The Cost

You are waking up. You feel the cold of a table under you. There's light chatter around you, but you would have to try and [[listen more]] to understand. You can also [[open your eyes]].

There are not many words you understand. But you do understand the words "experiment" and "invariable". [[open your eyes]].

You open your eyes slowly. It feels as though it's your first time opening them, and when they are open, you find a bright light above you. All of your limbs are tied down. You look down, and feel them held with rope. Do you [[try to get out]] or [[call out for help]]?

You carefully try to pull out your limbs from the rope, and find them easily pulled. You hear the light chatter go silent. Do you [[get up]] or [[pretend to still be tied up]]?

You scream out "HELP! SOMEBODY!" The light chatter goes silent, and you hear footsteps. The only door in the room opens, and in arrives two older men. One is a doctor, and the other is in all black. "Sorry," the doctor said. "I had no idea you were awake." How do you respond? [["Where the hell am I?"]] [["Who the hell are you?"]] [["Let me out you asshole piece of shit."]]

(set: $Resilience to 1) You stand up, trying to be as silent as you possibly can. You try to look around to where you could escape to. Do you try the: [[Small window]] [[The open door]]

(set: $Survival to 1) The only door in the room opens, just in time for you to fall still, and in arrives two older men. One is a doctor, and the other is in all black. "Sorry," the doctor said. "I had no idea you were awake." [["Where the hell am I?"]] [["Who the hell are you?"]]

"A curious mind," the doctor hums. "Good question. You're in a hospital. Well, sort of." He waves his hand. "No matter. How are you feeling?" [["I'm okay."]] [["I don't know."]] [["Let me out you asshole piece of shit."]]

The doctor smiles. "Cornelius. And you?" [[Tell him your name]] [[Don't tell him your name]]

(Set: $Irritation to 1) The doctor's smile flickers, but it returns just as quickly. "You're funny. I like you." The man in all black just stares at you. [[Insist to let you out]] [[Ask what's going on]]

You rush to the small window, attempting to open it up. It's glued shut. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," a man, a doctor, said. You turn to see him and another man wearing all black standing next to him. "The air is toxic around you. We haven't run enough tests to know if you could even survive it." You pause. [[Listen to him]] [[Try to open the window]]

You rush to the open door, but run face to face with the doctor and a stoic man in all black. You feel like an idiot - of course they were through the open door. "Hello," the doctor greets. What do you say? [["Where the hell am I?"]] [["Who the hell are you?"]]

He laughs. "As if I didn't already know it." What now? [["Let me out you asshole piece of shit."]] [["Where the hell am I?"]]

He laughs. "As if I don't already know it." What now? [["Let me out you asshole piece of shit."]] [["Where the hell am I?"]]

The doctor glances down at the ropes that are holding your body. "Have you even tried?" No, you hadn't. So you [[try]].

"To what?" The doctor asks. "To [[yourself]] or to [[everything around you]]?"

"Good, good. I assume so, since you are still alive." [[Ask what's going on]]

"You do, though. Think. Your vitals. How are you feeling?" Regardless of the fear and confusion, you feel completely healthy. You don't feel completely right, however. It feels like you're missing something important. [["I'm okay."]]

You stop trying and slowly turn around. Both of the men stare at you. The doctor waves his hand toward a seat. "Sit, please. I'd like to get to know you." [[Stay standing.]] [[Sit down.]]

No dice. It's not moving at all, and you can see that there's glue at the sides. The window is too tall up for you to see fully out of, but you see some leaves blowing in wind. You have no other choice but to [[Listen to him]].

You carefully try to pull out your limbs from the rope, and find them easily pulled. You can't beleive you didn't try this before. You stand up quickly, cowering against the wall. You [[Ask what's going on]].

"You, my dear, have been reborn," the doctor says. Your confusion must have been evident, since the doctor laughs. "Have you noticed your illness is cleared? No more coughing up blood, no more severe pain? I reversed it all. For well... A cost, of course." [["What cost?"]]

"The world, my dear, has been destroyed. Complete irreversible damage, I'm afraid. And that's where you come in." Your confusion must have been evident, since the doctor laughs. "Have you noticed your illness is cleared? No more coughing up blood, no more severe pain? I reversed it all. For well... A cost, of course." [["What cost?"]]

(set: $Irritation to 1) The doctor waves his hand. "No matter. Ask away, darling. I'm sure you're planning to [[Ask what's going on]]."

The doctor smiles. "Thank you for being so helpful. Anyway, I'm sure you would like to [[Ask what's going on]]."

"Your human life, of course. [[Don't you remember?]]"

//The words send a jolt through you.// Because yes, you [[do remember]].

You remember destruction, pain, death around every corner. You remember bodies piled up. You remember what they called the apocalypse, though the word never felt like it fully encompassed all that it had destroyed. And then you remember... [[you remember]]...

An ''explosion''. You had been standing too close to a crater when it erupted, and you were... You were supposed to be dead. You look up to the doctor. He smiles, as if he knows. [["How am I alive?"]]

