5th File: SC13E - 5M29

“Neng! Wait for me!” My lab partner chased after me as I stood in front of the grandiose doors that represented my future. While I waited for him to catch up, I stood there and marveled at the details. Swirl Labs, the most prestigious science company to ever grace the world, and here I was on my first day of the job in C-City. The warm fresh air of the coming spring only enhanced the beauty of those marble doric columns and ancient Heimish architecture. But before I could gush about the intricacies, my lab partner stopped beside me, gasping for air.

“Such a shame, Dr. Kaibigan, to be so out of breath. The lack of oxygen will cloud your vision of this grand visage!” I clucked good naturedly. “Also, you best remember that I’m Dr. Sridanki in that building.”

“Heh, whatever you say, neng.” Dr. Kaibigan stretched upwards before facing me with a big grin. “You ready?”

“I’ve been waiting all my life, of course I’m not ready.”

“Good enough for me, lesgoo!” He grabbed my arm and pulled me in.

***

I had been working for the Psychology Department for the better part of the last four years. I stood in front of the entirety of Swirl Labs, on a stage, as I presented my newest accomplishment. While it was still experimental, I had hoped for it to revolutionize medicine and maybe even law.

When I first pitched the idea, it held some amused chuckles, but there were a few who pondered on it. Ultimately it was scrapped. It hurt, but I understood why. It was only my second year there and I barely had any cred to my name. Just another cog in the machine, working for the higher ups. But those few, those people who dared to give my idea just a thought, it bolstered me, lifted me higher than I thought was possible.

In my spare time, which was not much, I got to work in a small office in the decently sized apartment Swirl Labs gave you when you first started out. It was rough going, but luckily, Dr. Kaibigan was housed next to me and his never ending antics always lifted my spirits.

“Whatcha working there, neng?” He had asked one day. He had somehow barged into my apartment and took a beer from the fridge without me realizing it. It was safe to say the entire building heard my screech.

I had to apologize profusely to the super attendant while the man who claimed to be my best friend was doubled over, laughing hysterically. I gave him a tongue lashing, but I was too jazzed about my idea that I gave in way too easily.

“I call it…the Memory Hub.” I waved my hands around, trying to sell the piece. Kaibigan didn’t look all that impressed. To be fair, it did look like a piece of junk back then.

“Uh huh. Right, just because I’m in the Fauna Department, doesn’t mean I’m stupid about things like this. We went to the same university, for crying out loud.” He waved at my metal lump. “Tampering with the brain? Memories especially? That’s a recipe for disaster.”

“I know, I knoooow. Hear me out though, okay?” I scurried over to my overcrowded desk, dodging several unmentionables, and got out my sketchbook. “Right, so you see the hippocampus, right?”

“Yea, the part that supports the memory. Basic biology.”

“Right, and scientists have been trying to tap into that part of the brain for a long time. Results have varied, however, there has been some recorded evidence of picturing memories, or at the very least, memory patterns.” I flipped to the next page which presented a diagram of the brain, but more specifically to where the amygdala was located. “They were looking in the wrong place. It should’ve been the amygdala!”

“Right right, it makes sense. The part of the brain that responds to higher emotional responses and everybody knows that the more emotional the memory, the more likely a person would remember it.” Kaibigan tapped his nose. “I’m following you so far, but there is one major problem. The amygdala is deep within the brain whereas the hippocampus is on the outside, easier to reach without surgery.”

“Yes, but look at this!” I flipped to the next page where I had sketched out a rough diagram of a microscopic sensor capable of digging through the brain without damaging it. “I’ve done the math several times over, I’ve even had other mathematicians and scientists look it over. They say it is sound.”

Kaibigan peered closer, rubbed his eyes a couple times, before sitting back. “Alright, looks solid to me. But what are you trying to do with this? This Memory Hub. Meaning you do all of these steps right and…and all that, what comes next?”

“Well, if everything goes right, then I would be able to record memories into a digital format. Of course the size would be tiny, it is a prototype afterall…” I scratched my head a little, there needed to be something else to make it work.

“Oi, neng. I asked you a question.”

“Oh, right. What would I do..? That’s a hard question. Well, maybe I was thinking of re…actually, I don’t really have an idea. I just thought it would be cool. Inspiration, you know? It hits you one day and you see the horizon, but you don’t really see the end of the journey or even the path you’re supposed to walk on. Something like that.” I chuckled and plopped myself down on my office chair.

