Chapter 2

  Arrival at ZefraTech

  The steady hum of the plane’s engines filled the cabin, a soft backdrop to the tension that lingered in the air. William Alexander could barely feel the vibrations beneath him, though he knew they were there. He remained still, locked within his own body, his only movement the slow rise and fall of his chest, dictated by the machines keeping him stable.

  The flight had been smooth, but the weight of uncertainty pressed on him heavier than any turbulence could. He had been taken from the only home he had known since the crash, bundled into this flight with the promise of something different—something better, they had said. He had little choice in the matter.

  Across from him, the man in the crisp suit leaned forward, offering a practiced smile. He was tall, lean, with sharp features and an air of professional ease that screamed corporate efficiency.

  "William, my name is Tim Gallagher," the man said, voice smooth, measured. "I oversee much of the development at ZefraTech, particularly the Eterna Project. I imagine you have a lot of questions."

  Beside him, a woman adjusted the tablet in her hands. She was younger than Tim, with blonde hair pulled into a tight bun and dark blue eyes that barely flickered from the screen as she spoke.

  "Rebecca Allegany," she introduced herself, glancing at William before returning to her work. "I’m Tim’s technical assistant. My job is to make sure this transition goes as smoothly as possible while maintaining your vitals. Think of me as part nurse and part IT gal. I have credentials in both disciplines."

  Transition. That word again, it meant a lot more to William than they knew. William wanted to ask what exactly that meant. What was this really about? His interface would allow him to type out basic responses, but he remained silent, waiting.

  Tim sat back, clasping his hands together. "I know this must be a lot to take in, but we’re offering you something no one else can, William. A second chance. A way to move forward."

  Rebecca barely looked up as she added, "You’ve been selected as the first candidate for full neural integration into Eterna. Your consciousness will be uploaded into the system. No more limitations. No more confinement. You’ll be free."

  Free. The word held weight, but also danger. What did freedom mean when you had to give up your very body to attain it?

  Tim must have sensed the unspoken question. "This isn’t just an experiment, William. This is a new life. And we’re going to make sure it’s worth it."

  The plane began its descent, the faint shift in pressure, the pull of the straps holding him down, that William knew well from his time as a pilot. The plane rocked as the wheels touched the tarmac and he chucked forward on his transport gurney with the straps holding his body in place. He felt the engines go full reverse and the plane began rapidly decelerating. As they rolled to a stop William saw the light of day enter the cabin from the rear as the cargo ramp was lowered. Quickly his gurney was moving across the tarmac into another ambulance. It wasn’t long before they were coming to a stop again and he was unloaded once more.

  He felt like a piece of large luggage or a package rolling around in a FEDEX van. At last he saw a familiar face waiting for him as he was unloaded from the ambulance. Sarah was waiting patiently at the curb, her shoulder length auburn hair blowing in the warm tropical air of Tampa Bay. Certainly he felt much warmer here than in Idaho, it was mid-november and the temp back home was near thirty degrees fahrenheit. Here it was a downright balmy eighty-seven and it wasn’t even mid-day yet.

  Sarah took Williams hand as they walked toward a large glass building, her touch steading his fraying nerves, “Sorry for the abrupt haul across country but Dr. Kami believes that if we don’t get this done soon the board will reconsider the whole plan. We're going straight to the upload room.”

  “What? Toshi okayed the upload without a brain scan?” Tim balked. He couldn’t see the assistant but he heard her scoff at his sister's words as well.

  “He said he would explain when we get there.” Sarah explained. They rushed into a building labeled the Kami Technologies? Building of Advanced Research and Development. The brilliant silver letters seemed almost to gleam much more than the small label below it that looked to have been purposely neglected that read: A ZefraTech Inc.?, Company.

  Sarah led the way through the gleaming lobby of the Kami Technologies Building of Advanced Research and Development. The air inside was crisp and sterile, the scent of high-grade disinfectants blending with the subtle hum of unseen machinery. A few employees in white lab coats and sharply pressed business attire passed by, their hurried steps betraying the weight of their work. None of them paid any mind to the gurney carrying William.

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  His sister’s grip on his hand remained firm, a silent assurance as they approached a set of reinforced glass doors. A scanner beeped as Sarah pressed her ID against it, granting them access to the deeper levels of the facility.

  Tim and Rebecca followed closely behind. Tim, ever the composed corporate man, adjusted his tie as they stepped into a private elevator. Rebecca barely glanced up from the tablet in her hands, her fingers gliding across its surface as she scanned through pages of data.

  The elevator descended smoothly, the walls lined with holographic displays that showcased various achievements of Kami Technologies—medical breakthroughs, quantum computing advancements, artificial intelligence innovations. William’s mind whirred as he took in the imagery. He had been part of a world that ran on grit, determination, and physical might. This was a different battlefield altogether, one where the currency was knowledge and control.

