FicWad

Immortal

Prologue

"Sigh, another dreary day" I thought as I walked mindlessly towards the meeting place. I had been contacted by an old aquantence asking if I was still in need of a job. It was annoying that he thought that way, since we hadn't spoken or seen each other in over a decade, but he wasn't wrong. When I asked him for details, he told me it wasn't safe to talk over unencrypted channels, but he did give me a meeting place and time.

That place was an old warehouse on the outskirts of the city, seemingly abandoned for decades. I'm not a fool, I did my research on it before I went. It was an old storage site for steel, ammunition, and furniture for various companies in the 1950's. These companies paid a premium for the space, since the city was still growing, and it was the largest warehouse available at the time. But something happened between the years of 1970 - 1980 that caused the warehouse to be shutdown and closed off by Government order. The only details about it that I could gather suggested a murder had been committed there, and the site was closed pending investigation. No followup was ever recorded.

Whilst it might seem strange to people today, this type of thing was a relatively common occurence back then. We didn't have CCTV, and DNA testing was unheard of, so investigations usually stalled or became cold cases. Jack the Ripper probably would've been caught in a week if he committed those atrocities today.

As I approached the seemingly rundown warehouse, I took note of the scenery. Going by the old photos, this place used to be abundant with buildings and foot traffic, however, now it's all just an empty field with a single foreboding warehouse in the middle, not a single other building for miles. It's rather unsettling really.

As I stood outside the warehouse, a single guard approached from the doorway, no doubt here just to keep vandals away from the ancient crime scene, and to stop people from getting hurt if the roof collapsed or something.

"Please state your name." the guard said. Strange, why would he be asking for my name? Better respond.

"Yuuto Nakayama" I replied, briefly considering if I should continue on and explain why I'm here. Would he even believe me if I told him?

"Ah, we've been expecting you. Here's your ID, please make sure to wear it at all times within the facility. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action and termination"
Termination? As in being fired, right? Obviously, what else could he mean? But there was something strange about the way he said it. Now that I'm closer, I can see he's got a firearm on him, a handgun I think. I guess considering it's meant to be a crime scene, it's to be expected.

I took the ID from the guard, surprisingly it already had an up to date picture of me, from my drivers licence? But how did they get that? It was attatched to a lanyard, so I promptly put it around my neck "Thanks, uh, where do I go now?"
"Use your ID on that panel over by the door and talk to reception, they'll guide you from there." Reception? ID panel? Just what the hell is this facility anyway? It looks old and abandoned from the outside, but there's some modern tech installed. "Thanks, well, enjoy your day" I moved past the guard and held my ID up to the scanner. As I did, a click could be heard, and the door in front of me opened. An automatic door? Things are getting strange by the minute.

I promtply walked through the door and was greeted with something I really didn't expect. It wasn't an old rundown warehouse, this looked more like the inside of a hospital or an upper echelon government building. The walls were pristine white, fluro lights above, air conditioned, and plants adorning the 'welcome' area.

"Hello, you must be Yuuto Nakayama, correct? I see you've received your ID" A voice called out from behind a desk, this must be the receptionist. She already had my details on screen? Then that means this building must also have its own servers or internet. It took me a moment to respond, catching myself in my own stupor "Ah yes, that's correct. I was told to meet Ren Yamaguchi here".

"Certainly. Professor Ren is currently in a meeting, so if you'd like to take a seat I'll let him know you've arrived. Can I offer you any refreshments?" The girl asked. She was extremely polite, not something I'm used to "Ah, just a water if possible, thanks" "Certainly, one moment please" she moved to press something, and a few seconds later a person appeared in front of me carrying a glass of water. The person was wearing a maid outfit, like the ones you see at a maid cafe, her smile was brilliant, obviously well practiced. The glow in her eyes-- wait, glow in her eyes?

"Umm.. pardon me for my rudeness.. but your eyes are glowing?" I asked as I took the water from her. I didn't want to come off rude, but I couldn't help it. What type of person has glowing eyes? I waited for a reply from the girl, but instead it came from the receptionist "Oh, she isn't human. She's one of the 3rd generation Androids we've developed, one of the Maid line. They're still in testing phase, and aren't widely known to the public."

