"I'll never get out of here," Anara muttered to herself.

She had been lying awake for half an hour, staring at the ceiling in the look of a starry sky. It's been too long since she has seen the real one. Somehow missing it more than ever.

She tossed and turned, burying her face in the blanket. Of all the places in Tartarus, she loved her bed the most. When she slept, she didn't think about the hopelessness of her situation. But her visit to the land of dreams ran short. The alarm clock rang.

5:30 a.m.

Anara got up and prepared breakfast. Although she didn't like cooking, she preferred it to the big dining hall. The smell of fresh buns, melted butter and scrambled eggs with tomatoes and onions filled the apartment, her favorite start of the day.

"Today is the day of the solar storm." Kerberos' voice echoed through the living room.

Anara sat in front of the television and ate breakfast. She muted the newscast and looked over her shoulder. A colorless silhouette stood in the doorway.

"You show up and disappear like a ghost," Anara noted, "Or are you doing it on purpose? Are you trying to scare me?"

"Of course." The pale woman twitched the corners of her mouth in a fit of attempted smiling.

"It doesn't work that way." Anara regretted explaining the basics of sarcasm to Kerberos. "You have to emphasize it differently!"

"Of ... course?"

"Neither." Anara sighed and threw her head back. "Of course! Like this."

Kerberos spoke after her. It sounded like a recording, and for a moment Anara thought she heard her own voice.

"Better ... At least somewhat." She decided to leave it at that. "What are you doing here?"

"There's a lot of work due for today. I deliver the tasks to you."

"As always," Anara sighed.

"As always," her counterpart added.

Kerberos came everyday, though it would be easier to transmit data electronically. Anara wondered: What led the A.I. to keep seeking contact? From the first prison guard meeting, held a month ago, she received the answer to this question. The ancient, overpowering A.I, familiar with the administration of the largest prison in human history, possessed the curiosity of a child. Moreover, no one seemed to communicate with her interpersonally. Was she lonely? Of course she wasn't. A machine consciousness felt no such feelings. Anara knew this. But why did it seem possible?

"What should I do first?" Anara asked.

Kerberos enumerated a set of coordinates, noting that she had forwarded them to Anara's InterTek. InterTek referred to a group of tiny computers. HearTek, a subcategory of InterTek, were placed in the ear canals. There it amplified the sense of hearing, acted as radios, and possessed a full range of auditory functions. VisionTek, also a subcategory, sat on the eyes, like contact lenses. Only through these devices could Anara see and hear the A.I. in front of her.

"In total, there are five errands, three repairs, and one cleaning job," Kerberos explained, "Approximate time to complete all tasks: thirteen hours."

"I barely have time before the storm arrives!" Anara gulped down her breakfast. "I've got to hurry!"

For the next twelve hours, she worked non-stop to finish on time. Whenever she ran into a guard, she gritted her teeth, raised her head, and sped up her work. By early evening, the time had come. The solar storm was approaching and those who long finished their duties withdrew.

Anara carried a package of spare parts for the ventilation system hardware through the corridors. Only her reflection in the mirror-smooth surface of the metal paneling accompanied her. This errand separated her before quitting time. Her feet ached and her fingers held the container with the last of their strength. The light from her black uniform pulsed softly, in the same rhythm as the light bars on the ceilings.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Anara followed the arrows her VisionTek projected on the floor. Over HearTek, she heard the radio transmissions between the supervisors. Their team consisted of twenty people. They monitored the entire complex and communicated when a problem upraised. At the moment, they didn't have much to say.

Half an hour passed. Anara got into an elevator, selected UG 11, and allowed herself to set the box down.

"All quiet," one of the supervisors said over the radio, "The solar storm will be weaker than expected. We -"

Crackle and rustle before the soft hum of machinery replaced their voices.

There was never complete silence in Tartarus, for the place was alive. The walls breathed, blood rushed underfoot, and in the deepest places, the beast stretched its claws to dig.

