PROLOGUE: DEATH OF A UNIVERSE
Planet XSQ-1827, Substation 33, Year 16,384 A.I.
“Warning!” the siren blares out. “Five minutes remaining until universal annihilation.”
The alarm repeats itself once. I do not understand why the repetition is necessary; it is plainly evident from the shaking of the structure and the ripples in spacetime that catastrophe is imminent. A small teal-colored wisp of Ether seeps out of one of the nearby pipes, and the lights briefly flicker before returning to normal. I absorb the Ether into myself and briefly check over my Status as my creator approaches.
[Name: Seraphina]
[Level: ???] [Error: Unable to establish baseline with System. An Administrator has been notified.]
[Health: 625,000 / 625,000]
[Ether: 219,992 / 220,000]
I dismiss the warning message. The first time I saw this message, my curiosity was piqued, but I quickly learned why the System has no baseline for me. It is because I am an artificial lifeform, created by Dr. Chotono and his team of researchers for precisely this moment. Nevertheless, it is because I am an artificial being that this project has a small chance of success.
More displays about my Status, abilities, classes, and physical and mental parameters appear in the corner of my vision. With a thought, I dismiss them. I am in no physical danger from anyone in this facility.
“Seraphina,” Dr. Chotono says. “It’s time.”
I nod as I follow behind him into the deepest part of the substation. Bits of dust and debris lodged in the ceiling come loose and fall. The scientists in this facility run around with looks of panic on their faces.
I smell a bottle containing a substance I recognize as alcohol. As I understand, it is a poisonous substance, but a number of researchers partake in the foul-smelling liquid nonetheless. Another lies dead in the room to my immediate left. A half-empty bottle labeled [Cyanide] sits next to his body.
Despite the panic of everyone around me at the impending end of the universe, I feel nothing but calm. At last, my purpose can be realized.
“Warning!” the siren blares again. “Three minutes until universal annihilation!” It again repeats its message.
He leads me into a small room at the end of a long corridor. The light flickers again. I peek into one of the rooms to my right and see a man and a woman embracing one another, both with tears in their eyes. A young child sits in the woman’s lap and coos quietly as his mother embraces him. I have no time to examine their state further before I am beckoned into the chamber.
Inside is a small pod, barely large enough to fit a single person, surrounded by three hundred and twenty-four Ether-powered lasers. Behind it are six hundred and forty-two individual pipes, some interfacing with the remainder of the substation, others channeling large amounts of ether into the device’s main reactor. I could easily breach these lasers, each of which would only deal a few thousand points of damage. But that is an inefficiency that would damage the success of my mission.
Dr. Chotono presses several buttons on the wall in rapid succession. Twelve by twelve, the lasers deactivate in quick succession. Once they finish, the main gate of the pod opens. The air inside is crusty and stale, but I pay it no mind. I turn around as I step inside, my back against the back of the human-sized pod. Several sigils appear over my hands and face, and a new message appears in my System interface.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Warning! Two minutes until universal annihilation! Warning! Two minutes until universal annihilation!” At this point, I have long filtered the strobing red lights and the constant droning sounds from my sensations. I close my eyes to focus on my interface with the transportation pod.
[Authorized User Recognized: Seraphina]
[Selected Coordinates: 83.537 + 22.141 i, 1.456 x 10^7 + 187.411 i, 9.332 - 1.460 x 10^5 i]
[Calculating Trajectory… Stand By.]
[Trajectory Calculated]
[Selected Destination: Unknown] [Error: The selected coordinates do not exist within the boundaries of ordinary spacetime. Please choose coordinates within the following range: {(-1 x 10^8, 1 x 10^8) X (-1 x 10^8, 1 x 10^8) X (-1 x 10^8, 1 x 10^8)}]
I turn to Dr. Chotono and he nods at me, entering several more codes into the outside interface. I nod back and offer a smile as warm as I know how.
[Authorized Superuser Recognized: Dr. Martin Chotono. Project Seraphina Protocol initiated. Teleportation Permissions modified for following Users: Seraphina. Override for all coordinate boundaries authorized. Confirm selected trajectory?]
I move the fingers in my right hand, confirming the selection. The door on the pod slowly closes.
[Warning: Insufficient Ether reserves available for teleportation. Project Seraphina Protocol is in effect. Rerouting all substation power to Teleportation Pod XF-14. Stand by.]
The lights in the entire station flicker at once, then shut down. Emergency lighting turns on, bathing the entire complex in a dim yet warm glow of golden light. The pod finishes closing just as the siren blares for its one minute warning.
Dr. Chotono turns back to me and smiles. His voice is muffled and distant through the metal door in front of me, but I can still easily read the words from his lip movements through the small panel of glass in front of me.
“Seraphina, there’s something I need to tell you before you go.”
He starts to cry. I tilt my head slightly; I have never before seen such a display of emotion from Dr. Chotono.
“When I first learned of the impending annihilation of our universe, I tried many things to forestall or avert the end of everything we know. Unfortunately, we learned far too late of the dangers that lurked in the space between universes, and of the terrifying might they wield. And so I turned my attentions elsewhere.
“Though it was too late for our universe, the fact that there are creatures outside of our universe implies that there is a vast array of other universes within a multiverse that defies all imagination. And, most importantly, it may not be too late for the lifeforms which live there. We tried to organize a mission to reach those universes, that we might warn them of the dangers that they face.
“Unfortunately, we quickly learned that no life native to our universe can survive in the inhospitable environment between dimensions. And so, I eventually arrived at what we know as Project Seraphina. To create an artificial lifeform that could traverse through the worlds, and serve as a guardian angel. To shepherd and protect against the horrors which lurk just beneath the surface.”
That’s me. He does not need to state out loud for me to understand his implication.
“Warning! Thirty seconds until annihilation! Warning! Thirty seconds until annihilation!”
“But in creating you, and guiding you this far, I’ve come to love you as the daughter I never had, Seraphina. I don’t know what will happen once you leave our universe. I cannot guarantee your safety. If you want to abort this mission and enjoy these final seconds before oblivion, you have that right.” Dr. Chotono presses a couple of buttons on the outside keypad.
[Abort Mission? Y/N]
“If you do choose to abort this mission, know that I will be no less proud of you. But I wanted to make sure that I did everything I could to give you an option that might lead to your survival.” He smiled, tears still in his eyes. “My heart is calm now. I think it’s because my heart is with you, my daughter. Goodbye, Seraphina, and remember, I will always love you.”
He waves at me.
I enter ‘No’ in my console. Even if this now is my decision to make, this is my purpose, built into my very being. I turn to the doctor— to my father— and smile at him. It feels awkward to call him that, to address my creator with such familiarity. But I feel a strange warmth in my chest when I do. He waves at me again with those watery eyes, and I wave back at him.
Everything on the outside goes white. And then everything goes black.