  Rebecca finally looked up, her voice clinical. “Dr. Kami is waiting in the integration lab. The procedure is set up and ready. Once we begin, we won’t be stopping.”

  Sarah nodded but glanced down at William. “We’re doing the right thing,” she murmured, more to herself than to anyone else. “This is your chance, Will. A real chance.”

  The elevator came to a halt with a soft chime. The doors slid open, revealing a corridor bathed in a pale blue glow. At the end of it stood Dr. Toshiro Kami himself. He had a soft welcoming smile on his lips, and was flanked by a small team of researchers. His gaze was unreadable behind the glint of his glasses, but there was no mistaking the gravity in his presence.

  “Welcome, William,” Dr. Toshiro Kami said as they approached. “We have much to discuss before we begin.”

  After they wheeled him into the integration lab, they hooked up different probes and electrodes to his head and torso. Dr. Kami remained at the door of the room just inside the smile still evident on his face, “This process has been attempted many times, but has failed to produce an adequate result as of yet. I will not lie to you. This process is not perfected yet, but I am confident that you will be the first in a long line of people to fill our digital afterlife.” Williams' eyes widened. Dr. Kami continued, “Yes unfortunately this process will be one of death of the body; but your mind, your spirit will be preserved in our digital space. It is as close to immortality that we can get as humans in my opinion. Given the choice which would you rather have. A chance at a real life, albeit a digital one, or return to that cramped room wasting away waiting to die anyway.”

  Williams eyes shown with contemplation, literally his only form of expression at the moment. He looked to his sister at his side who was still holding his hand. She nodded reassuringly, he looked directly at Dr. Kami blinked as hard as he could once.

  Dr. Kami nodded and looked to his team, “Begin.”

  William was leaned back flat and a machine much like an exposed MRI was moved forward around his head. It spiraled endlessly and William feeling a wave of nausea shut his eyes. He heard Rebecca over the whirr of the machine, “Brain scan complete, instability of memory ingram at 34%, 31, 28, holding at 28%.”

  “That will have to do,” He heard Dr. Kami say, “William, I'm afraid this next part is unavoidable. In order to properly upload your mind to the network we will need what we call “Hardlock” of a map of your neural pathways. We inject a nanite solution into your bloodstream and penetrate through the blood brain barrier. This causes tearing of that barrier and will lead to intracranial pressure. It will start as a severe headache then as the nanites attach themselves it will feel like your entire nervous system was set on fire. I don’t mean to frighten you, I am just giving you warning so that you may brace yourself for what's about to happen.”

  William felt his heart begin to beat faster and faster as a sharp sting hit his left arm. He felt something wet and cold, like ice in his veins running up his arm and into his chest. “Entering subclavian artery, upper aorta, common carotid artery. Injecting nanites.”

  At first, it was just pressure—like a vice tightening around his skull. Then, the fire started.

  It was subtle at first, like hot needles pricking the inside of his brain, sharp and insistent. But within seconds, the sensation exploded into an unbearable inferno. It was as though molten metal had been injected directly into his veins, flowing through him with a relentless, searing heat. The pain licked at his spine, racing down his limbs in electric surges that made his muscles convulse involuntarily, though he was too paralyzed to move.

  William wanted to scream. His mind clawed at the edges of his consciousness, instinctively trying to flee from the agony, but there was nowhere to go. Every nerve was alive with the sensation of burning, twisting, tearing apart and reforming all at once. His vision fragmented, colors bleeding together in ways that didn’t make sense, black spots blooming like ink across his sight. His body felt like it was coming apart at the seams, each individual fiber of his being unraveling and reknitting itself in an instant.

  His ears were filled with the deafening roar of his own pulse, hammering in a frantic rhythm against his skull, and beneath it, voices—distant, distorted, overlapping in ways that defied reality. His sister’s voice, calm yet laced with fear. Dr. Kami’s, clinical, unwavering. Another voice, one he couldn’t quite place, whispering in a language he didn’t understand.

  Then came the worst of it.

  A new, shuddering wave of pain tore through him, different from the fire—it was raw, primal, an existential kind of suffering. It felt as if something fundamental was being scraped away, stripped layer by layer, like sandpaper grinding down his very soul. Memories flickered in his mind, faster than he could grasp: the scent of saltwater on a summer evening, the feeling of wind rushing through the cockpit of his helicopter, the laughter of his sister when they were children. They blurred and twisted, fracturing into countless pieces, rearranging themselves in ways that felt wrong.

  For a single, terrifying moment, he felt like he was losing himself.

  His breath—was he even breathing? His heart—was it still beating? The pain, the light, the sound—it was all becoming distant, like he was sinking beneath an endless ocean. The edges of his consciousness frayed, dissolving into something vast, something unknown.

  And then, just when he thought he couldn’t take any more—

  Everything went dark.

  Silent.

  Still.

  A single thought was left as he fell into depths.