Anara wondered what interrupted the radio line. She tried navigating through her HearTek's menu but to no avail, the line remained dead. Neither they nor her VisionTek functioned accordingly.

"Impossible. They can't be broken. How?"

The elevator came to a stop. The lights on the ceiling, behind the mirrors and around the buttons began to flicker. Anara waited a moment before pressing the emergency button. A crackle and pop came from the speaker. She raised her eyes to the display above the door.

UG 11

She breathed a sigh of relief. She was on the right floor.

"Kerberos?" called Anara.

The A.I. remained silent. Her silence must be related to the solar storm, even though it wasn't expected until half an hour from now. Still, Anara couldn't shake that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She braced herself against the door and tried to push it open with the help of the emergency handle, in vain. The metal door barely budge. Anara tried again and again until she kicked it angrily and sank against the wall next to the crate.

"Why now?" she asked the ceiling above her, "Kerberos, is this some kind of prank? Are you trying to scare me again?"

Silence.

"If I wait," Anara tried to comfort herself. "They'll find me here sooner or later. But the solar storm is too dangerous. I have to -"

The elevator began to move. The young woman jumped up and pushed the button for UG 11, but the metal cage kept rushing down.

"Stop!" Anara pressed all the buttons.

The elevator accelerated, raced, and finally fell. Anara clung to the box, the only object that promised stability. Gravity itself dissolved until Anara and the box lifted off, floating. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. She watched her life pass by. She saw the elevator stop, the doors open, and the guards scrape their remains from the floor the next day.

"KERBEROS!" she screeched until her lungs wouldn't let her.

Metal on metal, a squeal, screech, the hiss of machinery, and then.

BOOM!

The elevator stopped. Silence. The small box fell, tipped over and emptied its contents across the floor. Anara next to it did the same. Doors opened. Gasping, Anara got to her feet. She grabbed the box and jumped out into darkness, where she now stood at an intersection.

The open elevator was the only source of light. The ceiling was high and the walls were wide as if for a giant. The few meters visible in view appeared identical, clouded in darkness. It resembled the upper floors, but the metal shimmered black instead of silver, as if it absorbed the light itself.

Thanks to her suit, Anara felt the biting cold only on her face and hands. That alone made her shiver. In addition, there was this smell. It reeked a mixture of iron, disinfectant and gasoline. Chemistry!

"Kerberos? I command you to answer me!" Her voice echoed again. "Where am I? What floor is this?"

Silence. Even the metallic groaning behind the walls had fallen silent. Anara felt as if she was on another planet, no, as if she was in another dimension. Should she get back into the elevator? No, if the thing went crazy again, it could cost her her life! The best thing for her to do was to wait. What could happen? Sooner or later, the solar storm would end. Then technology would operate again and Anara could call help via radio. Until then, she must be patient.

"I really imagined this evening to be more pleasant."

She sat down with her back against the wall next to the elevator. Her grip rested on her weapon holster, inside it was a pistol that processed the air itself into ammunition, a standard model within the academy.

Minutes passed, then hours. Nothing happened. The elevator doors still left open, almost invitingly. Anara refused to get into this monster. She waited a little longer until an idea came to her. Stairs. She slapped the heel of her hand against her forehead and drew in a sharp breath. How had she not thought of this sooner? No one was stupid enough to cross Tartarus on foot, but it had to be possible. For emergencies like this.

She stood up and started moving. Even if she couldn't find a staircase, she could pass the time better with a walk. But as soon as she looked into darkness, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

"Vision Tek, activate night vision!"

Of course, it didn't work. Anara paused, turned, and looked toward the elevator. Was she supposed to wait after all? Just at that moment, something flashed behind her. She whirled around and saw a pale trail of lights on the walls.

"Kerberos?"

No answer. The lights pulsed as if inviting Anara to follow them.

"Very funny." Anara pulled out her gun and stepped into the hallway.