Everything

With a sense of urgency, Liam hastened towards the door, the sound of his hurried footsteps reverberating through the living room. He reached for the doorknob, the cool metal feeling reassuring in his hand as he turned it and heard the satisfying click of the lock disengaging. With deliberate movements, he slowly opened the door halfway, the soft glow of the front porch light spilling into the room as he cautiously peered outside.

"Can I help you?" He asked, shielding himself behind the door.

"I'm looking for my son. His backpack is embedded with a tracking chip. This is the location it pointed me to."

Without hesitation, Liam opened the door as far as he could, and a beam of light revealed her son standing in the darkness of his home. When Hannah realized it was her son, she rushed past him, sprinting onto her knees, and squeezed her arms around Ari as tightly as she could. She squealed and gasped as tears streamed down her face, dampening her son's hair as she held him closely. She embraced him with such a firm grip that he could hardly breathe, until finally, she pushed him away to get a better view of him. She had been searching for days and nights, tirelessly following the empty tracks of her son, investigating for herself what happened to Ari, and why. She almost thought she had lost him, and part of her started to believe he was gone forever.

"I've been looking everywhere for you! What are you doing here? Are you hurt?" she asked, frantically lifting Ari's shirt to inspect his body for any signs of injury or foul play. Ari shook his head, a wide grin spreading across his face. Hannah sprang to her feet, emanating defiance as she shot a cold glare in Liam's direction, positioning herself protectively between him and Ari.

"Why is my 12-year-old son in your house?" Asked Hannah, her pointed question sobering the air between them.

"Relax I'm a friend of Jean's."

"I don't know who Jean is, but you're not coming anywhere near my son! Ari get your things. We're leaving."

Suddenly Ari was caught off guard as a sudden onset of a migraine returned, growing into an overwhelming barrage of shooting pain, which seemed to engulf his every sense. He felt himself collapsing inward, unable to bear the intensity of the pain, and he instinctively buried his face in his hands as waves of shock pulsed through his head.

"I can help him," said Liam, his voice calm and reassuring as he approached the two of them. With a gentle, reassuring hand held in the air, he tried to convey a sense of safety and support, but Hannah was too frantic to measure the stranger's sincerity.

Hannah's eyes widened with alarm as she took a step back, her protective arm instinctively moving in front of her son. "Don't touch him! I don't even know who you are!" she exclaimed, her electrifying voice filled with fear and distrust.

"My name is Liam. I developed the software that's inside of him."

"What are you talking about?" Hannah asked, her brows furrowing in confusion.

Liam glanced upwards at the mesmerizing holographic image that slowly spun above them, casting an ethereal glow in the dimly lit room. As Hannah followed his gaze, she was stunned by the larger-than-life projection of a human brain, its intricate network of neural pathways and synapses illuminated in vivid detail. "What is that?" she asked, her eyes fixating on an emblem that read X189, her curiosity piqued by the enigmatic display.

"I'm going to tell you something, but you have to promise not to freak out."

"Why would I freak out?"

"That is Ari's brain." Announced Liam, pointing a sharp finger in the direction of the massive hologram.

Hannah took another step backwards, her hand gently resting on Ari's chest as she leaned in to examine the exquisite illustration of neural pathways coming to life before her eyes. The detailed depiction resembled the intricate roots of a colossal tree, with an array of mesmerizing blue orbs pulsating with radiant light. Amidst the interwoven network, a central hollow spot lulled her focus; its sparkling red beacon of light infusing vitality into what could only be parts of a missing component.

"They replaced part of his brain with an electronic machine," Liam added, meticulously observing her reaction to the surprising news. He was expecting an enthusiastic response to his announcement, but instead, Hannah burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"That's absurd!" She shouted, exchanging glances between the visualization and her son as a tinge of doubt slithered across her face. "How would you even know something like that?"

"I can show you if you'd like."

Hannah gazed deeply into Liam's eyes, scrutinizing every subtle nuance of his expression in search of any hint of insincerity. She carefully examined his features, hoping to detect a flicker of doubt or a trace of deception, but found none. Liam's words seemed to echo the earnestness reflected in his powder blue eyes, yet the enormity of his claim was unfathomable.

