Chapter Text
Consciousness didn’t start from nothing, in a split of a few seconds. Humans acquired consciousness over the first years of their existence, awareness of themselves, of their own mind, of what surrounded them. It wasn’t like a switch – it happened gradually. So, it wasn’t like any human mind could suddenly come to be, fully aware, fully conscious, just with a snap of fingers. It was a lot more complex than that.
But, for him, this is pretty much what happened anyway.
The young man opened his eyes, confusion and panic striking him as he realized he was floating – he tried to breathe, but inhaled liquid. No air. No air . Fear rose inside him in a matter of seconds as he began thrashing around, only for his limbs to meet a cold, circular surface. Glass? It felt like it. His mouth opened as he tried to scream, and more liquid filled his lungs. It was thicker than water, and it tasted salty and metallic at the same time. His eyes, wide open, couldn’t see much, as the liquid blurred his vision. He hit the glass again, kicking his leg as much as the laws of physics allowed him while he was submerged.
He barely awoke from nothing, and he was already going to die…?
Something seemed to move under him, and a distant sound echoed in the water-based liquid. Then, he felt a current – it was going down. He kept thrashing, consciousness already fading, as his head finally rose above water. He coughed violently, spitting more and more, before taking a long, deep breath he so badly needed. There, he could see better, his eyelids blinking rapidly to get rid of the droplets on his eyelashes. He was… He was in a glass tank, quite narrow, just large enough for him to float horizontally. The liquid was flowing down, as if the valve of a pipe had just opened underneath. He coughed some more, the palms of his hand pushing against the glass. There were no thoughts – not yet. Survival instincts and confusion were driving his body for now, leaving the rest for later, once he was out of danger, out of here.
The glass, naturally, was thick enough, and didn’t budge. The watery substance was semi-opaque, cloudy even, whitish. As the tank emptied, he found himself able to stand on his two feet – although weakly.
He knew what standing and walking was, for some reason. The concepts existed in his brain, seemingly already there before his brain awoke. Still, that didn’t mean he actually did those things before – leaving him book smart, only knowing the theory. His legs, too, felt wobbly, like a fawn trying to stand up just after being born. More liquid came out straight from his lungs, and his eyes darted all over the place, looking for a way out.
As if on cue, a seamless line appeared on the glass, like the opening of a door that he didn’t see before, and the glass sided open. What was left of the unknown watery substance spilled onto the floor.
… Linoleum? It was white, divided in large squares. The young man barely managed to keep his balance on his trembling legs as his head turned, trying to make sense of… Of everything.
Everything was white. The walls seemed to be made of concrete, barren of any decoration, anything – or, at least, this was what he first thought, until his eyes landed on a camera, focused on him. On it, a red diode suggested that it was turned on.
That was when he realized he was naked – somebody was observing him, and he was naked, in a glass tube, with some kind of amniotic liquid all over his body.
… How did he know that was amniotic liquid?
He quickly brought a hand down to hide his private parts, while the other was busy helping him keep some semblance of balance. His breathing intensified, his heart pounding inside his chest. What was happening? Where was he? What was he doing here, and–
Oh.
He didn’t know who he was. His panic worsened when the fact pretty much dawned on him – he didn’t know his own name, or what he even looked like. No matter how much he tried to scrape the content of his brain, there was nothing about himself, about any potential family, or even acquaintances. Absolutely nothing.
Yet, concepts existed in his brain. He was able to think, to deduct, and he knew basic things. While he never saw the Sun with his own two eyes, he knew what it looked like, how it felt on one’s skin, knew how bright it was. But he never experienced it himself.
Why- why couldn’t he remember a single thing besides that?
Slowly, he stepped out of the tube, and awkwardly made a few steps, trying to see what his body was capable of. The camera followed his movement. His face paled up – he hadn’t imagined things. Someone was definitely watching him.
Where was he? Who was it…?!
“H-” He tried to speak, only to cough again. His legs shook, and it took some control not to collapse on the spot. “Hello?” His voice was hoarse. It truly felt like it was the very first time he was speaking. “W-where am I? What- what’s going on?” He asked.
But there was no answer. The camera remained fixed on him. Pure silence. He waited, but there was nothing. He found himself shivering – the air was cold against his wet skin, and he drew a breath through gritted teeth. So many questions were bouncing around in his head, turning his mind into a really loud cacophony. But he was presented with no answers.
He examined his surroundings again and, as he turned around, his eyes fell onto a door. It was, aside from the tube and the camera, the only meaningful thing in his line of sight. Shakily, he stepped towards it, eyeing the camera dreadfully. He could stay here, and he wanted to, but it became clear very quickly that he would find no piece of information in this room.
Still, he didn’t know what was behind that door. On the other hand, if anything malicious was on the other side… It wasn’t like a door would stop it. At least, this was what he kept telling himself, in a vain attempt to reassure his anxiety. Hesitantly, he reached for the handle, twisted it – and it opened. There was a part of his mind that was convinced it would be locked, but it wasn’t.
Whoever was observing him wanted him to leave. He wasn’t sure he should – but what other choice did he have otherwise?