“What are you, waxing philosophy?” Kaibigan laughed heartily. “Ah, neng, always a riot.”

That year and a half, on and off during the week, might’ve been the more exciting times. Developing technology that never existed before, all with my spare money and time in my homebrew lab. It was exhilarating, even. Kaibigan checked up on me several times and always made sure I had enough to eat. I could never be as thankful as I was in that moment, standing on that stage.

It was tricky, a month ago, trying to sell my idea yet again but with enough evidence and several prototypes. It was nail biting, the worst I probably have ever felt in my life. The suspense was awful. The director of the Psychology Department eventually signed on to it and gave me three years of full support. The director even gave me a promotion.

Then, just two days ago, he wanted me to make an announcement to the entirety of Swirl Tech. It was easy to say I was nervous, but nothing like Kaibigan and a couple of beers to lighten you up.

“Hello, my name is Dr. Rosalie Sridanki of the Psychology Department and I am here to present the Memory Hub.” I paused and swallowed. There were too many faces, many of which were actual famous scientists. The pressure was too intense and I almost felt the need to puke, but then I saw Kaibigan in the corner of the room.

The indoor theater was massive and the lights were blaringly bright, focused entirely on the stage. There was no way I should’ve been able to see him, but see him I did. He wore that goofy grin and had that same nonchalant pose that irradiated ‘wokeness’. It made my heart settle a little.

I began to speak faster and more confidently. I couldn’t tell you what I said that day, all I could remember was the end. The cheering and the clapping. Many of my heroes, old and wizened, were nodding with respect. I felt like I was on top of the world.

***

Two years into the project, the military got wind of the project. Several of our projects, in fact. General Hoch of the Heim Armada had stormed into Swirl Labs along with many soldiers. He had stormed up to the chairperson’s office and demanded an audience.

It was a very tense hour, many whispers and hushed tones could be heard throughout the entire building. The meeting was wrapped up rather unceremoniously and the General left along with his soldiers. The sighs of relief turned into gasps of shock when the chairperson told us the news.

“Man, this sucks.” Kaibigan plopped down next to me with his lunch tray. The canteen today was surprisingly empty, rumors have it that the army was having the Quantum Physics Department working overtime.

“Tell me about it.” I stabbed a spoon into my mashed potatoes and frowned. “My poor baby is being abused! It doesn’t deserve this treatment. What a terrible mother I am to let some man handle my baby like this.” I sighed heavily and pushed my tray away.

“Your baby?”

“Quiet! I’ve spent the last four years on this project! I am entitled to call the Memory Hub my baby!” I huffed angrily.

“Alright alright, chill!” Kaibigan raised his hands in a placating gesture along with an awkward smile.

“...sorry.”

“No need to apologize. I get it.” He hummed thoughtfully, albeit more muted than usual.

“Say, I heard that the General took an interest in the Fauna Department too, what’s happening there?”

“Tcha…well, remember that domestication program we set up with a bunch of wild animals?”

“Yeah, I remember that freaky pet jellyfish. I still have no idea how you guys made it harmless.”

“Trade secret. Anyways, that domestication program evolved into…say, less ethical means? For the record, I wasn’t on board with this, but you know how it is with the higher ups.” I nodded. “Well, we were playing around with gene splicing and hormones, we got help from the Biology Department of course, and the domestication was going great. We had trained and mentally subdued a leopard. We named him Leroy.”

“A good name.”

“I thought so too. Anyhoo, I guess the General found out and now he wants us to do the opposite. Create animals of war.” He shivered as a dark look passed over his face. I reached out and gripped his shoulders as I tried to comfort him. I always knew of his love for animals, it was the whole reason he tried for a veterinarian school. He didn’t get accepted for some reason, so he ended up with the next best thing. Fauna studies in the same science school as me.

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

***

“Show me what you got.” General Hoch stood in front of me, his broad shoulders and muscular but lean figure made for an imposing figure. I tried to not be intimidated but it was only so much a skinny scientist woman could do.

“We…well, we created these microchips like you’ve asked for, sir.” I presented an enhanced picture of the newly modified Memory Transmitter. Essentially, it captures memories in real time and sends it back to the Memory Hub. Then it stores the memories and keeps it for an underdetermined amount of time.

