Tape #5 - Rogue

Dr. Walsh awoke to the shadows cast by an ancient desk lamp stretching across her room. She removes her glasses and rubs the sleep off of her eyes. She takes account of her clothes draping messily over her, and the fact that she'd gone to sleep with her lab coat on.

She fixed her clothes, put her glasses back on and went to clean herself up. She couldn't recall the last time she had a proper meal.

After having a quick shower and putting on a more comfortable outfit, the geneticist made her way up to the dining hall to have dinner. All the way, Ava's warning echoed in her mind. As the elevator whirred up, she tried to push those thoughts aside and replace them with those of greatness and success. The crystal had so much potential... It simply couldn't be denied.

She found the dining hall packed with people showing up early for dinner. She could've sworn she saw Ava's unkempt hair in the crowd...

She topped off her plate with whatever struck her fancy, and hurried back to her office, where she could enjoy her meal in peace.

She shared some of the salad from her plate with her rabbit, who looked appreciatively at her before digging in. As she ate, the crystal pulsed on her desk, luring her gaze like a siren song.

She spun in her chair a couple of times. -"Oh, Alice..."- she spoke to the brown harlequin rabbit. She had decided that Alice was a fitting name. -"What should I do?"-

The small animal stared back with shiny black eyes, but offered no insight. Dr. Walsh slumped back into her chair.

-"Perhaps I should ask the crystal..."- she thought out loud.

She sprung in her chair after a realization hit. -"Of course! Ask the crystal!"-

She snatched the crystal off the desk and hastily made her way to the lab. Once there, she threw on her lab coat and grabbed a notebook and pen. She placed the items on the lab's metallic table and held the crystal in her hands.

-"I want..."- she whispered. She thought of a human, but better. Something... No, someone, who could give her every answer she wanted. She focused on the bodily structure, the details, but most importantly, the brilliant mind.

But she made a mistake. She thought too, although involuntarily and out of impulse, on power. On power, arrogance, supremacy, and fear. But it was too late.

She gripped the crystal with such force her knuckles turned pale. It pulsed with a blinding light, the room vibrating with an ominous energy.

Dr. Walsh opened her eyes, but what she saw next had her wishing she hadn't. Before her, was a figure. Shaped vaguely like a human, whose eyes glimmered with knowledge, but something was deeply wrong. The being was tall, lanky, and devoid of other facial features. The doctor's mind immediately deemed the being in front of her as dangerous, but she stood her ground.

-"What... What are you?"- she stammered, a primal terror gripping her heart. The being stared endlessly at her, unblinking. Of course, it had no eyelids to do so.

It tilted its head, its voice an uncanny, choppy monotone. -"I am you. But better."-

-"Are you going to hurt me?"- Dr. Walsh choked out, her voice barely a whisper.

-"No."- it replied, leaning closer, its unnatural form sending shivers down her spine. -"But your arrogance will."-

Unnoticed by her, the crystal's faint, idle glow was becoming stronger.

With a flash of inhuman speed, the being snatched the crystal from her grasp. The geneticist stumbled back, fear paralyzing her.

The crystal pulsed erratically, its glow buzzing to life. Dr. Walsh, fueled by a desperate hope, lunged at the creature, attempting to remove the crystal from its long, thin fingers. But it was far too strong. It effortlessly pushed her aside, sending her crashing against a metal bench. Her body throbbed with pain, but her fear was stronger.

-"Ah! How... How dare you?"- she cried out, her voice laced with desperation. -"I made you!"-

-"No."- the being's voice held a chilling calmness. -"You merely held the door open for me, and for that I am grateful. But you do not control me."-

The crystal's glow reached a blinding intensity, teetering on the edge of chaos.

Then, with a deafening explosion, it shattered. Raw, uncontained energy ripped through the laboratory, tearing through the containment systems and plunging the facility into darkness.