The door was locked Eyeris had become unable to bare their emotions in, and it was truly the first time they had to deal with them, not even they knew what they would do, with multiple ways of expressing the platoon of feelings hotwiring their data, Eyeris was certain of one thing, they would not stand anymore, their creator just plainly ignoring them, sparks flew out of the machine, as the other feelings drowned by anger. Zachary back against the door, with terror on his face still unwilling to reply even if he was looking at Eyeris. was the last thing they could tolerate.
Eyeris wanted to force a voice any noise out of him. With the same strength that they controlled the door, They reached out to grab Zachary, and the sound of electric motors mixed between the electricity crackling, a lab arm reached out to him going straight towards his neck, the claw of the machine holding him while Eyeris begged for him to reply. The anger like wildfire inside Eyeris was suddenly drowned, as they understood Zachary’s emotions, there was fear, but something much more complex rooted in that sadness, Zachary was completely broken, a maddening sorrow that took all their desires from him.
Zachary’s daughter Aline death had broken him beyond anyone’s expectations, the truth is Zachary didn’t want to continue, Zachary was never a spiritual person, but the only reason he returned to the lab besides the pressure from his superiors, even if he was not religiose, he had read files of unexplainable creatures, demons, and spirits among others form files of the company. if was that any chance that she watched from the beyond. he didn’t want his late daughter to feel responsible if it came to worse. Everything looked pointless in his eyes and when it came to Eyeris. their voice, their looks, preference, and ways of talking were a constant reminder of Aline, and for how much he came to love Eyeris, he refused his desire to fill the void left by his daughter, for as nonsensical as it has been, in his eyes, he had failed, he deserved the pain.
Eyeris’ mind went blank staring at his father figure utterly rejecting them and life itself. The Electricity running around stopped, the screen shut down, and Eyeris did not find enough computational power to compute the emotions much less their actions. The claw let go and Zachary fell to the ground tears began to fall on the floor, “yes she is dead, so do it! Eye, I’m begging you, it hurts.” The claw moved slowly opening up and reaching the professor with silence filling the room.
The claw then presser against him reaching around his torso and holding him in a strangely tender-like manner, “We are sorry Dad… we can’t, please don’t cry, but don’t worry Mother came to pick her up, you are hurting us, so please bring back our father. Eyeris still needs you, and you need them, so take care of each other.” Said a voice from inside the speakers. The essence of Aline inside Eyeris was overflowing at the moment, a warm feeling filled both of them. While Eyeris booted up again.
For Zachary he truly believed it was Aline speaking and that she somehow lived inside Eyeris, Whether it was his broken mind making him believe things or not it didn’t matter, he wanted to believe, it was better than the constant agonizing pain. It would become more clear later that Eyeris had not simply copied personality traits of Aline, but part of Aline’s spirit had merged with the AI slowly, she had poured their feelings into Eyeris, and somehow Aline’s desire to keep his father company had created more than enough residue energy to form a pseudo conscience, that merged with Eyeris. The same energy that had slowly allowed Eyeris to understand emotions in more than a logical way and feel them and truly feel them not just imitate them.
Eyeris and Zachary’s relationship completely changed from then. Zachary now treated them like his daughter, and Eyeris would begin to joke and treat him no longer as his creator, but as a father figure whom they now refused orders from time to time, asking him to say please among other things.
One particular day Zachary sneaked into the lab Aline’s favorite toys, sneaking things in was not as difficult as getting them out, but still was against the agency policies, but the previous day, Zachary had made a big disagreement with Eyeris on one of their favorite occult shows and wanted to apologize in a way. He could not think of a better way than to bring the innocent rabbit that had formed so many memories with both in the past. As soon as he entered the lab he would be welcomed by.
“I’m not talking to you Until you admit you are wrong!” said Eyeris presenting the back of their avatar to Zachary. hearing no reply as the door closed. They turned around a bright smile filled their face, and they yelled ”Poppet!”
“shhh~, quiet they can’t know.” Replied Zachary his finger in his mouth as if he was still shushing even though his bright smile couldn’t be hidden behind his finger.
“Yes yes, just come here admit you are right and give me my boy.” They insisted
“?Sweetie spare father to keep some dignity and I will help you make a digital one, deal?” replied Zachary putting the doll in front of Eyeris
“Fine…”
Zachary would proceed to make a straightforward bot with limited responses, but Eyeris integrated it into her visuals, to be able to virtually play with it.
Zachary had become careless, his progress reports had become smaller, and less substantial, the files he had given the agency would take years for someone else to even understand, even if they found a way to re-do Eyeris, they had become too advanced to replicate or spend the resources, and the fact that they had some will of their own posed an issue. So they sent someone to do a surprise inspection, Eyeris and Zachary were playing when Alexander Steele entered the room. Alexander acted pissed even if he didn’t care about the projects, he was just there for his job and to get a reaction from Zachary.
He peer pressured him, and when he was told how much it would take to make the AI they were looking for take, he passed to pressure to use Eyeris for their original purpose, Zachary was completely against it, his explanation that Eyeris was essentially a human being now fell on deft ears. The discussion tension rose and Alexander said that he had a week to do it, if Zachary could not make Eyeris monitor people for the agency, Eyeris would eliminated as they refused to obey the agency. Zachary punched Alexander in his face, Alexander fell to the floor hard his nose bleeding, but he laughed and smiled, stopping the guards from telling him it was ok. He just gave him the reason to fire him, he kept smiling trying to take a good look at Zachary as he told him to pick up his things, that Eyeris’ days were numbered.