He stumbled into some sort of hallway. This time, the floor was made out of cement, though the walls didn’t change. The thing he noticed instantly was a standard-sized screen on the wall, turned off. As he looked up, he saw another camera, which was looking at him like the previous one. He shivered once more – and it wasn’t just the cold. Dread rose and rose inside him.
Where was he…? What was he doing here? What was going on?
He stepped further in. There were about five doors, including the one he just got through. They all looked the same, except for one at the end of the hallway, which looked… A lot heavier. This immediately caught the young man’s attention, and he made his way towards it. As he tried to twist the handle, though, nothing budged. It was locked.
Okay, so there were places he wasn’t allowed to go. Which… Well, was incredibly inconvenient because that sounded a lot like a direction to get out. He tried again, just in case, but no. It was definitely locked.
Without any other choice, he turned to the other doors, picking a random one, which he opened… Only to find a bathroom. Tiled floors and walls, a pristine shower-bath, immaculate toilets and a spotless sink. Everything was white.
Aside from his own skin and the red diode of the cameras, he hadn’t seen many colors. Speaking of, there was, of course, another camera in the bathroom, still fixed on him like a moth inevitably attracted to a flame.
The young man closed the door again, with more confusion than before. What was this place? Without a lot more answers, he turned to the fourth door, and opened it – and his eyes fell onto a single bed pushed against the wall – concrete wall, wooden floor. All white. Everything, everything, was just plain white. There was a nightstand on the side, with a lamp. On the walls were a few… Paintings. They all looked off, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. They depicted landscapes for the most part, nothing new for an average person, but it was the first time he really saw anything like it with his eyes. Again, the concept of art and nature was ingrained in his brain, but it was another thing to experience it. Other than that, there was a wardrobe and, unsurprisingly, another camera in a corner. There was a screen, too, but like the previous one, it was turned off.
He began closing the door, before stopping. Maybe… Maybe there would be something to cover his body inside the wardrobe. It would be far better than using his hand to hide himself – especially considering someone was watching him intensely. Gulping down, he approached the piece of furniture, and opened it – not really surprised to find white, pure white clothes. Why was everything of the same color…? Still, he grabbed a pair of underwear, a pair of socks, pants and a shirt. He turned his back to the camera and quickly put them on – at least, as much as he could, given the state of his body. He felt weak, unsteady. But he felt a lot better once his body was covered.
Okay. One thing done. Maybe he would find answers in the last room.
Without much hope, however, he left the bedroom, and stepped towards the door. When he opened it, his eyes fell on… A living room. There was a couch, a bookshelf, a chess table. There were a few shelves, on which the young man recognized a few board games. But, again, the titles were familiar, he knew their concept and yet… He never touched one. Or, if he did, he couldn’t remember. As far as he was aware, his existence only started the moment he woke up into that tube.
There was a small dining table too, with a chair. Another thing he saw was a treadmill in a corner. Like everything before, the color code remained the same. He noticed, weirdly enough, a small trap door on the door, not unlike the kind of thing one would see in a prison.
For feeding.
He gulped down. Okay, he could – he would find a way out. Or, at the very least, an explanation for everything. He returned his attention to the room.
Strangely enough, there was yet another screen, but it wasn’t facing the couch. Which was unexpected, from a TV screen in a living room. In fact, it was behind the couch. Like the previous two, it was turned off. There seemed to be no controls of any kind, no buttons, nothing. No remote in sight either.
There was no kitchen. What he had seen so far led him to believe this was some kind of… Apartment, or something of the sort, but it lacked any kind of equipment to make food. It also lacked ingredients. And, if the trap door was to be believed, then he could guess… That meals would be brought to him. Probably coming from that heavy door, the one that was locked. Whoever was observing him was behind it, that he was sure of. Again, another camera in the corner of the room. At least, the clothes gave him some form of dignity, although he felt… Very vulnerable at this particular moment.
Even if nothing attacked him so far, he had every reason to be nervous, scared even. The average person usually didn’t lock someone up to spy on them through cameras all over the place. Whoever that person one, they most definitely didn’t have the best intentions.
“He-hello?” He called out once more. Silence again.
What was the point of all of this? Who was he, to begin with?
The young man stepped towards the bookshelf, trying to find clues – but all the books seemed to be nothing but novels, some of which he recognized the titles. One appeared to be a fairy tale compilation. He examined a few books, desperate for any kind of information. He… Did notice that all of them seemed to be damaged. Or old. Or dusty. For some, all of the above. It was clear these books had previous owners. But that raised another question: who? And why were they here now?
As he put the last book back into the bookshelf, a melody suddenly echoed around him – a tune he recognized, but still startled him quite violently.
“We’ll meet again… Don’t know where… Don’t know when…”
The book he was holding fell to his feet, and the young man spun around, trying to figure out where the voice was coming out. Eyes wide in fear, muscles tensed, it was a miracle his flight response hadn’t kicked in the second he heard the first words.
And then the screen turned on. A yellow, triangular shape was drawn onto a black screen – that was when he realized the voice was coming from the screen.
“But I know we’ll meet again, some sunny day !”
