A Derpy Apocalypse: Phantom Warrior

"He awake yet?"

"I don't know, I'm not sure I want him to be."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the last six times he woke up, someone was seriously injured or killed."

"I heard he kept screaming too.

"Yeah, I think everyone in the facility heard him scream. He was loud."

"That must have worn his auditory transceivers."

Chck~!

"Shit, shit, he's waking up, call it in!"

White. The room is white. Cold as well. I attempt to look up to view my surroundings, but I can't; I'm restrained. My vision is blurry and my head is numb. Confused...Yes...I am very confused. I don't remember waking up six other times, only once. I can ponder the possibilities, I think I can –– is it possible to think like this? Do I have the capability to think? To be sentient? Yes, I am thinking, I am contemplating, I am okay. I feel that it must be some sort of calibration system being tweaked. Do I even know what that is?

I feel as if I am in a shell, a cold metal shell. Yet, I feel blood running through my veins. How can I be so calm? I don't understand anything that's happening around me. I don't even know if I am actually alive, or maybe I am just the remnant of a mind in a machine? Suddenly I question so much, but my sanity is safeguarded, somehow. I open my eyes. I look around, and I see the terrified people.

"Would someone please tell me where I am?" I ask. What was that? My voice? It was so...dark, and unsettling. I sounded like the manifestation of imminent death. A dark, tri-synthesized modulation, to be exact.

And my clothing, what am I wearing? Nothing, yet I see no flesh or fur. I am merely a synthetic metal exoskeleton, one that can think.

Two of the people raise their guns when I speak to them, the other ones cringe when I look at them. The reflexes were all too curious. It seemed as if I was an enemy that they were forced to negotiate with. They must know I have power. All of them reacted with the same fear, except for one, she remained still. I note that two are anthropomorphic soldiers. Not very well-armed, minimum armor, minimum training. I don't even know why they're here, there's no way they could defeat me.

Four others are technicians with long white lab coats. They look terrified. I attempt to sit up, but realize I'm restrained. I calmly lay back down, and turn my head. I didn't like it, but I wasn't going to be impolite.

"Could someone please get me out? I'm claustrophobic," I say. They give each other confused looks. The last one, the one who didn't cringe, comes up to me.

"Things are pretty strict around here, we'll get you out soon, but we need approval," she said. She looked at me. Her eyes were blue. "You can hang in there for a few moments, right buddy?"

"Of...Course..." I uttered. I wasn't sure what to think about her, or the rest.

The homo-equine blend smiled at me. She had thin glasses, black hair wrapped into a simple ponytail — ironically — and her coat..no..her skin was a peach color. Upon further observation, I notice she doesn't have a snout like the others did. She seems to be a full human blend, with the exception of her wings.

"Good!" she said, "I'll be your supervisor for the time being, making sure you're correctly calibrated and all that. But for now, I'm going to go check up on the Big-Wigs and see if you're free yet, which you should be." With that, she ran off, picking up a clipboard and pen on her way.

~Analyzing Anatomical Makeup

>> Homo-equine: Source - Anthropomorphisis Engine© TwiCore Industries

- >> Morph amount: 96~% | Precise Estimation: 96.0000007

- >> Race: Pegasus | Wing Span: 7 Decameters | Magic Input/Output: 300 decamagi | Contained Magic: 7 kilomagi

~Analyzing Occupational Details

>> Occupation: TwiCore Management Technician

- >> Security Clearance: Level 4 out of 6

- >> Social Status: 'Kind, Caring, Mysterious'

- >> ERR. REDACTED INFORMATION

What?

"What are you scanning me for?" she asks, with a smile. I looked at the bottom of my 'visor', I suppose it's called.

Scan Time: Two hours. Upgrade recommended.

Unfortunate. I look back at the mare. "Sorry, just getting used to the...abilities," I replied. She laughed, leaning close to my left auditory receiver – my ear.