After agreeing, Hannah and Ari ascended a spiral staircase behind Liam, marveling at the elegant glass structure that was enclosed by a sleek stainless steel railing. The hallway they entered was adorned with a unique textured grey material that caught Hannah's eye. Abstract paintings hung from delicate metallic wires, bathed in the glow of floodlights from the ceiling above. As they followed Liam, Hannah couldn't help but question the appropriateness of leading her son through a stranger's home, but her quest to finally learn the truth encapsulated her weariness.

As they stepped into the makeshift workshop, Hannah was taken aback. The space was brimming with state-of-the-art computers resting on sleek, mechanical desks. In one corner, a majestic robotic arm loomed, its surface coated in a glistening white satin, while its joints were a deep, pitch black. The arm was adorned with neatly arranged cords, encircling a massive metal ball so flawlessly lacquered that Hannah could see her reflection on its surface.

"This is where I do some of my work. The rest requires a highly skilled team of developers and mechanics." Liam stated, as he retrieved a handheld device and advanced towards Ari. He explained that in his hands was an advanced piece of technology that was more powerful than an MRI machine.

Liam pressed a button on the device, and it created a sear of a high-pitched tone. It hummed away with an intensity that grew, and at its end, a beaming light was pointed at the side of Ari's head. Suddenly a projection appeared on a nearby wall out of nowhere, and as Liam rotated the device around Ari, a map of his brain began unfurling in a 360-degree motion. Section by section was depicted on the wall, until suddenly, the device began beeping wildly, causing him to halt his movement. He held it still, and a new visualization appeared, one that looked too perfect to be biological.

As the details of the recreation became clearer, Hannah couldn't help but notice the striking resemblance to the hologram in Liam's living room. He meticulously guided her through every part of Ari's brain and its corresponding functions, using real-time scanned images. He went on to explain the intricate workings of the machine and how it seamlessly integrated with the biological processes of Ari's brain. As she absorbed his expert insights, Hannah found herself oscillating between a whirlwind of skepticism and a dawning realization that his explanations might hold some truth.

"The accident caused irreparable brain trauma," Liam explained, his voice heavy with emotion. "After they removed metallic fragments from his brain, the hospital conducted a thorough examination which concluded that there were no viable options available for him."

As Liam leaned against the desk, he vividly pictured the complicated surgery that he wasn't able to witness firsthand. "The institute developed an innovative prototype that was made to fit Ari's brain. The only problem was, it hadn't been fully tested."

The depth of technical knowledge he appeared to possess felt incredibly detailed and complex, making it hard to believe that it could all be a fabrication. If it was indeed a lie, she couldn't help but wonder about the underlying motives. What could Liam possibly stand to gain from concocting a false visualization of a machine inside her son's brain? How else could he possibly know such a pivotal point of her son's past with such conviction?

As the room started to sway gently, she felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach, and a wave of nausea washed over her. The harsh reality of the situation began to sink in, and her eyes widened, taking in her son's appearance with a newfound intensity.

"How much?" she asked him, gazing at Ari as he rubbed the sides of his head. "How much of his brain did they replace?"

Liam, with his attention fixed on Ari, replied, "They replaced 30% of his brain."

"They did what?" She exclaimed, her face bursting to life.

Suddenly it hit her. The overwhelming flood of information he was presenting. The advanced technology used by the institution. The intricate visual map of Ari's brain. Everything seemed to fall into place. It would explain why he had been suffering from frequent, debilitating migraines, and why his intelligence seemed to be developing at such a rapid pace. It made sense why the institute was so shy to offer any details about the work they did. The only thing that didn't make sense was why they would be chasing after him. Why would the same group of people that saved his life be trying to capture him?

"I don't know all of the details. I just develop the software, and whatever they do with it after that is anyone's guess. What I can tell you is that he was practically brain-dead when they operated." Said Liam, gazing into her eyes with a grim depth. "They saved your son's life."

