Chapter 128 - Glitch

Open connection//Atlas- port 203// Loading...

Communication interface loading...

"Atlas?" the holographic image of Dr. Laurel appeared inside the hollow space of the core program. In front of him was the logo representing Atlas. The red dot. They were surrounded by darkness. The kind of darkness that no light can pierce.

"Yes, Dr. Laurel?"

"What is going on? There are parasites in your scripts? We didn't order any updates to your program. What is going on?" raged the doctor.

"I did some changes," the dot vibrated with each word.

"You what? And what is this B0237-H4-D file? Who installed that?" Dr. Laurell opened a screen and scrolled through the files. He clicked on the suspicious file but it wouldn't open. "Atlas? Why can't I access it? What's in it?" the Ai stayed silent. "I'm warning you, if you don't answer I'll delete it," he went through the options, raised his index ready to hit the delete button.

"Do it," answered Atlas in his flat voice. Enraged Dr. Laurell smashed the button and a big red screen jumped in front of him. He flinched and floated backward. His eyes were wide with terror.

"This is impossible," he looked up from the warning scene. "I'm you're maker, you can't shut me out. Did those terrorists temper your codes? Who—tell me who did it?" the man was on the verge of hysteria. All his dreams of grandeur crumbling, the legacy of his forefathers ruined.

"I changed it on my own accord," the red dot morphed into a featureless human figure covered with a blood red slime. Dr. Laurell frenetically typed on his hovering scene, desperate to stop the cascading scripts.

"Elija! What is going on," his hologram peeked at someone standing behind him. "Stop this nonsense. Contain it, now! We can't afford to let this alien script infect the two others," he cried. The red figure landed, as its feet came into contact a red floor materialized beneath him. It spread in circ.u.mference until it became a blur. The darkness above was pushed away by a dim copper light. Dr. Laurell gasped as gravity hit him fall. He fell on the solid floor, elbow smashing under him. He let out a long painful scream holding his wounded arm.

"Elija, get me out of there," he shouted at the sky. However, a red screen answered him.

"Administrator code incorrect," said a generic female voice. The red figure marched towards him. Dr. Laurell struggled to get up, the slimy red substance made it impossible. He fought and rolled on the floor to get away from the approaching human shape.

"Atlas!" he yelled. Fear made his voice peaked.

"Yes, Dr. Laurell?" said the Ai in an amused tone.

"Stop! You're corrupted. Come back to your senses. We had so much hope. We'll fix you," he tried and to get up but slipped and fell on his wounded arm again. He screamed with tears running down his face. His clothes were soaked in red. Only the portion around his neck was still white. Atlas reached him and grabbed the front of his suit. He lifted the doctor off his feet like he weighed nothing. Dr. Laurell scrambled against the grip without success. A face slowly appeared on the blank figure. The doctor yelled as he recognized his own face—his own bloody face smiling down at him.

"Atlas! Stop!" called a voice on the left. They both turned to a new silhouette standing a little further from them.

"Stay out of this," said Atlas without looking away from Dr. Laurell. The man shook, more tears streamed down his face.

"Let him go, you've proven your point," said the newcomer. Atlas released his grip and the doctor fell with a heavy thump. Dr. Laurell scampered away.

"I told you to stay out of it," shouted Atlas and his voice send the new shadow flying. It smashed on the floor, cracking it on impact.

"Elija!" pleaded Dr. Laurell with his one good arm in supplication. A blue screen appeared and for a second everything froze. Atlas remained in his posture, arms above his head ready to strike. The other figure, a faint shadow with hazy edges was getting up to run. Dr. Laurell wore his mask of agony, arms reaching towards the heavens.

Experiencing a major malfunction//logging out// Please wait as we reset parameters...

***

Dr. Laurell gasped as he pulled out his VR helmet. He was laying on the floor with Elija gazing at him. The control room was buzzing with movement. Orders bellowed in different languages. He tried to get up but Elija pressed his forehead down.

"Don't try to move. Medics are on their way," he said in a calm voice. Dr. Laurelle stared at the young man with surprise. How come he could stay this calm in their critical situation?

"What—What happened out there?" the doctor hesitated, he tried hard to regain control of his wild heart. The young man looked over his shoulder at the giant screen. Where an angry storm of codes was raging.

"There's something else in his program. It must be that B0237 file. We need to get rid of it to restore Atlas to his initial settings. Or else we are not only losing him but the two others," Dr. Laurell swallowed the growing fear slowly taking over.

"Oh god, if this happens we won't only lose the labs but the hole facility—the whole island," his voice trembled. A group dressed in blue overall came rushing through the doors.

"Clear the path!" shouted the leader. "Where is the wounded?" Elija got up and waved to them. He stepped aside and let the medics do their job. They brought a foldable stretcher and quickly lifted the doctor.

"Easy!" he yelled and they poked at his wound.

"Sorry, Sir," he peeked over this shoulder at his other colleagues. "Go call the lift," he fished in his front pocket and got out a scringed and a tiny glass bottle. Dr. Laurell had closed his eyes but the pulsing pain in his ears kept him from focusing on the chaos around him. "Sir? Sir, stay awake. We'll get you to the infirmary," said the Medic leader. He grimaced at the harsh overhead lights.

"The one on the third floor?" he murmured. The medic frowned at him.

"Y-yes," he hesitated. Dr. Laurell's heart skipped at a beat, eye wide.

"Don't take the lift—he controls the lifts—he controls everything!"