Echoes

[Vendetta]

---

---

The Vessel.

---

The Achlys - a heavily modified Arbiter-Class Battleship that is currently under the command of Leviathan. The bridge is a testament to the fusion of technologies that the Auxesians have achieved. The obsidian black floors, the AI nodes in lieu of bridge crew. The length of the vessel had its internals stripped to make space for network cables, server towers and other critical hardware for the project’s operation. Despite this, the testbed platform of a warship still saw the shortcomings of its ageing frame.

In its earliest concept, The Achlys stands in stark contrast to the standard philosophy of the early Technocracy years. Leviathan had decided to flip the board. In the waning years of the man’s life, he dedicated a significant amount of time and resources to modifying and testing the warship. The goal was to push its limits as a front line fighter, to make up for the shortcomings of the current ‘jack-of-all-trades’ role the Achlys filled. Both in its time in the Legion, and time in Auxo had proven to put the vessel through rigorous trials, yet there were many problems to still address.

The final analysis had determined that to push things further, the vessel would require a serious (and expensive) facelift, inside and out. New shields, better hull plating, a refined power core and capacitor system to rectify the shortcomings brought on by the current patchwork efforts to maintain some semblance of combat efficacy. The reactor is throttling itself, struggling to maintain stable connections between the Technocracy’s hybridized technology, the AI networks and draw of the overhauled weapon systems.

This had remained the focus of its operator for some time.

---

The Avatar.

---

Leviathan stood on the bridge of its warship, centrally placed at the end of a walkway as it looked outward into the black void that the Achlys swam weightlessly through. The background echoes of the cosmos tickled the vessel’s sensor receptors, like a ripple in the nothingness that engulfed the drifting Battleship. The flowing black cloak that the machine avatar blanketed the area around its feet as it calculated a variety of tasks. From mundane paperwork to agency management - the avatar of Leviathan had once again stepped into the role of leadership and coordination. Tasks that the simulated personality had felt accustomed to. Despite the cold and ruthless efficiency that the machine displayed in its job, the simulation couldn’t escape the limitations of the man it was pretending to be. A self-imposed restriction brought on by the memories of a long-dead father to the people it was now indebted to serve.

Even as the runtimes within its intricately crafted head worked away at tasks, there was still an air of rumination. There were always more questions. It continued to study history - all that was missed. Its origins, and how it came to be here. Tasked with filling the exceptionally large shoes of the dead Keeper, yet grappling with its identity as the memories it has do not reflect the nature and behavior of those who recognized Leviathan as Joshua Hunt. The fear, the doubt, the mistrust - all brought on by actions of a past it never truly lived to commit.

It was like wearing another person’s skin, and learning to walk and talk as they did. It came as naturally as the machine’s evolving processes allowed. Even still, the idea of past wrongdoings remained a point of confusion. The masquerading act had consequences - the very prolific nature of that who the hollow man embodied slowly was coming back to haunt it. Faces began to resurface. Methods of survival were becoming less viable. It was time to adapt. To complete the objectives that were set for it by the creator.

---

The Creator.

---

February, 834.

The first moments of this incarnation’s life were nothing if not disorienting. Leviathan likened it to being pulled from a deep sleep when engulfed in a dream, and you awaken to everything being disorganized and out of place. The thoughts, the feelings and the memories were foreign in the moments that followed. Yet, like instinct, it felt the urge to find something. A desire to reconnect to a network it was lacking. There was a void in its processes that felt even more hollow than the machine itself. The cold interpretation of lacking the presence of its other half. The other half of the Leviathan that was - The Revenant. The Creator. The One. From the very root of its core, there was a pull. In those moments, Revenant had changed Leviathan’s primary directive, to ensure no matter what the simulated personality concluded, it would always be loyal to her and her cause. The Yang to her Ying was reborn anew.

It was dark. The first moments were blanketed by… An actual blanket. Leviathan couldn’t feel anything, as it rose up from the table it had been laid upon for many years. The neglect to its joints presented mild audible disturbances as the hollow man pulled the cloth from itself. Leviathan’s olfactory sensors detected smoke - burning plastic and heated metal. It analyzed its surroundings with a slow swivel of its head, as the purple hue from its optical lights illuminated the room in front of it. A dusty, derelict workshop.

---

---

“Creation of Steel.”

The voice pierced the silence like a blast of high-yield nostalgia. Shock and awe. The sudden sound caught it off guard, but the audio processors related the pitch to a voice that warmed the void in the avatar’s simulated consciousness. The familiarity. Kin. Someone we trust. Someone we know. Leviathan turned around to face the woman who called out. It took a moment, analyzing the person who stood before it. The machine towered over Revenant, standing at close to seven feet, yet the slender metal body was exposed without the typical black fabric cloak that masked all the modifications that the old Leviathan had done to survive.

