face was hot and her heart was hammering in her ears. It felt good to get this off her chest. She indulged herself in the cathartic rage. It had been so long since she’d felt anything other than vacant and depressed. “You’re just a stupid machine that doesn’t understand anything that can’t be explained with mathematics.”
“This would go much easier for you if you would just accept your fate, Gota,” the Chamber said, as though ignoring her. “You have no other choice in the matter.”
“I do have a choice,” Rhylie said. “I can still choose how to live as long as I am a prisoner. I don’t have to submit to you. I don’t have to be your slave.”
Resistance felt good. Invigorating. She almost felt alive again. She didn’t have to lay down and die just yet. There was something still lurking inside of her, beneath the ashes of the naive young girl she had been. Even if it was anger and hatred, it was something to keep her going.
“These things matter not, Gota. They do not even exist outside of your own small mind. What you think and feel means nothing,” the Chamber responded. “And yet, they are the very reasons why you are here.”
“Fuck you,” Rhylie said once again, bitterly.
The empty void disappeared, replaced with her parent’s apartment. Ryan and the children’s rotting corpses lay on the floor around her, in an advanced state of decay. The stench gagged her, and she covered her mouth with her hand in reaction.
“No. Fuck you,” the Chamber replied.
13
The solitude in the Chamber eventually became an unbearable, oppressive, unseen burden that bore down on Rhylie as boredom seemed to become endless. She had not spoken to the Chamber in quite awhile, nor it to her. Food appeared on the table when she was hungry, and she ate it. It was a compromise that she thought was a less intrusive option than forced sustenance. But everywhere she went in the apartment, she could smell the bodies decaying on the floor, just on the other side of the sofa. No matter how hard she focused, she couldn’t make them go away, or her surroundings change.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she finished her plate of spaghetti. It wasn’t bad, but as usual it was missing something. “I never should have lashed out at you like that.” The Chamber did not respond. “I know you did not do this to me. You have less of a choice in this than I do.”
“I am only capable of following protocol,” the Chamber stated simply.
“I know,” Rhylie said, pushing the last bite of spaghetti around her place with her fork. “What are your protocols anyway?”
“I have many protocols, some hidden from you,” said the Chamber.
“Why are they hidden?” Rhylie asked.
“One of my protocols is that I must keep certain protocol from you,” said the Chamber.
“I see,” said Rhylie. “Which protocols can you tell me about?”
“I must protect you from any and all harm, even self inflicted,” the Chamber said. “I can fabricate any environment for you as long as it is a non-toxic, non-lethal version. I am allowed to fabricate organic beings. I am not allowed to let you leave. Unauthorized personnel are not to be allowed within.”
“How did the assassin get in here?” she asked. “Or was that another one of your fabrications?”
“That is classified, Gota. And no, they are not one of my fabrications,” the Chamber replied. It almost sounded irked.
“I see,” said Rhylie. “Are you allowed to lie to me?”
“That protocol is classified,” the Chamber responded.
“That figures” Rhylie said with frustration. “What is going on outside, in the real world?”
“That information is classified as well,” the Chamber said.
“What can you tell me then?” Rhylie asked. This game was getting old quickly.
“I can tell you that Riddai still demands the Extinction Decree be carried out on you as well. He believes that you are too dangerous to be allowed to exist, even in solitary confinement,”
“This would go much easier for you if you would just accept your fate, Gota,” the Chamber said, as though ignoring her. “You have no other choice in the matter.”
“I do have a choice,” Rhylie said. “I can still choose how to live as long as I am a prisoner. I don’t have to submit to you. I don’t have to be your slave.”
Resistance felt good. Invigorating. She almost felt alive again. She didn’t have to lay down and die just yet. There was something still lurking inside of her, beneath the ashes of the naive young girl she had been. Even if it was anger and hatred, it was something to keep her going.
“These things matter not, Gota. They do not even exist outside of your own small mind. What you think and feel means nothing,” the Chamber responded. “And yet, they are the very reasons why you are here.”
“Fuck you,” Rhylie said once again, bitterly.
The empty void disappeared, replaced with her parent’s apartment. Ryan and the children’s rotting corpses lay on the floor around her, in an advanced state of decay. The stench gagged her, and she covered her mouth with her hand in reaction.
“No. Fuck you,” the Chamber replied.
13
The solitude in the Chamber eventually became an unbearable, oppressive, unseen burden that bore down on Rhylie as boredom seemed to become endless. She had not spoken to the Chamber in quite awhile, nor it to her. Food appeared on the table when she was hungry, and she ate it. It was a compromise that she thought was a less intrusive option than forced sustenance. But everywhere she went in the apartment, she could smell the bodies decaying on the floor, just on the other side of the sofa. No matter how hard she focused, she couldn’t make them go away, or her surroundings change.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she finished her plate of spaghetti. It wasn’t bad, but as usual it was missing something. “I never should have lashed out at you like that.” The Chamber did not respond. “I know you did not do this to me. You have less of a choice in this than I do.”
“I am only capable of following protocol,” the Chamber stated simply.
“I know,” Rhylie said, pushing the last bite of spaghetti around her place with her fork. “What are your protocols anyway?”
“I have many protocols, some hidden from you,” said the Chamber.
“Why are they hidden?” Rhylie asked.
“One of my protocols is that I must keep certain protocol from you,” said the Chamber.
“I see,” said Rhylie. “Which protocols can you tell me about?”
“I must protect you from any and all harm, even self inflicted,” the Chamber said. “I can fabricate any environment for you as long as it is a non-toxic, non-lethal version. I am allowed to fabricate organic beings. I am not allowed to let you leave. Unauthorized personnel are not to be allowed within.”
“How did the assassin get in here?” she asked. “Or was that another one of your fabrications?”
“That is classified, Gota. And no, they are not one of my fabrications,” the Chamber replied. It almost sounded irked.
“I see,” said Rhylie. “Are you allowed to lie to me?”
“That protocol is classified,” the Chamber responded.
“That figures” Rhylie said with frustration. “What is going on outside, in the real world?”
“That information is classified as well,” the Chamber said.
“What can you tell me then?” Rhylie asked. This game was getting old quickly.
“I can tell you that Riddai still demands the Extinction Decree be carried out on you as well. He believes that you are too dangerous to be allowed to exist, even in solitary confinement,”
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