“Good, good. Now, is there a way to distribute it worldwide and have it implanted in every single human without them knowing?” The General asked, well, more like he demanded.

The tension and unease was palpable. From the corner of my eyes, I saw many of my assistants and fellow researchers glance wearily amongst each other and even stole glances at the soldiers themselves as if gauging their reactions. They were cold and stone-faced, just like every other time they came here.

“Well…it wouldn’t be ethical, sir.”

“Screw ethics. I’m asking a simple question, can it be done? And you better answer wisely, you and the rest of you, your livelihoods are on the line here.”

“...yes, I think it can be done, given enough time.”

“How much is enough time?”

“Maybe three more years? It’s not as simple as one would think!” I protested, in vain.

“Two years then. Do it in two. If you can’t, well, I’m sure there’s another scientist out there.” He let the threat hang in the air as he and the other soldiers marched out, leaving the door open behind them.

***

“Urgh…” I flopped my head onto the bar and tapped the wood. A cold glass of beer slid into my hand.

“Rough day at work?” Sweet, sweet innocent bartender.

“You wouldn’t believe it.”

“Honey, I’m a bartender, the tales I’ve heard here are beyond wild. Like this one time, there was this ghostly ginormous horse in the sky. The guy swore up and down about how it fought these three giant fish? Then again, it was at a concert, it could’ve been some crazy lighting effects. You get my gist, right?”

“Myeah.” I mumbled into the counter. It felt nice, to have my head down on something. I raised my head only slightly to sip at the beer before plopping my head down again. “Well, you asked for it buddy. Seven years ago, I had this brilliant idea! It was going to revolutionize the world! Typical young, brash, naive look on life, you know? Fresh out of college, had a great job, I was living the dream. 2 years into the idea, it took off, you know? Yeah, you know. I was going places.”

“And then something happened.” The bartender said, knowingly. I nodded and sipped my beer.

“Something happened. Specifically, the military.” The bartender gave out a low whistle. I nodded again. “Yeah, they stormed in and ruined everything. Instead of helping people, it now serves to help the army. I personally foresaw everything and just today, I stamped it as finished. Seven years of my life, of my youth, turned into this…this…whatever this is.”

“A joke, I believe it’s called.”

“...yeah. A joke. Pour me another?”

“Sure.”

***

I sighed and waved at my assistant to take over. Once he hurried into position, I headed out of the Memory Hub room. Two years have passed since I’ve been tasked with watching over the machine. Two years of suffering and loneliness, despite it still based in Swirl Labs amongst hundreds of researchers. They wouldn’t understand the sorrow of having their dream used against them. Warped beyond imagination.

Only a few would, though. Overseer of the top secret Quantum Physics project. She would know. The administrators of the Fauna project would also know, but the majority of them have moved on, disgusted at what they’ve been forced to do. Kaibigan was one of them.

I slipped into the canteen and poured myself some coffee. It was quiet at this time of the day. Nary a soul. It only added to the loneliness. My eyes burned and I didn’t dare hold it back. It’s been a long time coming, I suppose. I had no idea what made this day special, but I suppose I should embrace it.

I pressed my back against the wall and slid down. Before long, my face was buried in my legs as I sobbed my heart out. All of the pain and sadness came pouring out like a tidal wave. It didn’t stop nor did I want it to stop. I simply let go.

It was a couple hours before I came to. My assistant was shaking me by the shoulder with a very concerned look on his face. I groaned and looked wearily at his general direction.

“The General wants to meet with you.”

“Tell him I’m busy.” My throat was hoarse and my eyes felt oh so tired. I probably looked horrible too.

“...alright. I’ll tell him that. You…you go fix yourself up, alright Doctor?” Bless him. Such a pure heart on him. I nodded and he scampered off.

It took a moment of coaxing before I picked myself off the ground. I dusted my pants and found the now cold coffee. I sniffed at it. Seemed decent enough so I gulped it all down. I sighed heavily and proceeded to make my way back to the Hub.

On the way, however, klaxons immediately started wailing. The speakers crackled to life, saying there was a containment breach in the Gravitational Quantum Orbitor. Moments after, the air seemed to have rushed out of the hallway and I was thrown against the wall.

My sight dimmed as I choked on whatever spit I had in my mouth as different G’s pulled me in a direction my body didn’t want to go. Before I could comprehend what was happening, even before I could start to register pain, the shift in gravity went back to normal, unceremoniously dropping to the floor.