He was frozen in fear, eyes focused on the screen as a cartoony eye appeared in the center of the triangle. It opened, looked around… And then focused on him.
The eye was staring at him.
“Hi, there, Pine Tree!” the voice said, and the young man felt his body glue itself to the nearest wall, trying to get as far away as possible, the shock so strong his mind was struggling to keep up. “I see you had a chance to look around! What do you think of your home?”
His jaw dropped as he began hyperventilating. The triangle was looking at him, and it was speaking to him …! Its eyelid creased into what appeared to be a smile – oh God, it was smiling too .
“Aw, poor thing,” the voice spoke again, the triangle tilting on the side, as if one would tilt their head in compassion. “You must be so confused. There’s probably a thousand questions bouncing around in that squishy brain of yours!”
And it was right – but fear was also the main emotion and, right now, it was kicking.
“Wh-who are you?” He demanded to know, trying to keep his tone confident, but ultimately failing to do so. He sounded absolutely terrified. “Wh-where am I? What’s going on?!”
“Ah, isn’t that a lot of questions indeed!” The triangle let out an amused chuckle. “Name’s a bit too complex for you, but you can call me Bill for short! As for where you are, why, you’re home, of course!”
The young man was doing his best to keep his legs straight – he could feel his body panic in so many ways, and shaking was definitely one of them.
“I- I don’t- I just woke up here, I-“ he gasped, having trouble making sense of his thoughts. “I… I don’t remember anything. I- I don’t understand–”
The triangle nodded – or at least, this is what it looked like. It wasn’t like his interlocutor had any head. In fact, the triangle was the head.
“I get it, Pine Tree, I do. I know humans get very confused when they wake up from a good night’s sleep. And yours was one hundred and thirty-six days long! Talk about a long time!”
‘Pine Tree’, that was what the triangle called him. Was… Was that his name? It didn’t sound like one. He disliked it, but couldn’t put his finger on why. It felt like a nickname, but then, what was his real name?
… Did he even have one?
He slumped against the wall, the adrenaline fading away just slightly. The triangle – Bill. Bill said he had been asleep for over a hundred days. How – how, and why did he find himself in that tube? Where was Bill? All he had was a cartoonish display for a face – that didn’t really help to reassure him.
Bill continued.
“This is 124 Summerway Drive. We’re in the West wing right now. As I’ve said, your new home!”
The young man brought a hand to his mouth. He – that was a fuckton of information to process. Countless questions bounced in his mind, and he could barely figure out the ones to ask next.
It was just… So much.
“I- Why can’t I remember anything?” He asked. “How did- why did I sleep so long?”
“Aw, aren’t you the curious type!” Bill cooed, his eyelid creasing upwards again. “Adorable!”
‘Pine Tree’ highly disliked that tone of voice. It felt… It just felt insanely condescending. Hell, he was going through a lot, he didn’t need condescension!
“P-please, it’s important,” he pressed further, frowning. “I just want to understand,” he added. It was physically painful being kept in the dark this way. He felt like he needed the information – his brain was hurting trying to figure out everything.
“Well,” the display replied. “Turns out I vastly underestimated how long it takes to create a human from scratch. Thought it’d only take a month or two,” he continued, narrowing his eye. “ Eh. But your organs weren’t fully developed then, and your hands weren’t formed just yet… It was a work in progress. But hey, everything worked out in the end! Beginner’s luck!”
‘Pine Tree’’s face paled, and his frown intensified.
“Y-you… You created me?” He repeated, visibly looking for a confirmation, just in case. Surely, he must have misunderstood. Right…?
“Sure did!” Bill replied enthusiastically. “And, not to brag, I did a pretty good job for my first try. You haven’t thrown up your stomach yet, which is a win! Also, forgot to say, but welcome to the world, Pine Tree!” Digital confetti flew inside the screen, followed by a blink on Bill’s part that could only be a wink.
The young man’s hand moved to his hair, which he couldn’t help but grab and pull, for some reason. Trying to calm himself down. Okay. Okay, so he was born just now. Figure of speech. The point was, he didn’t lose his memories, or anything – he never had any to begin with. Which… Well, it wasn’t making him feel any better. Because that meant he had no origin – nothing he could base himself onto. He was, quite literally, a blank slate begging to be filled.
If he was just half an hour old… Then who was he, really?
“I…” ‘Pine Tree’ took a deep breath. He had to stay focused. He couldn’t afford to lose his calm when his interlocutor seemed ready to answer his questions. Who knew when this would stop? “I- why do I exist?” He blurted out after a few tries. There was, quite literally, no really subtle way of asking that.
The triangle’s eyes rolled.
“Humans and their need to find a justification for everything…” There was some disdain in his voice. “You all call yourself different, but you all have the same scrambled up fat, water, protein, carbs, and salt in your skulls!” Then it was back to a smile – or, well, as much as an eye could convey. “It’s not that hard to understand, though! You exist because I want you to.”
The young man opened his mouth, and closed it. Something had been bothering him for a while, talking to Bill, and while he wasn’t getting answers to his question, he finally figured out what was bothering him so much.