An android? 3rd generation? Maid line? Does that mean there are more, and with different roles? Curiosity got the better of me "Android? You mean they're actually real? And there's different types?" I wanted to get a better understanding of this, but I was immediately shot down by a 3rd voice "Sorry, that's classified. Until you sign the NDA that is. It's been a long time Yuuto, glad you could make it" It was Ren Yamaguchi, my childhood friend that I haven't seen in a decade. His hair was unkempt, like he'd just woken up, stuble on his chin. He was wearing a white lab coat, unbuttoned, and showing off a t-shirt of some band I'd never heard of. Wearing gray shorts and some no-name brand sneakers. For a facility seemingly high class as this, he was awfully casual, and looked like he didn't belong.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, please, follow me" Straight to it I guess. I followed along and made some small talk "So, it's been a while, how have you been?" I asked. "Good, all things considered" Ren's reply was short and sweet. This isn't like the Ren I knew, he would usually go off on a tangent with unnecessary details. But I guess considering he mentioned an NDA, that might be all he can spare.
"So, what is this place?" Trying to keep the small talk going was obviously not going to work, so I decided to be more direct in my questioning. "This facility is a research lab funded by the World." A research lab huh? I guess it makes sense, it's out of the way and is inconspicuous enough to be glossed over by.. wait, what was that last bit? "Funded by the world? Don't you mean the Government?"

"No." That was the only answer I got, and he refused to elaborate. A research lab funded by the World? The actual world? Like, all the Governments combined? Just what the hell kind of research goes on in here? Before I could ask any more questions, we arrived at a small office.

"Please, take a seat, we just need to go over some documents and then I can answer your questions and show you the facility." Documents huh? This must be the NDA he mentioned. Very well, I took a seat at the table, and Ren took one opposite me, before handing me a stack of papers. This would take me FOREVER to read, what the hell is in this?

"Daunting, isn't it? I don't expect you to read it, so I'll just give you the cliffnotes version. This facility is a research lab funded by the World. The moment you spoke to the guard outside, you've been monitored and a psychological profile of you has been made. You were also bound by an unspoken confidentiality agreement, and if you were to have made any moves that could've been seen as hostile, you would have been terminated on the spot."
WHAT!? What do you mean I've been monitored!? Psychological profile!? TERMINATED!? Just what the hell have I gotten myself into!?

"Now that's out of the way, onto the actual NDA. By agreeing to work here, you will be bound by a Non Disclosure Agreement, and be prevented from mentioning anything about the work or research you do to anyone on the outside. To ensure this, you've already been served a helping of nanites that will prevent you from doing so. You really shouldn't have asked for those refreshments, I made the same mistake."

Nanites? Those things from science fiction movies that can do basically anything and are smaller than blood cells? Oh man, I'm in it deep here
"Simply sign your name at the bottom, and a whole new world will open for you. You can still refuse, the nanites inside you will simply knock you unconscious and rewrite your memories, so it would seem you never got out of bed this morning. The choice is yours."

Choice? Like I really have any.. if I don't sign this, I go back to my old life, struggling to get out of bed every morning to look for jobs, in a city that doesn't care if I live or die, living off government handouts because of it, and my landlord takes 70% of that, bills the other 20%. I have nothing to my name anyway, and he knows this. I took the pen, and signed my name.

"Great! Now that's out of the way, I can tell you most of that was a lie" Dumbfounded at this, I couldn't help but yell "WHAT!? Whaddya mean 'most of it was a lie'? Which parts!?" Ren laughed at my surprise, obviously expecting it, before explaining "Do you really think we have nanites? We've only just had a breakthrough in realistic looking Androids, why would we have nanites? You're as gullible as you were back then, Yuuto!"

My jaw dropped. Of course, it makes sense, why would something completely out of science fiction be in this facility? Androids are believable, sure, they're just robots that look like people, tech companies have been working on them for decades now. God, I really am gullible.. but wait, what about the bit about waking up at home like nothing happened? "Alright, you got me.. but then what would you have done if I didn't accept, or made hostile moves?"

Ren's eyes darkened, the smile removed from his face. He was serious, any idiot could tell. "Unfortunately, the moment you accepted the ID, you had no other choice. If you had've refused to sign the NDA, armed guards would've entered this office and taken you to prison, where you'd either spend the rest of your life, or be forced to sign it. If you were to be hostile.. well, termination is exactly what you think. You wouldn't be the first.. and you won't be the last."

Speechless. I couldn't say anything. The look of sheer horror on my face was palpable. He'd kill me? Or have me locked up in some unknown prison to rot for the rest of my life? Holy shit, what the FUCK have I gotten myself into? I regret getting out of bed this morning.
"W-what is it that you do here?" I finally managed to stammer out. Ren got up and motioned for me to follow him "It's better if I show you, since you'll be in charge of this project." Me? In charge of something already? Did he trust me that much, or was something else going on? I followed Ren out into the corridor and into a lift. A screen popped up, and he scanned his ID, before inputting a floor number of -01. Negative 01? A sub level? Wait, this place has more than a few floors?

The lift started going down, and a voice came through the monitor "Now approaching sub-level Negative Zero One." As the doors opened, we were greeted with another long corridor. This one however was dimly lit, not at all like the facility above, and seemed to stretch on for miles. "Follow me" Ren ordered.

