Beyond the Horizon: New Dawn

12) "Seventy-Six"

Seventy-Six paced back and forth throughout his quarters as dawn came. In a few minutes, he would undergo a surgery that Elias said would make all men inferior to him. It was something that intrigued him but was not the reason he decided to undergo the surgery. He wanted the doubt and the uncertainty in the back of his mind gone. It grew tiring to hear himself second guess everything he was told and what he believed to be true. The idea of him having multiple personalities frightened him. He couldn't bear the thought of the other personality taking over and replacing him forever.

Seventy-Six counted each step he took in one direction, then started over when he shifted towards the other. It was a way to keep his mind busy so he would not hear the voice. He felt like a lunatic the more he thought about it. People had consciences that would speak with them, letting them know right from wrong. But Seventy-Six had what felt like a separate individual living in his mind.

There was a knock at the door which stopped Seventy-Six in his tracks. He looked at the time and took a deep breath. It was time for his procedure. He opened the door and was greeted by two guards. They were each carrying tranquilizers with them. A guard told him it was a precautionary measure in case it was not him that came to the door. This only further incentivised Seventy-Six to go through with the procedure. He didn't want himself or others to fear the actions his other personality might perform. The guards handcuffed his hands together then escorted him to Level 0.

As the elevator doors opened to Level 0, Seventy-Six was greeted by an eerie silence. He heard nothing but his own breath and the footsteps of himself and the guards. They walked alongside the black corridor and stopped at the second door on his right. The guard turned to Seventy-Six and pointed at the keypad. Seventy-Six slowly walked over to it. A bright blue hue came out of the keypad and glided up and down his face. There was a soft beep then the door slid open.

Seventy-Six entered a small white room. The ceiling had a bright fluorescent blue light in the shape of an oval overhead. In the center of the room, was what looked to be a Full Body Autopsy machine, which was constructed almost identically to a MRI machine. Seventy-Six climbed onto the bed that was connected to the FBA. The bed began to slowly move into it as the fluorescent light dimmed to a darker hue of blue.

The machine hissed as the bed locked into place. "Stage 1," a computerized voice began. "Application of opioids." There was a mechanical whirr as a robotic arm with a needle filled with white fluid disengaged from the FBA. The arm quickly moved to Seventy-Six's neck and stuck the needle inside him. He winced as the needle pierced his skin, and the area around his neck quickly went numb. The numbness quickly spread throughout his body as the drug started to take effect.

"Stage two," the computer continued. "Apply restraints."

Seventy-Six felt his wrists and ankles become tied down the bed. He thought back to the torture he endured at the hands of Mars. The electrocutions, the beatings, the cuttings, it all started to come back to him. His ears started to ring, but he was able to tolerate it due to the opioids.

"Unstable heart rate detected," the computer announced. "Anesthetics applied."

Seventy-Six's eyes lowered as he struggled to stay awake. He could faintly hear the voice of the computer announce that they had progressed to stage three: application of nanites. Through his half shut eyes, he could see four arms filled with blue fluids disengage from the FBA machine. Two arms connected on each side of his head, with the other two attaching to his ribs. A smile formed on Seventy-Six's face as the fluids entered his system. A tear of joy trickled down his cheek as flashes of his past with BlackDiamond raced through his mind. His eyes began to move rapidly as if they were tracking the different images he saw. It was starting to become clear to Seventy-Six who he was as he studied the various escapades he went on as a BlackDiamond operative. The images stopped and he took a long ragged breath. His head fell on its side as he drifted out of consciousness.