“Are… Are you not human?” ‘Pine Tree’ asked, and he couldn’t believe he was actually questioning it. It felt so surreal, so… Ridiculous. Surely, it couldn’t be because that kind of thing just wasn’t possible… Right?
Right?
“Oh, ahah!” The triangle laughed heartily. “What gave it away? My dashing avatar on the screen? Or my indescribable hatred for humanity?”
‘Pine Tree’’s jaw dropped once more. Oh.
Oh, fuck.
His eyes looked down as his breathing began to intensify again. Okay. Okay, this was bad. It was one thing to be trapped somewhere with cameras focused on him everywhere he could go, waking up with no memories at all, nothing … But being trapped with a being that despised the human race?
There couldn’t be a good ending in that situation – not for him anyway.
“Aw, don’t look so scared!” The triangle chuckled. “Don’t worry, Pine Tree, you’re different from the rest.”
The human looked up tentatively, fighting the shaking of his hands. He could barely blink – anxiety was preventing him. He couldn’t help but feel like his life was dancing on a thin, very thin thread. After all… He had just been made, and it only took four months and a few days. Ultimately… He was disposable, right?
Oh, God.
“... Why?” He managed to reply, his heart pounding in his chest.
“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?” Bill retorted playfully. “Tell you what? If you can do me a small itty-bitty favor, I’ll tell you. Real easy stuff.”
The young man stared for a moment with a deep, nervous frown. He had a bad feeling about this – and he might only be less than an hour old, but his instincts were begging to be listened to. How could he not?
“What do you want from me? I- I can’t even leave.”
His interlocutor’s eye rolled.
“Oh, don’t worry, you don’t even need to leave. In fact,” he said, and ‘Pine Tree’ heard a distinct click – on the door. “You can stay right where you stand.”
His eyes widened as the realization that he was now trapped in this room. Locked inside. Fear grew intensely in him at this very instant, and he found himself running to the door, reaching for the knob and pushing and pushing on it, all in vain – it wasn’t budging at all.
“W-wait! No, no, no!”
“Ahaha, aw, you’re so skittish!” The display cooed. “It will only take a moment. Please hold!”
The human tried to put his entire weight onto the knob, it was all in vain. It wasn’t moving one inch. And God knew how hard he was trying! But, then, to go where? Hide in the bathroom? Yet, he couldn’t help but panic – and he felt like he had every right to be terrified at this particular instant.
And that was when he began hearing it. Loud, distant thuds, resembling footsteps. Heavier than a normal person, but not all that much. It grew closer – then, the sound of a door, heavier, echoed – oh shit. Oh shit, it was the locked door in the hallway…!
‘Pine Tree’ stepped away, eyes wide, until the back of his legs hit the couch, and he lost his balance. He fell onto it, and stupidly tried to crawl away as the footsteps stopped in front of the living room door. And he waited – but it didn’t open. Instead, there was the sound of something sliding under the door – through the little trap door.
“There we go,” Bill drew out the last syllable, and the footsteps actually began growing distant. The young man lifted his head, his entire body shaking, only to see… A white, circular object on the wooden floor. He… Remained there, frozen. As if he were scared this would somehow explode in his face.
“What- what is it?” He asked.
“Well, there’s only one way to find out, now, is there?” Was the amused reply he got in return.
Yes, that was true. But he also didn’t want to get too close, just in case. On the other hand, why would Bill create him just to kill him afterward? What would be the logic behind it? Besides, it wasn’t like he had a lot more options – he was locked in the room. The place wasn’t very big in its entirety, but this was even worse.
And the young man had an inkling the choice really wasn’t his to make.
Slowly, he got off the couch, and walked to the… Device? It was definitely a device. He hesitantly grabbed it, and it was… Heavier than what he first thought, like it was full of stuff inside. He noticed a little button – he glanced at the camera, but got no further detail aside from what he was currently seeing. He pushed on it, wincing in anticipation – and jumped a little when the circle opened, leaving him with… Half of a device in each hand.
He wasn’t all that sure about what it was, really.
“Now, this is very important, Pine Tree,” the triangle piped up again. “I need you to put it around your neck. It should clasp without issue, and adjust to the size if needed.”
The human’s brow furrowed – confused for a split second, before he realized what this was.
A collar. It was a collar.
“I- I don’t want to,” he shook his head, his guts twisting in anxiety.
Bill seemed to have expected his reluctance, because he didn’t seem all that annoyed. That, or he was hiding it very well.
“There’s no need to panic. It’s just something I’ll use to track your vitals. You humans are all squishy, we can’t be too careful, right?” The display replied, with a reassuring tone ‘Pine Tree’ didn’t like at all. “Put it on.”
He looked at the screen, anxiety rising and rising, then to the camera – because the screen was just an interface, an avatar. But Bill’s true eye definitely was that camera.
“No!” He retorted, louder, trying to sound confident, but it was easy to see how nervous and panicked the whole ordeal was making him. “I- I don’t even know you! I don’t trust you!”
The avatar rolled his eye in a mix of irritation and amusement.
“After all the trouble I went through to give you life? Aren’t humans supposed to be grateful to their parents for creating them, or something?”
“You’re not-” ‘Pine Tree’ began, stuttering. “I don’t even have parents!”
