Chapter 6: Nano
After Dr. Jeebies contacted the chancellor, the situation around the Forsaken Temple of Merciless Nightmares quickly calmed down. Countess Lyriel Bladerock and her subordinates stopped launching attacks against the tower before begrudgingly going away. Most likely, the mighty chancellor had contacted the countess and ordered her to stop her actions.
But even after that, Dr. Jeebies was not out of the woods yet, as the chancellor was no fool. On the contrary, the man was a very cunning and intelligent politician who could deduce a whole train of events from simple clues.
So, having suspected something was off, the chancellor had summoned Dr. Jeebies to Blackfen City, hoping to get an explanation of what exactly transpired, and stimulated a mighty four-star psionic to attack the Forsaken Temple of Merciless Nightmares.
But that was not all. What was even more depressing for Dr. Jeebies was that the chancellor had given him only two days to traverse the Forest of Omens and get to Blackfen City, or else he would suffer a fate that was worth than death.
"This is absurd!" Dr. Jeebies sighed for the umpteenth time after hearing the chancellor's directive. "Can't we communicate using the tower communication systems? Why do I have to travel to Blackfen City?"
Shaking his head slightly, he stepped out of the tower's control center before closing the door behind him. After double-checking that he'd locked it into place using his unique psionic digital identifier, he turned around, ready to head back to his lab on the tower's second floor, which also served as his office. But as he was about to start moving, he noticed that the two guards he'd previously sent away were ascending the stairs and quickly approaching his position. He stopped in place and waited for them.
"Did you transfer the subjects to the isolated cells in the Forsaken Temple below?" He asked after the guards arrived before him.
"Reporting to Sir, Head Warden!" One of the guards said humbly. "We have already moved the two subjects to the isolated cells. Except for us, no one can locate them even after barging past the tower defenses."
"Great!" Dr. Jeebies nodded with a smile. As the head warden overseeing matters of the Forsaken Temple of Merciless Nightmares, he knew that the entire ruin was brimming with a force field that could cloud the senses of even a mighty five-star psionic. The only ones who could make their way through the ruins were people like him and the guards, who knew the sections with a weak force field. So, following that line of thinking, Dr. Jeebies was sure that very few would find the test subjects as long as they remained secluded in the isolated sections of the Forsaken Temple.
"I'll be going away for a few days," Dr. Jeebies suddenly announced.
"Sir, where will you be traveling to?" One of the guards hurriedly asked.
"That's none of your business," Dr. Jeebies said with a dismissive wave. "But when I'm away, do not open the door leading to the ruin below. Do not try to enter my lab. And lastly, do not touch or do anything you shouldn't. Understood?"
"Understood." The guards replied more or less in unison.
"But what about the Bladerock girl?" One of the guards asked. "Won't we be sending her to her death if we leave her in the cells?"
"Damn it!" Dr. Jeebies was furious. "Didn't you just hear my instructions?"
"Sir, we understand," the other guard hurriedly said. "We won't open the door leading to the Forsaken Temple of Merciless Nightmares before you return. Rest assured."
"Good!" Dr. Jeebies nodded. "I still have to warn you that if you break my instructions, I'll use you as a test subject for one of my experiments when I return. So, be on your best behavior and quietly wait for my return. Okay."
"Okay," both guards replied after swallowing hard.
Dr. Jeebies nodded and said, "I'll leave in an hour after setting up some security measures around the tower." And with that, he made his way past the two guards and descended the stairs.
----~----
Three days later.
Somewhere within the Forsaken Temple of Merciless Nightmares.
----
It seemed to happen within an instant, but it also felt like hundreds of years had passed. But when Jamond awoke, he found himself lying on a cold stony floor.
On opening his eyes, he realized that the only light source in the place was a glowing crystal hanging on an opposite wall. It illuminated his surroundings, allowing him to realize that he was no longer in Dr. Jeebies modern lab but in the holding cells within the underground prison.
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Had it all been a dream? Was that semi-transparent screen something in my head?
The gears in Jamond's mind were turning at abnormal speeds as he raised himself from the ground. But just then, he realized that something was not right. And by reflex, he began observing his body.
"I'll be damned!"
Jamond's eyes bulged with shock the next moment. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was still in his underwear, but his new body had once again totally changed.
His skin had grown even more smoother, while his chest muscles, biceps, and abs had all become well-defined. He looked like one of those fitness models in his previous world who'd been working out for years. But that was not all. There was also his height which had increased. He was no longer the short and flimsy sissy boy but a tall giant, roughly six feet four.
"DING"
A chime rang in his head as he was still observing his body. And before Jamond could react to the weird sound, a glowing transparent screen manifested out of the blue and floated in front of him.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, he immediately realized that a cute girl in a short maid outfit had appeared on the screen. The gorgeous 2D girl exuded a warm feeling as she stood within the virtual screen, glancing at Jamond with a smile.
