Submission

Darkness had consumed the office. The other drones murmured around me. Then a flash lit the room. A burst of light that seemed to be one of the florescent lights popping. Then it was silent.

I put the card I was holding in to my pocket. I was kind of scared. I should have been anyway. With all the weird things that was going on that day, not being the slightest bit scared would prove my insanity. The lights came back on. They were bright, so bright I had to close my eyes for a second.

And that's when they got me.

I opened my eyes and saw that I was in a room. A white room. A blank empty space. My clothes had been changed to pure white pants and a long sleeved tee-shirt. I moved around the room, looking for a doorknob or window. Nothing. Then it hit me, a strong force in my body shouted in to my head,

"you're dead, fucker!"

I dropped to my knees and began to cry. I was only there for a moment before I was thrown up against a wall with tremendous force. My hands and legs stretched out. I was being held there by some kind of invisible power. Some energy, if you will, had me pinned up against the pure white wall.

I screamed in fear. Then in agony. Then in pure anger.

"What the hell is going on," I cried, struggling. Trying to regain control of my limbs. Then I started to move. Sliding across the wall. Being pushed. Sliding over on to the ceiling. Being pressed against it with mighty force. Feeling my bones begin to creak with the pure pressure. It was starting to hurt.

Dropping.

I hit the floor hard. That mysterious force had let me go, for now. I stood up, hearing my bones snap back in to place and my muscles cringe with pain. I threw up. Puked out my chips right on the floor in front of me. I wiped my mouth clean.

I heard a voice in my head. A whisper. It grew louder, began to scream. It cursed aloud. Others joined in. Voices from God knows where in my head laughing, screaming, crying, shouting. It hurt so bad. I grasped my hands around my head burying my fingers in to my ears. A headache grew so intense that it felt like my head was exploding every two seconds. I rolled on the floor. Trying to regain control. I punched myself. Assuming that madness had taken over.

Then it all stopped. I was curled in a fetal position in the middle of the room. Whimpering and groaning. trying to make sense of all this. Another voice was heard. This one not in my head. This was in the room.

"Stand up, Zero One," he said, calmly. I looked up at him. He was dressed like me, all whites. But, he was older. Maybe sixty. He was smiling, too. He put out one of his hands. I scrambled back away from him.

"Don't be afraid," he said, "I'm not going to hurt you."
"Fuck you," I replied.
"Please, Zero One," he said as he moved to stand above me, "there's no need for that kind of language."
"Fuck you," I roared, "just what the fuck is going on here?"
"Honestly, Zero One," he answered me, "I am taken aback by your behaviour here. They said you'd be happy."
"Who," I snarled rising to my feet, "who said what"
"Your masters, Zero One," he looked confused.
I grabbed him by his pearly white collar and forced him against the wall. "I have no masters!"
"This is highly inappropriate, Zero One," he said, "you must -"
I cut him off.
"I must what, old man?"
"You must know who you are."
"I know who I am!"
"Do you know who you are, Zero One?"
"What?"
"Do you know your origins? Your race, your creed, your purpose?"
I let go of him and took a few steps back.
"What are you talking about?"
"You are not yet ready, they were wrong."

I threw myself at him, I had to get my answers. He caught me in mid air with nothing but his eyes. I froze, floating. "Do not test me, Zero One," he said with authority, "I am a very hospitable creature, but, everyone and everything has their limits."

He moved very close to me, he looked me right in the eyes.
"Are you willing to submit?"
I looked at him, anger coursing through my veins. But, in his eyes, there was something familiar. Something I had known and lost a long time ago.
"Are you willing to submit, Zero One," he asked again, "it's a relatively simple question. Two probable answers : yes or no. Now, you must choose one."

I looked at him. I didn't know what to say.

"Choose, Zero One," he shouted, "submit to me!"

"What's -" I tried to speak, he wrapped his hand around my neck. He was strong. Very strong.

"You cannot answer my question with one of yours," he screamed, tightening his hold around my neck, "do you submit to me?"

I gasped for air.

"Submit to me," he shouted.

I tried to move.

"Submit!"

I tried to hold the air in my lungs.

"Submit, Zero One! There is no other way!"

My body straightened out, I floated still in the air, but now by my own means. The old man was thrown away from me. My body was emitting a white glow, my face and hands were burning. I looked down at him seeing in his face only fear.

"Submit," he whimpered.

My vision was red, my whole being reborn. I stared at him fiercely saying only one word :

"No."