"Well, you're not, technically. You're only a small presence of what you were before. See, it's been a project that I have been working on. The rebirth of humanity, of course. But a better version of humanity. A more... controlled version." "Come on," the man in black said, his voice thick. You feel shock at his voice - you almost forgot he was there. "Tell her the truth. You're drawing it out at this point." The doctor sighed. "Yes, I had gotten a bit carried away. I apologize. Tell me... A last thing. [[Do you feel your heart beat]]?"

You remember how steadily there your heartbeat always used to be. Never noticeable unless you focused on it, but still... (text-style:"blink")[Always there.] And now? [[Nothing.]]

"You still have a heart there. But it's no longer beating, and it's no longer created from flesh and blood. If you were to open your heart cavity, you would discover a simple machine. Because, overall, that's what you are now. A machine." You try to understand it. [["So I'm like... A cyborg?"]] [["Why would you do this to me?"]]

The doctor laughs. "In a sense, perhaps." [["Why would you do this to me?"]]

"It was to save your life, of course. And to help many others. See, I didn't just put you back in your regular body. I enhanced it. Created it to be more powerful - unstoppable, even. To be a vessel that anyone would crave. You were given it... For free. But now you must help me." [["What do you need help with?"]] [["I would never help you."]]

He smiles. "Your life is more valuable then ever. Second only to our other... Enhancement. But that is simply because he is a tad older than you." You glance at the man in black. Could he-? "Yes, yes. Of course. You are the only two superiors in the world." The man has no reaction, though you can feel your own face showing confusion. "Seeing as how the population has severly dwindled, and most have died in completely mundane ways, we must protect all we have left. Repopulation, of course, is vital. But that is not possible unless someone [[eradicates all threats]]."

(set: $Irritation to 1) "We shall see, after you see the full truth. Your life is exteremely valuable. Second only to our other... Enhancement. But that is simply because he is a tad older than you." You glance at the man in black. Could he-? "Yes, yes. Of course. You are the only two superiors in the world." The man has no reaction, though you can feel your own face showing confusion. "Seeing as how the population has severly dwindled, and most have died in completely mundane ways, we must protect all we have left. Repopulation, of course, is vital. But that is not possible unless someone [[eradicates all threats]]."

"You two are the only ones capable of fixing this world. In order to do that, though, you must be aware that this will be forever. Threats will not end - One apocalypse after the other will come in your immortal life. You will be tied to each other, and every life you live will end in suffering. But you will, of course... Survive." [["And if I don't?"]]

He holds up a remote control from his table. "You will die. And I apologize to say that it will be extremely painful." He doesn't seem all that apologetic, you think. You look around the room. You don't know all of the powers he now promises you have, but you feel more powerful than you had before. You could [[try to escape]]. Or, of course, you could [[submit]]. He's right. The world is in complete chaos. To become this... enhancement, to help everyone, would help a lot of people. And you would survive. Or, so he's saying.

You pick out the doctor as the weaker link. You push him out of the way, throwing him into the closest wall. You are surprised by your strength. "Get her!" the doctor screamed. (if: $Irritation is 1) [The man in black rushed you, pushing you to the ground. You attempt to struggle out of his grasp, but you know he is more powerful. Nothing you do works. He has [[gotten you]].] (if: $Irritation is 0) [The man in black stares at you, with no recognizition on his face. You see a glint in his eye, you think. But he looks away just as quickly. You turn and run out of the room, hearing the doctor's screams behind you. You have [[escaped]].]

He smiles. "Good, good. Please, [[let us begin]]."

The doctor stands up weakly, grabbing the remote control. He stares at you with disappointment. "I wish I could take it back, but I cannot have a disobedient soldier. I apoligize for this." He presses the button, and pain screams throughout you. Your immortality, and thus your life, is being burned from the inside out. He was right, it is extremely painful. You are not a slave to immortality, and not a slave to the doctor. But at [[what cost]]?

Your life continues like this: You are immortal. You do not age, you do not die. You are able to fix natural disasters before they begin, you are able to stop evil people before they cause something. But you decided not to help. You must watch as the rest of the world is destroyed, as humanity is slowly dwindled. There is no one left. Yet you still cannot die. You survived, but at [[what cost]]?

Your life continues like this: You are immortal. You do not age, you do not die. You are able to fix natural disasters before they begin, you are able to stop evil people before they cause something. You and the man in black continue this way for the rest of eternity - through different doctors, different world leaders, different crises. Everyone you love, if you even allow yourself to love, disinigrates into nothing through time. Everyone ages, you begin to learn. And people die in other ways, of course. Loving you seemed like a death sentence. At some point, you stopped trying. The world renewed itself, but then destroyed itself once again. The first doctor was right, apocalypses came and went. You read every book, saw every movie. At some point, all of them lost meaning. Everything lost meaning. Yet you still cannot die. You survived, but at [[what cost]]?

(text-colour:red)+(text-style:"expand") [[THE COST]] //We must all accept the cost of our choices.// [[Play from the beginning]]. Written by: Nicole Williams

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