I groaned in subdued pain and tried to roll back to the canteen, or even at least the bathroom, but my body didn’t seem to want to obey me.

Maybe it was from the shock or maybe from my depression, but I didn’t feel anything. Besides the pain, I didn’t feel any surprise or terror. Just a sense of inevitability. It was…enlightening one could say.

My subdued euphoria was broken by the sudden realization that the speakers had been screaming out a warning entirely different to the previous one. It spoke of a sector implosion and breakout in the Fauna Department. It didn’t sound too good, but my body still wouldn’t budge, so I stayed where I was and hoped that whatever had escaped would leave me alone.

***

I awoke with a choked gasp. My face was in a puddle of bile and a horrid stench permeated the hall I was in. I groaned out of disgust and attempted to flop away. It didn’t work out so well. I took a deep breath which I instantly regretted as it resulted in a coughing fit.

I sighed and slumped down. I should take things slow, my body can’t handle all of this stress. As I calmed down, my eyes wandered. The hallway looked relatively empty but some of the structural support and paneling had broken off and was scattered everywhere. The most concerning thing that I saw was a deep gouge in a bulkhead along with a dark stain splattered everywhere.

I looked away.

A few more quick deep breaths and then I heaved myself up. The world swam a little, but it wasn’t anything I wasn’t used to. I carefully placed one foot after the other and made my way to the exit.

On the way there, the more horrific it got. I wanted to throw up, maybe even cry a little, but everything felt numb. Bodies were strewn everywhere, my colleagues, even some of my friends. Debris looked like they were chewed and then spat out only to be shredded.

I kept moving.

It took longer than I wanted, especially with the lab in shambles, but I finally made it to the entrance. A door had been ripped off its hinges which calmed one of my many fears of being locked inside. I hobbled to the door before easing myself down onto one of the steps.

C-City looked like hell. Buildings were on fire, some of the buildings weren’t even there, collapsed or some other. Bodies littered the streets, many of which had been thrown against the wall like she had, only they were unlucky and had slammed against glass windows or barbed wire that lined the Swirl Labs compound.

As my initial nausea wore off somewhat, I could hear gunfire in the distance coupled with ear piercing screeches. A gunship flew overhead, the buffeting air made me wince. It flew some distance before a shadowy shape jumped from a rooftop of a highrise. The creature and the helicopter careened to the side and tore into the side of another skyscraper.

I gaped in horror. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go! Granted, nothing seemed to go her way after that fateful day with the General, but still! I wobbled to my feet again and shuffled my way back to the apartment.

Following the strict guidelines of the General, I and my other colleagues weren’t allowed to have phones on campus, and right now, I needed to know a single thing. When I was one block away, I started running. I sidestepped corpses and rubble like I’d been doing it my whole life.

I sprinted up the three flights of stairs and burst into my apartment room. I all but slammed the door behind me and started rummaging through my purse I had left on my kitchen countertop. I quickly found my phone and looked at the notifications. 83 messages and 17 miss calls. The majority of them were from Kaibigan. I almost sobbed in relief.

I hastily scrolled through my phone and somehow found the call button through my blurry eyes. I pressed it to my ear and prayed. It rang and it rang and when terror was about to seize my heart, the phone was picked up.

“Kaibigan! Kaibigan, are you there? Please answer me!” Frantic sobs started to wrack my body. “I can’t do this without you…”

“...hey neng.” His voice sounded weird, almost wet.

“Oh my gosh! You’re alive! Where are you, I’ll come over right now and…” I paused, almost confused.

“I’m at Chance Park, but neng, I don’t want you coming here, okay?” He stopped talking and I could hear a muffled cough. I didn’t major in medicine but I knew enough to know that that didn’t sound good.

“Kaibigan, what aren’t you telling me?” My voice quivered and I hated myself for that.

“Heh, always the perceptive one, aren’t you, neng.” Another cough, louder this time. “I’ve been stabbed. A small rebar got me good. I’ve been holding on for the past hour, but I don’t think I’m going to make it.” A weak chuckle.

“Dammit Kaibigan!” My sobs turned into full blown wailing. “You…hic…were supposed to be there! We made a…hic…a promise! Don’t you…AAAAAAAAAAAAH!” I grabbed the nearest thing which happened to be a wine glass and threw it against the wall. It made a satisfying shattering sound but it did little to make me feel better.

