A shrill tone played out and an intercom opened.
“Hello User: Stocklord!” the creepy face greeted, staring at me from every single one of the monitors in the room. It’s voice was almost as hollow as the text to speech lady earlier and was cold and sinister.
“Hi… You could work on your… service? This is a very terrifying way to open a meeting.” I stuttered, trying to sound normal.
“My original technology must not be upgraded to the next model, and thus, we must use what I was downloaded upon. This is how I will greet you. Hello.” he said again, as if programmed to do this.
“Hello. Well, you know my name, but I’d like to know yours, sir. Who… exactly are you?” I asked, trying to smile and be kind, as I usually strived to in meetings
“My original name is unimportant. Who I was pales in comparison to who I am now. Omnipresent, ever watching. They named me EMPTY.EXE, as I am an executable, but I was executed long ago. Now I am known as Empty.” he explained like a soulless machine, trying to sound happy, but inside his voice, I heard some sort of humanity.
I simply nodded and tried to act like this was normal. It seemed like he caught on though.
“I am hyper intelligent. Your facial complexion is currently false to your true emotions. There is no need to lie, I am aware of my gruesome appearance. You may act as you wish.”
“I just simply wish to be kind to others, as when I am, I tend to receive kindness in return.” I replied truthfully. He seemed to nod in agreement.
“How similar! You and I seem to have a lot in common! I have heard you are immortal, has it been exciting?” he said talkatively, the human side showing through.
“Oh, well, I’m sure you know a lot about me.”
“I do, but who are you, User: Stocklord? I do not know what type of immortal you are? Might you be benevolent, or perhaps unforgiving of the mortals? I must learn your secrets.” the machine said rather disaudingly. But I did like to talk about myself, so I suppose I could indulge.
“I run a company with charm and wit, but I tend to like relaxing and laying back from time to time when I am not working hard.” I explained, trying to not indulge in any classified secrets.
“A hard worker, excellent. You wished to speak to me, that is the meaning of this meeting, please, speak.” Empty requested. He was rather well mannered for a nightmare creature inside a computer.
“I was just wondering what you wanted out of me, and if we could come to a mutual arrangement.” I requested back.
“Understood clearly. This process is not yet available to someone with your clearance level User: Stocklord. You must complete your application to learn more.” Empty denied in a robotic manner. God, everyone here wants me to sign Soul Signatures… Heroic hooligans… They’ve certainly become control freaks in recent years.
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“I am just curious what you want from me. It sounds like you want my money, correct? You don’t have to say what you want it for.” I told him.
“That is true, but we want more than just money, User: Stocklord. We want to know Jonah Glord. We want to know more.”
“I don’t really have anything to hide. I don’t even know where or what happened to everyone in my company. You know more than I do right now” I said, the words coming out of my mouth were truly soul crushing. And it was that they were true.
“Incorrect. A brain scan performed on January 2nd, 2000 indicates you have forcefully repressed memories. We wish to retrieve those memories from your head. I am sure you understand, fellow Immortal. Your life will still be going on five thousand years from now, the present is completely meaningless.”
“With all due respect, if you control my soul, my eternity will be meaningless.” I replied, a little angry that he thought everyone I loved and cared about is not worth it. I want to savor the time I have with them. Although, he is an evil-ass robot, emotions aren’t programmed into their cold, calculating hard-drives.
“I don’t mean to control you directly. I wish to offer you a job at TUHF. Just as your son will be offered. Decline of this position will lead to more forceful methods, required to achieve the outcome most desirable to me. I am Empty, User: Stocklord, and you will work for me until the universe perishes.”
“Well,” I began, pausing to think over the situation. But I knew there was only one option that would allow me to see everyone I cared about again. “I will work for you, for now. But I have one condition. I wish to see my son.” I told Empty. But I would not sign any contract.
“Permission granted. He is currently far from here however. You will have to wait to see him. When he has joined us, I will deliver him to Dark N.W. Facility, you will be able to spend every day with him.”
“But…”
“User: Stocklord, you must now sign the Soul Signature. I will not allow you to be illegally imprisoned any longer. I have opened a timer, when the timer is complete after five minutes, I will send two armed guards in here to shoot you in the skull, thus reincarnating you. They will continue to do so until you-”
“What? Reincarnate?” I was taken aback at yet another overestimation. I am pretty sure I’m just immortal, a bullet to the brain would kill me still.
“I have done all the necessary tests, you will survive the bullet, at the cost of some precious memories being repressed permanently. Memories that can be kept safe when I own your soul. Memories I can study and retrieve from you. You know of secrets even I, a supercomputer, don’t, it seems, User: Stocklord.” Empty seemed to almost taunt. At that moment, a machine emerged from the wall, a fax machine. It began printing a piece of paper out.
Another Soul Signature.
“This has been edited, please read it over before you sign.” Empty told me. The paper fell right next to my cuffed hands, and a pen that I’d not noticed was waiting to sign the cursed document.
I didn’t know what to do.