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The project? And am I a part of it?
It had been way too long at time.
The same old routine going on rotation after rotation. Tech simply having lost count of them after having tried to keep tabs of the cycles the best he could. But the fatigue taking over when ever he was in his Tech mode as he now called being himself, whatever that meant these days. The constant tiredness was causing his brain to function less and less on its own. The memories he had obtained fading fast again.
And those darker times, when he was no longer himself? Those of becoming the high functioning sociopath of an assassin automaton? The modified drone for the Empire, the Clone X-03? Well, it was all starting to be too much. Tech loosing all hope of ever getting out of his imprisonment never mind leaving the X-03 programming behind. The computers he had managed to hack in the beginning of his stay all but forgotten as the energy simply wasn’t there anymore for him to act.
So, here Tech lay, on top of the med bed. All by his lonesome as the medics having long gone.
The highlight of Tech’s days, well most days as it did not alway happen, were those of the visits of Doctor Emerie Karr. She was talking with Tech, not to Tech. Even using his name rather than his CT number, never mind the Clone X handle. Doctor Karr having confirmed even if secretly, that Tech had indeed been a member of the elite Clone Force 99. He had a past. The same one he himself had gotten glimpses of. What Doctor Karr wasn’t too forthcoming though was the project which Tech was a big part of. The one he knew was called Clone X. One of them who he himself had become.
The glimpses Tech retained after the transformation to Clone X-03 was over were none too pleasant either. Each passing day he remembered more of what he did while, well, not himself. Tech tried hard to resist doing those horrid things his alter persona was doing, but it was mostly impossible. The other persona usually taking over completely when the program was initialised. At least, Tech suspected it was some kind of a program, some coding done to his brain. As being whom he had been, a genius of sorts, Tech could tell he had been enhanced further in more ways than one. Something reminiscent of Echo’s modifications by the Techno Union, only more advanced and specific and targeted for non-autonomy for the subject.
The subject Tech knew he now was.
And no matter how hard he wanted to, how hard he tried to resist, Tech was helpless against the programming. Something of a similar state he suspected the control chips had felt like for most clones upon activation. Only this, was most likely much worse. The horrible truth having been revealed to Tech slowly but surely over time. Even if he had not managed to dig in deeper into the imperial files, he knew deep down what he had become before putting the reality to words in his own mind.
Death, destroyer of countless worlds.
With the thought lingering longer than Tech wanted to, trying to quiet his mind before falling into sleep. After a while Tech finally fell into a shallow and restless slumber, fearing when he would next be called into action. As Clone X-03.
*
“Tech? Tech is that you in there?”
Tech raised his head in the darkened room, seeing a figure standing close by. The soft footfalls on the floor an indication they were getting closer. Soon enough, someone was hovering over him.
“Tech. It’s me, Crosshair.”