Sempiternal

I looked inside the small room and to my surprise and disappointment it was bare besides a small steel pedestal with a strange black metal device similar to that of a arm brace on it. It didn't really look like there was nothing special about it's appearance as we walked up to it when Digger asked. "What is it Koba?"

To be truthful I didn't know it was and shrugged at her. For all we knew it could been some kind of useless top secret can opener. After examining it thoroughly I slip it on and secure the device using the latches to my left arm and just as I had done so a red screen shot open on a holograph startling me with the words "Initializing Neural Lace with host in 3..2..1." It is then that a sharp pain shot up my arm burning me all the way up to my brain and before I could even scream or yelp my body had just lost consciousness causing me to hit the floor almost instantly.

When I started to come to my senses a few minutes later the first thing I heard was Twilight and Digger standing over top of me arguing about what they should do almost about to go hysterical the looked shocked when I opened my eyes and saw in the blur their body shapes. "Are you ok Koba!? Can you move?" Twilight asked. I slowly sit up and move my fingers and toes around to make sure this cheap "muscle stimulator" hadn't crippled me. I felt fine as a matter a fact even better than before almost like waking up from a long sleep.

The screen pops back up and a loading screen with the manufacturers logo that read in big letters "Aegis Nano Systems." After it ran through the start up a very artificial feminine voice made herself known to us . "Neural lace and self diagnostics complete. Shall I start the introduction?"

I really didn't know what else to say but yes and it made it's caveat about what she was. " Hello I am S.A.N.D.R.A the AI that regulates the stand alone nano device you are currently in possession of." I have many applications for the self preservation of the host as well as defensive and offensive capabilities for superior combat effectiveness."

AI's and nanotechnology were in it's infancy during my time and to find one this advanced it was mind blowing. "Who made you?" I asked her response was swift and monotoned. "I was created by Aegis Corp in 18 June 2186 by Dr. Gregory West under contract from the U.S Government. I was the apex of several failed prototypes for military applications. Most of my data logs were erased before storage and my most recent data sync was 2305 years 5 months 3 days and 11 hours ago. Do you have any other questions Mr Gagarov?"

"How do you know my name?" was my next question. Again she answered in a know it all fashion her name should have been Twilight to be honest. "My D.N.A records state that you are 1st Lieutenant Koba Gagarov of the Russian Federation Special Forces. Captured in 2060 by U.S. Special Forces and sent into CryoFreeze at the Aegis 4 Research and Development complex in France for genetic studies.

I was flabbergasted by this machines knowledge and began to ply it with even more questions. "What was your most recent data entry? and what happened to everyone?" It took Sandra a moment but she gave me a clear answer. "I need to sync up at the main terminal then I will be able to give you the answers you seek. It should be a few hundred meters down the concourse to your right. I will set a navpoint for you to follow." She seemed to just cut right to the job at hand which was fine with me.

Satisfied with her response we head back out with myself leading the way through the hallway following the navpoint. My entourage followed closely behind and it was long before we found the terminal room with another massive vault door protecting it. We stop a moment and examined it and it wasn't longbefore Digger sighs and smirked. "Are we gonna have to blow this door up too?"

I turn to her and before the words when slipped out of my mouth Sandra cut me off. "That will be completely unnecessary. I have the clearances to open it. Mr Gagarov just has to place his hand on the holopanel." This machine had never ceased to amaze me and to think that I've only tapped a fraction of it's potential. "Thank you Sandra and it's Koba from now on if you will." I said back and complied with it's order as I placed my hand on the cold glass panel until it flashed green and the door slid open.

The light from the inside flooded the hallway with a divine glow and when our eyes got adjusted we gazed upon a most macabre sight. To our horror there were skeletons in all corners of the large room. Some were still sitting in there seats with their skulls blown apart with long dried up blood spattered over the stations they were monitoring while others were strewn about as if they were trying to run away but were cut down and cruelly executed.

I look back to Twilight and Digger who were both terrified and trembling and all their fur was standing on end. I get on eye level squatting down to them and said. "It's ok if you guys want to leave. Do you know the way out?" They both nod nervously and I told them reassuringly. "It's fine just get your things and wait for me outside the entrance I'll be right behind you."

They both bolted back down the hall and in no time they were out of my sight. I stand back up took a deep breath and stepped inside onto the white tile floor that was littered with shell casings and they clattered and clanked with every step up to the main computer. I didn't waste anytime as I slammed my hand on the main data sync module it only took a few seconds but felt like an eternity as the data streamed to my device and gave me the okay to dismount.

I ran out of the room and sealed the door shut thankful to be out of that god awful tomb. As I was walking out Sandra shot up from the device and said to me in her robotic monotoned voice. "It appears that the last data entry was 3 weeks 14 hours and 34 seconds ago. I thought it was some kind of glitch and asked her. "How can that be no one has been in there for centuries?"

She goes on by saying. "The security log details a security lockout from 3 failed login attempts into a top tier data cabinet on the R&D network on that date. I'm trying to sift through the data to see who it was and their affiliation." This sent a nameless fear that forced my heart into my stomach. It had just hit me that I wasn't the only one. There was someone else here with me and now he or she was out there somewhere.

Scared and intrigued I ask Sandra. "What was in that data cabinet? She asks me pretending to be concerned. "Koba are you alright? My sensors indicate rapid heartbeat and unusually high blood pressure." Assuring her that I was okay she replies back "I have over 400 terabytes of data relating to whatever our unknown suspect was looking for."