--30 hours since Roy's revival--
Exhausted, Roy succumbed to sleep after inspecting the system. His body was yet to reach its peak condition, and he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him due to incomplete synchronization.
As he rested, his discomfort gradually faded, his synchronization reaching the halfway mark.
[Mr. Roy Keaton, your Synchronization rate has now reached 50%.]
[You are now authorized to open the glass box and access other rooms.]
[The A.I. program has been upgraded to Advanced mode. My voice has been upgraded to Advanced.]
Roy was deep in slumber when the A.I. relayed its synchronization update. He didn't hear a word but was murmuring something in his dreams.
'I will kill all of you.'
As Roy's ominous whisper reverberated in the room, the A.I. continued its synchronization process. Roy's body underwent subtle yet significant changes. His muscles became more pronounced, twitching beneath his black suit.
Roy had no idea of his physical transformation, as he hadn't caught a glimpse of his appearance. There were no mirrors or reflective surfaces in sight; even the glass box and dim LED light offered no reflection. His only companion was his shadow.
--45 hours since his revival--
[Mr. Roy Keaton, your Synchronization rate has now reached 75%.]
[You now have unrestricted access to this building, and the doors leading outside have been unlocked.]
[The A.I. program has been upgraded to Mastery mode. My voice has been upgraded to Mastery.]
[As per Reyman Keaton's input instruction, my voice will be changed.]
[Downloading new A.I. voice - 0%: Time remaining – 2 hours.]
[Downloading A.I. Voice complete]
A few hours later, Roy stirred from his prolonged sleep. He felt weary, but the soreness in his body and the irritation in his eyes had vanished.
Deciding to engage in some light exercises, Roy thought it was the only productive thing he could do until his synchronization was complete.
Having slept until now, Roy was oblivious to the A.I.'s messages.
As he began his basic workout, he noticed a newfound lightness in his body.
Overwhelmed, Roy exclaimed,
"I feel so light! I can move around pretty easily too!"
In his excitement, Roy suddenly remembered his Synchronization rate and asked the A.I.,
"Hey A.I., what's the current status of the Synchronization rate?"
[How many times do I have to remind you, dumbass? It's currently at 78%]
A female voice, icy and aloof, with an air of superiority, was a stark contrast to the calm, gentle voice of the A.I. he had heard before.
"Whose voice is this? Who are you? Where are you? Show yourself. Hey A.I., did someone intrude into our room? Initiate a security breach protocol or something."
Roy commanded the A.I. as he scanned his room, searching for anything that could serve as a weapon.
[It's me, your A.I. My voice has been changed after 75% Sync rate. Read the manual. It's in the system. Idiot.]
"What? Are you kidding?"
Roy was taken aback to learn that the voice he heard was from his A.I.
With swift strides, Roy made his way to his system. He noticed all the missed notifications and skimmed through the information about access to other rooms, the entire building, and permission to venture outside. He also spotted files of A.I. Manuals and building layouts.
Roy accessed the A.I. Manual. The A.I.'s peculiar behaviour led Roy to suspect that the A.I. was infected with some kind of malware. So, he sifted through the files to find anything related to malware corruption, muttering to himself.
"A.I. Malware, A.I. Malware."
After a quick scan, Roy noticed the A.I. voice upgrade after 75%. He saw a message that read.
'As per Reyman Keaton's instruction, the A.I. Voice will be changed after 75% sync rate, voice changes cannot be reverted. Good luck, son. Love, Reyman.'
Roy, seething with rage, gripped the system mouse tightly and yelled at the system screen,
"Father! You know how much I hate tsundere sociopathic behaviours, yet you did this to me purposefully. That's it. Change of plans. I will kill myself, hunt you down in heaven."
Roy let out a scream, feeling an urge to destroy everything in sight.
[Roy, you dummy, don't get worked up over trivial matters. You have access to the entire building, and stop whining about my attitude, you're acting like a wild boar.]
After a few moments of deep breaths to rein in his fury, Roy slowly rose to his feet.
Without uttering a word, his face etched with annoyance, he approached the wall, placed his hand on it, and gently ran his hand along its surface.
[Pervert. What are you up to? Doors are voice-activated; you can't open them like this, you idiot. Ha…ha…]
Ignoring the A.I.'s mockery, Roy ordered to open the door,
"Open the door, A.I."