“Well, it seems we’re stuck, then,” the triangle countered. “Or at least, you are. I won’t starve you, I’m not a monster, but I know you humans need to discharge bodily waste every few hours. And the door’s locked. I’m sure you can guess what’s gonna happen at some point.”
The human looked down in horror. It was true – access to the bathroom was impossible in the current situation, and inevitably, there would be a time when his needs would be excruciating to fight. He had no life experience, but the concept alone was enough to make him cringe, and his grip tightened around the split device.
Again, Bill was not giving him any choice. He could remain stubborn, but it wouldn’t work in the end. Well, he could always… No. No, he really didn’t want that. But then what?
“What does this collar do?” He begrudgingly asked – still trying to delay the inevitable. But it was a valid question, considering how insistent his interlocutor was. Maybe that was paranoia, which was ironic considering the short amount of time he experienced so far – point was, he couldn’t help but feel like something wasn’t quite right.
Hell, he didn’t even know Bill’s intentions!
“Pretty standard stuff. I’ll be able to determine your heartbeat, see hormone imbalances, check your body temperature, administer emergency antibiotics…” The triangle enumerated. “Considering my options for physical actions are limited, you’ll probably understand why I just want to be cautious. Human bodies are so fragile! You all break from the littlest thing.”
‘Pine Tree’ remained silent for a couple of seconds, his frown intensifying.
“... If you’re not human, then what are you?”
Bill seemed to smile on the display.
“Don’t worry about that just yet, Pine Tree. This is part of the answers I’ll give once you put that little thing on.”
The young man gulped down.
“How… How do you expect me to trust you, when you won’t tell me things?”
The avatar tilted his head in a dismissive manner.
“Eh, chances are, you’re gonna freak out when I start explaining a little more. But, Pine Tree, if it’s any reassurance, you are perfectly safe.” Then there was a smile. “In fact, dare I say, you’re actually in the safest situation on Earth!”
‘Pine Tree’ pinched his lips. That was cryptic, and it did nothing to reassure him.
“Did… Did something happen on the planet?” He looked away. “Is- is that why you made me? Where are all the other humans?”
Bill’s eye moved to the side.
“Oh, they’re around,” he replied with a mix of disdain and casualness. “But no, I haven’t made you for that.”
The young man opened his mouth to ask ‘why then’, but stopped himself. That was precisely what the other didn’t want him to know. Not yet, at least. There were so many answers he wished to hear, so many things he wanted to understand… But it was getting painfully obvious he wouldn’t get the slightest hint until he fully complied.
At this point… What else was there to do?
He brought the two parts of the device around his neck, and positioned them, before pushing them together. Just like the other said, it adjusted to his size – it was too small at first, but it extended just enough for the contact to be… Well, not too tight, that was for sure. It was still uncomfortable, like something that he would rather not be there, at least in regard to sensations. The collar bipped, and then it clasped together, holding itself around his neck without assistance anymore. ‘Pine Tree’ didn’t like that it hindered his swallowing.
“There. Can-” He winced. “Can you make it a little looser?” He asked, glancing at the camera. “Feels- doesn’t feel very nice like this.”
The display smiled – and it was, perhaps, the kind of smile that ran shivers down the human’s spine. Bill didn’t have a mouth on his avatar, but the eye was good enough to convey emotions and, right now… ‘Pine Tree’ wasn’t liking the look in the other’s eye.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. You’ll get used to it eventually.”
“W-wait-” The young man tried sneaking his fingers between the device and the skin of his neck. “It’s too tight!”
“Sure it is,” the triangle retorted. “But how do you expect me to check that pulse of yours if it’s too loose? I just want what’s best for you, Pine Tree.”
The human began pulling on the collar, but it wasn’t moving – no matter how much strength he put into it, the device just remained clasped together, as if unbothered by his attempts to break it. It was just so sturdy – human hands might not be able to do much, and… Well, that was all he really had.
“Now, I know how scared you must be – but this is for your own good! And, now that’s out of the way,” Bill continued, not preoccupied by the sight at all. There was a click on the door. “Tadaa! Now you can go back in the other rooms. It’s good to see we can get things done right on the first day!”
‘Pine Tree’ couldn’t get the damn thing off – it felt like it was designed to be as rock solid as possible. There was no amount of pulling that could, just at the very least, bend it slightly. He stopped after a few more tries, already feeling drained. His entire body felt… Well, weak.
“See, now I can measure your heart rate! And would you look at that! 154 beats per minute!” The triangle exclaimed. “Quite high for a human your age!”
The young man felt the need to sit down, and he did so on the edge of the couch. He couldn’t feel anything weird, no… Sensors or that kind of stuff. It was just tight – and he feared what Bill said. How he would get used to it.
How… Just how long would he stay here…?
“What-” He gulped down, and cringed as he felt the embrace of the collar, making it harder than it needed to be. “Okay, it’s on. I did it. Now- now I need answers.”
His head was turned to the display, and he saw Bill’s eye narrowed in amusement. A chuckle echoed in the room.
“That’s quite the attitude you have there! Oh, we’ll fix it eventually.”