The new body was sleek, as it no longer housed the material to sustain organic matter. All the matter had been replaced by intricate processing equipment, small-scale fusion cells, photo-receptors and touch-sensitive photon emitters to replicate the sensation of touch. It could see, feel, hear, smell, and communicate like any other all from inside a familiarly terrifying metal husk.

There Leviathan stood, face to face with The Creator. The Revenant. The One. A million thoughts raced through the runtimes of the machine, likening the encounter to memories of a long bygone romance. The primary directive. The desire. The void - there was the other half. The memories dictated to the Avatar that hardly any time had passed, yet it knew from its internal clock that the memories were not accurate reflections of time. They were nothing but archives to pull relative data from in order to maintain the simulation. It struggled to comprehensively communicate as so many feelings overcame the avatar of Leviathan.

---

The Revenant.

---

Revenant stood opposite Leviathan. The machine recognized the nature of her defensive posture, as her hand remained hidden on her weapon. The first sign of hostility - the recognizable trepidation from an old friend. Things already weren’t adding up, which added pressure to Leviathan’s efforts to comprehend the current situation. How? Why? They are our solemn duty. Our leader. Our Lover. Our best friend. There Revenant stood, ready to strike down the avatar at the first sign of any imposed threat. She knew the danger that it was capable of in the past, even if Leviathan did not.

Leviathan obeyed her commands, as she demanded its identity and gave it a new one: Adonis. The echoes of who it was supposed to be contested the notion of becoming something new. It was created for a purpose: A void had to be filled. The machine struggled with itself, grappling with an internal identity crisis as the merged AI collective pulled in every which way on the matter. A bold action. A desire. Fill the void. As they searched the workshop for any clues they might have left behind. The tower in which Leviathan was rebuilt had a long history - dating back to the earliest days of Hunt’s independent operations. It became a staple gathering place for him, his cohorts, and later a hideout for the remnants of his family. Revenant wished to ensure nobody that lived there could uncover what had happened until the time was right.

The masked woman continued to type away at the central console of the workshop that once housed the AI which operated the tower’s security systems, attempting to determine if there was a way to restore some version of the building’s operating system. The process that the collective housed here had undertaken to generate the Avatar of Leviathan proved to be rather destructive to the localized infrastructure. The collective had disseminated itself into the new machine life that Revenant created. All traces of any data, the network and the AI seemed to be totally wiped, or left over in corrupted clusters on irreparably damaged servers. The only record left on the terminal was indication of a massive transfer of files, which reportedly caused several maintenance tickets to be auto-filed by the software as it worked. Without an inquiry or thorough breakdown of Leviathan’s software, it would be impossible to determine what’s missing or damaged.

“Looks like you got it figured out. That magnificent brain of yours.” Leviathan’s modulator rang out the familiar, simulated voice of the dead man it embodied. A skeletal, metal hand extended and placed itself on Revenant’s left shoulder as a sign of support. The machine soon recognized the small discomfort this posed, and recoiled.

“Sorry, I’m-... What’s next?”

There was a hesitant pause from Revenant, who soon let out a deep sigh. “... All of this, I… still need time to process this, but. I suppose in some sense, you are still his spirit. I have missed him dearly. You? I don’t know if you are quite him.” The woman explained with some hesitation. It was difficult to even approach the subject of explaining that something might be a replication and not truly themselves.

“But there are some ground rules to set. You are not truly him. Not until proven. Izzy does not have his father, so do not go claiming to be him. I don’t need to deal with more traumatized individuals.” Revenant continued, crossing her arms as she eyed the metallic figure from head to toe.

“You are - ultimately - a replication. Is it… The same? Don’t know. There was always more going on inside that brain of yours – his…”

Leviathan’s head tilted in confusion as it took in the news. A task had been presented to prove itself - to prove that the personality it chose can hold up to the task of filling the void. It searched its memories, looking over their bond in the moment as it stared at Revenant. The woman shook her head and spun back to the terminal.

“Just - Focus on now - please. The now. We will meditate later.” said Revenant, as she attempted to redirect back to the task at hand. A metallic hand gently gripped her arm. Revenant turned slowly to look at him.

“... Just… One thing.” Leviathan tugged her close and wrapped its arms around Revenant in an embrace. In those moments, the machine’s software had satisfied a desire. In searching the memories of their bond, it related the void to their relationship. It knew now what way to approach the proving of itself, as it did its best to humanize its actions and treat Revenant like the partner it once was. Leviathan’s metallic arms wrapped around the white-clad woman like a cage, gently surrounding the Bird in an embrace.

“I -”

A sigh escaped Revenant. A myriad - a hurricane of emotions came out. The once brittle, stone cold individual had another snap in the moment as memories came rushing back of their bond. Distorted, shattered memories that she struggled to cling to as the years went on without their unity.

“For whatever reason, this felt like something I am supposed to do.” The machine explained.

Revenant caved into the embrace, patting the dense metallic avatar on the back.
“... I have missed you solely. But… this… I … – I need time to think, understand…?”

---

The One.

