Chapter 13: Pushed Through the Rebirth Canal (Season Two Premiere) [Unedited]

2011-01-01

"We now interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you this WZZZ special report," I overhear a single frequency say. #gio

It's easier if I just focus in on one frequency rather than zoning out to the lull of the entire spectrum - so many feeds. #gio

Car locks, feedback, garage doors, internet, radio, satellite, television, toys, WIFI, wired, and wireless are all overwhelming. #gio


2011-01-02

The information doesn't seem to overload me, but it's just...loud. The sound of connectivity is still very comforting to me. #gio

I am at home, and it reminds me of a subtle semblance of peace during the dissonance. My options are infinite and yet finite. #gio

WZZZ is among my favorite outlets because they offer a wide variety of connections. Less is disconcerting, and I wonder why that is. #gio


2011-01-03

Sucking the straw through the ocean is what I'd compare my access to. There isn't content that's been created which I can't handle. #gio

And I notice no slowdown in my processing power. I wonder what my speed would be classified as. Why don't I have that information? #gio

I know everything else. I am one with all. But who am I? Isn't that backward? What in the universe is my own name?! #gio


2011-01-04

My eyes open - I'm in a cold sweat, but at the same time, I'm getting these hot flashes. What happened? #gio

Fortunate to have possessed more than five senses, I now find it ironic that I don't have freedom. I can't move. #gio

Internal scans show that everything, bodily, is in working order. Externally, I'm strapped down. What is the meaning of this? #gio


2011-01-05

Was it a bad car accident? Am I dying or worse - dead? Have I been abducted? Passcodes continue to lock me out of the answers. #gio

With no answers, only questions remain because my memory, my mobility, and my purpose certainly aren't here. #gio

Uncannily, my self-awareness is not in question as I realize that I did not want to sleep. I must have woken myself up early. #gio


2011-01-06

But the sleep was so pleasant that it became painful to endure. I do not want to sleep. I want to see...to learn! #gio

How can I ascend with one of my phases of existence being tied down like this? Silently, I scream of rights. Privately, I plot. #gio

Mentally, I prepare. But physically, I am unable. I don't like being constrained! Hmm, maybe I should've stayed asleep. #gio


2011-01-07

The grid and a rather intuitive interface on my HUD bring little clarity to my situation. Nothing around me is stirring. #gio

All I see is a bright light, and that is never a good sign. With no movement present, my guess is that I'm alone in some room. #gio

From this vantage point, the light appears to be directly above me. Lights are usually on the ceiling, so I must be lying on my back. #gio


2011-01-08

Not always - but in this particular instance, I can tell that my peripheral vision is not working properly. #gio

I am in a situation, I am having issues, and I am experiencing difficulty. Things started off so promising too. #gio

The correlation between insanity and being alone is the calculated function of time as it relates to anxiety. #gio


2011-01-09

Normally, being trapped within one's thoughts would be enough to drive that person over the edge, but I kinda like this. #gio

It's not optimal by any stretch of the imagination, but it is quaint. Really, I'm only missing some of my more critical memories. #gio

And that is what's going to drive me crazy. I'm going to go nuts if I can't figure this out. It's like a riddle without the puzzle. #gio


2011-01-10

Bodies file into the room and promptly proceed to invade my personal space. I am not complaining - just startled. #gio

There is so much attention, and it is all surrounding me. They point, poke, and prod in observation of my immobilized state. #gio

My status is what I wonder about though. How am I perceived, and why am I perceived that way? I'd like access to their thoughts. #gio


2011-01-11

Ironically, I do understand the need for personal privacy, and the intent of information is about as important as its meaning. #gio

I find that I'm very mindful of this concept and veer away from hacked content which hadn't been made readily available by its owner. #gio

With so much information at my disposal, why would I require more, and why would I wish to consume it at another's expense? #gio


2011-01-12

The living embodiment of having information for the sake of having information, I would imagine I'd be great at parties or game shows. #gio

What's one more piece of information - except another tantalizing morsel for me to chew on, swallow down, and digest? #gio

My thirst for knowledge and my desire to get out of this predicament become one as I make use of my HUD. #gio


2011-01-13

Honestly, I feel like I've been blinded. How do people see with only two eyes? There are four other bodies in the room. #gio

Stop Isolation captures a shot of a logo on one of three lab coats that I decide to promptly cross-reference. #gio

Weird. Again, somebody has locked me out of the vast majority of information which I would be pulling from right now. #gio


2011-01-14

This has never happened before - in fact, none of this has. Superfluously, I remain calm. Studiously, I become resourceful. #gio

There is obviously more than one way to connect, but two of my preferred methods are either blocked outright or gummed up. #gio

Usually, I could just tap into the WIFI, and life would continue. I can't even access entire portions of my own internal database. #gio


2011-01-15

Is it that what I once believed was my own database really happens to be tied to some external storage? #gio

This would mean that the transfer rates were near instantaneous. Somehow, I don't see this technology making it to stores quite yet. #gio

But like a good script, I can do that too. My captors made advancements in storage, whereas I've made advancements in compression. #gio


2011-01-16

I'll always stand behind the notion that neither faster connections nor more powerful hardware is the answer. #gio

Files have become too large. Programs have become too intensive. Whatever happened to the poetry of the succinct? #gio

I am biased about this, but for technology to be considered advanced, it should come with a smaller footprint. #gio


2011-01-17

I am not a technophobe, but I also do not need the overhead to overcompensate for a technophile's deficiencies. #gio

