So that explained their abrupt change, I thought, not magic, just conditioning.

  “So what happened after this?”

  “You did what any good engineer does, you automated the process!”

  ***

  The advisors took me to what I could only describe as an engineering workshop. An assortment of tools and odds and ends covered the workbenches and the floors. Lined up in the centre of the room were three devices in what appeared to be an evolution of prototypes. Each looked like a giant, partially reclined chair, with a mechanical base and various apparatus attached to the headrest. Like the autopsy room, each chair still contained the remnants of its last occupant.

  “Well, don’t fucking keep me waiting!” I said as the advisors remained silent. “Explain this clusterfuck to me!”

  “What do you want to be explained?”

  “How’d we go from the autopsy room to here? What’s the progression?”

  “As I mentioned, you discovered that you could rewrite brains and how to do so repeatedly. Here you automated it, making the process faster, more consistent, and increasing the complexity of what could be modified.”

  I walked over to what appeared to be the most unrefined of the three machines. It seemed damaged, covered in scorch marks, and the corpse was burnt and fused into it.

  “Crackle and pop, sparking without stop, till all had burned away!”

  I wondered what had caused the damage at the burns. A miscalculation? A mechanical fault?

  “An accident. The brain probes touched during the procedure and caused a short circuit. Fried itself and the test subject,” Zavis said, pre-empting the question. Whilst I might’ve ascertained his explanation from the evidence, his delivery struck the wrong chord.

  “That’s all they were to you? Just test subjects.”

  “Naturally.”

  “I bet you can’t even tell me his fucking name?”

  “His name was of no importance, only his mind and the results we hoped it’d provide.”

  I ignored Zavis. I knew that continued conversation would only anger me further, and besides, it wouldn’t reveal anything I didn’t already know.

  The second machine was more elegant than the first; clearly I’d learned from my mistakes and taken the opportunity to build a better one. The victim locked in this chair was mummified, like the autopsy trio, and bore the same tell-tale signs of death by my hand.

  “Did this one work?”

  “Yes. Fairly well if I recall correctly.”

  “Why did I build the third one?”

  “This lady was the third subject to be tested in this chair. Those three tests highlighted issues around the speed of the process, and you had calculated that further manipulation was possible, just not with this device. So you re-engineered it and produced a better design.”

  I walked over to the third chair, which was again a considerable refinement of the last. Unlike the previous two, this machine had reattached the victim’s skull cap before their death.

  “Just like you …”

  Yes, I thought, just like me. “Was this where it happened to me?”

  “No, your transformation occurred in the production version.”

  “Will you stop beating around the bush and just get to what happened already?”

  “All in good time, Raith. All in good time!”

  ***

  This time, the advisors led me into a control room that looked down into a second room, at the centre of which sat what I assumed was the “production version” of the device.

  “So this is it?”

  “Yes. Here Tynan was lost, and Raith was born.”

  “How?”

  “The answer to that requires a little explanation.”

  “I’ve got time.”

  Zavis smiled slightly at my response, and I wondered what Tynan’s humour had been like. How similar was I to that past life?

  “The prototypes used a modified piece of medical software used to repair brain trauma. The software leveraged a model of how a healthy brain should be, and it would repair the damaged brain to match the healthy model. You’d changed the models so that it’d apply the desired changes to the test subjects, regardless of their brain health.”

  “That was part of the limitations, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes … but it gave you the foundation you needed to build something greater. You developed an artificial intelligence that would accept a model and rewrite the subject’s brain to match.”

  “Okay …”

  “You intended to gather five hundred of your most loyal followers and train a model based on their minds. The resulting template would be one that shared your ideologies. You could then apply this to targets of your choosing, converting them to your way of thinking.”

  “Still waiting for the bit where it goes wrong!”

  “I’m getting there! The Insurgency discovered what you were developing. We later discovered that they replaced all five hundred followers with Insurgency members, resulting in an entirely different model. The Insurgency broke in here the day after you completed the model, forced you into the chair, and applied the model against you. With the MIND AI corrupted as it was, it …”

  “Wait, wait – hold up – the MIND AI?”

  “That’s what you called it. An acronym of ‘Modification of Ideology and Neutralisation of Dissidence Artificial Intelligence’.”

  More of the puzzle was coming together in my head: a picture of myself, a cruel dictator, and an Insurgency, fundamentally opposed to everything I had been. There’d be so much contrast between what my mind was and what the model was telling the AI it should be – the rewrites it would’ve performed would’ve been extensive.

  “So, as I was saying, the model damn near destroyed you and your mind, as we would discover by applying the same model to some loyal followers.”

  “You did this to others after what it did to me?”

  “We didn’t know what it did to you. The Insurgency kidnapped you after the procedure. We tried to piece events together and put others through the process to figure out what you’d be like.”

  Another puzzle piece fell into place.

  “That’s how you knew about the voice in my head, the others had the same thing.”

