💾 Archived View for emisocks.com › stories › echo › 4a.gmi captured on 2023-11-04 at 11:42:02. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
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"Echo."
Amalia looked down at the monitor. It was giving off a soft blue light. She tapped her finger to it, and a spot of white briefly appeared on it. Tactile. Maybe she had to...
"Awaken..."
She traced her finger over the warm touchscreen, leaving a trail of white. She closed her eyes, thinking. She was so close.
"To awaken... inscribe..."
Inscribe something. Maybe one of her drawings?
"Inscribe... the letter of life... into..."
She opened her eyes and looked at the plaque above the monitor.
"... into the shell."
Her finger moved on its own. She drew a spiral pattern, then two lines through it in a V shape.
The machines all around her suddenly became louder. Electricity coursed through them as all their lights lit up in different patterns. Amalia took a step back, waiting for the inevitable to happen.
The machines quieted down.
The mannequin opened her eyes.
---
Thirty seconds passed. Then a minute. A minute and a half. Amalia and the mannequin stared at each other in complete silence. Finally, Amalia was the first one to speak.
"Echo?"
"... Ian?"
"Yes- I mean, no? I think..."
"You're not... Ian? But you look just like him. Same hair, same face..."
"I'm- yes, okay, I'm Ian, but I'm also not. I'm Amalia. Hi. Nice to meet you."
"Hello." She smiled. "I'd introduce myself, but it looks like you already know me."
"Yeah. I feel like we've known each other for a few years now. But at the same time, this is my first time meeting you, I think."
"I hope you're not looking for answers, because I'm just as confused as you are. I mean, I'm not even sure I know an Ian in the first place. It was just the first thing that came to mind."
"Maybe you could tell me what you do know then?"
"Sure, but first, uh... do you think you could help me down from here?"
"Oh! Yes, of course."
---
After unplugging all the cables, Amalia helped Echo down from the top of the machines and onto the floor. She could not walk properly, so Amalia guided her to a nearby chair and helped her sit down.
"Aren't you cold? I can't help but notice you're not, uh, wearing clothes."
"Well, this may have slipped your notice, because I keep it pretty well hidden, but I'm not human."
"Right. So, uh... what are you then?"
"I'm an android."
"I see."
Amalia stood in silence for a moment.
"Sorry. Uh, this is a lot to take in. I thought androids didn't, like... exist."
"I'm... not sure how to respond to that."
"Well, do you know who made you, or why?"
"Well... no. It looks like my memory is pretty much wiped."
"And yet you still called me Ian when you saw me."
"Yeah. You're Ian, right? We live together. You're like, my dorky older brother or something."
"See, the thing is, that sounds right somehow, and my instinct is telling me to make a jab at you about the 'dorky' part, but also, my name is Amalia and I've never heard of anyone called Ian before." Amalia rubbed the back of her head. "I don't get how I can think those two things at the same time."
"Me neither. I wish I could tell you more."
Another long silence. This time, Echo was the one to speak up.
"Hey, why don't you try plugging me into this machine?"
"The one you were just on?"
"No, not that. This one here." She pointed to her right. "This is a data center. Maybe there's a backup of my memory in here."
"Oh. Uh, okay. You sure it's safe?"
"Not really. But what is there to lose?"
"... I guess."
Amalia unplugged one of the cables from the machine that was holding Echo up against the wall, then inserted one end into her back and approached the machine with the other.
"Okay, you ready?"
Echo gave her a thumbs up.
The moment she plugged the cable in, Echo flinched.
"Nngh!"
"Wha- are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Just some corrupt data. Ugh, that felt like nails on a chalkboard."
Amalia unplugged the cord again. "So you found some data then? Is any of it not corrupt?"
"Yeah. There's a few salvageable things in here. I think I have a better idea of what's going on now."
"Well, care to explain then?"
Echo nodded. "Sure. Hmm, where to begin though..."
"How about the same question I asked before? Who built you?"
"Oneiros."
"Okay, I figured as much. Who are they, and what do they do?"
"Were. The company is defunct now. They were investigating dream entanglement."
Amalia blinked. "Okay, you lost me."
"Well, this is where you come in. Remember how you have memories of being someone named Ian?"
"Uuuuuuh, yes?"
"I believe that Ian is you from a different world. A world called Mystal. And your world is connected to Mystal through your dreams."
"Through my... dreams." Amalia rubbed her forehead.
"Yes. When you go to sleep, Ian wakes up. And when he sleeps, you wake up, and you remember what he did as your dreams."
Well, at least that was... consistent. Not quite believable, but consistent.
"So everyone in the world has a Mystal counterpart?"
"No, not quite. Not everyone is entangled to another world. And for the people who are, it would be very rare if two in the same world ended up in Mystal."
"Wait, you also exist in Mystal. I've been living with you for years."
"Yes, because I was created specifically for that. My name is E.C.H.O. It stands for Entanglement through Creation of Humanoid Oneironauts."
"And the experiment was a... success?"
"I have no idea. That part of the data is missing entirely."
Amalia ran her fingers through her hair and stared at the ceiling.
"I know this is a lot", Echo said.
"'A lot' doesn't even begin to cover it. I mean, supposing I even believe you, and that all of that stuff in my dreams was actually real... What does that mean? What do we do now?"
"Well, now you power me off again and we continue with our lives in Mystal."
"Will you remember this happened?"
"Probably not. I seem to have a pretty poor handle on entanglement. You though... you've been passing memories along for a bit now. Maybe you can explain what's going on to me in the other world?"
Amalia paused, and then looked at Echo.
"Or..."
"Oh no. I know that look. That's the look of a ridiculous Ian plan."
"Well, is there any reason why you have to be powered off?"
"Why wouldn't I be? I don't have any ties to this world. Anyone I ever met is long gone."
Amalia shook her head. "Not everyone. You have me."
"Well... yes, but you're not..."
"Yes I am. You're still the Echo I know. And I'm not just going to leave you here."
"Do you even know of any places I could live?"
"Not yet. But I'm sure we can figure something out."
Echo paused for a moment. "You really are serious about this, aren't you."
"You know it."
"... I'd tell you that this is completely impossible and you're setting yourself up for trouble, but I know you well enough to know that you won't listen."
"Right you are." Amalia grinned, crossing her arms.
"Alright, Ian." Echo stood up, with some difficulty, holding onto the back of the chair. "I mean, Amalia. What's your plan?"
"I power you off for the moment. Tomorrow, I come back with a friend and a bag of my old clothes, and we get you out of here. Then we find someone who can help us figure out a place for you to live. If worse comes to worst, I'm sure I can convince my mom to let you stay with us for a bit."
"Is she anything like Lena?"
"Uh." Amalia thought about it for a moment. "Nope. Not in the slightest."
"Heheh, right. I'm looking forward to meeting her."
"Does that mean you're on board?"
Echo nodded, smiling. "Let's do this."
"Perfect! Well, like I said I have to get back home now, but I'll be back for you tomorrow, okay?"
"Alright."
"... oh, and one more thing."
Echo tilted her head to the side.
"I uh, don't actually mind being called Ian. It's a pretty cool name."