“Neng! Calm down, you need to calm down.”

“Don’t try to make me feel better! You’re dying and I’m halfway across the city and…” Another broken wail.

“Heh…alright, I won’t.” A more subdued cough, weaker too. “How about this, an ultimatum.”

“Sniff…yeah?”

“I’m pretty sure that these creatures were the ones we were making, from the Fauna Department.” His voice was definitely getting weaker but I hung onto every word he said.

“Mm hmm.” I couldn’t trust myself with words, so I hummed pitifully.

“I bet you could find a way to subdue them and the only way you can do that is to…” He trailed off which resulted in heaves. “Urgh…okay. Listen to me, neng. Go to my office in the lab. Repeat it after me.”

“G…go to your office.”

“Yes. Find my notes and find a way to subdue them, okay?”

“Find notes, subdue.”

“Ye…yes!” He chuckled weakly. “That’s my girl.”

I chuckled too, but it wasn’t a good one. It was one filled with despair in a broken world. “I’m your girl.”

***

I sat in an empty hall. It’s been empty for the past…actually, I had no idea how long it’s been. It’s been too long. Electricity stopped working long ago, but I had managed to rig up the old quantum reactor to the Memory Hub as well as Kaibigan’s office. It worked out, more or less.

The final touches were being worked on, all I needed to do was upload it to some external drive. Maybe even a floppy disk. I laughed weakly at the joke. It’s been like that for years now. Work and lame jokes.

But the elation I felt when I finally pressed the upload button. It was almost comparable to when I first started the Memory Hub project. I sighed with tired satisfaction and leaned back. The notification was updated and said it would take just over a day for it to be fully uploaded. I expected as much given how much energy was available.

I carefully got up, mindful of my aching joints, and hobbled to the canteen. Throughout the years, I spent my free time cleaning up hallways and offices. Make it look like a shell of its former self. It kept me occupied, you see. Something to keep away the night terrors, but of course, it always comes whether you’re ready or not.

I shuffled past the swept up debris and made my way to the processor. One of the seven wonders of Swirl Labs was the food processor. It ran on solar power and wind power and it could make any food available. Any scientist or engineer who studied couldn’t make heads or tails of the thing, it shouldn’t scientifically be possible, but it exists. And that was good enough for me.

I touched the pad and ordered some coffee to go along with good ol’ wiener schnitzel and mashed potatoes. A fine delicacy I’ve learned to appreciate these past few years. As I found myself a place to sit down, a loud boom echoed overhead, announcing an oncoming storm.

I smiled wistfully. I’ve always loved storms, they always seemed to make a big world ever so smaller, even cozy. Then the rain started hammering down. It was pleasant, to say the least.

I quickly finished up my dinner and shuffled back to the office. In one corner, I had dragged all of the couches, pillows, and emergency blankets and made it into a functional king-sized bed. One secret about me is that I love coziness and tonight was the perfect night to be cozy. Nothing but a brew of coffee, rain pattering, and the warm cozy feel of a bed.

I was maybe an hour into my relaxation when I heard a sudden slam. Now, after years of living in this lab, I know all the sounds this place makes. That slam meant it was the front door. I hastily placed my empty coffee cup to the side and hobbled as fast as I could to the entrance. Just because I’ve cleared out the bodies and debris does not make this trip any easier, in fact it has definitely gotten worse, what with my back pain and all.

A definite 15 minutes had passed when I finally reached the entrance hallway and I was tired. I put my hand on the wall and steadied myself. Old women were not meant to hustle, I could tell you that.

Once I had steadied myself, I looked around for the potential culprit. It was then I noticed a set of wet footprints walking towards the canteen. I frowned and slowly followed. I’ve experienced a few raider attacks over the years and I’ve learned just to go with it. Especially once they find out that a wrecked science lab doesn’t really offer anything in terms of survival, minus the food processor, but I don’t tell them about that.

When I finally reach the canteen, I find a woman hunched over the food processor and humming to herself. I wanted to call out, but the sword on her back and the sniper placed to the side made me think otherwise. I attempted to slink away but before I could the woman turned and raised an eyebrow at me. I froze.

“Uhh…”

“Oh, I didn’t think anyone was living here. I’m just passing through, keeping out of the rain.” The woman’s voice sounded pleasant enough and I didn’t detect any hostility.