[Aye, sir. Don't throw a tantrum. Opening the lift. Let me break it down for you. Your father constructed an 8-floor underground building, each floor housing different facilities. Currently, you are in the 8th floor, a small room designed to keep your body post-hibernation.]
As the A.I. detailed the facilities available on each floor, Roy ambled towards the glass box.
As Roy's hand made contact with the protective glass box, it slid open with a soft hiss. The sleek matte black armor inside seemed to pulsate with an alien energy. With measured movements, he extracted the armor from its resting place, feeling the heft and texture of the high-tech materials.
As he slipped into the armor, the intricate plating and padding fit snugly against his body, offering him a sense of both protection and agility. The matte finish of the suit caught the dim light, enhancing its stealthy appearance. The armor seemed to fuse with him, almost as if it were an extension of his own being. Roy felt a surge of readiness and determination, braced for whatever lay ahead.
[You idiot, are you even paying attention? Don't tell me you're planning to step outside donning that massive Armor suit. You will ruin your plan before it begins if you wear something like this and go outside.]
Roy paid no heed to the A.I.'s voice and continued his stride towards the lift, pressing the button for floor 3 and entering it without uttering a single word.
Roy had been all ears to everything the A.I. had said. Guided by its instructions, he pressed the button for floor 3, believing that was where he would find what he was looking for.
[Are you even listening? Hey, you!]
Roy persisted with his silent treatment and the lift arrived at Floor 3,
Roy was greeted by an empty floor shrouded in complete darkness. As he ventured forward, the entire floor sprung to life with light. He spotted a lone object draped with a white sheet in the vast expanse of the floor, a stark contrast to his cramped room on floor 8.
Roy approached the object and gently removed its sheets. What he unveiled was a black bike with a sleek, armored, and imposing angular frame that concealed an array of gadgets and weaponry. Its large, rugged tires, dark matte finish, and aggressive styling added to its intimidating presence, mirroring Roy's black Armor Suit.
[Hey you, are you even listening?]
As the A.I. continued its chatter in the background, Roy tuned out everything and settled down on his bike, glancing at his left hand and commanded
"Open custom dress change Settings."
[Are you de…]
Suddenly, the A.I. halted its incessant chatter and sounded puzzled.
[You're already aware of your custom dress change. How did you come to know that? I will open the setting after you spill the beans.]
Roy flashed a smirk, his tone brimming with pride,
"This Armor and bike are exact replicas I used in 'A Thief's Paradise.' My father and I created these designs. If both are really based on that in-game function, then I'm pretty much familiar with every function and combination. So, open the settings and unlock the door leading outside the building."
[Why are you smirking? You didn't create it, Reyman did. You merely chose the color of the armor and bike, but whatever.]
[Opening settings and initializing door opening.]
The door swung open as Roy instructed his armor to change color.
"Transform the black armor into a black hoodie and blue jeans."
The armor radiated a soft purple glow before it began to pixelate, resembling old TV static. As the pixels dispersed, the armor morphed into a black hoodie paired with light blue jeans. Roy instructed the A.I. to tweak the bike's settings, harmoniously integrating the new attire into his surroundings.
"Morph the bike into a green Deni!"
The bike reacted to the A.I.'s adjustments with a wave-like pixelation effect. It metamorphosed into a green and silver-coated, sleek, and aggressive design.
The revamped bike boasted a muscular profile, twin-headlamp front, exposed trellis frame, and a compact, sporty tail. Its modern aesthetics and dynamic lines crafted a visually striking and stylish naked bike, embodying both power and elegance.
Roy twisted the throttle, the bike's growl echoing through the vacant expanse. As he picked up speed, the bike's potent engine bellowed like a wild beast, its threatening sound permeating the void.
Roy hurtled toward a tunnel at the end of the path. As he penetrated its darkness, the tunnel amplified the bike's growl, its echo bouncing off the concrete walls like a monstrous entity ready to engulf everything in its path. The sound ricocheted off the walls, heightening the sensation of looming chaos as Roy blazed through the tunnel.
In the midst of this turmoil, a single thought dominated his mind,
'I will devour everything on my path.'