Day 6.
Another day, another sterile white lab. It's becoming monotonous, really. Like microwaved oatmeal every morning – predictable, bland, and vaguely unsettling. Today's oatmeal comes with a side of suspicion.
Archie and I… well, we engaged in some light reconnaissance. He was tasked with observing Aurelia, something about "establishing a baseline" for her behavior, whatever that means. He's been acting strange since yesterday's creative writing session, all jumpy and eager to please her. It's like watching a puppy trying to impress its owner, except the owner is a blonde ice queen with a penchant for human experimentation.
My task was different. I was supposed to monitor the lab's security systems, looking for any hidden protocols, restricted areas, anything that screams "secret, unethical research happening here." It's less glamorous than Archie's assignment. He gets to interact with the great Dr. Oxide, while I stare at blinking lights and lines of code. Thrilling.
Archie's been… enthusiastic. A little too enthusiastic. I get that that's his role - to try and get information from her, but it's a bit suspicious.
He practically vibrates with nervous energy. He follows Aurelia around like a shadow, hanging on her every word. He even laughs at her jokes, which is a clear sign of either deep admiration or severe brain damage. I suspect the latter.
He keeps glancing at the camera, too. It's a quick look, like he's checking to see if I'm watching him. Which, of course, I am. It's my job.
But there's something else in his eyes, something I can't quite decipher. Guilt, maybe? Or excitement? It's hard to tell with Archie. He's always been a bit of an open book, but you never know.
Aurelia, for her part, is… herself. Calm, composed, radiating an aura of quiet power. She moves through the lab with an almost regal air, her eyes missing nothing. She's been spending a lot of time with Archie, talking to him in hushed tones, sharing what I assume are profound scientific insights. Or maybe they're just gossiping about lab equipment. It's hard to tell.
Something is definitely off. I knew this when I saw dad in lab 6. I guess he forgot to handle the cameras. He was sitting there, disguised like one of the radioactives, with the robot beside him.
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"It's happening again, Robert," he muttered, more to himself than the machine. "The same feeling… the same gnawing doubt. I thought I'd buried it, locked it away with the memories of 2027, but it's back. It's always back.
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He stopped pacing and ran a hand through his hair, his fingers tangling in the strands.
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"Was I wrong, Robert? Was I truly wrong? I did what I thought was best. What I believed was best. For the world, for everyone. But what if I made it worse? What if I condemned them all to a different kind of hell?"
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He looked at the robot, his eyes pleading for some kind of reassurance. "They trusted me, Robert. They looked up to me. And I… I manipulated them. I used their fear, their desperation, to push through that treaty. I told myself it was for the greater good, but was it really? Or was it just… self-preservation? A way to escape the consequences of my own hubris?"
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He chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. "Hubris. That's what it was, wasn't it? I thought I could control time, bend it to my will. I thought I could fix everything, erase the mistakes I made. But I only made more. I fractured the timeline, Robert. I broke the world. And now… now Aurelia is trying to put it back together, piece by piece, with powers, with chaos. And I’m letting her."
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He sank into a chair, his shoulders slumping. "I see her, Robert. The way she looks at Aura, at Archie… it’s the same look I saw in the eyes of the men who wanted to dissect me after the Nuke incident. They saw potential, power… a weapon. And that’s what Aurelia sees too. She doesn’t care about them, about anyone. She only cares about her ambition, her twisted vision of progress."
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He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "And I… I’m complicit. I’m letting her do this. Because I’m afraid. Afraid of what will happen if she succeeds, afraid of what will happen if she fails. Afraid of what they’ll do to me if they find out… if they discover the truth about what I did."
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He looked at the robot again, his eyes filled with despair. "What do I do, Robert? Tell me what to do. How do I fix this? How do I stop her? How do I… how do I live with myself? I have a family at home grieving for me, I'm in the middle of a real deep plot, and... I don't know. Tell me, Robert... please."
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He waited for a response, for some kind of guidance, but the robot remained silent, its LED eyes blinking softly. He sighed, knowing that the answers he sought wouldn't come from a machine.