“Sure…I’m the only one here, so it’s not like it matters.” I chuckled weakly. “You know how to work that?” I gestured to the processor.

“Yeah.” She smiled ruefully. “Believe it or not, my friend made this. It even has her signature on the side.” She tapped at the bottom.

“What!” I all but rushed over and looked at where she was pointing at. It was an engraving of a six sided star and a T in the middle. “I’ve lived and worked here more than half of my life. How have I never noticed that?”

“Priorities, I suppose.” The woman shrugged. She pressed on a veggie burger along with some fries. “Mind if I sit down?”

“Sure sure.” She takes a seat and I follow suit. “What’s…uhh, what’s your name if you don’t mind me asking.”

“I don’t mind. I’m Sunset.” She reached out a hand which I gratefully shook.

“Dr. Sridanki. Or…Rosalie, I suppose.” It was at that moment that I realized I was only wearing the tattered pajamas I had gotten from my apartment. I blushed somewhat, unbefitting of an old woman like myself.

“A scientist, eh? What field?”

“Well, I was in Psychology.”

“Ah, you wouldn’t know her then.”

“Know who?”

Sunset gestured to the processor behind her. “My friend. She was in Quantum Physics.”

“Ah…” Then, the realization hit me. “Ooooh.

“It’s okay. I’ve come to terms with it long ago. Now, I’m just trying to go home.”

“Home.” The word felt weird in my mouth, like it didn’t belong. “It’s been a while since I’ve thought of home.”

“This isn’t your home?” Sunset finished eating and she sat back, looking satisfied.

“...no. This place isn’t my home. This is more my grave than my home.”

Sunset merely nodded. I got the feeling she knew what I was talking about. A pleasant silence filled the space, interrupted only by the occasional sips of the drinks the two had gotten.

“It doesn’t look like the storm will let up. Mind if I crash here?”

“By all means. I’ve got a homemade king-sized bed if you don’t mind sharing with a grandma like me.”

Sunset chuckled at that. “You don’t look that old, doc. Plus, I’m pretty old myself. I believe I’m going to turn 47 this year.”

“Huh. How long has it been since…everything happened?” I gestured everywhere.

“Uhh, 15 years I think?”

“I’ll be around 58 myself, then.”

“See, not so old.” She grinned and playfully shoved me. I smiled softly at that. “Now, come on. I bet you want to talk science to me. Every scientist loves doing that.”

“Ehe, is that from your friend?” I started walking towards the office and she quickly followed.

“Yep, the craziest egghead I know.”

“Well, she seems like a good person.”

“That she was, that she was.”

We were quiet for a while as I showed her around. She hummed appreciatively at the quantum reactor, even looked around for a while. She cried a little when she saw another signature of her friend and I pretended not to notice. Then I showed her the office with the homemade bed. She chuckled appreciatively. Then she took notice of the still running download.

“That is a file that I’ve compiled over the years that explains the creatures, their anatomy, habits, and programming. Inside there is also an airborne virus that will render the creatures infertile.”

“Wait, you mean the Darklings were made here?”

“Is that what they are called?” I frowned. What a gruesome name. I suppose it was fitting. “Then yes, that is correct.”

Sunset inhaled deeply and ran a hand across her head, messing up the already tattered red hair of hers. “That’s quite the bombshell.”

“...” Suddenly, I didn’t feel all that safe.

“I am trying very hard not to hate you, I really am, but it’s not working all that great.”

“I understand.” I chuckled mirthlessly. I hadn’t really thought about the creatures after they wreaked havoc that fateful day. I was just focused on my work and honoring Kaibigan’s last wishes. “If you want to strike me down in righteous vengeance, I’m right here. But, if you do, I ask that you at least take the usb when it’s done downloading. Then, take it to someone who can make use of the information. It’s what I’ve been working on for the past 15 years.”

There was a tense silence. I felt scared, but not too scared that I feared for my life. I was more scared of my and Kaibigan’s life’s work disappearing. It continued to stretch on and Sunset’s face kept on distorting with every new emotion. Eventually, she took a deep breath.

“I won’t do that. Strike you down, I mean. You weren’t a part of it and it was an accident, I’m assuming.”

“Yeah.”

