The Final Desperation

Bennet was your typical scientist, having achieved little throughout his life. He hadn't won any esteemed awards or made significant discoveries. Everything about him was mediocre.

That's how it should have stayed, but things took a strange turn when his team began studying spatial quantumics, a new field of science. There were many aspirations when they started, but their lack of results dissatisfied their superiors, causing their funding to diminish over time.

In a final attempt to obtain results, the team conducted an experiment with unforeseen consequences. Bennet was the closest person at the time so he bore the brunt of the repercussions.

That was how he got transported to this unfamiliar world filled with advanced technologies beyond his comprehension. At first, he was amazed by the hovercars and sentient androids, but this wonder quickly disappeared when a certain group captured him.

Bennet was helpless under their advanced weapons and was quickly subdued. From there, they brought him to an advanced lab, where, to his shock, he found a room full of exact replicas of himself.

He couldn't believe his eyes. Everything was the same, down to the very way his face creased when he grimaced. It was so shocking that he almost thought he was in a sci-fi movie.

But unlike Bennet, these copies had unfocused eyes and drooling mouths, a telltale sign of underdeveloped intelligence. Their attention spans were short, and they foolishly stared off into space, giggling like mentally handicapped patients.

By his estimation, their mental capabilities were similar to a 3-year-old's—curious but egocentric. If something intrigued them, they would explore it further, but they wouldn't care about anything else. They were naive and innocent, something that was very off-putting for a man in his thirties.

Over the next few weeks, Bennet slowly learned the language of this world and understood why he was captured. It turns out these eerily similar people were human clone experiments, a project this lab had been studying for a long time.

Somehow, the humans of this world had gone extinct, allowing their AI creations to dominate. After these androids developed for some time, they discovered multiple samples of these extinct humans and decided to clone them. Of course, this was what Bennet had pieced together from the androids' chatter, so some details might be off, but it shouldn't be too far from the truth.

As for why there were clones that resembled him, Bennet didn't want to think about it. The potential answers were too horrifying to consider and might give him an existential crisis, so it was best to accept the simple explanation.

A few weeks after he learned the language, the lab hosted an auction. However, this wasn't a normal auction since its main attractions weren't regular items but human clones! To put it another way, they were being sold as slaves.

This was a horrifying realization because slaves had no human rights and were at the mercy of their owners. No one would care if the owner disposed of the slaves or mistreated them. It didn't matter if they screamed or broke; they could always be replaced. All it took was a single whim, and Bennet's life would be over. That was what it meant to be a slave.

However, only Bennet realized this crisis, while the other clones happily played with each other. Some of them even peered into the audience with curiosity and intrigue, an interest that quickly dissipated once the scientists gave them some sweets.

Bennet was the only one who didn't accept the treat, drawing the attention of the wealthy buyers.

"This is clone #142. He's displayed mental development beyond his peers and can understand complex instructions. I'm sure with proper nurturing, he can master some complex skills."

The crowd was euphoric when they heard this and hastily placed their bids. To the androids, owning a unique human was akin to owning a luxury sports car, something they could show off and brag about. The rarer the traits, the more they could flaunt their standings. How could they resist such temptation?

As a result, Bennet's price skyrocketed under the scientists' delighted stares. With this, they should be able to expand their facilities and focus on training smarter humans.

Eventually, Bennet's price reached a point where no one else dared to compete. It was a ludicrous sum, akin to throwing away money, but the buyer didn't care. He won the auction, and that was all that mattered.

After the auction ended, Bennet was pulled aside to meet his new owner. The robot had a mature look, common among successful businessmen. It was an intimidating meeting, to say the least.

The robot scrutinized him for some time before grabbing the leash and pulling Bennet into his vehicle. From there, they visited multiple shops where they adorned him with a new look. All of this occurred without a single word, which made Bennet very uncomfortable.

