What lies before me is a door, and behind it lie my destination.
...It’s not opening.
“Hello, you gonna let me in?” I leave as a question to the general area. One that goes unanswered.
There must be something I can do to enter this room, the orientation room just opened automatically you would think it would keep a trend.
I look around the area for something to interact with.
Just more wires, and hallway behind me...
Something glows.
The corner of my eye captures a small pad near the door resting on the right wall. Upon approach it shines the annoying yellow and black colours.
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WARNING
The department behind this door may be harmful to those of little understanding.
Approach if you intend to respect this facility, and are able to comprehend the use.
Or if OMEGA Z has guided you here.
[OPEN THE DOOR]
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Omega Z... Must be the designation of this floor’s fragment. Must be who invited me here as well.
I select the option and wait a few seconds before the door slides into the left wall, allowing me to enter the facility. I notice, before entering, another smooth dome on the wall, behind the door.
“Kind of inconvenient to have that thing on the other side of the door.” I say.
“Welcome, designation” PSAZZZZT “to augmentation. Proceed forward if you would.” The fragment responds.
“Augmentation.” I mumble to myself, to cement the word in my head.
I proceed into this "augmentation" room after complying. As I pass a few rooms, there appears to be a clear material that allows sight into these rooms but still acts as a barrier between them. The materials seem to be the same as in that dome. The rooms themselves contain a bed of metal and a similar-looking pad on the walls. Nothing too spectacular.
“Please enter...” BZZT “...room.” the fragment orders.
After declaring, a door opens up to a room on the right, which is the signal for me to enter.
Entering the room, the door closes behind me and a familiar screen descends from the ceiling.
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However, this one appears to be different, as there is no smiley or wacky backgrounds. Formal text begins to appear on the screen.
“I am OMEGA Z. Soon, you will be augmented. However, first I must scan you.”
Lights appear to detach from the wall and slowly approach me.
“STOP! CANCEL! DECLINE!” I exclaim, as I back away from the lights as they get closer.
“What appears to be the problem?” the lights stop as it asks the question.
“Augmented? I still don’t understand the word.” I question it.
“AUGMENTATION. NOUN. TO BECOME GREATER.” It replies as if it read it off a book.
“Still terribly vague, but I think you mean to try and modify me? Why?” I question once more.
“The reason for these augmentations is that It deems it so. I must comply.” it replies, as if it answered my question.
“Again, that is also terribly vague. What kind of augmentation will be done?” I ask.
“First I must scan you, before I can decide what is needed.” it answers.
The lights begin to enclose on me once more. I let it happen this time.
Upon contact with me, the lights disappear into me and diagnostic information begins to appear on the screen. I can only catch fractions of words as they disappear as soon as they appear. Except for the title that is on top of the screen.
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GENE THERAPY RESULTS
A//NG/RE/M/VED
PH/SI//L/PEA/
ENER//
HIB/RNA///
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I stop trying to read the words as the words keep appearing and disappearing in shorter intervals.
“Scan complete. Diagnosing...” The screen types.
The lights exit my body and return to their place on the wall. A loading bar appears on the screen just like the previous fragment did. A couple minutes pass and the bar doesn’t appear to be moving.
Hopefully it doesn’t follow exactly in Boundary’s footsteps.
I approach the metal bed to sit on it. However, before I sit I notice the metal bed appears to be some operation table as there are many outlines in the bed itself. Likely to allow for tools and other items to pass through, I back away. Instead, I approach the screen and put my finger on the bar to see if it is moving at all, after a couple more units of time the bar loads a fraction that goes past my finger.
It appears to be working properly...I hope.
I sit down in the corner of the room and wait. The bar inching ever so slowly.
I close my eyes.