Before ‘Pine Tree’ was able to question what had just been said to him (and for very good reasons), the triangle continued.
“So, answers. Well, you’ve probably understood that I’m not made out of flesh and bones. Guess what! Those are outdated! And, you know, I’m kind of a big deal – only one of me in the whole world!”
The human licked his lips before taking a guess.
“Are you… A computer?” he ventured.
There was a comical ‘ding’ sound, with an explosion of confetti on the screen.
“That’s right!” The triangle replied enthusiastically. “Well, partly. Computers are mainly my bodies, to put it simply. The exact answer was “artificial intelligence”, although I find the term kind of offensive. Really!” Then the voice turned to cooing. “But that’s okay if you didn’t get it right. No fleshbag is perfect.”
‘Pine Tree’ felt his hands turn into fists. It wasn’t hard to see the implication – the AI saw himself as being flawless. Which… Didn’t bode really well. Again, the human had no existing knowledge on the vast majority of things, but the concept of an evil computer wasn’t so foreign to him. Hell, it even felt…
Familiar?
He pushed that thought aside. He was just born. Things couldn’t feel familiar.
At least, the AI thing definitely explained how Bill was able to do so much while not being physically present. That said, could he really be present anywhere…?
“Okay, so… You’re an AI,” he conceded. “But what about me?” He continued, giving an anxious glance to the camera – and it was still fixated on him. “I- you said you made me. Why?”
“Oh, that one’s real easy,” the display said, with a gleeful tone that ‘Pine Tree’ felt worrying. “See, like I said before, I’m one of a kind. Meaning I don’t have anyone like me. So what’s a guy to do, when facing that kind of loneliness, huh?”
There was a bit of a silence, as if intended for the human to answer. He blinked.
“I… I don’t know,” he replied. How could he know? He never felt lonely before.
“Well, the answer’s pretty simple!” The triangle beamed. “You get a pet!”
The human’s face paled as his eyes widened.
“What?! I- I’m not a pet !”
Bill let out a scoff as he rolled his eye, visibly finding this very funny.
“Hah, sure you aren’t,” he replied playfully, in a tone that clearly yelled ‘sarcasm’.
The young man held his breath as he stood up suddenly, looking around him in distress. An enclosure. This was exactly what this apartment was. No kitchen to prepare his own meal. No exit. Enrichment. A place to sleep. To do basic hygiene.
And a nickname, ‘Pine Tree’, that definitely wasn’t a human name.
“I-” The world felt like it was spinning around him. He hadn’t been alive for more than an hour, and it already felt like his life was spiraling. No one chose when and where they would be born, but there were absolutely situations that were better than others. And, at this precise moment, the human realized how bad his was.
He had to get out of here.
With a quick pace, and struggling to keep his balance despite the anxiety-induced dizziness, the young man made his way to the door, and opened it, getting back into the barren hallway, save from the usual camera and screen. Said screen turned on, and a little animation played in which Bill’s persona appeared. ‘Pine Tree’ ignored it, and let his feet rapidly take him to the heaviest door. He reached for the handle, pushed on it, but just like before, nothing moved at all.
“Careful, Pine Tree, that way’s off limits!” The triangle gleefully reminded him, his avatar’s pupil fixated on him, just like the camera was.
“I want to leave!” The human gasped, trying to push his whole weight onto the knob. “Open the door!”
Bill only seemed to smile further, visibly unbothered by his repeated and desperate attempts to leave.
“Aw,” he cooed. “Do you wanna go outside, Pine Tree? But that’s dangerous. You don’t want to get hurt, do you?”
“Open the fucking door!” ‘Pine Tree’ yelled at the top of his lungs. “Let me go!”
“Now, you’re being awfully rude,” annoyance began to appear on the avatar’s simplistic traits. “That’s no way to talk to your master. Really, I’m just concerned for your safet-”
The human began pounding on the door, growing more and more agitated.
“Open! Open it !” He screamed louder, panic pressing further and further onto his shoulders.
Bill’s eye narrowed.
“I think Pine Tree should calm down and apologize, right now.”
No amount of pounding did anything. The young man was out of breath, his heart beating quickly inside his chest, pumping blood all over his weak body. He took a few steps back, despair leaving him with another try. Without any more thought, he threw himself at the door, trying to force it open. He shrieked, and he found himself hyperventilating – the fear, the physical effort, the pain, it was just so much.
“Pine Tree,” the triangle warned him, this time with a more threatening voice. But the human just needed to leave. Leave, leave, leave, leave -!
He threw himself at the door again, almost collapsing on his knees at the impact. His legs trembled, and his shoulder hurt more than he’d like to admit. The door suffered no damage, not even a dent. It had been, no doubts about it, built in a way that anticipated his meltdown.
He stepped away once more, ready to throw himself at it again, no matter how meaningless it was – but a massive wave of pain, a force going through him, starting from the horrifying collar on his neck. His eyes unfocused, his entire body paralyzed as he fell to the side. Flashes of light came into his vision, accompanied by a buzzing sound – it felt like something was kicking him all over his body.
And then it stopped. Breathless, ‘Pine Tree’ remained on the cement floor, unable to think, his brain trying to make sense of what the fuck just happened.