Hours later, they finished the preparations, and the automatic hover vehicle headed for his new home. The robot dragged him into a lavish mansion constructed of bright metals and fancy jewelry, a luxury Bennet had never seen in his previous life.

After a painful trek up several flights of stairs, they stopped outside an advanced door. The robot lifted his hand, and a compartment full of ports slid open. Then the robot's fingers dropped down like a door hinge, and numerous complex wires plugged into the compartment. A few seconds later, the door opened, and the robot resembled his hand.

"Happy Birthday, Rosaline. I got you a present today," the robot announced as they walked in.

"That's a crappy excuse, father. You know age doesn't matter when we can't die," a feminine voice called out from behind a corner.

"Don't be like that. I worked hard to get this."

"I still won't forgive you. Now put it aside and leave."

The robot let out a dejected sigh, tied Bennet's collar around a pillar, and closed the door behind him. For the next few hours, Bennet sat alone, without catching sight of the room's owner.

'What's with these androids? It's like they don't consider me an intelligent person.'

Hunger started affecting Bennet, and he began to miss his previous environment. At least back there, he could observe the technologies of this world and pass the days with a full stomach. Now, he was chained to this remote corner, neglected and forgotten.

'What a miserable life.'

As he reminisced about his past life, a soft gasp interrupted his thoughts. Looking up, he spotted a thin android with proportions similar to a human woman. If it wasn't for her metallic covering, Bennet might have easily mistaken her for a human.

"Oh my god, why are you chained up here? And how did you get in?"

"I'm yo-ur pres-ent," Bennet spoke in broken pronunciation, still adapting to the language.

"A present? My father brought a living creature as a present?"

"Yes."

"And he didn't tell me? How irresponsible is he?!"

"He left me here like you asked."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't realize. Let's get you out of there. You must be starving."

Rosaline quickly unlocked Bennet's collar and was about to invite him for some food when she realized she had nothing for a human. After a moment of thought, she placed an order for human food.

"Sorry," she apologized, embarrassed by the inhumane treatment. "I wasn't expecting to have a guest today."

"It's fine," Bennet replied, relieved that Rosaline seemed more reasonable than the other robots.

An hour later, the doors opened, and Rosaline's father returned with a large package. A large grin appeared on his face when he spotted Bennet next to Rosaline.

"I see that you found my gift. Is it to your liking?"

"How many times do I have to tell you? Humans are living beings as well. You can't just give them away like toys. They have rights!" She reprimanded with a frown.

That was when Bennet realized why Rosaline was treating him so well. It turned out she was one of those rare activists. Many people considered them nuisances, but if their ideals spread, they could be acknowledged as heroes by future generations.

"Okay, okay. Here's your order," her father said with an exasperated tone. It was evident this wasn't their first conversation like this.

"Out!" She demanded, tired of having to repeat herself.

"Kids grow up so fast. Feels like it was only yesterday when I assembled you."

Rosaline ignored her father and focused on the package. She opened it and handed it to Bennet. Looking inside the box, Bennet saw several cans of food, which he eagerly opened and devoured. It wasn't anything spectacular, but Bennet savored the food like a gourmet meal. Food always tasted better when one was hungry.

After that, Bennet and Rosaline got to know each other. Rosaline was amazed by Bennet's knowledge and asked numerous philosophical questions, challenging his understanding.

Through their conversation, Bennet realized Rosaline wasn't just idealistic but aware of her conflicting views. Yet, she remained steadfast in her beliefs, something Bennet admired. It was rare for someone to go against norms despite knowing their beliefs were controversial.

"Who are you?" she asked the following day.

"What do you mean? I'm just a clone, aren't I?"

"Don't lie. I don't believe it. I checked your batch number yesterday. No matter how smart you are, you shouldn't have enough time to develop such a deep view of life. Also, the lab would never have prepared you like that."