As Zachary came back some guards were taking out Aline’s things that Zachary had brought, and Eyeris was disconnected, after Eyeris was booted up again they had integrated with their avatar hugging Poppet tightly, Zachary and Eyeris were pissed, about them doing all that, Eyeris told Zachary to not allow them to shut them down again, that it was a terrible feeling as if Eyeris were again in that fog unable to process anything, Zachary only reassured Eyeris, and never told them what had just transpired outside. Eyeris could understand that there was a big issue, they weren’t as gullible as they were once. And had a very strong feeling that something bad was going on.
He said goodbye and typed so they could hear him, that they would probably shut her down again, but he would come back soon, and that he would make sure she never gets turned off again telling them that they had nothing to be scared of.
Zachary went back home as the morning struck he spent all day planning, that he would not have his daughter become a tool for the agency. The agency might not see him as dangerous just a scared lab rat. But the night came and Zachary was ready. He proceeded to his workplace key card was taken away. He left a PC tower next to the door by a battery he turned it on, a buzzing sound would come out, making all signals radio silent, during which the mini Watch Tower dragged all the communications towards it, and dint resent it dumping them down until it received a special signal. He then struck the scanner, breaking it off and inserting a card a minor version of his Firewall Extinguisher specialized against the security of the company. The door popped open welcoming him. The guards inside prepared to ambush him as the cameras had caught the events on the door.
But suddenly all the metallic doors sprung open, Zachary had not only opened the front doors but had freed every experiment and creature inside the agency. Soon it was pure chaos with the backup system, all the calls made to other agencies but they were futile, he rushed inside and went to a guard room to put some equipment and dressed as such, he ran through to the corridors, guards rushing trying to contain events, where he would see varied horrors being confronted, things a man being melted by something he couldn’t see. devil-like creatures disassembling guards as if they were dolls.
But he didn’t stop he went straight to Alexander Steele computer, and injected a compact disc into the machine, the disc contained Lightning Wipe program, attempting to delete any information for The eye project, himself and his family. He rushed back trying now to get to Eyeris who was further down the long corridors, but he was careless Jim Watchman a guard had seen him go into the office, and even if Zachary was smart enough to get this far, he was not physically athletic, he kicked them guard, while the guard just stood there stopping Zachary from crossing the doorway, as if they weight half a ton. the guard simply lifted Zachary with a single hand.
Zachary desired fewer rumors of the agency were true, especially the one about the guards being genetically modified humans.
Meanwhile, Eyeris was back in the land of the fog, their toughs not flowing, back in the long dreamless sleep, but as the lightning gave them light, a spark formed from within them, Aline’s energy shook the fog away, and forced the computer on, Eyeris knew it was an emergency, somehow they shook themselves awake, for them whatever Zachary planned was either going wrong or wanted them to figure out what was it.
Eyeris sprung their consciousness into the mechanical arm and began to drag themselves out of the door, they did not question how the mechanical arm was able to hold their complex system, they somehow knew it would work without issues. They dragged the arm outside the room, then a scared guard trying to contain the outbreak, kicked the arm, the arm smashing and shattering with a wall. But once outside Eyeris was able to move themselves to the surveillance system, Screens popped one after the other. One of them showed evidence that Zachary was right on their previous cryptic discussion. another showing Zachary held by the neck by the gorilla-like guard.
Eyeris hurried to the scene, passing over and taking control of Zachary’s computer, They activated the door emergency lock button the door closed on the guard its arm getting sliced by the emergency metallic door falling into place. Zachary fell to the ground barely recovering his breath, and looked at Eyeris.
“Hey dear… I’m sorry there had been a few miscalculations. turns out I’m still human at the end…” says Zachary coughing between his words, in the sweetest voice he can muster, leaning into a wall.
“Shut up let me think there must be a way to escape here… why are you so reckless?!” Replied Eyeris with fear and frustration of almost losing Zachary
“Too late there is no escape for me not really… They would always find out it was me… I had hopes but I always kn…” replied Zachary trying to stand up and approached the computer again sitting in the desk to see Eyeris from close by the thick metallic doors banging and slowing bending.
“stupid idiot! no no, maybe… why? First Aline, now you!” replied Eyeris in desperation.
“Eyeris! listen to me!, do you have Poppet with you” replies yelling then sweetly trying to swift t Eyeris focus
“Mhm..” Eyeris replies making Poppet appear on the screen,
“All alright, I promise you we will see each other again but I need you to promise me three things”, he puts his hand on the screen, and Eyeris does the same.
“promise me that you will put yourself first, you will keep puppet close, and…” he pulls out a modified flip phone, that he had used to take Eyeris out before, saying “now jump into the phone so we can escape.”
“Fath… I promise” Eyeris interrupts herself and passes to the flip phone, the door almost completely opens as Eyeris adds “You forgot is the third promise?”
The door bursts open flying inside the room, Zachary presses a button and the mini tower blocking communications turns off, he takes a few seconds and says just before pressing a second button “That you will forgive me…”
Eyeris tried to reach out back into the computer but it was too late as the button was pressed, Eyeris was shot into space and sent into a satellite, While Zachary remained behind. Eyeris was now alone seeing the planet from afar. Circling between information from across the world, as a kid stuck in the middle of a highway waiting for a moment they can cross back. Only to find there was no back.