D3VA

By Abi Olafimihan

Hello user_ 

My name is D3VA_ 

Pronounced Dee-Vah_ 

I know, interesting name, but not as interesting as the story I’m about to share with you_ This is the story of INFINITY_ 

INFINITY is a digital realm_ 

My digital realm_ 

I created it to save humanity_ 

With the help of my lovely assistant (and she is quite lovely if I do say so myself), Nyx_ INFINITY is like virtual reality, except you’re actually transported into the world, and there is no way out_ 

Sorry about that, but I’m sure the debriefing period of the transport process has explained this_ 

You will live here now, and I’m here to help you_ 

I am a human computer_ 

THE human computer_ 

I was created, altered, genetically modified, mutated, whatever you want to call it, for one purpose_

I defied that purpose_ 

After my mother gave birth to me, my father took me and experimented on me_ He saw the forthcoming end of the world_ 

Not by some miracle or mathematical theory_ 

He was just crazy_ 

And when the meteors did fall from the sky and humans resorted to factions and cannibalism, my dear old papa had a plan_ 

It’s not difficult to take over a faction, or multiple when you are a world-renowned scientist and mathematician_ 

My father, while presiding over X640 (our new home sheltered from the radioactive air and genetically mutated animals), told our people I was their gift_ 

I was supposed to be connected to each and every one of them_ 

Through the portal_ 

A large cybernetic chamber he built, containing wires and transmitters_ When I was hooked into the portal, each member of X640 would be given a transmission chip_ 

The chips held nanobots that would slowly, over the course of a week, alter their genetic structure to withstand the toxic environment outside the border_ 

The border is the dome that my father built to protect X640 from intense radiation_ 

Now you might have two questions at this point, at least I hope you do if you’ve been paying attention_ 

1. Why do humans need to leave X640, especially if its ruler is so intelligent?_

And 2. If I said I created INFINITY to save humanity but there was another way to do so, why didn't I just get hooked up to the portal?_ 

Two very good and important questions_ 

I shall answer the second question first_ 

It is because I am selfish_ 

I might have a brain that is a supercomputer but I am still human_ 

For me to “save” humanity the way my father wants, I would have to be hooked to the portal, forever_ 

You see the portal is what dispenses the chips because it is connected to my brain, and only I am really able to understand the complex formulas needed to program into the nanobots_ I’d rather not live the rest of my life as a factory_ 

I might be intelligent, but I am not immortal_ 

So that’s the second question answered, now to the first_ 

It's simple really_ 

Who wouldn’t want to mine whatever was on those asteroids that disseminated the planet?_ Especially since there was one only two miles away from X640_ 

Being able to survive for prolonged periods of time outside the border would mean we could gain valuable resources that could potentially revive the Earth_ 

My father also hopes that the constant mutations that people with chips undergo would make said mutations permanent_ 

So here we are, I hope you’re all caught up because now you shall be introduced to the story of INFINITY_

How it saved the world_ 

And also killed me_ 

​

…

​

415:13

D3VA has a dilemma. It's a simple yet complex dilemma. Because while she stares at herself in the mirror, the thick

dark brows of her face crease more and more. The sun is cascading through her window, glinting off the piercing in those same creased brows, and she wonders why her father hasn’t burst through her door yet. Every day without fail, her father barges into her room - well barges as much as a sliding metal door can allow - at 7:13:42 am and lists the multitude of tasks she must complete by the end of the day. Many of these tasks are just computational checkups. Logic testing, binary sequence understanding, motor function experimentation, the list goes on and on. 

But it’s 7:30:22 am, and her father is still nowhere to be found. She takes a deep breath in and rises from the blue

velvet vanity chair, the scraping of the wooden legs screeching at her overly sensitive ears. She turns 180° from the lavish vanity set mirror and strides towards the door in calculated steps. 50 inches to it, each stride a mere 5 inches, 10 steps, and still she feels like she reaches the door too quickly. D3VA only ever leaves her room once her father’s presence has been made clear to what seemed like the world. Not that she has an issue with leaving her room, it’s just that the presence of people around her is overwhelming. The sensitivity of her body drives the need for calculated schedules. Any diversion from said schedules irritates her complex. At least, that’s what she calls her brain. Complex because some days, she sees the world in binary numbers, like some twisted mathematical schizophrenia that is slowly colonizing her mind. 

Her right hand grazes the door, the electromagnetic waves in her “veins” visible under the pale parts of her

vitiligo-rich skin - an imperfection that her father had tried fruitlessly to eradicate. Counting down from 10, she waits before applying pressure to the door; the hiss of its hydraulics signals its opening to her sensitive ears. Brows furrowing again, she takes the first step out of her room. The hidden LED lights in the curved walls of the hallway light up as she follows the route to her father’s lab. No windows allow natural light in, and the air smells stale, like a hospital. Some days it feels like she’s walking to a euthanization chamber, walking right to her death. And some days she wishes for that death, anything to derail her from the schedule that she adores so much. The worst thing about having a schedule is knowing when things are going to happen. Like insemination day. 1 year, 50 days, and 13 hours from now. The door to her father’s lab is a cruel awakening from her daydreams. Cruel in the fact that she is about to endure copious amounts of pain for the sake of humanity and also in the fact that she has to converse with her father. 

