Note : To better understand the context, please read the previous part of this story here: My Brain Is Captured By Artificial Intelligence which was made as an entry for @xpilar’s writing contest.

The total darkness, as dark as death, slowly -very slowly- faded away. It started with a very faint sound like it was very far away. Then the light slowly came. But the realisation of existence was another story. Strange questions arose, which I didn't know what it was about and where it came from.

My sense of smell was the first to recover. The gentle scent of jasmine trapped it. Then a beautiful face slowly appeared in my mind. I tried hard to recognise her. This scent and that face, something. I don't know.

“Aha! You're awake!” A hoarse voice came from one direction as my eyes found their bearings again. I recognised that face. He smiled. Then said again in a heavy voice, “I thought we'd lost you.” He was quiet for a moment, then continued, “We weren't prepared for such situation.”

My head was light and heavy at the same time. I couldn't move my body. My senses suggested there were other people in this all-white room. Two or three people, I am not sure, maybe more.

"You know, my friend? The main source of sadness is memories. And we're going to fix that. When we're done, there will only be the memories that matter in your head."

I tried to digest his words. My mind began to put together fragments of memories that were so absurd and ‘distant’ like pieces of a badly broken puzzle. The scent of jasmine took over my attention. Ah! That beautiful face. My mind screamed. She is Di...

Someone said with a half shout from somewhere in the room. “Xpolar! The subject seems to try to reject the programme revision!”

The heavy voice snapped, “He's resisting?”

“He's trying to regain his memory”.”

“Interesting.”

They continued to talk, and the man called Xpolar responded with his heavy voice, while commanding some orders, and the word that caught my attention the most was ‘’revision‘’. But I did not want to pay attention to them, I wanted to go back to remembering that face, that beautiful face that gave me peace, somehow. I know her name begins with the word "Di". I was sure of it. But does it? I've now forgotten. Who was she? Why did she appear in my mind? And what about this smell of jasmine?

Oh. Now it's all gone. What remains in my memory is a pair of beautiful yet sad eyes as if expressing a million regrets and sadness, as well as "Don't give up", but from what?

The man called Xpolar and two people dressed as scientists came over to my bed, standing beside it. One of them said, "The revision to the latest version was successful, but we need the next 20 hours to find out if there are any glitches that could be a problem."

“Do we have complete control?” Asked the heavy-voiced man, the Xpolar.

“Oh yes,” replied the second scientist. “We can press the kill switch at any time and he will be paralysed.”

“Good.” Said the heavy-voiced man. He looked at me. Smiled, and said with his heavy voice, “Welcome back, mate.”

*** Maybe it will continue.

^{Picture created by @aneukpineung78}

Thanks for stopping by.

BAHASA INDONESIA

Catatan: Untuk lebih memahami konteks, silahkan baca bagian sebelumnya dari cerita ini di sini.

Kegelapan total, segelap kematian, perlahan -sangat pelan- memudar. Dimulai dengan suara yang sangat samar seperti sangat jauh. Lalu cahaya perlahan datang. Tapi kesadaran akan eksistensi adalah cerita lain lagi. Pertanyaan-pertanyaan aneh muncul, entah tentang apa dan dari mana.

Penciumanku adalah yang pertama sekali pulih. Aroma melati yang pelan memerangkapnya. Lalu sesosok wajah cantik perlahan muncul dalam anganku. Aku mencoba keras mengenalinya. Aroma ini dan wajah itu, sesuatu. Entah.

“Aha! Kau sudah sadar!” Sebuah suara serak terdengar dari satu arah ketika mataku semakin menemukan kemampuannya lagi. Aku kenal wajah itu. Dia tersenyum. Lalu berkata lagi dengan suara beratnya, “Aku pikir kita akan kehilanganmu.” Dia sebentar diam, lalu melanjutkan, “Kita tidak siap untuk itu.”

Kepalaku begitu ringan sekaligus berat. Aku tidak bisa menggerakkan badanku. Inderaku mengesan ada orang lain di dalam ruangan serba putih ini. Dua atau tiga orang, aku tidak pasti, mungkin lebih.

“Kau tahu, temanku? Sumber utama kesedihan adalah kenangan. Dan kita akan bekerja untuk memperbaiki itu. Saat kita selesai nanti, hanya akan ada kenangan yang penting saja di dalam ingatanmu.”

Aku mencoba mencerna kata-katanya. Pikiranku mulai mengumpulkan serpihan ingatan yang begitu absurd dan “jauh” seperti kepingan-kepingan puzzle yang rusak parah. Wangi melati itu mengambil alih perhatianku. Ah! Wajah cantik itu. Batinku berteriak. Dia adalah Di…

Seseorang berkata dengan setengah berteriah dari satu arah. “Xpolar! Dia sepertinya menolak revisi program!”

Si suara berat menyambar, “Dia melawan?”

“Dia mencoba mengambalikan ingatannya.”

“Menarik.”

Mereka terus berbicara, dan pria yang dipanggil Xpolar itu menanggapi dengan suara beratnya, sambil mengomando beberapa perintah, dan kata yang paling menarik perhatianku adalah “revisi”. Namun aku tidak mau memperhatikan mereka, aku ingin kembali mengingat wajah itu, wajah cantik itu. Aku tahu namanya diawali dengan kata “Di”. Aku yakin sekali. Tapi apa iya? Aku sekarang lupa. Siapa dia? Kenapa dia muncul di dalam pikiranku. Dan bau melati?

Oh. Sekarang semua sirna. Hal yang tinggal di ingatanku adalah sepasang mata indah namun sendu seakan menyatakan sejuta penyesalan dan kesedihan, sekaligus “Jangan menyerah”, tapi dari apa?

Pria yang dipanggil Xpolar itu dan dua orang berbaju seperti ilmuwan menghampiri ranjangku, berdiri di sampingnya. Salah seorang berkata, “Revisi kepada versi terbaru telah berhasil, tetapi kita perlu waktu selama 20 jam ke depan untuk mengetahui apakah masih ada glitch yang bisa menjadi masalah.”

“Apakah kita memiliki kontrol sepenuhnya?” Tanya pria bersuara berat itu, si Xpolar.

“Oh iya,” jawab ilmuwan ke dua. “Kita bisa menekan kill switch setiap saat dan dia akan lumpuh.”

“Bagus.” Kata si pria bersuara berat. Dia menatapku. Tersenyum, dan berkata dengan suaranya yang berat itu, “Selamat datang kembali, teman.”

*** Mungkin akan berlanjut.

^{Picture created by @aneukpineung78}

Thanks for stopping by.