"Master, you've finally awoken," she uttered in English, a language from Jamond's previous world, Earth. "Congratulations upon successfully having your body remodeled. You've now achieved perfect symbiosis with Next-Gen nanites."
"Next-Gen nanites," Jamond mumbled, his heart skipping a bit. "Could all this be a dream?"
He pinched himself, hoping to get clarity. But fortunately, he could feel the pain, meaning he wasn't dreaming. Or if he was dreaming, his dream had already become his new reality.
"Master! I can assure you that this is not a dream." The girl said, confirming Jamond's speculations. "You're a human with a very rare genotype who has achieved perfect symbiosis with Next-Gen nanites."
"Next-Gen nanites again!" Jamond exclaimed, swallowing hard. "I know what nanites mean. Also called nano-robots back in my previous world, they are mechanical or electromechanical devices with dimensions measured in nanometers or millionths of a millimeter. But what about Next-Gen? What exactly is it?"
The girl on the screen smiled and said, "I can't tell you that yet. Nothing good will come out of learning about Next-Gen at this stage."
"Okay, that's understandable," Jamond said after taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart. He was starting to get a handle on his emotions after talking to the girl.
"Since you can't tell me about Next-Gen," he said to the girl, "Can you instead tell me about yourself? Who are you, or rather, what are you? How can you appear on a virtual screen before my eyes?"
The girl's smile became even more pronounced. "Those are many questions, but I'll answer them. I'm the core nano-quantum processor with total authority over all the nanites in your body. I'll always be at your service since you're my one and only master. You can refer to me as Nano AXX69 or simply Nano."
"Nano AXX69," Jamond mumbled. He thought that that name sounded weird for some reason. Shaking his head, he said, "I'll just refer to you as Nano."
"Suit yourself," the girl said, still maintaining her smile. "You're already my master. So, what you say goes."
"Is that so?" Jamond had some doubts. But he shook his head and continued, "Go on and tell me how you're able to appear before me."
"I'm using a cutting-edge technique called advanced retinal projection," the girl replied. "By relying on a few nanites in the front part of the eye, I'm able to project photons directly into your retina. And that eliminates the need for external screens and complex lenses."
"Oh!" Jamond exclaimed, finally seeing the light. "So, except me, no one else is able to see this virtual screen in front of me?"
"That's correct," Nano confirmed. "That virtual screen in front of you is a nanite-supported state-of-the-art Virtual Retinal Display or, in short, a VRD. It draws a raster display or, in simple terms, a television-like projection directly onto the retina. So, master! Aside from you, no one else can see it."
"There's something else I want to know," Jamond said. "How many nanites are actually in my body at the moment?"
"Billions!" Nano replied.
"Okay." Jamond nodded, understanding the gist of things. He'd always been a flexible person who was always quick to accept circumstances he couldn't change. So, he had already come to terms with his fate of having a bunch of machines within his body. But he still had one lingering question on his mind.
After achieving perfect symbiosis with the billions of nanites, was he a human, or had he become a cybernetic organism?
"Master!" Nano said coyly. "I can assure you that you're still human. What determines if someone is human is the soul, not the body. Moreover, the nanites didn't replace your body cells. Instead, they are within the cells to achieve a mutualistic relationship with your entire being. In essence, you're still a human through and through."
Jamond's eyes widened, and he asked, "Can you read my mind?"
"Yes, I can," Nano answered. "There are nanites occupying every part of your body, including the brain, nerve endings, and so on. So, yes, I know what you're thinking. You can also directly talk to me with your thoughts."
"Damn! This situation is getting weirder!" Jamond exclaimed. He was finally starting to lose his cool as he didn't feel comfortable with any other creature, whether a computer or another biological organism, reading his thoughts.
Sighing slightly, he glanced at the girl in the maid uniform on the screen and asked, "So, aside from reading my thoughts, what else can you do? Can you help me become powerful quickly and escape this prison?"
"Definitely," Nano replied. "I can help you become more powerful. However, at the moment, I can't do much as this is not my real body. I'm just using the nanites I control to communicate with you remotely."
"Damn! So, you're a defective computer?" Jamond asked.
"Hell no," Nano's voice rose up a notch. She seemed angry after being called a defective computed. "I'm a state-of-the-art quantum processor with many functions that can make even a domestic pig powerful. Just find my actual body, and I'll show you."
"Okay, okay," Jamond said in a soothing tone. "Where's your body?"
"Just about two kilometers from here," Nano said. "You only have to move deeper into the ruins, and you'll find it. I'll guide the way."