Foors looked shocked at the messy-haired youngster carrying the gun that had just shot Suma. As his heart pounded, one question went through his mind.
"Uh-who are you?" He called out.
"My name is Deroga," the teen said, raking his hand over his messy brown hair. "Deroga Ko, but Deroga works well." His piercing brown eyes held a menacing but smug expression.
Foors' mind rushed to make sense of what had occurred as just a second ago he was almost left for dead by Suma.
"You...you were one of the experiments here too I assume?" he said nervously.
Deroga nodded and placed the gun in his pocket, leaving it dangling, "Yeah, me and some other kids. We were put here by corrupt scientists as an intellectual experiment. They were attempting to increase our intelligence before freezing us to serve as historical objects in the future. When the power went out just now, the pods that had been holding us captive deactivated, allowing me to escape. Now here I am," he said, bowing with his hands in his pockets.
"What about Suma?" Foors inquired, staring at the body.
"He awoke, too. Was in the pod directly next to me, but I never liked the guy."
Foors strained to remain awake as he posed another inquiry. He did not want this person to possibly attempt to murder him, either. "Why not?"
"Was too simple to beat; he couldn't even defeat stockfish, like most of the other people accepted into the experiment. He was always a little too angry for my liking" Deroga answered with a chuckle, rolling up his white long-sleeved shirt and cracking his knuckles.
This was not the talk Foors intended to have; he wanted to check on his sister, repair his leg, and return home. However, he couldn't take the chance because this individual may be harmful.
"When we awoke from our nap, Suma announced that he was going to attempt to rid of the invaders. I decided to secretly follow because it would be interesting to see what future humans or whatever broke in looked like," Deroga continued.
He went on to tell how as he followed Suma, he saw how he went to get some of the carbon rope, which was certainly an odd way to rid of intruders.
Suma then placed some items at the end of a corridor that would appear valuable from a distance and dimmed the lights after installing the carbon rope.
When Reza came down, she was so focused on getting the treasures that she didn't see why the corridor was dark or whether anyone survived.
"He didn't ask her any questions. Just started viciously and brutally beating her. So I knew I needed to stop him."
That's when Deroga admitted he had purposefully adjusted an exit sign directing Foors to the platform where he was currently. "I assumed you'd rush there to hide, and Suma would follow. That's when I shot him, right as he was ready to smash you against the fence.
Foors squeezed his eyes, filled with anguish for his sister. "Reza...she's really gone?"
Deroga nodded to show empathy, but it was evident that he didn't care. "I apologize." She did not make it. Suma made sure of it."
Deroga nodded to show empathy, but it was evident that he didn't care. "I apologize for your loss. She did not make it. Suma made sure of it."
Deroga eventually broke the stillness and suggested they carry on to find an escape.
Still dazed, Foors followed him along the maze-like corridors of the lab, looking for a way to reach the surface.
"So what's your name?" Deroga inquired, yawning.
"Foors"
"Do you guys still play chess and stuff nowadays?" Deroga said, his hands in his pocket casually as they strolled along.
"Chess? Yes, but it's not as popular as it was in your day, I imagine."
Deroga casted an upward glance. "Yeah probably so. While I was still prepping for the experiment, they made us compete against something called Stockfish 30. I'm sure that chess AI bots are widespread nowadays, but this one had an ELO of 4200 and was quite difficult. You had to accomplish all of the activities required to participate in the experiment or you would be disposed of."
Foors looked at him with a slight sign of confusion as he limply walked along side. His leg still flaring in pain.
"Disposed of?" "Wait, don't tell me that's what that platform is for," Foors said.
Deroga stopped walking. His piercing eyes flared up little, not visible to the naked sight, but it was sensible, and his grin drooped somewhat. He then started walking again.