Surprisingly, the floor was automated, and it was quick to. Like those horizontal escalators you see at airports, only much faster. I had to grab the handrail just to keep my balance. After a few minutes of silence, watching the lights wizz past, we arrived at the end of the corridor, facing a large and imposing steel door. At least, I think it was steel, it didn't look like any steel I know of.

"Through this door is the subject you'll be in charge of. Your main duties will simply be monitoring the subject for any changes. If any are noted, you're to report them immediately, no matter how subtle. Well, shall we?"

Subject.. a person? An Android? An Animal? Alien? Catgirls? All these different possibilities running through my head of what this 'subject' could be.. but what the subject turned out to be, left me horrified beyond all belief.

As the door opened and we stepped through, the first thing I noticed was a girl with bright red hair, wrapped in chains and some weird glowing restraints. Captivated by what I saw, I moved closer, and saw the most horrifying thing I've ever witnessed..

This girl was also wrapped in some form of cloth that kept her bound, weird runes inscribed into the fabric. Spikes were skewering her arms, keeping them locked together. A facemask of some description bound her, and an eyepatch covered most of her face, leaving only a single shut eye exposed. Another spike was skewering her head, all the way from ear to ear. Was this girl even alive?

That's when I began to notice red dots on her. Lasers? For what? I followed the beam of one of them and found my answer.. guns. Lots of guns, trained on her. There had to be 50 of them, ranging from small calibre rifles, to gigantic chainguns. Why? What was all of this for? I didn't have to wonder long before my unspoken question was answered.

"This, is the subject you'll be observing. 001, Eve. This thing is considered to be nigh on immortal and virtually unstoppable. There are records of her existance going back further than any scholars have ever managed to dig up. She's even in the Bible, written as the Eve to Adam, the one who ate the apple and was kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Although, the Bible isn't a very good source to go on."

"Immortal? Unstoppable? How can she even be alive with all those.. things stabbing her?"
"Oh she's very much alive, trust me, we've tried to kill her multiple times. She's survived nuclear explosions, we even have the footage to prove it. She's virtually invulnerable to everything, except for the material those spikes are made out of. We're currently in the middle of reverse engineering the metal, but it's slow going. The Android you saw was a by-product of that research, as the metals we've made were durable enough to be put towards it, plus the AI we created to analyse it was able to be modified as well."

AI? Mysterious metal? This is just getting weirder by the second. "So, what, all I have to do is sit here and make sure she doesn't try to escape?"
"Ha! That's funny. She hasn't made a move since 1973, when she was finally pinned and captured. She's been in this sort of stasis ever since."
"How did you capture her? Didn't you say she survived nukes?"

"Oh, that.. Well, you've read how the Nazi's in WW2 were creating all sorts of weird shit yeah? Turns out, this girl was on their list of targets.. a priority so high that Hitler demanded she be caught at all costs, even if it meant sacrificing the entire European continent to do so. You could argue WW2 was started specifically to capture her. During the Russian occupation of Germany, these stakes, chains, and restraints were found in one of Hitlers inner research facilities. Although, the researchers and papers themselves were long gone by the time they got there. It was through a collaborative effort between the Soviets and America that she was able to be captured at all. Those nuclear tests ALWAYS had a target. Her."

This.. couldn't be real. How could it? Nazi scientists working on mysterious metals? And they knew about her before the rest of the world? They started WW2 just for her? This world has gone crazy.

"Ok.. well, back to my previous question then; my job is to just watch her and report anything, yeah?"

"That's correct. If you see any changes, let me know at once, ok?"
I looked back at her, and for a single moment, I saw something. Her eye was open, and it was glowing yellow. Taken aback I rubbed my eyes, and when I focused again, it was closed again. Noticing this, Ren asked "What's wrong? Did she move?"

"No, I thought I saw something, but it must've been my imagination. This is all a lot to take in, and I think the stress is causing me to see things that aren't there." For all I know that was the truth. Afterall, why now would she react? I'm not anything special.
"I see, yes I imagine so, I was the same. Well, let me know if anything changes, alright? This place is completely isolated, but you have everything you need. Internet, showers, meals served 3 times daily, bed, computers, games, movies, etc. You also get paid so don't worry about that. If you need anything else, just buzz the receptionist and I'll see what I can do yeah? And Yuuto.. thanks for accepting this offer."

"Yeah, no problem. See you later Ren." As Ren left the facility, the door closed behind him with an audible "thunk" followed by a hissing noise. I guess the room is completely sealed off now. I watched a monitor that displayed the hall outside as Ren left towards the elevator. This is my life now I guess. Feeling fatigued, I decided it'd be best to get some sleep. As I got up to move towards the shower, I got an eerie feeling I was being watched. Glancing over towards the girl thinking it was her, nothing had changed. Still the same way as when I arrived.. man, today has been strange.. time for some shut-eye.