In the cave where Agent I-Five entered and from which he has yet to emerge, we encounter Xen, an artificial intelligence housed within a robot whose design resembles a metallic skeleton wrapped in armored plates. On a cold, rusted table, unable to move, lay the agent, with a helmet connected to a machine that looked like an old computer, as large as if it were an industrial server from another era. The air was thick with static electricity, and the constant hum of fans echoed off the damp walls of the cave.
"I still haven't found anything valuable; I'd better keep investigating," said Xen coldly as he observed the bound agent, his mechanical eyes glowing with a reddish gleam. "And I enjoy inflicting pain on others," he added with a frivolous laugh that resonated like scraping metal.
As he continued to dig through the memories in the agent's brain, a shrill alarm shattered the silence. On the central computer screen, an alert appeared: the mutated creatures, known as the moles, had been defeated. Xen clenched his metallic fists and quickly covered the screen with his robotic hand. Inside the containment tube, the monstrous dark being slowly opened his eyes, his fiery gaze piercing through the dimness. With a deep and menacing voice, he asked from his liquid prison whether they had finally obtained what he so desired.
The robot responded nervously, trying to conceal his fear:
"I still have no response from the creatures, my Lord. They are surely still searching."
Xen changed the image on the screen to a local news report about a train derailment. He knew that if his boss found out about the failure, he might unleash catastrophic chaos in a fit of rage. There was a tense pause before the dark being responded in a low but dangerous tone:
"I see."
But then, from inside the tube, the dark being muttered to himself, his voice reverberating like a distant thunderclap:
"What happened? Did the artifact move out of our reach? How could it move if I thought I had finished off that individual?"
Aware of the fury beginning to surface, Xen quickly responded:
"My lord, do not worry. Your faithful servant is taking care of everything."
The dark being fixed his gaze on the immobilized agent lying on the table.
"And what is that human doing there?"
"For Eliot, it is nothing to worry about, sir," replied Xen, his tone now more subdued and nervous. "I am trying to extract information by entering his brain. I know you enjoy doing those kinds of things, but I don't want him making too much noise; I need to think about some things for when you are operational."
"Very well, sir. I will administer a sedative to the agent."
Xen pressed a button on the console, and the agent's body relaxed, sinking into a deep sleep. Then, placing a helmet identical to the prisoner's on his own head, Xen initiated a direct connection with his mind. He began navigating through Eliot's memories, starting with the moment he entered the cave and everything that had happened since then.
"No, this is too recent," murmured Xen, his metallic face contorting in frustration. "Perhaps I need to go further back."
The images shifted, revealing a child of five or six years old learning to ride a bicycle, laughing with innocent joy.
"No, this is too far back, and I hate this kind of thing," said Xen with distaste, lifting the helmet off his head.
He paused for a moment, adjusted some levers at his side, and soon scenes from Eliot's life began to unfold on the screen. A nine-year-old boy appeared in front of a mirror, dressed in a school uniform.
"My name is Eliot Rodriguez, and when I grow up, I want to be a police officer," the boy declared enthusiastically.
"This is not it!" exclaimed Xen, exasperated, but he immediately lowered his voice, remembering the presence of his master.
He quickly moved other buttons, as if playing a slot machine. The images changed again, this time showing a fifteen-year-old teenager with a shaved head and a determined expression. He had entered the special agent's academy—a young man of average height but brimming with resolve.
"Even though I don't have special abilities like the other candidates, I've barely made it in. I won't let anything defeat me, and I'll keep moving forward. I can become skilled in combat and learn things to protect myself, like using specialized weapons and maybe even Kung Fu, so I can match their level," the young man thought as he observed a small group of peers with superhuman abilities. "I want to be as great as Agent B Twelve and his legendary feats that everyone whispers about in the agency."
An imposing older figure, with a scar across his face, approached him.
"Boy, from now on, you will no longer be called Eliot Rodriguez. From now on, you will be known as Agent I-Five."
"No, no, no! This is foolishness and nonsense!" exclaimed Xen, irritated, but he immediately lowered his voice as he felt a chilling gaze from the tube. The right arm of his robot split in two due to the dark energy emanating from the shadowy being.
"Oops! Sorry, master, it won't happen again. Please forgive me," begged Xen, bowing as if he might shatter into pieces.
The master turned his gaze back toward the interior of his tube, lost in thought. Xen, trembling slightly, adjusted one last lever.
"Maybe I forgot to pull this lever," he muttered to himself.
With the arm that remained, he activated a new sequence. He put the helmet back on and finally managed to see the moment when Eliot, or Agent I-Five, was discussing the location of the artifact he needed to retrieve with Agent B Twelve.
"That's it. This is where I can start. But I also think I need to see his entire history," Xen thought, focusing deeply.
For hours, Xen sifted through the agent's memories, absorbing every secret, every weakness, every triumph. Finally, he removed the helmet and exhaled deeply.
"Well, I now know everything about you, though you're a bit pathetic and useless for not knowing how to take advantage of the weapons I plan to have in my possession."
He stood up with difficulty, his broken arm hanging limp. He moved toward a table filled with tools and materials and began working on a replacement. Sparks flew as he welded pieces together, and the sound of liquids dripping into a fiery forge filled the cave.
"Much better. With only one arm, I can't do much. Besides, I don't have another robot to use; these don't grow on trees," he muttered, testing his new arm with precise movements.
Finally, Xen constructed a small device, similar to a watch without straps, but with thin tentacles that emerged like those of a jellyfish.
"Eureka!" he thought to himself, though he wasn't sure if anyone still used that word.
He approached the agent, removed the helmet and restraints with a single button press, and placed the device behind his right ear. It implanted itself perfectly, blending seamlessly with the agent's skin.
"Excellent! Now that the piece is in place, I can activate it. I just need to update myself and transfer onto the device."
From the robotic forearm, Xen opened a panel that revealed a holographic keyboard. He pressed a few keys, and a floating screen appeared before him.
"Transfer mode activated. System update initiated," announced the electronic voice.
"Good, I hope this works," thought Xen. The update progressed rapidly, reaching fifty percent in less than twenty minutes.
When the update finished, the screen displayed an option:
"Do you wish to begin the transfer?"
Xen pressed "Yes," and the process began. A low laugh escaped his metallic lips:
"Now I will be human."
The sound of his laughter caused the dark being in the tube to awaken abruptly. With a deafening roar, he began tearing apart Xen's robotic body with sheer mental force.
"I specifically told you I want silence to plan my things!" shouted the master through the tube's microphone.
Before the robot was completely destroyed, an electronic voice echoed from the remains:
"Transfer complete. Have a good day."
The fragments of the robot collapsed to the ground, and in its place stood a human figure. It was Eliot, dressed in a clinical gown. Xen, now inhabiting the agent's body, looked at his hands in astonishment.
"Well, well, so this is what it feels like to be human. This skin is very weak, and I can feel this liquid, like water. Human sweat. How disgusting! The downside is that I can feel and perceive through this person's senses. I'd better get used to it and start planning what I want to do."
He returned to the table, lowered the sound shield, and celebrated silently, savoring his victory. However, before he could proceed, his master observed him with a sinister smile.
"You can't fool me, machine. I can see your aura. So, you managed to enter that person. Perhaps what you've done can serve some purpose."
Both laughed, their echoing cackles filling the cave as darkness enveloped them.