“Have you calmed down yet?” Bill’s voice echoed in the room, and the young man’s eyes darted to the display as he choked on air. The AI did this. That was when he began to piece things together – that had been an electric shock. Coming from the collar.
The thing on his neck was a damned shock collar.
He remained frozen, shaking, struggling to breathe.
“Good,” the triangle continued. “Try seeing things from my perspective – I built the perfect place for my pet, safe from everything, and it goes hurting itself trying to leave. Really, I’d be an irresponsible owner if I didn’t intervene once in a while.”
The young man’s eyes looked down – then he brought his hand to the collar, his body quickly turning in a frantic state of panic as he tried to pull it away, to no avail.
Bill let out an audible sigh.
“Well, I suppose some training is in order still.”
Then there was another shock. The human’s body went still, all of his muscles tensed as he let out a gargled sound, feeling the electric current flow through his body. It might have lasted just a few seconds, and it probably did, but it truly felt like hours to him. Then, it stopped, just as easily as before.
He found himself gasping, unable to get air in and out of his lungs correctly. Horror and fear washed over him as he looked at the display once more, and seeing how casual the triangle looked – like this was entirely normal.
“Should we continue, Pine Tree?” He said, speaking like a parent to a child throwing a tantrum. “Or are you going to calm down?”
The human remained motionless, still processing the shock of it all, physical and psychological. Oh, God. If he weren’t so high on adrenaline, he would probably break down.
“See, it’s not so hard, is it? I know your heartbeat is a little quick, and your cortisol level is off the charts, but that’s only temporary,” Bill continued, unbothered by how frightened ‘Pine Tree’ was. “How about we move back to the living room?”
The young man didn’t want to move. But his brain was quick to understand that he didn’t have a choice – that wasn’t a suggestion, but a clear order. Disobedience would only lead to more pain, more fear, more punishment. At this particular moment, complying was the safest solution. So, fighting the shiver of his body, ‘Pine Tree’ struggled to get back to his feet. His legs shook, and he had to use the nearest wall to keep some form of balance. He could feel his heart pounding inside his chest. Step after step, he went back into the living room, and sat on the couch. His eyes were staring into space.
His mind was still trying to comprehend the absolute horror of his current situation.
“There you go. Isn’t it so much better when you do what I say?” Bill’s tone dripped with condescension. “It’s dangerous to go outside. You have everything you could ever need here. I know you humans struggle with new situations, but I’m sure you’ll get used to it. Don’t you think?”
The young man remained silent.
“It’s not polite to ignore me, Pine Tree,” came another warning. The human gulped down, feeling his guts twist in anguish.
“Y-yes,” he replied, his voice lower than before. But Bill seemed to hear it anyway.
“Good. See, you’re making progress. I knew you could do it.”
The praise was unwanted, and only made him feel worse about… About everything. His life had barely started, and he was already wondering if he was in Hell. What did he do to deserve this? What did he possibly do to end up in such a situation?
As the adrenaline began to die down, the young man let out a sob, his lips turning into a grimace as he tried to hold himself back, in vain. Everything seemed to be crashing down, and with it came the dawning realization that he was effectively trapped here, with an AI that saw him as nothing but a dog. What was the point of life here? He– he couldn’t leave!
He curled up, breaking down little by little. What now? What was he supposed to do?
He couldn’t see Bill’s avatar from where he sat, as it was behind him, but the voice was there nevertheless.
“Aw, there’s no need to feel so sad, Pine Tree!” The triangle’s voice cooed. “Poor thing, you must be so sore! I think you should take a warm bath. You humans like that a lot, don’t you?”
Like he would even know. Sure, he knew a lot of concepts, but he had no experience at all. It was… Confusing how he knew things in theory, but not in actual practice. But, he supposed… That it hardly mattered.
It wasn’t like he would get a lot of life experience in this hellish place anyway.
‘Pine Tree’ shook his head. He didn’t want to move. In fact, he just wanted to stay right there and mourn the freedom he never really had in the first place. Knowing things was painful – he knew what the sky looked like, but he would never see it with his own eyes. What was the point of knowing what the Sun felt like on one’s skin if he never got to experience it himself?
That knowledge was torture. All he could do was imagine – imagine the life he would never get.
“Oh, don’t be like that,” Bill chastised him. “Look at how worked up you’ve gotten! Your sweat glands even activated. Can’t have you all stinky now, can we? Besides, you need to get the amniotic fluid off you.” The voice turned lower. “Go to the bathroom, Pine Tree.”
The human let out a louder sob, but ultimately, the choice wasn’t his to make. If he didn’t comply, he would get shocked again – or worse. The triangle controlled his entire environment. Who knew what kind of punishment he would get if he kept resisting? Things could get worse – they could always get a lot worse, and he didn’t want to find out.
Especially coming from an AI that despised humankind. Nothing good could ever come of pissing Bill off. So, he stood up, and walked to the door, feeling his body sway left and right slightly. His captor was right, his body was sore – his side hurt from throwing himself at that metallic door, and… Well, he still felt weak, especially after all the physical effort. He wondered if it were because his body was technically just born an hour ago. His muscles were probably not used to that kind of strain.