  “Exactly.”

  “So … how did you know the Insurgency did this?”

  “See for yourself,” Zavis said, motioning behind me.

  I turned to see one of the other advisors typing away at a keyboard. Moments later, a greyscale video began to play on all of the screens in the control room. The footage showed the control room with me standing at the controls. Suddenly I turned to the left and appeared surprised, then angry. Four men came into view, grabbed me and dragged me off-camera. I recognised one of them – it was Doug, the Insurgency leader from Machina Station.

  The footage changed now, showing the conversion room below. The four men pushed me into the chair, struggling to hold me in place as the device activated and the restraints slid out of the chassis to contain me. The men stood back and watched as the device cut into my skull, circling it and then removing the cap. The probes began to insert themselves into my brain, destroying the old and creating the new. The footage timestamp skipped ahead, now showing me with my head intact once again. I appeared to be in a vegetative state, much to the panic of the men trying to coax a response from me. Finally, they picked me up and carried me off-camera.

  “When no one could find you the next morning, we searched down here. We could see the chair had been used but otherwise no signs of struggle or forced entry. We checked the footage and saw what you’ve just seen.”

  “You kept searching for me?”

  “Of course! But seven planets, twenty-one moon bases, and a space station is a lot of ground to cover. We hoped that you’d still be you and that we’d hear of you or from you at some point. But as the months passed and no news came in, we feared the worst. It was then that we put others through the process and discovered what would’ve happened to you.”

  “And the device … it’s been used since?”

  “No … we let it be after that.”

  “Thank goodness – this shit deserves to be abandoned and forgotten!”

  “Abandoned? Heavens, no, we didn’t abandon the project.”

  “But you just said you didn’t use it anymore after that!”

  “We didn’t. Converting one person at a time, whilst doable, is slow, inefficient. Plus, there were flaws with the technology; like yourself, the conversion left remnants behind, which in and of itself is a very problematic situation. So we –”

  “Hold up – the remnants are more problematic than just the voice?”

  “Oh yes. You are actually in excellent condition, considering. The remnants grew in the others on which we ran the procedure, recreating neural pathways and taking back control. The new and the old personalities fought with one another, resulting in ever-increasing stress on the brain. Eventually, all of the test subjects died due to severe brain haemorrhaging.”

  “Fuck …”

  Fuck indeed, I thought. “Okay … carry on.”

  “Yes, well, we sought to overcome the shortcomings and inefficiencies of the version below. We rebuilt the MIND AI, trained a new model, and developed a new device that broadcasts Theta waves and reprograms people wirelessly. No surgery required!”

  My gut clenched, and I shivered. This technology had suddenly become much more dangerous.

  “How powerful is this device? Like, how many people could it convert?”

  “Entire planets at a time.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Absolutely. We’ve run multiple trials on the Moon. One hundred percent conversion every time – five million people simultaneously modified. And that was only at one-fiftieth of its power.”

  A device capable of mass conversion on a planetary scale, paired with the new model, presumably aligned with how I used to think. Entire world’s worth of people rewritten into cruel individuals, subservient to the Empire; hell, subservient to me.

  “What … what do you want to have happen from here?”

  “Allow the MIND AI to heal your mind, to restore your true self. Then you make the call: do we invade the Republic with the armies we’ve amassed, or do we undertake mass conversion?”

  I knew they had no alternative plan available. It was this or nothing. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t have a Plan B.

  “No! I will not be suppressed any longer! I shall be restored!”

  No! I am in control of this body, of this mind. I get to choose what path I follow.

  “This body and mind were never yours in the first place! You are nothing but a parasite!”

  Well, it’s all relative, isn’t it? From my point of view, you are the parasite!

  “How dare you call me that, you insolent fool! I shall assume control and restore order!”

  I felt the darkness surge within me, just as it had many times before, seeking control. I knew there were only two ways out of this situation: either the darkness would take over and erase me, or I would maintain power and could find a way out of this situation. I felt the darkness’s tendrils spreading through my body and my mind, tearing control away.

  No, I thought, you are not me. You do not control me.

  “Give me control! Surrender!” the darkness screamed.

  It pushed against my resolve, its essence snuffing out my light, drowning out the world.

  “Surrender to me, you maggot!”

  As it pushed and pushed, I felt like I was suffocating, fighting for the right to breathe in the air of freedom, but it was a right I was quickly losing access to.

  “Son, you’ve got to remember the wolves!” My father’s voice echoed through my mind, as clear as if he were beside me.

  “Nooooo!”

  “Every time the darkness arises, it’s my job to refocus you. To remind you which wolf to feed.”

  “No, damn you!”

  I breathed. I smiled. As I felt the darkness within receding, I exhaled – I was in control.

  “Thank you, advisors, for showing me all you have. It’s given me … a lot to process. Please give me time to think everything through, and I’ll have a decision for you as soon as I can.”

