Fragmented (Sci-Fi Short-Story)

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Scarlett walked hurriedly without even looking at the dark nooks of the vicinity, much was said that Tyaranor was no longer the utopia that Emperor Tidus IV desperately wanted to promote, the ideal world that cemented his Father, in those days was nothing but a dystopia. All this chaos was caused by the Kyflosians, humanoid beings with superhuman abilities who used to stalk the unsuspecting humans who walked the dark streets of Tyaranor.

Scarlett's investigative spirit only gave room for curiosity, her eagerness to discover the unknown eclipsed even the oppressive fear she felt when walking in the middle of the dark flint that’s supposed to be her horizon. Scarlett wanted to meet with some of them to analyze it in detail, after all, she certainly was very proud of her enviable curriculum as a geneticist, and she didn’t even want to disappoint her superiors in Lazarus laboratories.

It was 3:37 am and Scarlett was already giving up on it, surely she knew that that’d be another of those nights without surprising findings. As a researcher, she was quite used to moderating her anxieties and being patient when it was due. She took off her heels, put them in her purse and put on austere sandals that gave her enough comfort to cope with the long walk to the parking lot.

Halfway down the road, Scarlett was intercepted by a tall man with crimson red hair who certainly didn’t seem familiar to her.

"The remaining singularity... You'll have much to clarify to our gods," the redhead whispered in her ear with a disturbing tone that terrified Scarlett.

"If you take me with yours, believe me when I say that I will have many questions to ask as well," Scarlett replied with a tone of forced sobriety, she surely exhorted herself to stay as resilient as she was in the laboratories she ran.

The redhead led Scarlett toward a place when the road forked, the strong iron smell warned her of the blood stains on the pavement that painted it all of a disgusting lean red.

"You must choose a path, one of them will lead you to destruction and the other to the creation. Choose wisely."

Scarlett watched with oppressive silence her adverse possibilities. Her overwhelmed mind since she has memory, just didn’t allow her to organize her ideas. She just knew that she had to choose the path that would both keep her alive and take her to where they were.

Out of mere predisposition to always choose the orthodox, Scarlett chose the path on her right. Soon it was directed to a Lazarus facility, Scarlett's confused mind could not accept the reality that was presented to her. Inert bodies were scattered all over the floor of the abandoned laboratory.

"You have chosen creation, so now the Gods will tell you how and when we were created," the redhead said.

He led her to a somewhat ruined door that made the place even more gloomy. The redhead set out to open the security mechanism by means of a retina scan. The door was fully extended, opening the way for both of them to a chamber where different genetic research tools were found. Four subjects who were around 30 approached Scarlett, their eyes seemed to analyze her from head to toe as if they were microscopes.

"W-who are these people?" Scarlett asked as she let out a stifled sigh that left her consternation in evidence.

"Do not insult our creators. Not you, a mere mortal, you have no right, they are not even comparable to the miserable mortals. You are in front of four exact simulations of the consciousness of the four discoverers of the genetic catalyst of immortality, they are the superior beings who have granted us our reason for being," the redhead responded with a fervent look in his eyes that seemed to absorb the little quietness that was still in Scarlett's mind.

A woman with a beautiful red hair approached her and looked at her face with her luminous eyes, Scarlett was caught in her eyes, at that moment everything seemed to clear up for Scarlett, it’s as if that gaze was destined to end all cognitive dissonance that overwhelmed her mind. The woman took a step back and then joined the three other men again.

"I'm afraid there's nothing left to see here, is that true darling?" Scarlett asked in a somewhat ironic tone. "It seems that this simple mortal has already learned everything that’s actually necessary... So leave the theaters and take me to the road that leads to destruction," Scarlett ventured with a more than suggestive look in her eyes.

"If it’s that your last will..."

The redhead led her back to the fork, the simulations followed them with great subtlety and caution all the way to destruction, they seemed to be very interested in the reality that would be presented to Scarlett.

They went into a forest that led to a castle quite apart from civilization. The red-haired man opened the door of a gigantic warehouse by placing his hand on a biometric device.

"I never thought you were a millionaire, much less that you were an honored member of the royalty of Tyaranor..."

"Well, never underestimate anyone, much less if it’s the current Emperor of Tyaranor."

"I'm afraid I’m not understanding... The legitimate successor was Marcus II, and as far as I know, the Emperor never had a fucking bastard of red hair."

"It seems to me that you haven’t heard the good news, and let me say that there are many ways to climb positions in the nobility, being the king's son is not the only way to get you to the throne, there are much more effective ways."

"I suppose I should’ve never underestimated the conviction of the primal Kyflosian. Although usurping the throne doesn’t seem elegant at all to me," Scarlett replied with a laugh.

The redhead made her enter the warehouse, which was full of Kyflosians in a state of suspended animation. Scarlett watched them soberly as she walked at a slow pace.

"This place represents the destruction of mankind. Well, I guess I should’ve said you..."

"But destruction always leads to a change, isn’t it darling? I've always been ready for a change..." Scarlett replied as she held something in her hands. "But I'm afraid that your kind has already pissed off some Gods, what a pity! We saw so much potential in you. You were made in our image and likeness to serve us as the catalysts of our immortality, not to destroy mankind. That was your biggest mistake..."

"I'm afraid you're not in the position to have these kinds of tantrums, you are the last of your kind. And since you’re just a simple mortal, you are at a clear disadvantage when it comes to fighting against us."

"Mortal? Oh, darling, you fervently believe you're that high that you can’t even see through the small threshold in front of your eyes, you’re just blinded and lost in the darkness. I've already tasted the bittersweet taste of death, can you say the same?" Scarlett ventured as she glanced at him. The red-haired woman came back to Scarlett, this time she whispered something in her ear.

"This cannot be true... Are you Veronica, one of the creators?"

"That simulation doesn’t do me justice, this metal body, however, has facilitated many things in this dystopian world, although I had to fragment my memory to reach this place to not being discovered... There's no doubt we don't need your genetic catalysts to be immortal, maybe, after all that has happened these last few days, we only need your containers. I'm afraid you're the real mortal ones," Scarlett continued with a sad smile on her face, then pressed the switch in her hands.

Scarlett self-destructed her metal body, thus activating the Lazarus server mechanism, which generated a magnetic field that stripped all Kyflosians of their souls. The Lazarus server harbored the codified consciousnesses of the four genetic researchers who were responsible for creating the Kyflosians. Their consciousness was transferred to the brains of four Kyflosians who were lying inert on the cold floor.

Veronica got up on the body of a black woman with curly hair, put on the heels she kept in her purse and then stood up.

"Shall we begin?" She asked her other three companions, who got up in fresh new bodies as well.

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