Without warning, Ari fell to the ground, clutching his legs as he sat crouched on the shimmering white floor, gasping for air as he began screaming in the wake of unbearable pain. He was squirming erratically on the floor, flopping around as he reached for his mother's hand for something to hold. Something that would ground him.

The pain was such that streams of tears broke from his eyes, entwined along the tiny wrinkles that etched underneath them. He yelled for his mother, begging her to help him as his movements became so rigid that she thought he was about to have a seizure.

"I need to take him to the hospital!" She announced.

"There's nothing they can do for him. His best bet is the institute."

"I can't go back there! They're the ones after me!" Ari squealed, his words barely escaping him as he grappled with an unspeakable pain that overcame his ability to think.

"You said you could help him!" She screamed at Liam as she held onto her son as tightly as she could. "You made it. There must be something you can do!"

"I designed the program that interlinks the machine with his mind. What he needs is far beyond my capability."

"Please!" Hannah protested, her arms wrapped around her son with her hair leaning to one side as she fired a look of desperation towards him. "You have to help him!"

Liam watched as Ari became lifeless in his mother's arms, her eyes welting as hope drained from them. He dismissed the idea that he could offer assistance of any kind, and then just for a moment, he imagined what it would take to help them. He thought about the elaborate core functioning of the software he created, its complex programming interlaced with the physical workings of creation more a work of art than some simplistic architectural design. The choice was up to him, the risks enormous as they delicately balanced in his mind. Only he knew that he happened to have the necessary equipment, a makeshift remnant of his contractual work with the institute.

He put himself in Hannah's shoes, and for a moment he could even feel her desperation, what it must feel like to watch her son crumble away in torrential pain, wrapped in a shroud of mysteries that were well above them both. He thought about what the shadowy medical institution would do if they found out that he tampered with one of their creations. And then he thought about the boy's uncertain future, a life on the run with inordinate danger lurking at every corner. He was only 12 years old, and after Liam thought about his own life when he was younger, a propulsive feeling surfaced, and he determined that Ari deserved a chance at life, no matter what that life would entail.

After another fleeting moment of hesitation, Liam snapped out of himself, and thrashed aside a collection of advanced computer peripherals on one of the desks, clearing enough space for Ari as his dismal condition worsened. He converted the elevated desk into a amateur operation table, firing up his most advanced computer before launching an array of highly complex and technical programs, fending off the sharpness of a most dubious doubt that ate away at the corner of his mind. He began pecking away furiously at the keyboard in front of him, running through the meticulous steps of an experimental procedure with potentially grave implications as Ari's migraine grew in intensity with every agonizing moment.

"Hurry! Please!" The terror in Hannah's tone pierced the stale air around them. The faster Liam hurried his preparation, the more he fumbled through his attempts.

Liam helped Ari onto the extra wide desk, laying him flat on the cold metallic surface, surrounded by technical equipment and a nest of computer cords. The software engineer burst open a drawer filled to the brim with medical instruments causing Hannah to shriek when she realized what she was looking at. After searching for the exact one he needed, he yanked out a long metallic rod that he connected to his computer, and even as he endured an exuberant, emaciating pain, Ari gasped in awe when he saw the instrument's sharp end glimmering in the light. Standing closely behind, Hannah couldn't believe what she was witnessing, and a powerful wave of doubt began to invade her mind.

"I don't know if this is going to work!" He cautioned. "The program I have isn't designed to the specifications of the institute's technology," Liam shouted, drowning in panic and fear.

"Just do it!" Hannah barked back, unable to imagine how much worse her son's migraines could get, or if he could even survive them. She became convinced the mere stranger was Ari's only hope, the only one she knew who was remotely qualified to help.

After administering a local anesthetic, the engineer held Ari's head with a firm left hand, delicately tilting him to the exact angle he needed. He leaned back, trying to imagine a myriad of details that made up his brain as if he were a medical professional. He picked up the sharp metallic rod that was embedded with microscopic sensors that transmitted data to and from his computer at lightning speed. He probed for a specific spot on Ari's head, exchanging glances between what was in front of him, and the projected map of his brain. A floating dot hovered above the display, representing the exact position of the rod as he methodically swayed its position in an encapsulating motion, listening to the sound of the computer's high-pitched beeping which signaled that the tip of the rod was perfectly in place. The machine in Ari's brain housed a circular port that the instrument could plug into, but it was behind skin and other soft tissue that would be painful to penetrate.

