Broad amber lights pierced through the shadows at immeasurable speeds as the sunken and dim chamber was lit up. Centered near the back of this barren and dusty chamber was positioned a large metal cylindrical pod. Beneath it a platform as it continued to release steam that escaped from the seams of the door. Seconds passed before the faint sounds of the door opening pervaded the chamber. It was soon followed by the sound of a lone figure gasping for breath as it fell to the ground.

It took deep exasperated breaths as it looked up in what seemed to be concern. On its body it adorned an obsidian coloured suit lined with engravings. Outlining it’s male and muscular figure as he knelt upon the platforms cold and coarse floor.

‘Where am I…?’, thought the bewildered figure as he admired his surroundings in curiosity. He looked to his sides with a slow tilt of his head as the sight of railings and machinery entered his view. Computers placed on desks flashed indiscriminately with code and lights as they covered his vision; Instinctively causing him to place his palms over his eyes in disarray. He rubbed them as his eyes adjusted to the simultaneous lights that blazed as if they were a great amber like flame. He directed his gaze from the lights to his behind as he was met with a pod, dismissing it shortly after from view.

‘What is happening..?’

In the background, he heard the continued sound of cogs turning at their cold robotic like pace as they flooded into his ears. It was as if it were the aftermath of a broken dam as he was pressured into grasping the sides of his head. He grunted sporadically in annoyance as his thoughts continued to produce the sensations of pain. But luckily after some time had passed it had began to subside. Minutes went by as the pain became more tolerable, easing him into a more calm and recollected state.

Now with more than enough strength he lifted himself from the ground. His hands gripped themselves to the railings as it supported his feeble and fragile figure. He proceeded to stumble along the platform down the metal stairs before realising something he felt to be crucial to his being was gone. Something essential.

‘Wait… who am I? What am I?’, he grabbed his head once more as he tried to reminisce over who, what, and where he was, but the result was nothing. Not even the tiniest sliver of a memory retaining to any of that surfaced to mind. But instead of what he wished for, he got something entirely different, something unprecedented. He remembered the sensations of fear. Fear of not knowing how he came to be, of pertaining no knowledge to who or what he was! It was the fear of the unknown and unexplained. He feared himself.

Grasping at what threads of sanity he had left he proceeded to unknowingly release tears from the rims of his eyes. He cried needlessly before finally feeling the sweet touch of tears upon his cheeks. He wiped them away as if cleansing himself from the fear that inhabited his mind as a wave of calm abruptly overtook his mind. He took deep breaths as a new clarity and resolve spread throughout his eyes.

‘Let’s think about this later…’, he thought, ‘Let’s get out of here first.’, he turned from the pod as the view of the aged and filthy desks housing computers took his attention. Urging him to leave as he moved forward in the hope of seeing the outside. He sailed past both rows of computers and desks as he proceeded to follow the path into the next room. The door itself had been stationed near the corner of the room, cracked open as if it were solely inviting him as he set it as his goal. He walked on unperturbed until moments later a sole desk caught his attention. On its surface was a small photo concealed by the years of dust that had piled upon it. He plucked it from place before blowing the residue from its surface.

The next thing he knew was the sudden emergence of a headache that assaulted his very being. The sight of a family was plastered on the photo, two children, a father, and a mother as he held his head. They all wore clean modern clothes that embellished their characteristics like their pearly white skin and neat hair. Adorned by their faces of joy and love, it was a scene from a fairytale. He turned to the opposite side of the photo as he was greeted by 2 words and a date that lined its surface.

‘Dmitry Sokolov - 2108’

‘This picture, this name… it feels... familiar… who are they again?’, he delved deep into his mind as he tried to understand who they were. But once more nothing came to mind but the feelings of irritation and discomfort. These feelings being trailed by the common sensation of his head throbbing as it processed his thoughts.

‘I can remember them… but they aren’t there. It’s as if there’s a wall pushing me back… keeping me from seeing my own memories…’, he groaned as he laid his thoughts to rest. It was a pointless use of effort he thought. Nothing but a vain act of desperation. He looked back to the picture before deciding to leave it in hand. It could be useful after all, something assumedly of his past that was. He moved forward intent on leaving the chamber once more before he had heard the sound of bones shattering against the concrete floor. He peered down to be met with white aged bone fragments scattered into numerous directions at his feet.

‘What the…!’, he jumped back in vigilance before realising a skeleton covered in both cobwebs and dust splayed along the ground was the source. It earned his curiosity as he leaned in to have a better view of its figure. Questions numbering from what it had been to what it was now popped up one by one in great numbers. Covering the expanse of his mind before they had been simultaneously shot down by one sole word.

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‘It’s... human…?’,he speculated, ‘What is human?’

He fell into deeper thought as he stressed over the sole meaning of the term. But the only response he had incited was the repeated blank slate that acted as his mind to surface. Having failed to receive any type of answer he strenuously shook his head back and forth.

‘Questions are for later… for later...’, he looked up from the inactive and lifeless corpse before gradually resolving himself to move. Striding towards the door that lay cracked open opposite of him as he came to a halt at its entrance. He pushed it open with a small deal of force as he took a step in the next rooms domain. Looking around in complete awe as the sight of multiple shelves housing firearms of various kinds greeted him.