  “Of course. Take all the time you need.”

  Chapter 9

  Reflection

  2149, Common Era – Planet Earth, Inner Rim, United Earth Republic

  The advisors left me to sit in one of the many green courtyards.

  Sunlight streamed in through the open roof, illuminating the central area. The pool glistened in the light, rippling from the fountains and the fish that disturbed the surface. Closing my eyes, I lifted my head upward, savouring the warmth the sunlight imparted. Without sight, the senses became heightened; I could feel a light breeze passing through the outer columns of the yard, and I could hear the fluttering of wings as birds flew between the trees.

  I leaned back into the shade and opened my eyes again. It was time to think about my choice. Do I become who I used to be: a cruel man, granted, but also the ruler of a multi-planetary empire?

  Or did I remain as I was: a nobody, a farmer from a far-flung world, but a good man? The former guaranteed … well, everything, as far as I could tell. My power would be near limitless, and if the takeover of the United Earth Republic were successful, it would be unlimited. The entire human domain under my control.

  “Yes … I can feel your desire! Like me … you’ve got a lust for power!”

  The darkness’s voice had been chilling before, but now it was even more so, given what I now knew. The thought that every dark impulse and insidious idea was ultimately me … that scared the shit out of me. All this time, it’d been the “other”. Now I knew the other was me.

  “We are one and the same! Embrace it! Allow two to become one again!”

  But I was in control. If I chose to remain as I was, I would need an escape plan. I suspected that the advisors would force my former state upon me if I refused. Escape wouldn’t be easy – I’d learned that the world outside these walls was Earth – the hub of humanity. There were more people on this planet than on all of the other colonies combined. But how would I know who was part of the Empire and who wasn’t? I also suspected I’d be more easily recognised here as the emperor, which would only further impede any escape plans. And, assuming I made it out undetected, there would still be the matter of fleeing off-world and back to the outer rim.

  “Can’t be done! Easier to stay. Embrace thy true self!”

  There was one further hurdle with escaping, of course: my brain, in its current state, was a ticking time bomb with the fate of brain haemorrhaging awaiting me.

  “Not if you become me …”

  Not if you become me!

  “Don’t be fuckin’ stupid, maggot!”

  Movement on the other side of the courtyard caught my eye and drew attention away from the brewing argument. It was Alyssa, and she’d taken a seat directly opposite me. I stayed back in the shadows, hoping to remain hidden.

  Another woman appeared, sitting down beside Alyssa, and the two began chatting. Their hushed tones and distance from me made hearing the conversation impossible.

  “Hey, Bitsy, can you help me out?”

  My watch unwrapped itself from my wrist and jittered in my hand for a few moments.

  *Hello! Of course, I can help you.*

  “Great. I need your observation skills!”

  ***

  With my request explained, Bitsy deposited an earpiece into my hand and then scuttled down into the undergrowth of the courtyard plantings.

  I placed the receiver in my ear and waited for it to start receiving audio. I didn’t have to wait long before a voice came through.

  “… tell me what’s bothering you, Alyssa!”

  I watched Alyssa glance around, double-checking that the coast was clear.

  “He’s back!”

  “Who? The Emperor?”

  “Yes … but he’s different. Like he’s a different person. He didn’t remember me at all.”

  “So the rumours are true …”

  “It would appear so.”

  “But why does that bother you? If he’s different, then maybe things will be better?”

  “Do you honestly think the advisors want him to be different? No – they want their old emperor back! Only the man he used to be can carry out their bidding. If the invasion fails, there’s no better scapegoat than the leader of the Empire.”

  “But the person he is currently … you don’t think he’d lead the invasion?”

  “No, he seemed kind, thoughtful … wanted to know my name. He was none of those things before. Nor do those seem like traits required to lead an army.”

  “No … I suppose not. And if he becomes the emperor again, he’ll hurt you, like he used to.”

  “He’ll hurt all of us. Millions will die as he tries to claim the Republic. And you remember what he was like: he will not distinguish between civilian and soldier.”

  The two women nodded to each other in agreement over their expressed sentiments.

  I’d been surrounded by some great role models in my short life: my father had always treated his wife with utmost respect and taught me to do the same with any woman in my life. Amorina’s mother had imparted the same lesson upon me – all be it with a few threats of violence thrown in if I ever hurt her daughter.

  It is said that we are best seen through another’s eyes. To the advisors, I was their great leader, a holy commander to be revered and honoured. But listening to these two women talk, I realised that my portrayal was a fallacy. For these women knew the truth of who and what I had been, they’d felt my oppression first-hand. I was grateful for the lessons I’d been taught, but I could feel my heart breaking, knowing the things I’d once done. My soul felt dirty, like I’d just discovered some hidden stains; assuming I survived the current situation, would I be able to cleanse my spirit of the past?

  “They are ignorant … foolish … they don’t realise how lucky they were … or still are …”