"The Unintended Experiment - 02"

The year is 3000.

You can barely recognize these worlds anymore. Yeah, "worlds" is plural. Humanity has reached an extent that they are already regressing back to its colonial mindset.

Earth has conquered 50 worlds till now.

I am in one of them.

I am in a barely lit room. The only light coming emitting in this room is from a machine, a machine seen never before.

I let out a psychotic laugh as I have accomplished something that was only imagined before.

I made a machine that can clone a person, animal, or any living thing.

I cautiously positioned myself within the confines of the body-bag-like machine, my heart pounding with a mix of trepidation and curiosity. As I lay there, my body exposed and vulnerable, the machine's sensors detected my presence, triggering a rapid response. Instantly, the machine sprang to life, its mechanical arms and mechanisms whirring into motion.

With eerie precision, the machine's metallic embrace enveloped me, its cold grip tightening around my form. The pressure intensified gradually, as if the machine itself possessed a sinister intelligence, methodically squeezing the life out of me. The weight of the world seemed to bear down upon me, compressing my body into an ever-shrinking space.

I desperately extended my hands, stretching them out towards the encroaching walls of the machine. A surge of adrenaline coursed through my veins, urging me to fight against the relentless force that threatened to consume me. My fingers strained against the unyielding pressure, my knuckles turning white as I battled to keep them from being crushed.

As the machine continued its relentless assault, I felt an indescribable sensation wash over me. It seemed as if every fiber of my being was being dismantled and torn asunder. The machine's insatiable hunger devoured my muscles, my sinews, and even my precious life-line plasma. The very essence of my existence was being drained away, absorbed into the mechanical beast that held me captive.

The air grew heavy with the metallic tang of blood and the acrid scent of plasma, as the machine voraciously devoured my life force. I could almost hear the sickening slurp and hum of the machine, as it greedily ingested the vital components of my being. My senses reeled, a maelstrom of fear and agony engulfing my consciousness.

In that harrowing moment, I found myself suspended between the realms of existence and oblivion. My body, once whole and vibrant, was now reduced to fragments, dissolved by the remorseless grip of the machine. The boundaries of pain blurred, merging with a surreal awareness of my body disintegrating, dissolving into nothingness.

As my hands hovered at the precipice of destruction, a surge of adrenaline-fueled my resolve. With a final burst of strength, I managed to hold back the machine's unyielding embrace, sparing my hands from the imminent annihilation that awaited them.

I remained trapped within the confines of the machine, a testament to its relentless power and my own indomitable will. The experience etched itself into the depths of my consciousness, a haunting reminder of the fragility of existence and the sinister capabilities of man-made creations.

But the machine slowly contracts and spits me out and I immediately pass out due to the searing pain.

As I lay on the bed, my senses heightened in the dimly lit room. The flickering glow from the machine cast eerie shadows across the walls, emphasizing the starkness of my surroundings. The air hung heavy with a mixture of sterile antiseptic and the metallic tang of blood, creating a sickly sweet scent that clung to the stagnant atmosphere.

The pain, a relentless companion, pulsed through every fiber of my being. Each breath was a struggle as if my lungs were being constricted by an invisible force. Waves of agony radiated from my immobilized body, causing beads of sweat to form on my forehead. The sensation of burning flesh and raw nerves seemed to sear through my consciousness, intensifying with every passing moment.

My eyes, heavy and bloodshot, attempted to focus in the dimness. Blinking away the blurriness, I surveyed the room with a mixture of confusion and despair. The walls, adorned with peeling wallpaper and faded paint, whispered tales of neglect and decay. The bed, my only sanctuary in this chamber of torment, offered little respite from the relentless pain that consumed me.

My gaze shifted downwards, and I noticed the carefully applied bandages adorning my ravaged body. They served as fragile shields, attempting to protect the wounds that marred my flesh. Each bandage was a testament to the meticulous care of an unseen hand, a fragile attempt to bring solace to my battered form. Yet, despite their presence, the pain persisted, a constant reminder of the fragility of my existence.

A sudden realization struck me like a lightning bolt. Someone had been here, tending to my wounds, shrouding me in a fragile veil of care amidst the stark reality of my suffering. The revelation brought both relief and a gnawing sense of trepidation. Who had ventured into this forsaken place? Why had they chosen to extend their mercy to a broken soul like mine?