Adjacent to them a suit of armour based on a platform glistened with a darkened blue finish as machinery akin to metal arms were scattered along its sides. Behind them the dimmed and ashen coloured wall were left to dust as he was drawn in by the armours allure. Maybe it was the contrast between it’s vibrant figure and the dull wall. Maybe it was the sensation of intimacy he felt from it. But all he could do was stare at it with a great warmth that had began to well up inside his chest. He took step by step before realising he was now standing before it’s elegant figure as he touched upon its dusty and smooth surface. The act of his fingers touching upon it brought forth a chilling sensation as he took in its every detail, imprinting it into his mind as he wiped off the excess dust.

But then hesitation overcame him as the appearance of a vague outline of a face looked back at him. He went silent as he continued to look over the face that stared back at him. Cerulean eyes, a sharp jawline, ragged hair, and a small amount of stubble that protruded from it’s chin took his attention. He brought his hand to meet his chin as it grazed over the stubble that covered his face, the reflection mimicking his movements as he did so.

‘Is this… me? But wait, haven’t I seen this before…?’, he brought up the photo at his side into view as it lay next to the reflection. His eyes continuously going back and forth as he pieced the parts together.

‘I’m… Dmitry… Dmitry Sokolov... I have a family?’, he traced the pictures surface as he began to swell with emotions and the vague sensation of memories resurfacing within his mind. He once again grasped his head in annoyance as the memories were suppressed and taken deeper behind the wall that stood centered in his mind. Shortly followed by the release of a sigh as he caressed the side of his head.

‘Let’s think about this later… Dmitry… Let’s get out of here first…’, he glanced back to the armour as he was immersed in its beauty. Completely and utterly compelled to put it on. But before he could react a flood of information bombarded his mind. Coming in as waves as the raging waters came to together to form a large tide. A scream escaped through the space between his lips as he dropped the photo to the ground. Continuously bashing his fists against his head to direct his attention elsewhere. It was too much for him to handle and something he couldn’t process at the rate it was coming at him. Instead it came off as pure agony.

Blood forced its way from his palms as a shockwave of pain propelled from his fists spread throughout his mind. Ironically lessening the amount of pain he felt from his mind as it continued on for what seemed to Dmitry as years. But finally it had began to subside as the flood of information had begun to die down. His chest heaved up and down as he inhaled heavy breaths of air into his lungs.

‘Haa. Haa. What in the fuck was tha-’, he paused as something unbelievable came along the rim of his eyes and edges of his mind as they flowed simultaneously in sync.

‘What the… What is this?’, he stared stunned as the set of armour before him began to glow with a small crimson red on varying pieces of it’s figure. Machinery around it pulling it apart in tune with the streams of words that lined the edges of both his mind and eyes.

‘Authorization to utilize suit Anubis Variant a.... Confirmed’

‘Operation of Anubis Variant a… Optimal’

‘Proceed to equip’

The sounds of it proceeding to split apart in a variety of different angles amazed him as it invited him to stand at the epicenter of the platform where the armour was set. Above him the helmet’s split cobalt visor peered at Dmitry as he instinctively walked into the depths of the amassed machinery. Placing his feet into the pair of metal boots that split apart for him. It was followed by the sound of him coming to a halt as the roaring of machinery coming back to life pervaded the area. Enveloping him in the sounds and parts of armour that connected to his figure. Strangely… he felt at home... Why was that?

‘Pilot status; Healthy’

‘Code number: 001. Understood’

‘Activation of Anubis Variant a commencing…’

Before he could get an answer the suit had finally covered him head to toe with it’s great metal like figure. Leaving him stagnant and dazed as he finally understood what he had done.

‘Wait, what am I fucking doin-’, he was shortly interrupted by the humming of the suit as the interior lightened up. Piece by piece his sight came back as what seemed to be a heads up display, or HUD for short took place at the corners of his vision. Producing a light blue luminescence as the logo ‘Automated Tech’ appeared before him. Parting from the visor moments later.

Dmitry was utterly speechless as the suit of armour finally bent to his will, allowing him to move as if it were his skin. It was both comfortable and natural. He looked into the palms of his hands as he repeatedly opened and closed them. Getting a feel for this new sensation that spread along his body.

He mumbled a small woah under the release of his breath as it parted from his lips. Forming his hand into a fist as he swung it through the air. Eliciting a sound similar to that of a whip as it came to an abrupt halt midair. The action itself was the embodiment of speed, strength, and control as he elicited another wry smile.

But rather expectantly before anything else could come about he was abruptly smashed head on with a truckload of information. It incited a reaction of; ‘Shit, not again.’ as he preemptively braced for the pain that would come. But it instead had left him dumbfounded as he came to realise that it was not as expected... There was no pain nor agony, or any mental strain in its place. But there was instead a great clarity and profound understanding of the informations contents. He now understood what the rifles in the room were individually from piece to piece. Information about their ammo type, condition, and even how to handle them surfaced as he willed it.

It was similar to how it was when a bird had learnt to fly or how a fish had learnt to swim. It came off as basic instinct to them. As if it were all programmed within their heads. As if it were a bunch of code. He even came to understand the usage of the suit he was within as of now. He was unparalleled in terms of knowledge that no one could compete with in this respect. A supercomputer housing records of weapons both long gone and new. But of course, he hadn’t known that. Just that he now came to understand the weapons at hand more clearly. Just as if they were part of his own body. Like they were just another one of his many numerous limbs.

He welcomed the new sensation with open arms as he basked in it’s afterglow. Minutes passing by before he finally mustered the strength and resolve to continue on. He proceeded to complete a few stretches and movements within the confined space of the armour before deciding to find some equipment on the shelves to his right. Maybe then he would feel satisfied to leave and to enter the outside world.