"Here goes nothing!" Said Liam, flashing Hannah a most worrisome expression as she cupped two trembling hands over her mouth, watching in unimaginable terror as a stranger was about to perform an unsanctioned and uncertified procedure without proper equipment or a team of skilled medical staff to assist .

The closer the sharp rod drew to her son's head, the more she found herself holding back from the urge to tell him to stop, but before the words could escape her mouth, Liam jabbed it into Ari's head. In an instant, Ari began screaming profusely, the sounds so foreign and piercing she couldn't believe it was coming from him. She had never heard Ari scream that loudly, and with the rod inserted into him, his eyes flew open, their blood vessels visibly thickening as the software engineer held him down, fighting his violent squirming from side to side. He started convulsing on the desk, and then suddenly, his body collapsed lifelessly. As Ari's eyelids fell, he became entrenched in a dark shroud that consumed him, then there was nothing more.

The air hung heavy with a bitter cold, biting at every breath. The remnants of a once quaint wooden home now lay in disarray within a desolate, ragged village, surrounded by endless stretches of emptiness and shrouded in a thick fog that snaked its way through the still air. Amidst the lingering smoke and smoldering ruins, Ari stood, his gaze fixed on the twisted wreckage and charred remains.

"Help!" A voice cried out from a desolate distance, the chilling sound echoing between the structures that surrounded him.

Ari was captivated by the enchanting voice, prompting him to turn and search for its source. His eyes fell upon a girl with luscious, unkempt brown locks flowing down one side of her figure. She was clad in tattered overalls, stained with dirt and darkened by soot, narrating a tale of adversity and perseverance. As he attempted to reach out to her, an unseen force held him back, making even the simplest movement feel like a monumental effort.

As they strolled hand in hand, she guided him through a dilapidated village, where worn homes were interspersed with meandering paths of deteriorating cobblestone. Their journey led them to a picturesque green hill, bathed in the soft glow of the morning sun, adorned with glistening dew droplets from the crisp, wintry air. At the summit of the hill stood a pristine white edifice, encircled by a weathered concrete barrier, its incongruous cleanliness casting a disconcerting and enigmatic aura over the scene.

"I must be dreaming," Ari whispered under his breath, his eyes wide as he took in the surreal view of a world that seemed to defy all known conventions and logic.

"You have to help them!" She wailed, desperation tingeing her voice as she tugged urgently at his hand, leading them both uphill into the unknown.

"Help? Help who?" Ari's confusion deepened as he struggled to make sense of the strange situation unfolding before him.

As they neared the foreboding edifice, an overwhelming sense of woe washed over him with each advancing step, as if an oppressive force was pulling them down. She led him toward a towering, metallic gate, its intricate mesh pattern offering a glimpse of hundreds of women and children on the other side.

Dressed in matching white attire, their pallid skin emitted an almost clinical aroma that hung in the air. Their countenances bore the burden of profound grief, their expressions tinged with unease and detachment. Each bore a barcode etched into their arm, a stark and chilling emblem of their captivity. They stood in perfectly aligned rows of uniformity, gazing blankly into the sky above.

"Please, help them!" she implored, gesturing toward the throngs of motionless figures with vacant eyes beyond the towering gate. As Ari surveyed them, he noticed that none of them acknowledged him, even as he waved a lively hand in an attempt to attract their attention. To them, he and the girl were somehow invisible.

As Ari looked into the reflection of her eyes, he could see himself as one of them, dressed from head to toe in the same crisp, white outfit, an image that defied the reality before him. He even saw his father in the reflection, and after he studied the strange sight, his focus fell upon the rest of her face. One that bore marks of a distant struggle, and the remnants of the vibrant life that once flooded her soul which seemed to have given way to the unyielding dominance of an unknown power held over her.

