THEREFORE I AM [Completed]

Chapter Nineteen

Eli
Now, 2078

During the hours that we waited, the television played footage of the attack, but as Katherine had mentioned, I was completely absent from the video. I tried my best to explain to Reggie what had transpired from my perspective, but even I lacked all the information. All I knew was that Kelvin used a code to hijack my mind, and Mother had attempted to manipulate Sebastian, a mindless and sadistic personality that sought destruction and chaos at every turn. I winced at that thought of him installed in my brain. The Mandatory Viewing became unbearable for us to watch, as it was a continuous loop of violence and bloodshed. However, with each repetition, I noticed peculiar edits. The silver fluid that should have been present on the floors was gone, and Androids who had been harmed were altered to appear unharmed. Even the Androids standing alongside the guards had their eyes edited, and their wounds were made to bleed red instead of silver. They were erasing any semblance of unity.

Saul's appearance brought a sense of relief as his bright blue glowing eyes reassured me. The room fell into an awkward silence that lingered, with everyone uncertain of who should speak first. Katherine took the initiative to break the silence.

"Just to double check, you are not connected anymore, right?" Katherine asked, seeking reassurance. I nodded in response.

"Good. It worked, despite their interference," Benedicta chimed in. She proceeded to tell me about Dr. Randeep Singh's involvement in the discovery of the virus and the development of my ADNA and the logical outcomes program. She explained that there was an intricate yet delicate plan to have me join the resistance and help build it. Reggie was both elated and frustrated upon learning that Benny did not have dementia.

The virus had the ability to overwrite the root code while keeping the mind and memories in a secure partition. Once the connection to the Network was severed, a specific action was required to trigger the system to forcefully boot up, resulting in an instant severance from the Network. The virus had been tested on Saul before Randeep attempted to smuggle it into Mesdan through the chain. However, it was deemed too risky for Saul to bring it into the city, as he was being watched closely.

It was Kelvin that intercepted it and he must've fiddled with it so he could slip in another personality, Saul theorised.

"I remember a space, like it was black, but it was as if I wouldn't know what black was, I couldn't comprehend it. I remember feeling these vibrations, though, as if something was moving through me." It felt like a lifetime away to recall it, both a very long and a very short amount of time. Unfathomable, like trying to remember a day before you were born.

I shared with them my ability to use the Mandatum command on anyone as Sebastian. Saul attributed this to an unexpected anomaly, which could potentially be a recurring pattern of anomalies. When Saul tested the virus on himself, he returned, speaking perfect English without the need for downloads. He had maintained the pre-tense of broken English while connected to the Network, as downloads could be tracked, and Alexei was also aware of Saul's pride.

"There are rumours circulating that the High Chancellor Alexei is not dead, that he uploaded himself to the Network," Saul revealed. "It's possible that he may have had a hand in the changes."

"Oh, he definitely did. He called me Amy," Benny added.

"Who did?" Reggie asked, still trying to process everything.

"Sebastian did. It wasn't a made-up personality. It was Sebastian Ianovici, one of the terrorists in the game."

"There would have been no memories, Benny. It's not like loading in a full consciousness with memories. It would have failed. It had to have been a fresh ADNA," Saul chimed in. Benny disagreed and refused to consider any other possibility. I couldn't offer much insight myself; I couldn't remember much about Sebastian, just fragments here and there. The strange vibrations, like I was being manipulated. Like a puppet.