Tap tap tap!
Jason's weary finger flew across the keyboard tapping series of code with practiced accuracy honed from countless nights of coding and screens. Lines of algorithms flowed across the screen, one line at a time.
His creation, a neural cybernetic enchantment ahead of the time was soon to be completed. Nova, he called it, a narcissist of a program that mirrored his own enclosed genius. He had poured sweat and blood into it..... forsaken youth, pleasure, friends, materialistic things and most importantly.....his family. Heart twisting with guilt at this thought
" It's finally coming together" his hoarse voice rang out in the empty, scattered lab " Megan, what is the success rate for the fusion? " He asked aloud.....crazy? No!
"92% sir, but..." Megan, his lab Ai program paused
"But what" he asked exhaling already having an idea of she was about to say
"Your body sir, the high fusion rate is due to the top quality of technology being used, but all could go wrong if your body suddenly fails during the process which there is a 72% chance of that happening.
According to the logs, you haven't had a proper rest in weeks and haven't slept in four days!!" Megan's electronics voice echoed through the lab..... emotionless from the speakers
"Sigh! Megan, I have told you countless times over and over again. I will after I am done with all these. This is the future Megan, the future of mankind" Jason said, his voice a bit fanatic. He looked old even though he was just 25 years of age.
Wrinkled eyes behind his squared frame glasses that told the tales of countless sleepless nights, his skin old and cracking from lack of proper nutrition and little to no sleep. Still, his eyes held that young vigour....his dream was finally coming to fruition but at what cost?
"Initiate sequence" he ordered aloud
" Sir-" Megan began
"Initiate the sequence Megan!!" He thundered palm slamming into the keyboard...a hint of madness glazed his iris before vanishing almost immediately.
"....INITIATING SEQUENCE IN.....
INITIATED...
COUNTDOWN....10 MINUTES
" Sir I will ask you to at least eat the leftovers from yesterday to have some energy" Megan pleaded a hint of emotion appearing in her electronic voice"
"...."
Stripping ignoring Megan's voice, he treated her warning and pleas as air...invisible. she was an AI....a tool for assistance not nagging. He wore the black jumpsuit...looking a bit futuristic with led light around the edges.
"Open pod
POD OPENING!
Piisssss! The lid of the egg shaped pod lifted, hot steam streaming out " here goes nothing" he said inwardly.
Stepping into the pod laying on the white metallic bed as an overhead robotic arm with a bowl shaped mechanical head latched unto his head with a metallic hum
Click- locking in place. A chill went down Jason spine his eyes....contained several emotions with guilt, pain, fear, anger and tiredness being prominent spiralling into....
"Initiate sequence" he whispered
SEQUENCE INITIATED!!!
Zzzzt! The lid closed locking in place Jason's face.....old reflecting on the glass.
COUNTDOWN: ONE MINUTES AND TWENTY SECONDS!...ONE MINUTES AND NINETEEN SECONDS.....ONE MINUTE AND FIFTEEN SECONDS
As the cold electronic voice of Megan counted down, his sense of dread spiked. A voice at the back of his mind told him to stop.....but the countless night of coding away from friends and family, cold and detached. The numerous weeks and months, money and time spent couldn't be regained.
Q Reaffirming his resolve even though the smell of death grew stronger and stronger by the second
TEN SECONDS.....FIVE SECONDS.....FOURS SECOND..... THREE... CRACK! ERROR ERROR..... BREACH DETECTED!!!
Alarms blared in the background. The lab, a chaos of warning red lights flashing brightly.....
"What wrong Megan!!!" Jason asked fear gripping his form. Sweat soaking his suit.
BREACH DETECTED!! CODE ERRROR!! SUGGESTING SEQUENCE TERMINATION!!!
At this moment Jason had never felt more fear in his life.....even when his mother died, cold and alone. His life is in danger!!
"Shut down sequence!!! Activate override!!!" he shouted
INITIATING SEQUENCE OVERRIDE.....ERROR OVERRIDE UNSUCCESSFUL!!
REINITIATING..... ERROR OVERRIDE UNSUCCESSFUL!!!
Alarms bleared, Jason feared tears trickling down his tired eye...face etched with horror " maybe.... just....maybe, if he had listened and waited" he thought.
Bang! An ear shattering explosion rocked the lab " but it was too late" eyes closing....never to open.... or
Alarms blared as roaring flames erupted from the quantum processors. The explosion ripped through the lab, heat roasting through the pod burning against his skin, shards of metal embedding in his flesh.
In those final seconds, his mind flashed to her.....his mother, lying on the cold metal hospital bed, her voice weak barely whispering over the line
"Jason, come home... work can wait..... please." But he never did. He had chosen the code over her....stubborn and heartless, and now, as darkness swallowed him, regret burned hotter than the flames.
" Mummy.....I am sorry.... so.... sorry....."