“Then…I won’t strike you down. I would much rather make a friend than another corpse.” She stuck out a hand with a strained but hopeful smile.

“I would like that too.” There were a couple of tears in my eyes as I grasped her hand.

***

“So, what’s this?” It was the next day and Sunset wanted to explore with some natural light pouring in. Currently, she was standing in front of the Memory Hub.

“My baby.”

“Baby? That doesn’t sound healthy.” Sunset grinned.

“Heh. This is the Memory Hub, the other project I’ve dedicated my life to. It’s been altered significantly, but essentially it’s the same thing. Basically, there is a microchip in almost everyone’s brain that records memories. It then sends it here.”

“Huh. In everyone’s brain you say. How did that happen?”

“Now, before you get mad about morals and ethics, this wasn’t my idea. We were gang pressed into doing this by the military.”

“Hmm.”

“Well, this guy, General Hoch, wanted to use the Memory Hub to spy on other nations. In order to do that, he needed us to make it so the microchips could be planted in everyone without them knowing. My assistant at the time came up with this idea of creating a microchip capable of traveling through liquids. So then, it naturally evolved into transfer through pesticides. We would sell the new pesticides to every country. They would spray their crops with it. The crops then go into processed food and voila, now everyone has a microchip in their body. It’s then engineered to travel up the body and plant itself into the brain, specifically the amygdala.”

“Heh, see what I mean with scientists talking about science.” That made me blush. Sunset chuckled and looked at the screen of recorded memories. “So, what do all of these numbers and letters mean? I see D3FNR - 4A53, jeez that’s a mouthful. There’s thousands more too.”

“Well, those are people. The first five characters represent their life, or more specifically the part of themselves that they feel more emotionally attached to. Like how the amygdala controls memories associated with intense emotion. The Memory Hub captures that. So, because it’s only five characters, it sometimes gets creative. I’ve gotten kind of good at guessing what they mean. For D3FNR, I would suppose that would mean Defender. This guy’s greatest moment or moments was in defence of something or someone. Very noble.”

“Indeed. And the last four…or five characters?”

“That’s the date the memory stream starts uploading to the Memory Hub. Memories are…unpredictable, let's say. Scientists have been studying for who knows how long and we aren’t any closer to figuring out even half of it. The Memory Hub reflects that unpredictability. Sometimes it captures a single moment in time, sometimes an entire lifetime. All of it does have one thing in common, though. The stream will end with either the person’s death or loss of self, but even then, it’s unpredictable.”

“Right. So, in this case, 4A53. That would mean the 4th of April, in the year 2053?”

“Exactly.”

“That’s recent. Couple of weeks, recent.”

“It’s April already?”

“Do you not have a calendar?”

“I do, I just never look at it.”

“Fair enough. Well, that’s fascinating, truly. Excluding the spying part, I wished this project could’ve gotten the treatment it deserved. Yourself included.”

“That’s nice of you to say, Sunset, but I’ve already resigned myself to failure and disappointment. I’m not even sure the…Darklings, you said, will work out.”

“Ah, don’t be like that. I’m sure it will.”

“You say that Sunset, but you haven’t lived the life I have.”

“And I guarantee you, you haven’t lived the life I’ve lived.”

“Ha! That’s good.” I chuckled and shook my head. “Sorry about that, I’ve gotten a bit pessimistic over the years.”

“Understandable.”

“Say, I just got an idea.”

“Yes?”

“What if you take the usb. You’re travelling, to the heart of C-City no less. I’m sure you could find someone who could make use of this information.”

“Oh…I don’t know…”

“Pleaaase, it would help me out so much!” I grabbed her arm and looked into her eyes. “I’m asking as a friend.”

“...alright. I’ll do it.”

“Yes! Thank you so much!” I hugged her tightly. “Kaibigan and I are ever so thankful.”

“Wait, hold on. What will you do after I leave?”

“...I’ll figure something out. I always do.”

“...alright. If you say so.”

***

Sunset stayed the next night and we spent most the day talking about whatever. It was nice to talk to someone again after so long. No fear, just pleasant company. The next day, she had to go. I gave her the usb and a few instructions. She smiled and waved and walked away. I stood in the doorway and waved as well.

It was a simple goodbye between two simple friends.

I walked inside after she disappeared over the horizon and made my way into the office. It’s been a good ride, I said to myself. I sat down and looked at all the work I had accomplished. I smiled.