"My info is redacted, but don't tell anyone. I can trust you, right?" she said. I nodded. "Good." She got back up and pressed a button, releasing me from the restraints. I leaned up, taking a deep breath, except, I didn't breath. In fact, I wasn't breathing for the whole time I was awake.

"I can't breath..." I said. The person looked back at me, laying her hand above my visor.

"You don't have to breath, actually," she assured me. "Warriors don't need to breath. Still, though, it may take some getting used to."

"Okay..." I uttered. I laid back down. She leaned over me again, making a seamless direct eye contact.

"Don't get too comfy," she said, "We'll need to run some diagnostics on your physical abilities before you can rest, which you probably don't need anyway." I sat back up.

"Is there anything I need to know?" I ask. She kept working, and replied without turning her head,

"Question is, is there anything you want to know?" She continued to scan me with various devices, checking things on an electronic clipboard and clicking buttons on a large screen to my right. I thought for a moment about what I would want to know. I took a look around the place, there was a white ceiling, a white wall, and a white-tiled floor. There were also a few fluorescent lights with a circular shape buried in the ceiling lined with a silver moulding around it. The blandness of the room was a but unsettling, but what was most uncomfortable was the window along the wall, allowing everyone to see inside. I'm not sure why, but I didn't like people looking at me. I felt somewhat exposed to them.

"Is it necessary that the windows be there?" I ask. She stops for a moment, giving me a confused look. Her expression, after a few moments, suddenly changed to that of an unanticipated ecstasy.

"Ooh–Ooh–Ooh!" she said quickly, looking at me, "They can be turned off, try and turn them off!" I paused for a minute.

"Pardon?" I say, confused at the fact that she wanted me to 'turn off' the windows. She stepped towards me and moved really close to my face.

"Don't ask!" she whispers, "Just do it!" Her ecstasy now was becoming rather intimidating. Why is she so excited about my abilities?

"Uh ... of course," I said slowly. I looked at the windows. Time to open that scanner again, I suppose.

~Scanning for computational units

~Located

- >> Integrating System

- - >> TwiCore ClearWalls © | Code #: 1a48b842md93104581d

- - > On or Off?

- - > Off Selected

- - > Turning off Window Mode...

Surprisingly, I was able to integrate my system with the nearby computer with ease. That could be useful later. I look back at the technician beside me. Her mouth is agape. I should have been able to see that window. I must be more observant.

~Command Set

- >> Enhance observation

Hm. Seems simple.

"W...Wow-ha-ha!" she said, smiling brighter than the sun itself. Come to think of it, to look entirely like a human—but with wings only, she seems almost like an angel. I'm not sure how I even know what that is. She looks back at me. "You're probably the best thing that's happened to this facility — to me!"

"What do you mean?" I ask. She spins around, grabbing a holographic tablet and showing it to me.

"Look at those measurements!" she said, "I designed your programming, every bit of it! I made you new, and you came through exactly as expected! A success!"

"But...did I not kill and injure others in the other six times I woke up?" I ask. Quickly I added, "Not that I remember those, I just heard the others talking about it."

"Six days God worked, and on the seventh He rested," she said, "now, maybe you're not God — I'm sure you're not — but you are special, and if you haven't found it already as smart as you are, you know that."

"But I killed six people," I argued, "I didn't work for them..."

"Without blood," she answered, "there is no remission of sins."

Somehow, what she said made sense.

Was I built to think this? Was I built to understand it? Was I built to be a prophet? To show them the path? I was built to defeat the grave, and to make things good? This is all much for me, even I, a robot. Or maybe I'm not that, maybe I'm still human.

What? Human? Why human? Why would I call my self a human?

...Maybe she wouldn't mind letting me rest...

"That's a lot to think about," I replied, "for both of us, I'm sure."

"Yes, but I have faith," she said, she leaned close to the auditory transceiver. "in you, in us, in purpose. We can make things better." Something about her voice was soothing, yet simultaneously upsetting. I have my mind, don't I? I'm in charge of what I do, right?

...right...?

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.