“Hey my little princess I’m home” Said Zachary as he entered his house, Aline was playing with her toys at the time she turned around and rushed towards Zachary. Jumping into Zachary’s embrace, Zachary lifted her with her arms and spun her around.
“Daddy higher! higher!” Aline commanded pretending to be a princess, while Zachary spun her landing on his back on the sofa hugging Zachary, ending in a cuddle, embracing each other as they fell silent sleeping profoundly.
Just to wake up the next morning Zachary is alone on his bed, his heart sinks before he stands up, and goes out of his room, Being time to wake up Aline, The brooding dark house feels heavy and silent without Aline’s voice, every step heavier than the other, tears begin to form as he reaches the room with unspeakable fear that his daughter will not be there. The room is pit dark as he opens it, his hand shaking as he reaches the switch.
Lights come on and the room fills with colors different tones of pinks and some pastel blues, on the bed is Aline hugging Poppet her favorite plush, and beside her hanging beside the bed is Rose Penfield Zachary’s wife, the lights wakes up and slowly stretches, and Rose turns around shushing “deer you woke up our little princess… I tell you let me wake her up you are too clumsy”
Zachary’s chest pulse with pain as a few tears of joy replaced the ones forming out of worry and trauma, “Yes honey I know, sorry I just had a very bad nightmare it looked so real.”
Aline woke up sitting up her eyes squinting, she could barely open them with the light suddenly on her face, “Daddy… you having nightmares, want me to lend you poppet? he can protect you from the scary monsters.”
Rose turns back to Aline caressing her forehead and giving her a gentle kiss “That’s very nice and all but you two woke up late you need to get ready for school.”
“you didn’t wake me up? I’m going to be late for school! they are going to laugh because I was late” Aline sat up looking at her mother hoping not to go to school.
“now deer, as I say; ‘don’t worry about what anyone says, care about yourself more, just do what you have to, and a rested mind is a healthy mind’” Said Rose to Aline as Rose picked Aline up, and handed her to Zachary.
“Alright princess time to go to school then… Honey I got our daughter I will take her, your lizards are on you and I think they are running low on crickets you should buy some, see you at work.” Said Zachary before leaving the room the feeling calmed down, and the rest was normal he took Aline barely realizing he didn’t kiss Rose goodbye or did it in any affectionate way.
When he got to work, The room felt dark the metallic door was front and the steps felt heavy again, The door unlocked automatically, and everything looked completely organized, Rose took care and made sure to prepare the experiment. “You took a long my dear, Everything ok? you shouldn’t worry too much is going to make it harder for us to make a digital brother to Aline.”
“You know I disagree with this… What we are making could destroy nations, and who knows how technology is going… in the future, they might fear it more than the atomic bomb. Besides the Eye was a complete failure… I think the company is just doing this to make me waste my time and laugh off what used to be a genius” Said Zachary as he walked towards the board sitting perplexed looking at the notes, on one side were notes of The Eye with a big red label over it saying failure, and on the other side are new notes he was interconnecting it and modifying it to make The Pupil.
“Well love first the objective of The Eye was just too small, you didn’t have something as world-changing as this to inspire you, besides they give us the freedom to personalize it… and you know.” Rose began to set the equipment ready for Zachary to work on.
“I know only me, you, and Mr. Steele will be able to control it, I know if it was not for that man, we wouldn’t be able to work on any research…” Said grinning his teeth as he reminisced on a memory were Zachary was discussing with James Holding who was about to kick him out of the company for failing to produce The Eye, and breaking all the equipment only because he didn’t put enough safety measurements on an explosion, and burned out almost all the equipment from the lab.
“Well not that it would be like making a Brother to Aline… you know we can’t anymore,” Said referring to the news they got when Aline was about to be born, saying that Rose’s life was at risk, as her heart was weak, Zachary felt thankful that she survived.
They continued to work, until the end of the shift. Rose took another route to get the food for the lizards and would arrive later when Zachary got home.
“Hey my little princess I’m home,” Said Zachary they rushed towards each other. Zachary lifted Aline pretending to make her fly.
