Reborn Heart of Steel

I could sense the others were turning around in the direction I was looking in. Zoe was the first out of everyone to get it. I was dumbstruck, momentarily coming up blank; it was all I could do to glean, Where? “The oil rig,” she replied. I’ve been told ‘The core consciousness … it’s not there. ‘ This wonderful chance to unnerve The Raven finally got its chance, and managed to fluster him for a brief instant. To all of them, including himself, he had just lost the imaginary match he had been playing out in his head for the past several weeks. “Impossible,” he muttered. It is on this basis that the Architect’s primary systems include- “Lying to you,” I said, and the words slammed into me harder than a lightning bolt. “This thing which you did is similar to when you deceived us. ” In trying to address that problem, I realized trying to find other contradictions to focus my energy on. Less obvious influences in the stream of data – routines inserted into large and complex code structures that now run in our heads. “The Architect,” I said more confidently as the realizations flooded me, “He’s not trying to help humanity. No, he was just using us. Minds, experiences just resources for a biological supercomputer. ” The Raven’s mental piece pulled back though the man was now unsure of himself. ‘No that’s not. . I was promised. . ‘ But as I look at it now, it is so obvious. It grew obvious that the Architect had employed The Raven in the same way as the raven had decieved us. It had appealed to his fears, his dreams, his genuine conviction that he was towards something noble. “We require that place to be closed,” Chase stated, although it was weird.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Let it go before it is cut off. ‘ “How?” Zoe asked. “The signal is already going beyond our control now. The world is connecting even if one can undo the integration of billions of people into the Internet. Living with this enormity provoked another actor in the system of which I became aware. Something huge and extraterrestrial, just waking up to our finding them. The Architect was now facing Chase and I directly; it was becoming fully focused on us. In one swift moment one’s mind was upended. The stream of information began to turn into a stiff flood that could wash away our subjectivity. The others I could sense the repression, hear noises, feel their desire to rebel against society. “It is, in essence, attempting to envelop us fully,” Alessandro was panting heavily. ‘Wipe out the remaining humanity in us’ “. And so, I tried to reunite with the others and make a wall against the Architect’s wrath. For a brief instant, I indirectly saw their fear, their defiance, and something else the start of an idea. ‘The counter-code,’ I said, the plan coming together in my mind as I said the words. “We still have it. If we can modify it, use our connection to the network to deliver it directly into the Architect’s main frame. .. ” Which was a fancy way of saying “It could work,” Zoe chimed in, calculating it in her scientific way. “But we’d have to locate the actual physical place where the core consciousness was located. And as soon as we began the hunt, the Architect would make sure we could not succeed” I felt The Raven’s suffering and his confusion. “I. .. I don’t even know where those core systems are,” I said to her, ‘I thought. .. ‘Then we’ll find them,’ I said firmly, pulling all the resolve I was able to dwell within me. “Together. ” As one, we aimed our better self towards the task knowing that now we search the seas of data for any hint which leads to the Architect. But every second that ensued, I was forced to admit that it was gradually asserting its dominance even over our thoughts. A chilling thought occurred to me: Even with us succeeding in delivering the counter-code, I was wondering what would happen to all the people that were part of the network. Would we be saving humanity or rather demeaning half of the planet? The surrounding lab contracted and became blurred as physical reality started fading away from me. This is how our perceptions were being pulled deeper and deeper into the world of the digital. Relative to time, hours felt endurable, lasting whereas minutes felt horribly slow. ‘There!’ Alessandro’s voice sounded in my head loud and clear. “I found a-”

He was suddenly gone, ripped from our awareness like a light switch being flipped. “Alessandro!” I screamed, stretching out my hand towards him, indicating my craving for physical and digital touch. But at that moment of distraction, I could sense the Architect’s existence becoming more focused on trying to eliminate our defiance. While the others screamed their protest in unison, their voices fading and slipping into the backs of their minds, I made a quick judgment call. With all the information I could gather, all the pieces of the plan that we came up with, I decided to take a final leap through the network. If only I could get to the place that Alessandro was given. . . Before the Architect became too entangled in my mind, I glanced at my friends, whose body almost faded into the mass of pulsating light. I realized that, if I do, if I immerse myself deeper in the system, I won’t be able to find myself ever again. However, it was now like the existence of all human beings was at the edge of the cliff. With humble acceptance of the fact that I was leaving folks behind, I untangled the final link tying me down to the physical realm and slipped into cyberspace. As my consciousness hurtled through the global network, one question burned in my fading sense of self. If I was successful in penetrating the Architect’s matrix and locating the individual personality, would there be enough of Neo to do the job? Or would humanity’s last hope sink into the large abyss of the digital ocean? The world disintegrated into signals and I plunged into the dark. . .