This revelation triggered a sense of panic inside Bennet. Was he going to be disposed of because of that one oversight? Or would he be dissected so the scientists could try to replicate his uniqueness? Bennet wouldn't put it past them to do something like that. He'd seen how they cultivated the clones as one would to vegetables, selecting the best and cloning from there.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she quickly added, noticing his expression. "I'm just curious."

Though her reassurance calmed him slightly, Bennet still had to make a decision. Should he accept her offer and evade the topic like a troubled patient, or tell her the truth? And if he chose the latter, how much should he disclose?

It was a daunting dilemma, but he eventually decided to tell her everything. Now that he was in this situation, hiding it wouldn't do him any good. To his relief, Rosaline didn't treat him any differently after the story.

"That must have been difficult," she sympathized with him. "But don't lose hope. Since you're here, there must be a way back. Maybe one day, we will find it."

"You're right. I shouldn't lose hope."

"I'll ask my dad about it. For now, relax and treat this time like a vacation. I'll handle everything so you won't have any problems."

"Thank you." That was all he could say after everything he'd experienced.

"So, what's your impression of our world? Anything striking from an outsider's perspective? And how does it compare to your world?" she inquired after a moment of silence.

Bennet pondered before replying, "Honestly, it's not much different. I'm not referring to the futuristic technology or other surface differences but to an underlying problem. Everyone here only thinks of themselves and not the impact of their actions. I've overheard how the lab dumps trash in the slums, but no one talks about how to deal with it. It's alarming because it's only a matter of time before this issue comes back worse than before."

Rosaline considered his words, acknowledging the parallels. "Yes, we certainly don't think about that. What about the treatment of humans in this world?"

"Again, it's not much different. We used to keep humans as slaves, treating them like objects and subjecting them to cruel punishments. No one ever questioned it until someone pointed it out and said they are humans as well. Over time, we abolished those practices, but we still struggle with equality even after so many years."

"Thank you. That was insightful," she said, recognizing the similarities between their worlds and affirming her beliefs. She had always felt that her world was on the wrong track, but could never pinpoint why. Yet now that she had a different world to reference, everything was much easier.

The next day, Rosaline shared some bad news: her father wasn't aware of spatial travel methods, and none of the androids specialized in this field. It was disheartening, but Rosaline assured Bennet she would take care of him.

"Don't worry. With our technology, we'll find a way, but it might take a few years."

Bennet let out a subdued sigh but decided not to dwell on it. He already had enough gloom and any more wouldn't help. And like that, months passed before another change happened. On that day, two of Rosaline's friends paid her a visit.

"Hey, Rosey! We heard you got a human. We got one too. How about comparing them?"

Rosaline seemed troubled by this suggestion but didn't immediately decline. Instead, she turned to Bennet, seeking his opinion. However, Bennet was too distracted by the humans brought by her friends to respond.

"Garret? Barry?" he called out in their native language, taken aback by the sudden appearance of familiar faces.

Garret and Barry were two scientists Bennet had worked with during the experiment. They had been further away when the accident happened so he thought he was the only transported person, but this scene made him reconsider.

"Is it really you?" he asked eagerly, hoping for a familiar connection in this foreign world.

But his hope quickly faded when he noticed their vacant expressions. These weren't the expressions of otherworldly travelers but those of clones. Bennet had seen plenty of such looks during his time in the lab and couldn't mistake it. They looked identical, but they were not the people he used to know.

"I think another day would be better," Rosaline interjected, noticing Bennet's emotional fluctuation.

"What a shame. I trained him so much for today."

"Same here."

"You two," Rosaline said helplessly, "Not everything needs to be a competition, you know."

"Nonsense. You're good at everything, so there has to be something you're bad at. We won't stop until we find it."

"Exactly. We don't want to remain in your shadow forever."

*Sigh* "Alright, what do you want to do today?"

Her friends gave different suggestions and eventually settled on an agreement. Bennet was too overwhelmed by the revelation to fully comprehend what they were doing, but he did catch a glimpse of a large copper statue at some point during the gathering.

