Nexus

3....2....1....

The light in the room slowly began to appear, the white walls began to manifest from the darkness, everything around became bright, just as it had been before the light was turned off. A thin, childlike voice came from the receiver:

— Good morning, Nexus nines! Today is the 33rd day. The morning meeting will be held at the main assembly, groups A and B, please proceed to the diagnostic department for instructions and tasks for the day. Have a good day, and remember: smile, and the day will be good!

Slowly opening her eyes, A1089 felt her body demanding just a couple more minutes in the darkness. But she knew that wasn’t allowed, so she got out of bed. She tried to smile, as she always did, but somehow her efforts felt empty. Forcing herself to get up, she began following her morning routine.

06:00 — Wake up.

06:02 — Wash up.

06:07 — Take a shower.

06:12 — Put on uniform.

06:15 — Synchronization check.

06:20 — Morning assembly.

The clock was ticking, and she began her usual routine. A1089 washed up, took a shower, and approached the mirror. In the shower, when the warm water touched her skin, she felt a slight tingling sensation on her shoulder. It was an old scar, one she had never attempted to investigate. When her fingers traced its surface, she felt a tingling in her fingers — as if something had pricked them lightly. She was surprised, as she couldn’t remember the last time this scar had reminded her of itself. Her fingers continued to tingle, but everything was as usual — just as it should be, because in their world, deviations weren’t allowed.

At that moment, strange, fragmented memories surfaced in her mind. She remembered standing in the same place many years ago, not yet knowing that her life would be entirely predictable and limited. Something unclear but uncomfortable flashed in her memory — a feeling of something unfamiliar but strange. She tried to push these thoughts away, but they kept chasing her. Someone had told her something important, but the words slipped away like water through her fingers.

She returned to the present, opening her eyes and looking at her reflection in the mirror. The mirror, installed directly in front of her, was huge, full-length. She looked at herself. Dark hair, green eyes — she saw herself every day, but something was different. On her white uniform, a number shone brightly: A1089. This was her essence, her role in this world.

Suddenly, the mirror began to shimmer with purple-pink hues, and she felt herself being drawn into the light. It was a strange, almost hypnotic sensation. But before she could think about how it was consuming her, the mirror turned red, and an error sound echoed.

— Something seems to be wrong, — the childlike voice spoke, but without worry, more with joy. — System error. Please visit the medical center for diagnostics.

A red “Reset” message flickered on the screen, but then everything flashed, and the standard schedule appeared again. But this was strange — as if something had changed in the system itself. It was the first deviation from the usual order. A1089 stood in front of the mirror, thinking that it was probably just an error. She had never heard of errors. They didn’t exist in her world.

She opened the door and stepped into the corridor. The long, white hallway with red stripes on the walls, like on her uniform, greeted her. Along the way, she met other people who had also just stepped out of their rooms. They all walked silently, with the same expressions on their faces. This was a day that repeated itself, and they all knew they couldn’t stray from the schedule.

As she walked through the corridor, she thought about what had just happened. She couldn’t understand what that error was, but the feeling of strange disruption wouldn’t leave her. Suddenly, an update appeared on the wall, and she noticed the line “Reset” flicker. It was clear that the system was trying to correct something, as if it had just set a new path for her — a path where she was meant to be removed.

But instead, she continued walking, feeling that the system was moving further away from her with every step.