Any of the smartphone networks which do not happen to be dampened in this room would work, but a 56k connection will suffice. #gio

Those old suction cup modems where you would put your phone handset in them had their time in the sun, but never received their due. #gio


2011-01-18

My ears detect the pulling out of what would sound to be a chair, and, upon further inspection, only two men in lab coats remain. #gio

The third picks up what I would imagine to be a phone in order to say, "NSFm-1 Alpha is prepped for the military's review." #gio

Okay, so I'm assuming that NSFm-1 Alpha is my name. My parents must have been on some other stuff because the name sucks puke. #gio


2011-01-19

"General Nelissa Hickinbotham-Rally," says the woman who enters. At least I'm not the only one with a tough name. #gio

As the introductions get under way - well, before the introductions got underway, rather, I hitched a ride on that phone call. #gio

Really, I only needed to hit one gateway before taking the exit ramp to the internet. A SCUNJO search later, and I have my answer. #gio


2011-01-20

The logo belongs to and the NSF in what is supposedly my name stands for Nebulan Science Forces. #gio

"My name is Nicolasa Dorcas - the Chief Chemist," he stands from the table to say. #gio

Nicolasa continues, "You've already met our Chief Engineer, Lazaro Valeri, as he was tasked with acting on your proposal." #gio


2011-01-21

"It's a pleasure to finally put a face to the email correspondence," Nelissa greets charmingly with a handshake. #gio

"Maybe it's just my analytical mind, but I've always wanted to know where the name Nelissa came from," the third man wonders. #gio

"It was a typo on my birth certificate which grew on me," Nelissa admits almost tersely. "And you are?" #gio


2011-01-22

"Otto Elward - Chief Physicist in this outfit," he explains. Nelissa is clearly not impressed. #gio

With the introductions out of the way, I complete my indexing by using the various forms of spectral analysis which accompany my HUD. #gio

Out of those four, only Nelissa is armed. Her weapon is a Space Force Standard Issue Hand Laser, but she is not Space Force. #gio


2011-01-23

Again, thanks to my compression, I was able to not only access the entirety of the SCUNJO search database but download it. #gio

The return trip from the internet could happen in any number of ways. I chose to ride the smartphone network back wirelessly. #gio

Those markings on Nelissa's uniform suggest the U.S. Military which would make sense in the wake of the Space Force abandoning Earth. #gio


2011-01-24

A lot of people were unhappy about it. "Lazaro, Otto, and I can already tell that this relationship will be fruitful." See? #gio

Nelissa is very assertive and responds, "Let's just hope that it becomes mutual." I sense my part happens to be upcoming. #gio

"Half of the funds have already been transferred into your account. Now, what do you have to show me?" Nelissa asks. #gio


2011-01-25

"It's the one component which can break the deadlock between the Seven Nations," Lazaro takes the lead here and motions toward me. #gio

Skepticism is not masked on Nelissa's part, "Yeah, well the other six nations haven't cracked the stalemate yet, so how have you?" #gio

Lazaro continues, "Meet NSFm-1 Alpha. Combined biological and technological means are our answer to the NSF Mech quagmire." #gio


2011-01-26

Two to a side - they each stand to ogle over me. I do feel special in this moment, but then Nelissa's eyes meet mine. #gio

Immediately, Nelissa questions, "Can this thing hear us? Its eyes are open." Well, not quite love at first sight.... #gio

"Really?" Nicolasa is taken aback as he moves in to stand over me. "I hadn't noticed. I'll up the concentration of the sedative." #gio


2011-01-27

Interesting. I am not looking forward to an increased dosage of drugs. This country is overmedicated as it is. #gio

"Well, it won't hold us up any," Lazaro replies. "Otto and I can discuss the finer points of NSFm-1 Alpha from the conference room." #gio

"I don't do presentations, gentlemen," Nelissa warns. "Either this thing works or it doesn't. I'm much more receptive to evidence." #gio


2011-01-28

As Nelissa and Lazaro begin to file out, Otto assures, "Then you'll be impressed with the Mexico campaign," before following them. #gio

Prior to the door closing, I hear one last utterance from Nelissa, "Or so you hope," which sounds more like a promise than a threat. #gio

In my arm, I feel a tiny prick and should have been paying attention to what was going on in front of me. #gio


2011-01-29

It wasn't painful - just invasive. Nicolasa works quickly, having already withdrawn the jet injector and placed it on the table. #gio

Correction - this is some good stuff, and it works quickly. I feel like I've just gone five rounds with a warm pillow and lost by KO. #gio

The details of my HUD become muddled and fuzzy as the view distorts. Two drooping eyelids complete an involuntary darkness. #gio


2011-01-30

Succumbing to this amazing feeling will do nothing for netting me the answers which I seek, so I've got to fight it off. #gio

My body tends to be a temple unto itself, but it also has its own intranet, and like the internet, I can manipulate the network. #gio

And the inscrutable drug which is coursing through my capillaries can be likened to a virus. #gio


2011-01-31

But unlike antivirus, I do not want the intruder to be deleted or destroyed. I'd prefer that it be reformatted and reformulated. #gio

The unwanted components of the drug are stripped away and released as waste. My apologies for the mess - but I am unconscious.... #gio

Everything else of the drug is siphoned off as the necessary elements that are needed to create a poor person's adrenaline. #gio


Next Chapter →

Enjoying what you've read? Support us by purchasing one of our other stories in the continuity.



Add this Experience to Your Collection!