AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“...This wasn’t what he wanted.”
Pan’s voice brutally took her back to where they were. Eden realized she was crying, already shaken up by the devastation outside. She rubbed her cheeks, well aware her tears were probably pouring out in the real world as well.
“Dad didn’t do this,” she muttered.
“That’s not for us to decide anymore,” sighed her brother. “...But, there is one last thing I have to show you. It’s important.”
The scene changed again around them. They were brought back to her dad’s office. This place was now almost familiar to her, but to Eden’s surprise, this particular scene was even more so.
It was the one she had seen in the archives, exactly the same scene this time. Her father, facing a computer, with his baby girl in his arms. She had wondered who he was speaking to, but now, she could see his face on the screen he was facing. Eden frowned, and approached. Pan resumed the video for her to hear what was happening.
She heard her father nervously cough a couple of times, adjust his position, and clear his throat again.
“Hello, Eden,” he finally said, with a clearer voice than she had thought. “It’s, uh... W-well, it’s Dad. Ah, I am not going to be really good at this... Ah, that’s you. See? You’re just a baby right now. You’re very small. You’re only two days old. Quite a sleeper too! I envy you that...”
His eyes went down to the baby in his arms, immediately softening up. He smiled at her and scratched his beard, clearly nervous again. She even saw him wipe his palm’s sweat on his shirt before putting his hand around his baby again and looking back at the screen, or more precisely, at the camera filming him.
“I wonder how old you will be when you watch this. I hope you’re not too disappointed... I-I am not a very smart man. I mean, I build things, but... being a dad is so much more complicated than codes and physics. There’s no formula for that...”
He scratched the curls of his hair, visibly a little embarrassed. It was a bit funny to watch this. She had always known he was a very smart and respected man, but seeing him like this, the Architect looked like any awkward new parent... He kept nervously moving his hand that wasn’t holding her, scratching his hair or messy beard, wiping his sweat again and holding her gently, his palm on her tummy or grabbing her little feet for no reason.
“See, this is... the last time I will be holding you like this,” he finally said with a sad smile. “After this, I will hide you and your mom, for your security. I don’t want to send you away, but... as your dad, I have made this decision. I hope... you will understand. I have made mistakes, you see. I told you, your dad is not so smart... but I do hope to set them straight. Meanwhile, Prometheus will watch over you. He is your older brother, you see! I-I would like to say I saved him, but... I think it would be more accurate to say we saved each other. I created him while saving who should have been my son... I was also hoping to find a way to make a computer with the feelings of a human, and so far, he is doing well. I just hoped the machines we use could know what it’s like... I don’t know. I thought that perhaps if they were more human, we humans would be less heartless in response...”
He sighed, and leaned back, his eyes automatically drifting back to his baby girl. Eden had rarely interacted with children or newborns, so she was a bit shocked at how small she was... did he say two days old? Wasn’t she small, even for a newborn? …She couldn’t say. At least, she was at an age at which she wouldn’t remember this; her father had sent her and her mom away to hide before she could remember him at all...
“You know, Prometheus is very interested in you, my Eden. I think he doesn’t understand it yet, but he loves you. And he’ll watch over you, always. He’s just a screen away. Your big brother will be there, and I hope you two will get to grow together... so that, even in the future, without me, you will never truly be alone, my daughter.”
He smiled and leaned forward.
“See, you were born from me and your mother, but out there, so many people are waiting to meet you. You will see.” He nodded. “I have never seen anything as fascinating as human connections... I sincerely wish you will grow to meet so many people, my Eden. Right now, we might be locked in tiny bubbles, but I want to show you there are a lot more people out there. We can never truly be alone on this planet. You will never be alone, my Eden. Even if you’re not with me...”
He took a deep breath and turned to his baby again. He sighed, and gently, put his forehead against her, making baby Eden whine a bit in her sleep. He leaned back, staring at her again, before turning back to the camera.
“...This is my goodbye, but this world out there is here for you, Eden. Don’t stay alone. Go out there, meet a lot of people. I promise you’ll find humans so amazing, you’ll find others you can love, and be loved. I’m sure you’ll be alright. I will make this whole world safer for you. Better for you, and kinder. …I love you, my Eden. Your dad loves you.”
The video recording stopped abruptly, along with the sound, making Eden notice how much she was crying. Embarrassed, she rubbed her cheeks, before realizing she was still in the Dark Reality, and probably crying anyway in the real world; she tried to breathe in and out and turned to Pan.
“Th-thank you for showing me this,” she said.
“I knew you’d be happy to see it,” he smiled, tilting his head. “...And I’m sorry you didn’t get much time with Dad.”
“So... he knew?”
Pan nodded.
“After what had happened to me, he and Mother had figured out that the Core might try to use you... Not only that, but it had already been a few years since my birth and the new Core, and as time passed, Father was getting more and more upset with what the Core’s leaders were doing. He was arguing more and more with them every day, about all sorts of things they wanted to do, both to the people and to the System. He was outraged by the Suburbs and the way they handled the citizens too: the harsh treatment of prisoners, and the heavy surveillance placed everywhere inside the Core. He strongly opposed the use of orphans for scientific experiments... He knew things would reach a breaking point. So, he and Mother had devised a plan, even before you were born. He prepared that special SIN, just for you, as extra security, so they wouldn’t ever be able to kick you off the System... In other words, they’d never be able to fully cut you off from me.”
“So you could watch me...”
“Exactly,” nodded Pan. “After that video... During the night, Dad sent you and Mother away. We staged a fire and pretended you were both killed in that fire. Father even burned himself to make it all more believable, while you and Mother were rehomed under different identities, still inside the Core, but farther away from here, close to the border with the Suburbs. I don’t know if they believed Dad, but it didn’t really matter. He was arrested just months after, under a bundle of accusations the Core had made against him. If anything happened, Mother had to run to the Suburbs and hide, but as you already know, sadly, when that happened a few years later, she didn’t make it... Father couldn’t create a different SIN for her like he had done for you, because you were a newborn. So, she was captured almost too easily by the Core as soon as she tried to flee to the Suburbs with you.”
Eden could only nod, a bit bitter. Finally, the puzzle of the tragedy that had affected her family was falling into place. Why she had never met her father. Her double SIN. Her failed attempt to flee with her mother, and finally, Pan... Despite how sad this all was to hear, a part of her was finding a strange relief in learning all this. As if she could find some closure for her past and put all of her nostalgic but unresolved feelings to rest.
“Thank you, Pan... No, Prometheus,” she chuckled.
“I think I like it better when you call me Pan,” he said with a joyous expression. “...I know the situation isn’t ideal for it, but I am happy you finally know it all... and we got to properly meet too.”
Eden could understand his joy, but unlike her brother, she had to go back to the real world soon and deal with the harsh reality of it. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself; that was indeed a lot all at once...