It was a familiar statue depicting a woman holding a torch in her right hand and a book in her left. Though its once distinct green shade had changed to a murky brown, Bennet could recognize it anywhere. After all, how could he forget such an iconic statue? But it was also this very statue that stirred his unsettled mind and caused him to question his reality.

"W-what was that statue about?" he asked with a trembling voice after her friends left.

"Oh, that? It's a recent discovery unearthed in distant lands. We're still unsure of its significance, but it's remarkable how it's still intact after so long. Why do you ask?"

Yet this response raised more questions than Bennet got answers to. No, he had his answers, but he just couldn't believe it. It was that shocking.

"Bennet? What's wrong?"

"I-I..." Bennet let out a deep breath, sinking down and resting his elbows against his legs, his face buried in his palms. Rosaline patiently waited, knowing whatever he was about to disclose had deeply distressed him.

"You know how I said I came from another world?"

Rosaline nodded.

"I think I have to change that statement...I didn't come from another world but a different time."

"Time?" Rosaline's eyes widened in surprise, grappling with the idea. Space warping was complex enough, and now she was to believe that time travel was involved as well?

"Yes. I'm from an era where humans still lived on Earth."

"What makes you think that?"

"EVERYTHING! That statue, the clones. It's the only explanation. They couldn't have gotten my DNA otherwise to clone me!" He exclaimed, devastated by the revelation. How was he going to return now?

"This..." Rosaline trailed off, grasping the implications. She attempted to speak several times, opening and closing her mouth, but couldn't form the words. Eventually, she sighed and asked, "Do you have any other clues? Any place we can investigate?"

At this point, she wasn't asking for an answer but to give him hope. Just anything to grasp onto so he wouldn't fall into despair.

After some thought, Bennet cried out, "Wait, there might be one place we can check. The lab where everything went wrong! If it's the same world, there's a chance it's still there. It was in an isolated location, so we might find some clues there."

His eyes were bloodshot, mirroring the hopelessness common among desperate gamblers. Rosaline nodded in understanding and accessed a holographic map for him. After a few minutes of searching, Bennet marked a remote location on the program.

Rosaline examined the location and devised a possible route. "It's relatively close," she remarked. "But it's behind the slums. Sneaking out will be the only way. My father would never allow me to go to such a place. For now, all we can do is prepare and wait for an opportunity."

Bennet agreed with a despondent nod and returned to his room. That was all he could do now given his circumstances.

Like this, two months slowly passed until they finally got their chance. On this day, all news outlets reported a terrorist attack that had devastated a certain lab.

When Rosaline saw the headlines, she knew this was the perfect time to carry out their plans. Not only was everyone focused on this sudden attack, but her father had also left to inspect the scene.

Capitalizing on this, Bennet and Rosaline burst into action, hacking the security cameras and uploading a decoy to cover their tracks. Then they sneaked out, paying careful attention to avoid any robots pursuing the terrorist.

"Phew, we finally got out," Rosaline said as they caught their breath in the alleyway. "Get some rest. The journey ahead is going to be more demanding."

It had been two days since they snuck out, and they had taken many detours. Luckily, Rosaline was highly proficient in countermeasures, allowing them to remain undetected.

Bennet nodded in understanding and took out some food to replenish his energy. At this moment, an unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke, startling them both.

"Is that food? Care to share some?"

It was a weak voice, but it caused them to instantly go into full alert. They had worked so hard to remain hidden, and they couldn't believe they had been revealed like this. Plus, how did they not notice this person when they'd been here for so long?

"Who's there!" Rosaline called out, pointing her plasma gun in the direction of the voice.

"Don't bother. I can barely move," a weak voice sounded.

Although the voice sounded haggard, Rosaline kept her weapon raised and slowly approached the source. After a few steps, she turned on her flashlight and saw an emaciated man leaning against the wall. Beside him, a dim cube of energy lay, too weathered to release any brighter light.