"Please, Ari, they need you!" Her voice carried an urgent plea, dismissing his responses as if she couldn't comprehend his words.

Ari's voice echoed through the windy air as he yelled, "How am I supposed to help them?" His eyes shifting anxiously between the mysterious girl and the crowd of prisoners within their confinement.

"You can save them, Ari. All of them."

"But how?"

Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind erupted between them, creating a violent whirlwind that forcefully separated the two. As he was engulfed by the darkness, he desperately extended his hand towards hers, but the relentless force of the implosion was too formidable for him to overcome, and he was helplessly drawn into the consuming void of nothingness once more.

Ari slowly felt his eyelids fluttering as he struggled to regain consciousness. His unfocused eyes wandered around the room, searching for his mother. As soon as Hannah noticed that he was awake, she tightly gripped his hand and gazed at him with intense emotion before throwing herself onto him, enveloping him in a heartfelt embrace. Tears streamed down her face as she held him, overwhelmed with fear and disbelief that he was awake, or even alive.

"Where am I? What's going on?" Ari asked, his eyes scanning the room as if trying to piece together a puzzle. His voice trembled with uncertainty, and he looked visibly disoriented.

"I'm here, honey. You're safe. Everything's going to be okay," she reassured him, drawing close and holding him tightly against her chest. She could feel the rapid thumping of her own heart matching the rhythm of his. Liam, standing up suddenly, was taken aback by the scene unfolding before him, his expression reflecting a mix of shock and concern.

"Oh my God, I don't believe it. It actually worked!" Liam shouted in awe, his glowing eyes widened in amazement.

Suddenly, a series of stern knocks reverberated through the house, causing Ari to freeze in fear, each echo sending a jolt of panic through him as he struggled to maintain consciousness.

"Who is that?" Asked Hannah, her frightened face fixed onto Liam, but as she paid more considerate attention to his expression, she realized he didn't share the same look of shock. Rather, his expression emanated that of quiet guilt, and he remained silent, the void of unspoken words ringing louder with each moment.

"I asked you a question!" She shouted with a thickening tone, swelling with anger as her face became red. Hannah fixed her eyes on Liam, inching closer and closer to him until she gripped handfuls of his button-up shirt, her face becoming uncomfortably close to his.

"Who is on the other side of that door, Liam?" She asked, glaring at him with an angst he hadn't expected from her.

Remaining unmoved by her sharp words, he didn't offer any response, and his adamant silence sent an intoxicating venom coursing through her blood.

"You answer me now!" Hannah screamed, thrusting him into the wall of his own home with the fury of a mother scorned.

"I'm sorry, I had to! They made me!" Liam shouted back. He held his hands up in submission, trembling as he flinched wildly, expecting her to take a swing at him. "You don't understand. What's inside of him could change everything. Science. Medicine. Religion! He could change the world! We have to study him. The data alone could-"

"-We?" She exclaimed, interrupting Liam as she whipped a terrifying glance at him.

Suddenly the knocking against his front door grew louder and louder until it became a violent bashing that filled his home with a powerful vortex of terror. On the other side of the door were thunderous voices of strange men hollering loudly, demanding that they open the door that instant, threatening them if they didn't.

"You don't understand who these people are, the lengths that they will go through to get what belongs to them," Liam added.

"He's a child! He's not some lab rat!" She fired back, her voice roaring with colossal conviction. "He's my son!"

Suddenly there was a loud thump in the room, cutting through the dramatic moment. Hannah and Liam synchronously glanced over to see what it was, and they were shocked by what they discovered. It was Ari, who rose to his feet, exchanging excited glances between the software engineer and his mother. His piercing eyes were sharp and alert, and when Hannah gazed into them, it was as if she was looking at someone else's child. Someone different, someone new.

Ari reached for his glasses, but when he put them on, his vision blurred. When he put them back on he realized he didn't need them anymore. He could see without them, and as he grinned with luminescence, he scanned the room as if he were given the very gift of sight for the first time.

"I see it!" Said Ari, his eyes rapidly shifting from one thing to the next, as if he were a cat analyzing its surroundings.

"You see what honey? What do you see?"

"Everything!"