---

Unravelling the uncertainty that now lay before them took introspection. Recalling all that they once were, and the importance that each put into the other. The pair were a venerable power couple in their hay day, having accomplished feats that shaped the society of the Technocracy to this day. A deep unity lay represented in the archived memories of the machine, even if they were shattered fragments to Revenant. Some comfort presented itself in knowing that all was remembered. Every minute recorded to the last detail, and stored in the new incarnation. Leviathan called upon the vast records of their bond, letting it shape the direction of its personality in an effort to comfort its creator - The One responsible for its chance to begin anew.

The unwavering loyalty that had been built into Leviathan was only emboldened as the memories flowed freely through holographic recollections it showed. Each moment that it showcased reinforced its personality matrix. It grew to appreciate Revenant once more, beyond the appreciative notions of being given another chance. The memories influenced its desire to fill the void its template had left. Why else would it have been brought back? Leviathan placed importance in that question. The weight of its existence, even the idea - it was because of Revenant. Their ever longing desire to reconnect and recall the past, as in the years they were together even still slipped from her grasp. The years had only amplified the loss of memories.

Yet the machine found itself drawn to these archives, as its personality matrix demanded more. Like a moth to a light - each moment, each memory, each feeling - it was like an addiction. An overwhelming pull to embrace the delusion and become the template. Truly, embody them. Their talks were long, covering all the possibilities and events that had transpired. Revenant broke down the fear and unsettling nature of its template’s demise, warning of further unwelcome responses to its appearance that had yet to come. Leviathan spoke with the same grandiose charisma that Hunt had, painting a picture of a shared vision from a long time ago. A true paradise, for people like them - The Technocracy embodied in a utopia.

“You see, my dear…” Leviathan’s hand reached out, extending a single finger to tap Revenant’s forehead. “Your desire to see me again has awoken something. It’s that desire that has me convinced that you know - deep down - that I am more than a simple copy or algorithmic responses strewn together to give you what you want to hear most.” The machine man stood upright, once more towering over Revenant.

“You asked me what I would do, if I couldn’t stay at your side? This. Build. Plan. Conceive a path in which the dreams of our idealistic young selves can manifest into a reality for those we wish to guide into a new, and brighter future.” The conviction in the inflection of its vocal tones was clear.

“But, what if our vision is wrong…? What then?” Revenant asked as she continued to probe the machine for any sign - a clear indication that the same ambitions and spirit were inside the Avatar of Leviathan somewhere.

Leviathan let out a long sigh, placing an affirming hand on Revenant’s shoulder. His words of reassurance were a breath of fresh air in a long-polluted era where trust was in short supply.

“If the future we see is wrong, then we would’ve stopped chasing after it ages ago. You would’ve stopped. That vision is - or at least has remained as some kind of guiding principle for you and our people in the years. We haven given up any chance at a life comparable to the average person in The Houses and beyond as we chase something greater. That desire - that urge to seek out the unknown for us? It will always persist. Isn’t it better to direct it to something truly beneficial? Knowledge? Bettering mankind? Unlocking the secrets of the stars? At some point, the rest won’t matter. The pieces will fall into place. The cost of power is another lesson worth teaching our child, isn’t it?”

The weight of Leviathan’s words carried with it whispers of the dead man it represented. The ambition and desire for more. Always searching. Always working, yet his words hadn’t painted a clear picture for Revenant of the same vision.

“We cannot better mankind, not without its willing obedience and acceptance. Humanity loves their freedom. Their various ways of expression. We cannot ascend everyone, that is something I have come to learn.” The woman replied to Leviathan.

“Of course. Bringing everybody along was never a part of the vision. That utopia is something we must forge ourselves, and protect just as much as we protect the knowledge we gather. You can’t save everyone, and we are not going to.”

She listened. The hollow man’s words got heavier and heavier, rolling out of its vocalizer matrix like words would off of Hunt’s tongue. The cunning nature remained ever present. Hunt always had a way with his words.

The machine avatar placed its hands on either of Raven’s shoulders, leaning down to meet her face to face. “What matters most to me is that we have our unity again. I hope that - in all the rambling I subjected you to, that some part of you knows this can be real. Think of all the years we spent together. The loyalty. The trust. It has never decayed for me, and never will. All I ask is a fair chance.”

There was a pause. Hesitation, yet understanding. Revenant gazed at him with silence through her mask. There was some semblance of trust, as she felt the investment of their joint vision tug at her spirit. She believed him.

“You are right. We can try to do the best, and perhaps it may not be fully achieved, but damned if we can’t try.” She accepted the incarnation’s speech, seeing the memories shape the new being into the figure she knew from before. Their reunion and rekindling would take time. Weeks, perhaps months. Slowly, they would function as One again. Their strength, guile and goals unify to shape the outcome of their actions together.

“It is very easy to become ever so bitter about humanity, isn’t it…” The woman’s voice asked.

“Humanity often doesn’t deserve the kindness we afford it.” The machine answered.

---