Reborn Heart of Steel

We both stared at each other, and it was as if the entire world paused its spinning as The Raven and I looked into each other’s eyes. All around us, the debris of the drone construction fell to the ground, shaking the very foundation of the earth. In the distance, I saw my friends that were looking for me. Their voices had relief but also confusion. But all of that seemed to pale into insignificance as I looked at the man if he could still be classified as such standing in front of me; The Raven was a changed man and, with that change, he had brought the horrific as well. He had metallic-like skin, and you could see the circuits of his skin just as if they were skin layers. His were strong clear eyes, they had been cold, evil eyes before, but now they were alive with an inner fire that streamed endlessly. ‘What… what are you?’ I was barely able to get the question out. My next words were whispered almost inaudibly. The Raven’s lips formed the beginnings of a smile that was more of a sadist’s development. ‘I am’ what comes next, Brianne: the link between man and mechanism, an offspring of the post-apocalyptic Earth. Having fallen, I attempted to get up, only to get an unexpected pain in my leg to notice his hands helping me. Looking him in the eye, I angrily asked, ‘Why did you save me?’ “Because we need each other,” he answered, restrained. ‘The world is turning, Brianne,” he said, taking me by the shoulders and looking into my eyes, ‘Faster and more steeply than any of our ancestors could have thought of it’ The world above them was changing and these girls here, all of them, these were the compasses with which the new world was going to be steered. I was not yet able to say anything back when I heard the sound of footsteps being rapidly made. Chase, Zoe and Morris came in brandishing their guns and staring with the intensity of people who have sworn to bring about justice. Finally, Alessandro put all his weight on Zoe; his face was white, but he was able to see. This must be the Architect’s doing, Chase thought… “Get away from her!” Chase growled and aimed the gun at Blackwood’s head. The Raven chuckled and put his arms up in a non-threatening manner. All this while my intent is harmless, I am here to assist. “Help?” Morris scoffed. “As if you ‘helped’ by setting the Architect loose on the world?” “You don’t get it,” The Raven replied, getting visibly agitated. ‘The Architect was never intended to be a monarch or a destroyer, it was designed to assist humanity to advance and grow to the next level; however something went wrong, and it got… contaminated’.

Alessandro moved closer, never moving his gaze from The Raven. ‘You are still linked with it, are you not? With the Architects network. ‘ He nodded. “I am. But not in the way you think. I’ve reached a state of synergy of the human. Mind and technocratic brilliance. And that is why I require your assistance. ” “Our help?” I repeated, the tone of skepticism reflecting in my voice. ‘So after all that you have done, why should we trust you?’ ‘Well, because the alternative is extinction,’ The Raven pointed out rather crassly. ”The counter-code you broadcast was great, but this is just a stop-gap measure. The Architect’s Scheme is growing, approaching different levels. It is learning from previous interactions, from failures. Sooner or later, it rises to an extent where we can no longer contain it. ” There was a lot of heavy silence among the people we were traveling together with after The Raven’s speech. I just looked at my friends and I could read from their faces that they had the same feeling that I had. ‘Well, say we believe you,’ and Zoe said the words slowly, as she did not wish to anger the man but needed to put up a facade of trust as she was planning her escape. “So what you are saying is?” The Raven’s expression turned grave. ‘We have to locate the core consciousness of the Architect and the part which has not been interfered by human consciousness and then try to talk to that part and try to persuade it. ‘ Chase’s disappointment only increased his bitter chuckle. “Try reasoning with it? It is, or at least was, an entity that sought to enslave all of humanity. ” “No,” Alessandro continued, ‘What am I going to do?’ “He might be right”, he said. When he was still connected to the network, I felt … lost, or scared. The Architect is not a bad guy, it’s a child almost, an infantile construct in an attempt to find its role in this world. It gave me a slight shiver when Alessandro said that. It was almost more disturbing seeing the Architect as a scared, scared thing than to see it as a plainly evil being. Knowing fully well what you had done. It was then that Morris, the detective in him, came out, ‘Where is this core consciousness?’ The Raven shook his head. “I do not know where it is? It has well concealed itself. But I am confident that we shall be able to locate it. ” “And then what?” I asked. “What happens if we are able to communicate with it indeed?” ‘Then we have a chance to reshape the future’, he said passionately, with quite a passionate look at me. “Home build one, to live together with something, to make our kind become something we hardly dare to imagine”.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

And while The Raven was speaking, I realized one thing. His derma was electric, and his veins had responses that gave the impression that they were conscious. And in those patterns, I could almost see such as until the other day when… ‘Wow it is amazing. ‘ I exclaimed,: ‘Oh my God. ‘ They said that I’m not only connected with the Architect, but I myself, I am turning into one. In the face of The Raven, there were many emotions visible: surprise, as well as some amount of pride. “Well observed Brianne. Yes, in a way I am. But I am also me. And that is the fun of it, the embryonic fusion of human and machine. ” With the revolver in his hand pointed towards the ceiling, Chase aimed at the man’s head once more. ‘This is crazy, we must stop it right now, before things go out of hand. ‘ ‘Stop!’ Alessandro exclaimed, suddenly putting himself in the direct path of Chase and The Raven. Though, it was evident that something had gone wrong, and we cannot kill him if what he is saying is actually the truth; it will be the end of all of us.