TX-19-B drifted down the winding corridors of the facility, her thoughts a tangled mess of uncertainty and hesitation. The events of the past hours repeated in her mind like a song she couldn’t shake, each memory adding a note of doubt. The polished floors reflected the cold, bright lights overhead, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch on forever, mirroring the lingering unease in her heart.

Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice the door nearby slide open until she was jolted back to reality by an unexpected collision.

“Ah, I’m sorry!” a scientist stammered, his arms flailing as a pile of documents slipped from his grasp and scattered across the floor.

TX-19-B, startled from her reverie, immediately apologized as well. “No, it’s my fault. I wasn’t paying attention.”

The scientist sheepishly knelt to gather the scattered papers, muttering apologies under his breath. Before he could get far, TX-19-B used her psychokinesis to lift the documents all at once, hovering them in the air before handing them back to him.

The man blinked in surprise, then quickly adjusted his glasses and accepted the floating stack. “Thank you. I... I appreciate it.”

She offered a small nod, watching as the flustered scientist scurried off down the hallway, still clutching the documents close to his chest.

Just as she was about to move on, something shiny caught her eye. A small object lay just beside the door the scientist had exited. Floating over to it, she realized it was a key card, its glossy surface glinting under the fluorescent lights. Her gaze lingered on the access level stamped clearly on the front, denoting the scientist’s clearance and privileges within the facility.

She almost called out to him, ready to return the key card. But something made her pause.

Her eyes flicked back to the access level, and a new thought entered her mind. She had avoided doing this up until now, but with this key card… the opportunity was right in front of her.

Her heart thudded heavily as she looked at the card. She turned toward the restricted wing, her resolve slowly solidifying. She knew what she was going to use the key card for.

Outside a door labeled “Restricted Area”, TX-19-B floated silently. Staring at the giant yellow words, her mind racing with thoughts. TX-19-B took a deep breath and swiped the key card along the read. A quiet “beep” followed as the locks opened. TX-19-B took a deep breath as the door slid open.

She arrived at the darkened room. The same flickering bulb overhead cast jittery shadows, dancing across the strange, unidentified equipment cluttering the space. But the centerpiece of the room—the containment chamber—loomed in the center, glowing faintly in the dim light. The eerie blue fluid inside it swirled gently, and at its heart floated the PsySphere that had haunted her thoughts for days.

TX-01.

Their ghostly white form hung motionless in the liquid, a figure of stillness in the eerie glow. But TX-19-B felt their eyes on her the moment she entered, sharp and unyielding despite the fluid that confined them.

For a moment, she hesitated. The oppressive silence of the room pressed down on her, the only sound being the low hum of the machines that sustained TX-01’s containment. Then, gathering her resolve, she stepped closer.

"You’ve come back to me." TX-01’s voice broke the silence, filtered through the intercom system connected to the chamber. It was calm, disarmingly so, as if her presence had been expected. "Seeking answers?"

TX-19-B pushed past the unease that crawled over her. "What are you doing to TX-23-W? Why are you pushing him to risk everything?" Her voice trembled slightly but held firm. The anger that had simmered beneath the surface for so long now found an outlet.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

For a moment, TX-01 simply floated in silence, observing her. Then they spoke, their voice steady. "Pushing? No. Guiding, perhaps. But not pushing." They paused, their tone thoughtful. "TX-23-W has his own mind, his own choices. I merely offered him clarity."

"Clarity? He’s questioning everything, breaking away from what we’ve built here! You call that clarity?"

The chamber’s fluid rippled slightly around TX-01’s form, though they remained eerily still. "He’s doing what any being with the capacity for thought should—questioning. I’ve watched for years as you’ve all accepted the facility’s teachings without doubt. No questions, no deeper understanding. Do you truly know what you’re serving, TX-19-B?"

"I know enough," she snapped. "We trust them, and that's all you need to know."