The sound of approaching footsteps shattered the silence, reverberating through the chamber. My heart quickened its pace, a mixture of hope and anxiety intertwining within me. The specter of uncertainty loomed, mingling with the flickering hope that rescue, or perhaps something more sinister, was at hand.

As the footsteps grew closer, a surge of adrenaline pulsed through my veins, granting me a momentary respite from the numbing pain. The anticipation swelled, filling the room with a charged energy. My body, though weakened and restrained, quivered with an odd combination of fear and anticipation.

As the man, a perfect replica of myself, walked into the room, a mixture of astonishment and unease filled the air. His resemblance to me was uncanny, from the contours of his face to the strands of hair that fell across his forehead. Yet, there was something subtly different about him, something that sent a shiver down my spine when our eyes met. In that fleeting moment of eye contact, a profound strangeness emanated from his gaze, stirring a whirlwind of emotions within me.

A tear slipped silently down my cheek, betraying the overwhelming surge of emotions that coursed through my veins. It was a tear born from a well of conflicting emotions — disbelief, curiosity, and a pang of deep-rooted sadness. I realized, with a sinking feeling in my chest, that the person standing before me was not just a clone but a reflection of the darkest aspects of my own being. The mask he wore, the very symbol of my despised self, was a haunting reminder of the inner turmoil I had battled throughout my life.

Questions swirled in my mind, demanding answers that seemed elusive. How could this clone, created to be an exact replica of myself, carry such an air of enigma? What secrets lay behind his gaze, veiled by the impenetrable mask of my own flaws and fears? The dissonance between his appearance and the strangeness I felt within him gnawed at the edges of my sanity, pushing me closer to the precipice of a mental breakdown.

In that tense silence, our eyes locked once more, an unspoken exchange of pain and understanding passing between us. I could sense the turmoil within his gaze, the echoes of my own struggles mirrored in his eyes. Despite the absence of words, a silent connection formed, forging an unspoken bond of shared suffering. It was as if, at that moment, I could glimpse the torment he carried, a reflection of my own anguish that had been given form.

Though I yearned for him to break the silence, to offer some semblance of explanation or comfort, he remained as enigmatic as the mask that adorned his face. The silence between us was deafening, stretching on with an unbearable intensity that magnified the growing hostility and coldness that emanated from within me.

It took time, but eventually, I managed to calm the storm raging within my mind. I discovered a way to communicate with this clone, an unspoken understanding that transcended words. Placing my trembling hands on the cold surface of the machine, I focused my thoughts, allowing them to flow into the depths of the quantum-based contraption. It absorbed my consciousness, my essence, with a seemingly boundless capacity to process thoughts and emotions.

Suddenly, a blinding light erupted from the machine, engulfing the room in its brilliance. A holographic projection materialized before me, displaying a cryptic message that sent shockwaves through my already fragile state.

"The UPKF are onto you."

The words that flickered before my eyes brought forth a surge of panic and heat, coursing through my veins like a river of molten fire. The realization that the UPKF, the very force I had fought against, was closing in on me ignited a primal fear that threatened to consume me.

As I lay there, unable to move or escape the clutches of the machine, a sense of helplessness gripped my being. Each passing moment felt like an eternity, the weight of my impending capture pressing down upon me. The suffocating reality of my situation choked the very life from my lungs, leaving me gasping for breath. My body, a mere shell of its former self.

In the midst of this desperation, a glimmer of determination shone in my eyes. With a trembling hand, I reached out and touched the machine once again, transferring my consciousness to the clone standing before me. As the connection was established, a surge of newfound purpose coursed through his veins, awakening within him a sense of direction and resolve that had been absent until now.

Despite the chaos that surrounded us and the impending doom that loomed overhead, a peculiar sense of detachment settled within me. It was as if I had transcended the confines of my physical body, watching the events unfold from a vantage point beyond space and time. The blaring sirens and thunderous sounds of approaching footsteps became distant echoes, drowned out by a profound sense of peace that settled within the depths of my soul.

Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to embrace the inevitability of the end. It was a bittersweet moment, a convergence of resignation and hope. Though my journey may have reached its conclusion, a flicker of a smile tugged at the corners of my lips, knowing that through my clone, my legacy would endure and reshape the course of history. I lay there, alone yet connected, as the world spun on, its secrets and mysteries unraveling in the wake of my existence.