I wince.
Hikaru looks at me:
"That was not me. I was actually in a bystander mode for a long while. But I did see someone use my looks? To basically be me. But that was someone else." - He frowns.
"Yeah, that was Leo. A supposed brother of mine. He found my other side of consciousness with Killian. And when Killian went to grab my other side of me, upon the syncing - that Leo was either too deep into BDSM or too deep into being a professional scumbag rapist. Though I think it's both. He claimed that he's dying on the floor in research lab and that he saw me in a cryo pod, so he came to 'rescue' me." - I let out.
"Though that rescue did seem like a pile of burning shit, so we got together to analyze the situation." - Killian adds.
"I mean, the dude was desperate, lord knows. But the way he was - it was sort of eerie. So we had to check back with what exactly happened." - Ary lets out.
"So you all just came out of the system to what?" - David gumbles.
Me, Ary and Killian all look at each other, then glance at the rest at the table. The very huge disdain, the sense of "why'd you do that?" is laying heavy. Coming out was one thing, but this here. We're yet to know what IS here. And what to do with all this.
"Niko…" - David lets out, voice so fed up with all, so absolutely heavy. It made me feel really shitty. Like I did what was not supposed to be done.
"I think it was for the sake of our safety." - Hikaru broke the silence. - "We all went in, we all lived, somehow we're back and fairly healthy. It's unknown what is out there and how long we've been.."
"280 years…" - Killian lets out.
"What?" - Hikaru asks.
"It has been 280 years since we were in the system. A whole lot of 280 years passed on planet earth as now, and we have no clue what is outside." - Killian kills it.
"Fuck…" - David breathes out the swearing. - "Then how the fuck are we alive still?"
"Oh, I can answer that!" - The cheery voice of AIO appears.