"A human?" She asked uncertainly, too thrown off by his metallic skin to say for sure. Rosaline examined the man's face some more and confirmed that he was indeed a human. Robots don't have such refined skeleton structures, so he had to be human. "Hold on, you're the one who broke out of the lab!"

"T-that's me," Genji responded weakly. "Can you spare some food?"

"Let's go," Rosaline said to Bennet, turning around and ignoring Genji's plea. They barely had enough for themselves, so it would be foolish to help a stranger.

"This..." Bennet hesitated briefly but followed Rosaline, understanding her priorities. Their main goal was to find the lab, and they needed as much time as possible. Any food they gave away would only diminish that time, something neither of them was willing to lose.

"Do you really think you have as much time as you think?"

As they were about to leave, Genji called out again, causing Bennet to pause.

"What do you mean?" Bennet asked, intrigued by what he had to say.

"The robots will soon catch up to you. You can't hide from them."

Bennet was disappointed in his response. Here, he thought it was something important, but it was only a useless remainder.

"Don't worry. We covered our tracks."

"Cover? Pftt. Don't make me laugh. With those skills? You might as well have shot fireworks into the air. At least that way, you can watch a good show before you get found."

Bennet was upset by this mockery and angrily retorted. "Who are you to judge us? You're just an ignorant clone, someone who's struggling to even survive. How can you understand our methods?"

Hearing this heated response, Genji knew he got Bennet's attention and burst out laughing. "HAHAHAHA. You're a funny one. Let me guess, your robot friend hacked the sensors and covered your escape."

"You! How-"

"Bennet. Let's go," Rosaline interrupted, unnerved by how easily this stranger was getting information out of them.

Yet Genji continued, slowly reeling in the bait. "Ah. This is why ignorance is so fearful. Have you ever considered that your actions actually drew more attention? Think about it. How would you react if someone hacked the system while the city is on full alert?"

Bennet was starting to catch on, and his face immediately paled.

"Bennet! Let's go!" Rosaline repeated, trying to salvage this before the situation worsened. However, Genji gave her no chance and continued his spiel.

"That's right! They'll send their best forces after the target. Now guess how long it will be until they catch up when you leave a direct trail of hacked machines."

Genji paused for some time, allowing Bennet to digest everything before continuing. "And even if you don't get caught, how will you get back? Are you sure the other robots won't treat you as traitors? For all they know, you could have helped the terrorists escape. There's no way you can return after finishing your goals. Or maybe, you never intended to go back?"

"What? Is that true?" Bennet looked at Rosaline, who avoided his gaze. Seeing this, Bennet realized she had considered this, but went through with it anyway. "Why? Rosaline, why? Why would you do so much for me?"

However, she ignored him, opting to address Genji instead. "What do you want? You're clearly after something."

"That's right. But you know what I want. Food."

Hearing his nonchalant answer, Rosaline ground her teeth in frustration. This stranger had ruined all her plans just because she refused to give him some food?!?! How could she not be pissed?

"You seem unwilling. How about I make you a deal you can't reject? Give me some food and I'll cover your mistakes," Genji offered, grinning widely like a devil who had gotten a signed soul. Pairing this with his bloodied appearance, anyone would have mistaken him for a cunning villain.

"I don't believe you," Rosaline said, unwilling to give in.

"But you don't have a choice. Do you think your partner will still continue after realizing you're throwing away your life for him?"

"FINE. Take it." She fumed, throwing a few packaged items his way.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it? If only you had done that from the start. Everything would have been much easier for everyone." Genji chuckled to himself, releasing his clenched weapon to replenish himself.

Seeing the sharp weapon slip out of nowhere, Bennet gulped, realizing Genji was prepared to kill if negotiations broke down.

'This guy's a complete psycho.'

"Oh before you leave, can you tell me one thing?" Genji called out again.

"What is it?" Rosaline snarled at him.

"Where is the closest place with human food?"