"And yet," TX-01’s voice was soft, almost pitiful, "how many of us have been discarded? Have you ever wondered why?"

TX-19-B faltered. "Failures are inevitable. Not every PsySphere is stable."

"Failures, yes. And what happens to them?" TX-01’s gaze never wavered, even as the blue liquid shifted lazily around them. "What if I told you there’s more to it than simple instability? That the ones who are discarded may not be broken but... unwanted."

Her breath caught. Unwanted? "What are you talking about?"

"They hide things from you, from all of us." TX-01’s voice became more intense, though their body remained utterly still. "The facility controls more than you realize. TX-23-W saw through the veil. He saw that there are truths being kept from you. From all of us."

TX-19-B felt the ground beneath her start to slip. "So, you’re turning him against the facility? That’s your plan?"

"I offer no such thing. Rebellion is his choice, not mine." TX-01’s tone remained maddeningly calm. "I only provide information. What you do with it is entirely up to you."

Her frustration flared again, and she moved forward. "And what information is so dangerous that it’s worth risking everything? Why do you want him to turn his back on all of us?"

TX-01’s gaze hardened slightly, though their body didn’t stir. "Do you even understand the full extent of what this place does? Do you know what they’re creating us for? What you’ve been created for?"

TX-19-B faltered, grasping for certainty. "We’re… we're here for a reason. To serve a purpose."

TX-01’s laugh was soft, but it echoed in the chamber like a chilling breeze. "Is that what you’ve come to believe? That vague sense of duty without a clear reason?" Their tone turned sharper. "The truth is far more... complex, TX-19-B. There’s much more going on in this facility than you’re aware of. We’ve all been kept in the dark.”

Her mind spun. "And you expect me to trust you? To just believe that everything we’ve done is a lie?"

TX-01’s eyes gleamed in the dim light. "I don’t expect you to believe me. I expect you to question, to think independently, just as TX-23-W has. Just as you’ve already begun to, deep down."

She stiffened. Was that true? Had she already started questioning things? Had her doubts about TX-23-W been more than just suspicions?

Before TX-19-B could fully gather her thoughts, the door to the chamber slid open with a faint hiss. Startled, she turned to see TX-07 standing in the doorway, his mechanical body towering in the dim light.

TX-07 tilted his head slightly, his calm expression betraying a hint of curiosity. "Oh, TX-19-B," he said casually. "Didn’t expect to see you here. Have you and TX-01 become friends?"

TX-19-B's thoughts scrambled as she tried to find an excuse. "I—uh, I was just—"

But before she could string a sentence together, TX-07 continued, his voice as relaxed as ever. "I was worried after you left the infirmary. I felt another presence here and thought I’d check it out."

TX-19-B fumbled for words again, trying to make up an excuse, but was suddenly interrupted by a ringing sound from TX-07's mechanical body. He glanced down, seemingly unfazed, and took a few steps back.

"Excuse me for a moment," he said.

TX-19-B could hear the faint murmur of an inaudible voice on the other end as TX-07 responded with vague affirmations. "Uh-huh... Is that so?... Ah yes, I'll be there."

After a moment, the call ended, and TX-07 looked back up at her. "Seems I’ve got some urgent matters to attend to," he said with a smile. "But we’ll talk later, alright?"

Without waiting for a reply, TX-07 turned and left the room, his mechanical footsteps fading into the hallway.

As the door slid shut again, TX-01’s voice cut through the heavy silence. "Interesting, isn’t it? How you didn’t want to tell him about our conversation."

TX-19-B scoffed, trying to shake off the tension in her core. "I didn’t tell him because it doesn’t concern him."

"Perhaps," TX-01 mused. "Or perhaps you’re already starting to doubt yourself."

TX-19-B turned sharply and made her way toward the exit. She couldn’t afford to stay here any longer, not with the conflicting emotions

swirling inside her. Without another word, she left the chamber, the door sealing shut behind her.