DEUS EX MACHINA

Moment of truth

Tetra deviated from their path and walked to the window. For a moment, she was in complete awe. Never had she seen the city like this before, from this height.

A sprawling metropolis of chrome and silver rectangles. Highlighted by streaks of neon, the city seemed to pulse with life. In the harsh sunlight, the city was blinding, difficult to look at. But at night silhouetted against the pastels of the twilight sky. It was truly something to behold.

Almos stepped up beside her. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked.

“It is…,” she said still focused on the city below.

“This city truly is a miraculous place, and we owe that to you,” He said and looked over to her.

She flinched at his words. As she was about to turn a large monitor on a buildings side caught her eye. The image featured her face, only altered a bit. No doubt the work of CGI. It was like looking at an alternate version of herself from some parallel dimension. She had seen this once before when she was a child, but never imagined it would be her face up there.

“You know, there is nothing to fear,” he said and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You will be responsible for ushering this city into a new era, a new life.”

“And what about my life?” she asked hesitant “Or is that inconsequential?”

He frowned as he looked at her. He seemed to ponder for a moment “It was once said that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one,” he said and guided her back down the path. “Tell me Tetra, do you have people you care for?” he asked.

“Of course, my parents, and a younger brother.”

“Wouldn’t you want to make sure they could live their lives worry free,” he said in a sure tone.

She nodded more to herself then him. “You don’t have to convince me, my mind is already made up,” She said.

He opened the door which lead to a circular white room with no windows and doors. The sole occupant of the room was a strange bedlike chair that sat in the center of the room.

“So this, is it?” Tetra asked with a gesture to the chair.

“Unassuming I know, but actually the Omnis is wired throughout this entire building,” he said and ushered her toward the seat. “This is simply its heart.”

She released a deep exhale and inched her way forward. After a turn, she sat on the Omnis.

“Is there any last request before we begin?” he asked his smile ever present.

“Just a question?” She asked in response. “That broadcast, can everyone see it?

Almos nodded and tapped a panel on the wall “Everyone in the city, its playing on every channel you’re a celebrity now,” he said.

She sighed and laid back in the Omnis chair. The fabric beneath her was soft yet firm. It reminded her of her grandmother’s coffin. It seemed right.

“You will only feel a small pinch, it won’t hurt.”

Tetra closed her eyes. There was a cold sensation at the base of her neck followed by a slight pinch. For a moment, it was as if her nerves went dead. She could feel no pain or sensation of any kind. In the next instant, her nerves were alive once more. Electricity coursed through her and constricted her muscles. She wanted to scream but was unable. The pain didn’t last long. It soon ceased and left her numb again.

In her reverie, she thought of her mother and father, of her younger brother. She thought of their faces and tried to burn their images into her mind. She wanted so desperately to see them again to be in their presence. As the Omnis worked its way into her cerebellum and frontal cortex, she knew that she would be with them again. Forever apart of the very street they walked.

A single tear rolled down her cheek as her eyes rolled back in her head. The green light on the side of the Omnis chair blinked to life.