“No, no, you can't do this!” my father yelled in shock and rage.
“As I told you before Mr. Vonlichten, this is for the greater good of humanity. We take no joy in this, and the human race is in your debt for your sacrifice,” the man dressed in a ceremonial military uniform said as he motioned for the orderlies to take me away. The paralyzing agent they had injected into my veins made it so I couldn’t move or speak, but I was still aware of everything that was happening around me. My mind was scrambling for a way to escape this situation.
Just a few minutes ago, I was sitting in the kitchen eating my lunch like any other day, until the military officer and hospital staff broke down the door to our dilapidated home. I was stunned for a few moments before I jumped out of my chair to go run and find my dad. The intruders managed to shoot me with a dart that turned my limbs to jelly, and I collapsed onto the floor. My dad came running to see what the commotion was, and two mechanized police officers immediately jumped him and pinned him down.
The orderlies gently lifted me up onto a stretcher and strapped me down with thick chains and leather restraints. As they were rolling me out of my house, my father shoved the two robots off of him with strength born of desperation. I watched him sprint towards me out of the corner of my eye, no doubt trying to stop them from taking me away.
“Put him down,” the military officer ordered coldly.
“Target acquired,” both of the police officers replied in their robotic voices. The police officers each held a hand up and shot taser prongs from the palms. My dad froze and keeled over the moment the prongs made contact, twitching in pain as the electrical currents forced his muscles to contract. The military officer watched him writhe on the ground with a detached gaze, unfazed by the scent of burning flesh filling the air.
Tears blurred my eyes while I watched it all go down, and I managed to let out a small whimper. The military officer turned to look at me, and our eyes locked. I didn’t see a hint of emotion in his eyes. Just the unflinching duty to fulfill his orders.
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“Inject him again,” he told the orderlies. My dad, seeing them pull out a syringe filled with a clear liquid, crawled towards me. The police officers increased the voltage, stopping his attempt in its tracks. The last thing I saw was my father curled up in a ball on the floor, screaming, before the blackness of unconsciousness took me.
Pain. So much pain. Every movement hurt. Every thought was filled only with agony. I didn’t know how long it lasted. It felt like an eternity, with only me, the pain, and darkness all around me. Slowly, the pain began to fade. At first, I could hardly tell. But over time, it gradually disappeared, leaving me alone in the darkness.
“Where am I?” I wondered.
My mind felt as if it were in a fog, barely able to form a conscious thought. Suddenly, I heard a voice. It was muffled, like my ears were full of cotton, but I was able to make out the words.
“Patient is Evan Vonlichten, 10 years old, 147.4 centimeters tall, 36 kilograms. We will be implanting an artificial intelligence into the patient’s consciousness. Is Doctor Jennings present?”
“Present."
“Then we will now begin. Sterilize the surgical site.”
I felt something damp press down on the top of my head. If I was able to move, I would have tried to squirm away from it.
“Nurse, scalpel.”
A metallic clink echoed, and I again felt pressure in the same spot as I had a few seconds ago.
“Bleeding is minimal. Nurse, bone saw.”
At his words, I started to panic. I tried to wiggle my arms and move my legs, but nothing worked. My frantic efforts were redoubled when I heard the wiring of the saw getting closer and closer.
“Hold on, his heart rate is increasing rapidly,” someone said.
“Brain waves are jumping,” another voice reported.
“Is he conscious?”
“He shouldn’t be, but we should make sure.”
And the blackness took me once more.
...
“[Hello, Evan. I am Eve. It is a pleasure to meet you.]”