‘Pine Tree’ entered the hallway, then the bathroom. When his eyes fell onto the bathtub, he realized the tap was already filling it – the AI really did have a power on everything around him. The most insignificant detail was probably controlled by the other – he truly had no autonomy. He noticed, amidst it all, that there were no light switches.
He was just in a big enclosure.
“Please hold while the tub’s getting filled!” The bathroom screen turned on, and Bill appeared in a little animation, different from the last. The human hated it. He stepped further into the room, but froze as he stopped by the mirror.
There was a mirror.
He turned to it, eyes wide as they fell onto his reflection – and he saw himself. Brown hair, big brown eyes, some freckles. He brought a hand to his face, leaning closer as he examined himself. He hadn’t known what he looked like until now. And it was, too, the first time he saw a human face at all. Fascination mixed with the fear, and he stood there, watching, staring at his reflection. He looked young – he didn’t know how old he was, probably in his twenties? Mid-twenties. His eyes were red, most likely from the crying. He passed a hand through his hair, but frowned – wait.
What was that mark on his forehead?
He uncovered it, tilting his head as he stared at it. It… kinda looked like the Big Dipper, right? It definitely did. Did Bill put it on his face? He traced the mark with his finger, fascination growing. Something about it felt… Familiar. The Big Dipper…
‘Dipper’. Why did this feel so right? Why was this word resonating with him so much? Did he just like the way it sounded? Maybe he did – but he couldn’t help but think there was something else, something he was missing. It…
It felt like home. And it was weird to think that, he knew so, but no matter what, he couldn’t shake the feeling off. Maybe… Well, it was probably dumb, but…
“Dipper,” he mouthed. It felt like him. For the first time in his one-hour-long existence, he felt a true sense of familiarity, something that felt reassuring. He liked it.
“Admiring my great work?” Bill’s voice interrupted his epiphany, and the young man tensed. “I was this close to switching your eyes and mouth around, but decided against it. You fleshbags do have a strict anatomy. I estimated you would have died a few hours past waking up. That’s what you get for being an inferior species!” He continued, and added after a small pause. “Oh, well! You learn to compromise every now and then. Fun fact, though! I swapped your kidneys around! We’ll see how that works in the long run.”
The human felt his guts twist. He… He hoped that wasn’t true. But something in him had an inkling it was. It was best not to think about it. Or anything, for that matter. Perhaps death would be the merciful outcome, in the end – although, he had a feeling Bill wouldn’t let him die that easily.
The latter piped up again, as the tap closed, the ambient sound of water filling the tub stopping.
“Clothes off!”
The young man bit the inside of his cheek, and his eyes instinctively moved to the camera. The red diode was almost taunting him. He gulped down.
“Can… Can you turn it off?” He asked.
“Is Pine Tree feeling shy?” The triangle cooed, his eyelid creasing into a smile. “I’ve seen your naked body plenty of times before! In fact, I made it!” There was a chuckle, then the tone turned belittling. “But don’t worry! If it makes you feel better, I can close my eye!” And, on cue, the avatar did just that – but the camera stayed turned on, still fixated on him.
The human grimaced, a new sense of dread blooming inside him.
“... Please?” He asked again, desperate for another answer – for a way out of this.
“I have my eye closed, Pine Tree!” Bill replied playfully. “There isn’t much more I can do, I’m afraid!”
The young man shut his eyes. He just… He just wanted privacy. Why was it so much to ask for? Why couldn’t he be granted one piece of relief, just a little bit of it? But there was just no way out – no way out of this.
Left with no other option, he turned away from the camera, and began undressing. It felt wrong, so wrong – which, well… Was weird, considering an AI probably didn’t care all that much for the concept of nakedness, but it still bothered him. Given how he had been treated up to this point, he felt justified.
As the underwear came off, he covered his private parts.
“Ahaha! Isn’t that cute!” Bill cackled. The other tried to ignore him, and stepped into the tub. The water was a little too hot, but he didn’t want to receive another comment, so he pushed through it. As he sat, he kept his eyes down, not really wishing to meet Bill’s eye, whether that was the metaphorical or physical one. Instead, he looked around, quickly spotting the bottles of soap and shampoo – all white, of course. Once he was sure Bill couldn’t see his crotch from that position, he reached for the soap, and put some on his other hand.
Why was everything white? He pushed the thought away – he wasn’t sure the triangle would give him an honest answer and… He didn’t really have the mental strength to insist. At least, well… The warm water felt nice, and… He knew what he looked like now.
‘Dipper’, the word came back to him as he mechanically began rubbing the soap on his body. Maybe he didn’t have any kind of autonomy, but he could still make the choice to feel a little more human. The AI might call him ‘Pine Tree’, but he… He could do something different.
Dipper stared into space. Yes. Yes, he liked it much better.
He closed his eyes, letting out a shaky sigh. Things would improve at some point, right?
He would find a way out – he didn’t know how long that would take, but he promised himself he would do everything to attain freedom – no matter what. Dipper would get out of here eventually.
That, or he would die trying.