"See, this experiment was not legal. They weren't authorized to perform it, therefore it took place deep into this odd mountain. There was a notion that the scientists who performed this informed the parents that everyone had perished in a malfunction to get them to shup up, and that they had probably paid them off as well since they made sure to choose participants from poor families. Anyways, they didn't have enough cubes for everyone, and because none of the people participated in the experiment were allowed survived to tell the tale, they weeded out just the best. If you weren't one of the best, you'd be thrown over into that abyss, never to be seen again"
After an eternity of traveling and navigating, they eventually reached the outside of the Mountain of Dollo.
Deroga blinked rapidly, taking in the strong morning sunshine. After years of being underground, his eyes struggled to adapt.
"Wow, I haven't seen the sun in 300 years," Deroga said as he turned to face his tattered companion. "We made it out alive, at least. Where to now?"
Foors hesitated, confusion on his face. With his sister gone, he saw little need to come home.
Deroga sensed this and proposed something to him. "How about you show me where you came from? You've piqued my interest in life outside the lab walls."
Deroga was impressed by the tranquil beauty of the environment as they set out across the green hills and rocky slopes, with trees swinging softly in the air and puffy white clouds drifting by. He had anticipated a technological dystopia of concrete and steel.
"This is not what I expected the future to look like," Deroga said as he studied the mountain scenery, trees, and natural beauty.
Foors' face shifted. "That's what you may think," he said coldly.
Deroga, who appeared to be charmed by the greenery and rugged slopes, paused to stare at Foors, his white long-sleeved shirt and brown hair flying in the breeze.
"In 2190, there was a rebellion against artificial intelligence. It had become so strong that mankind seemed condemned to expire shortly. That's when the Fidelites arose. They believed that in order to restore religion and humanity, we must unite with nature and others rather than artificial intelligence. Their insurrection was known as The Inverse War, and they emerged victorious 45 years later, in 2235. However, they proceeded to recommend something a bit different than what they had originally proposed. They advocated a hybrid of AI and humans, and before you knew it, practically the entire globe was half-AI, or worse, more than half, with some even attempting to go full AI."
Foors continued. "Many people fought these developments, including my ancestors, who fled to the autonomous city of Generos for protection. These individuals were brilliant even without AI, and they knew that AI combined with humans would be readily controllable. However, remaining secluded from the Fidelites came at a cost. Generos fell into poverty and had a declining population over generations. This is how I met you; my sister and I had to undertake an ill-fated trip to rob something we didn't even know existed, simply to get some money."
There was stillness as they continued to walk; Foors couldn't see Deroga's face because he was a bit further ahead of him. The air was hard as the two walked, yet it blew against the trees, creating a pleasant sound. Deroga stopped walking as the sun began to set.
He turned around to look at Foors.
"There is a solution for this problem Foors. You know it, I know it, and I bet everyone in Generos knows it"
A huge smile spread across his face.
"Because if you never stand for anything, you'll always be sitting down," he said with a smile on his face.
There was silence.
"Well, based on your stance, it appears that we should not return to Generos or wherever you reside because it is getting late. Anyway, I'm hungry; let's find somewhere to eat and maybe spend the night." Deroga commented as he peered around.
Just then, a lanky 12-year-old boy with short blonde hair and blue eyes appeared and began scavenging down the route.
"Hey uhm, my name is Clemen," he said, appearing somewhat nervous and scared.
"Just my luck," Foors thought as he buried his face between his legs. Deroga, on the other hand, stooped down and petted the child on the head.
"Of course, little boy, I mean Clemen, we're not from around here; we'll help you go where ever you want, but do you happen to know where we are?" he said with penetrating eyes and a smirk on his face.
Clemen nodded and informed them that he had run away from home because his parents were arguing and he didn't want to hear it, but now he doesn't want to return. He also told them of a nearby food establishment that supplied meals and might even allow overnight stays.
"Well, lead the way," Deroga gestured to the child before turning to Foors. "Also, Foors, I need to borrow your phone" he added, a grin spreading over his face.