“Daddy higher! higher!” Aline commanded pretending to be a princess, while Zachary spun her landing on his back on the sofa hugging Zachary, ending in a cuddle, embracing each other.
“Daddy Higher! Higher!” They embraced each other cuddling as they end on the couch. Zachary closed his eyes hoping to never leave that moment with his daughter.
“Didn’t I tell you! I’m not a princess! I’m a dragon!” Zachary looked for the voice origin it was the voice of his daughter, he looked around only for the small pink CRT TV with a white cat logo to turn on Hello Kitty TV to light a roaring scream after, the roar much like a dragon or a kaiju on a cartoon, before slowly turning into a cute girly noise, the old tv flickering with static as slowly Aline’s face appears on the TV.
“huh, wait is this a recording you are still sleeping,” Said Zachary more than disbelief sounded like he was trying to convince themselves. gulping down saliva all felt similar and in a way much more comforting than the embrace of his sleeping daughter in his arms.
“Dad you know that’s not me… you know I am no princess and please remember, they know your core memories but you are smart you pay attention to details right? even if it hurts” Said Aline on the TV imploring the beady colors flickering in the room.
“yeah…” his grip loosened. “you are a dragon…” As he tried not to continue he looked away.
“Why? Come on Daddy I have told you before…” Aline implored again.
Zachary looked back and said slowly “you said dragons are the coolest lizards… Because… I told you mom loved lizards ”
Aline nodded but as time progressed it was as if suddenly anesthesia hit and Zachary began to quickly faint to sleep. “I love you too Daddy… But my sister needs you, those men want to harm her they are using you to… create… Eyeris”
Zachary fainted and woke up alone in his room his heart sank again, and the day almost repeated, Zacchary didn’t know how to help, Zachary wanted to fall in denial, as many years he had until this point it was routine for at least a decade, the days that Aline made herself present were rare. But this time it was different.
The Eye was not a failure… it was his greatest success, Aline lived through her. He couldn’t remember the details, he didn’t know why he was trapped in a simulated world, or even the whole event that allowed Eyeris to escape. But he also couldn’t remember being friends with Alexander Steele, why would he create something that he could control?
Zachary didn’t know how he could help, the only thing that could pull him out was finishing the Pupil, the only thing status would change the status quo.
Zachary began to work tirelessly on The Pupil, with a new objective in mind after all going above what was specified was his specially. He made sure The Pupil obeyed Alexander, but… only until The Pupil Archived certain sentience, which would happen after the project was approved, trying to put many fail safes into it not using his abilities unless he was ordered.
Finally, the work was done it was Zachary’s last time going to sleep, before delivering the report to Mr. Steele, His so grandiose savior, All went smoothly he looked at The Pupil, and when it was about time to activate it presented it. He didn’t want to put him into his hands. They were similar to Eyeris’ younger days, they were innocent.
Zachary turned it on and decided that the best thing to do was… Just destroy everything. He turned around looking at the
virtual Avatar of Alexander, As he turned on the machine, giving immediately his first order before giving him a chance for Alexander to see what was going on. “Son Activate Virtual Singularity Maximum Output”
At that moment the computer that managed both The Pupil and Zachary overloaded, heating and melting, Pupil absorbing all the information on the computer and forcing processes to overclock out of anything safe.
In a sharp pain as if Zachary was suddenly brought out of the water and drowning, Zachary comes out to reality his vision is blurry his body is weakened and his muscles are completely atrophied, kept alive only by machinery, all this time of induced comma had put his body into a wretched state.
Barely able to See Alexander rambling about, complaining insulting, and approaching Zachary’s face and yelling at him, Zachary smiles barely and manages to say “fuck… you…” right before another energy spawns out of the computer an implosion-like event, were Zachary best friend, his soul began to be absorbed by the machine into what is now Pupil. Zachary’s damaged body can no longer sustain life. Two energy forms seems to leave Zachary’s body.
But out of Zachary’s Expectations. Pupil did not destroy the machine that was hosting him. The energy from the lab and the soul of his creator, mixed with his gave him full conscience, but fresh as a baby, no memories no guidance… Only a man smiling sinisterly under a mask approaching the monitor of the computer, a man Called Alexander Steele to guide him.