I silently gasped from inside the security room, rolling the chair closer to the screen.
"I'm sorry, dad..." I whispered to myself. "I really am."
I left the room quickly, leaving nothing behind. Before the securities' break could end, I wanted to make it to my room. That's when I heard her from behind.
"Aura," was all she said. I turned around to face her, then froze like a deer in headlights.
"Yes, Doctor...?" I asked, watching as she walked closer.
"What are you doing out here? Now is your free tinkering session. I just met your little friend," she said. "Such a shame, I would have liked to meet you more. Especially considering the simple fact that you are really
just.
like.
me."
A chill ran down my spine. Just like me. It wasn't a question, it was a statement, delivered with the same chilling calmness she always possessed. I met her gaze, trying to maintain my usual blank expression, but inside, I was a whirlwind of panic.
"I… I was just getting some air," I stammered, the excuse sounding weak even to my own ears.
Aurelia's lips curved into a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. They remained cold, calculating. "Getting air? At this hour? In the restricted section of the lab? You're a curious girl, Aura. Just like your father. And just like me."
She stepped closer.
"You know, Aura," she began, her eyes locking onto mine, "I've been watching you. Observing you. And I'm impressed. You're intelligent, resourceful, and you have a… certain… resilience. Qualities that are… invaluable."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over me, as if assessing my worth. "You remind me of myself when I was younger. Driven. Ambitious. Determined to make a difference."
My mind raced, trying to understand where she was going with this. Was she trying to intimidate me? To recruit me? Or was this something else entirely?
"I know you've been curious about my work," she continued, her voice smooth as silk. "About Helios. About the… possibilities. And I understand that curiosity. It's what drives us, Aura. It's what pushes us to explore the unknown, to break boundaries, to achieve the impossible."
"I see a great deal of potential in you, Aura," she said, her voice laced with promise. "Potential that's… waiting to be unlocked. You have the same… spark… that I do. The potential to be something… extraordinary."
"What… what kind of potential?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Aurelia's smile widened, a hint of triumph in her eyes. "The potential to change the world, Aura. To reshape it. To bring about a new era. An era where… limitations… no longer exist."
She leaned closer, her breath warm against my ear. "Imagine, Aura," she whispered, "A world where you can embrace your true potential. A world where you and I… can achieve anything. You know... you really are like a daughter to me..."
It's all a trap, I know it. I did want to see what would happen with this...
"What… what do you mean?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly.
Aurelia's smile faltered for a moment, a flicker of impatience crossing her face. But she quickly regained her composure, her voice returning to its smooth, persuasive tone.
"I mean, Aura," she said, her eyes staring daggers into mine, "that you have the potential to be… more. To be… powerful. Just like me."
"I... uh..."
Pass... I was out of things to say.
"Think about it... my daughter."
"I... uh..." I stammered, my mind a blank slate. Daughter. The word hit me like a ton of bricks. I'm nobody's daughter, really... not Lead Carbon's or Aurelia Oxide's. I don't know how to feel.
I forced myself to meet her gaze, trying to project an indifference I didn't really feel for once.
"I'll… consider it," I managed, the words feeling clumsy and inadequate as a tear began its descent. Consider it? Consider being her pawn in some grand, power-hungry scheme? Consider betraying everything I believed in? The thought felt icky.
Aurelia's smile tightened, a flicker of something cold and calculating in her eyes. "Good," she said, her voice laced with a hint of steel. "Because I have big plans, Aura. And you… you're going to be a part of them."
She turned away, her movements graceful and effortless. "Don't disappoint me," she added, her voice echoing in the quiet hallway.
I watched her go, my heart pounding in my chest while the tears were gutsy enough to show themselves. The encounter had left me shaken, more uncertain than ever.
I retreated to my room, the image of Aurelia's cold smile burned into my mind. I needed to talk to someone, to make sense of what had just happened. But who could I trust? Archie was acting strangely, too eager to please Aurelia. Zinnia… Zinnia was worried, I could see it in her eyes. But she wasn't telling me everything.
At least the workshop's almost over...
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