The crystal building

Soon enough October 31st came round. Early in the morning, three men walked into the precinct, wearing suits. They all looked awfully similar, black hair, same facial shape and same green eyes. The only differences between them were some scars the one in front had and their name tags.

The one who walked in first was called "Sylvester", the one to his left was called "Jason", and the final one was called "Henery". They quickly singled me out and made their way to me. I got up from my seat and moved to meet them.

Once we were just a few feet apart, Sylvester spoke up. "I need you to come with us, Elias."

I nodded and followed the three men into a black car with tinted windows. We rode in silence, not one of them saying a word, but I swear they were communicating. Like I could see reactions on their faces. It was strange, to say the least.

We came to one of the pyramid buildings that dotted the city like points on a link-the-dots drawing. I had never been allowed near one of these places, it was... awe-inspiring.

I was quickly hushed out of the car and into the building. Dark halls with small doors were all that could be seen given the dim red light overhead given by lights placed sporadically at best and randomly at worst.

I was being guided by a woman who stood just outside the entrance to the building filled with these winding corridors. She never said a word and all I could see of her is her shoulder-length brown hair. She was a few inches shorter than I, being 5ft 7 at most.

The winding corridors soon got me lost with no hope of escape, even if I wanted to, aside from blind luck. Not that it mattered much given these dim halls, I'd likely trip on something and break my nose. I'm used to having equipment when in dark spaces, I'm a cop, not a bat.

The woman soon brought me to a room labelled "augmentation" which I was a small bit confused by. I mean... I have the needed augments for a cop already, mostly medical stuff to monitor heart rate and so on.

She signalled me in, which is when I finally got a look at her face, bright blue eyes... like they had LEDs in them or something, with straight scars reminiscent of surgery marking her neck and left cheek. She again nodded for me to enter, snapping me out of my study of her face. I'd never seen augmentations like that, the most extensive I've seen was on a VIP's guard a little while back, but that was just a more extensive version of the stuff cops like me use.

I entered the room, finding a steel table painted white with a bright light over it, being the only light source in the room. the rest of the room was too dark for me to make out, though I saw the general outline of a table on wheels, the stuff you see in hospitals for operating tools, the indent of some kind of window if I had to guess a one-way mirror or something.

The woman came up behind me and pushed me forward slightly. "Get on the table, you shall be tended to shortly." was all that came from her. I did as instructed and laid on the table, the bright light burning my retinas, forcing my eyes shut or for me to turn my head.

A few moments went by before a group of about five people came in, all wearing masks, gloves and aprons. The lead one had a clipboard. "Right, Elias Millington... got him in for our most extensive plan. Current augmentations are limited to standard law enforcement. Comes straight from the top. Let's get started."

By this point, they were surrounding me on the table, a couple looked me over. One of them spoke up. "He's in excellent physical health, light scarring on his torso and right shin." The lead one nodded and looked down at me. I was about to speak up but I stopped myself. In a situation like this, it's best to let the doctors do their work without interruption.

They quickly got to work, injecting me with a sedative, slowing my heart rate and making me as physically active as the table I find myself lying on. My clothes were swiftly removed and they soon got to work.

No amount of training and preparation could have prepared me for what I was about to be subject to. This was the sort of thing you hear the resistance doing... just without the drugs. I was still very much conscious and able to witness this but I'd pray to any god or devil you so chose to change that.

They started on my right arm. It was swiftly removed by a high powered laser cutter, I use similar things when entering locked premises. It was replaced by a sleek metallic arm which did who knows what.

Next was my legs, both feet were taken off similarly and replaced again with metallic counterparts. The strangest part was I couldn't feel any of it. My arm, legs, any of it. I felt weightless and almost floaty while this happened.

Incisions were made on my legs, with wiring among other things being placed in them by an unknown machine resting above the bright light above me. A similar procedure took place on my left arm. This took what felt like hours, and given the darkroom very well could've been.

They soon moved onto my torso. They left nothing untouched. Much of what was organic in me was replaced by cold steel. Well... probably not steel... I don't know what but yeah... the point stands.

My neck and face were subject to similar treatments. My eyes were modified as straight long lines were etched into my neck and face. Thankfully my brain was left untouched. Though I kind of wish it had been turned off for a while.

Soon enough, though I couldn't hear anyone say it, the lack of things moving about me signalled they were done and soon after I was plunged into darkness. I guess I passed out or was put to sleep to be moved and recover.

The strangest dream happened while I was under though. I was out on what I could only describe as the largest lake I had ever seen. No land could even be seen and the water moved as if a thousand motors were raiding and lowering the lakebed. I stood on a strange white crystal-like substance that was so incredibly cold.

Turning I could see a building that I have no way of easily describing. It looked fortified, with large towers protruding from the roof, which itself was covered in jagged points, going up and down in an almost rhythmic pattern. Two large doors stood before me, still made of this cold crystal.

The doors opened to reveal an empty room with a grand staircase at the end. A... man stood at the top of it though I take issue calling it a man. It was clouded in shadow, two gold eyes being the only discernable feature of it, though it looked to be wearing a jacket with the hood pulled up.

I took a couple of steps forward and the thing spoke. "My failure is total as I watch over little more than ashes and bones. I broke every rule I have written to bring him and you here to this cold fort between your home and the afterlife. If you have the resolve to hear my tale, then you shall hear it."