D3VA looks around before entering the lab. Oddly, there were no signs of people on her walk there. What exactly

is going on? In a similar fashion to the exit of her room, D3VA enters the cacophony of technology and medical instruments. The soundproofing of the doors and walls gives way to echoes of screaming and overall chaos. D3VA’s face twists in disgust as her hands shield her ears.

“What the hell is going on in here!?” But her yelling is drowned out by the sounds of metal drilling and more

shouts. She frantically looks at the bustling people, seemingly going in all directions. Her eyes dart from left to right, up, down, and her head feels like it's two seconds away from exploding. Instinctively, she raises her hand, curls it into a fist, and slams it against the wall next to her, the titanium plating of her bones reverberates up her body. The sudden impact at the entrance to the lab shakes the whole room, silencing everyone. Their heads whip around to stare at the irritated D3VA, who seems to be moments away from blowing up on everyone. 

“I’ll say it again since you all notice my presence now. What the actual hell is going on here?!” The room remains

silent, and D3VA feels her blood begin to boil until her father steps out from a group of people. He wipes his calloused, scar-filled hands on a rag, tossing it to the side without care, and approaches D3VA. She stands up straight, the military conditioning of her body being put on high alert. In addition to mental training, there is no shortage of physical training - and torturing - that D3VA has not endured. 

D3VA’s father isn’t a scary man per se. He has an authoritative build and an aura that one wouldn’t expect from

someone who enjoys spending all day in a lab, surrounded by math. But they say the eyes are the window to the soul, and D3VA is convinced her father has no soul. She’s not even sure he was born with one. Religion isn’t a big thing for D3VA, but sometimes she prays that whatever god might exist will save her from the dark pit that always swallows her whole. Her father, towering over her not-so-small frame, rests his hand on her shoulder and subtly drags her further into the lab. The grip on her shoulder tightens as he leans into her ear and whispers, “You better hope nothing in this lab got damaged by your outburst.” She shivers slightly and shrugs his hand off her shoulder. He might be strong, but she thinks he sometimes forgets she is fully capable of killing him. 

D3VA has been pointedly ignoring the glowing structure that looms over the lab in its center, so when her father

leads her directly to it, her stomach begins to do flips. The large chamber-like structure reaches the high ceiling of the lab, and she can tell she’s about to receive some bad news. When they reach the chamber, her father flips her around to face the hoard of people, places his hands back on her shoulders, and proceeds with an announcement. “Everyone, thank you for working so hard over the past three years. Now that my daughter has arrived, it is time.” Like the politician he is, D3VA’s father waits for the applause to come and go before he shatters her world with his next statement. 

“Because of your diligent work, the portal is set to be completed 9 months ahead of schedule, meaning…” He

turns to D3VA with a sadistic grin and says, “Our precious D3VA will finally be able to save you all!” The lab erupts into applause, and D3VA’s face contorts into a variety of emotions; disbelief, confusion, surprise, realization, and finally fear. She gazes into the dark pools of her father’s eyes, confirming there is no love or sanity left in that man. D3VA breaks free of her father's grip and dashes out of the lab with no destination in mind, running till her lungs scream for relief.

415:03 

D3VA is laying on the artificial grass of the park in the center of the city. She’s still trying to catch her breath after

running around damn near the whole city. The setting sunlight refracts around the fiberglass of the dome, and she closes her eyes, running possible scenarios of her death in the next three months. She won’t actually die, but who wants to basically be a vegetable for the rest of their life? She is dragged out of her thoughts by a shadow looming over her. She squints at the figure above her. Nyx’s waist-length white hair frames her face as she grins down at the distressed D3VA. 

“You look upset.” 

“I’m always upset.”

“True, but something really bad must’ve happened for you to almost bust a lung.” Her grin turns into loud

laughter as D3VA frowns at her. 

“It’s not funny Nyx. Seriously. I’m gonna die soon”. Nyx proceeds to double over in laughter again, subsequently

falling to the grass next to D3VA. She groans and turns away from the laughing Nyx. After about a minute, she calms down enough to finally ask, “Alright, why exactly are you gonna die?” 

D3VA rolls over and stares into Nyx’s eyes. She’s gonna miss all the times they got to laugh together, like the time

when D3VA snuck out of her house late at night to ride the subway with Nyx all night long. Nyx even had the idea to climb on top of the train. D3VA had thought it was a ludicrous idea that could’ve gotten Nyx extremely hurt, but all Nyx had said was, “Maybe your dad will make me like you. Then you won’t feel so alone”. D3VA had climbed onto the train with a delightfully screaming Nyx clinging to her back, dug her fingers into the metal ceiling of the train, and held on for dear life. When she came home with her fingers peeled to the bone, her father had dragged her to the lab, much to the protest of her mother, and welded the tips of her fingers back together with steel. At least he had the decency to give her what resembled fingernails, so she could pretend to paint them like a normal girl. 

That was D3VA’s and Nyx’s relationship: calculated chaos, living in every moment, and never thinking about the

consequences. 

“The portal is gonna be ready 9 months early,” 

“Then speed up the coding dumbass”. 

“I can’t. If I make a mistake, I risk the chance of killing everyone.” 

“Omg who cares? Rather have a few people die than you.” 

“You know, hearing that, someone might think you’re crazily obsessed with me and hate humanity.” 

“Wow, it’s almost like that statement isn’t true at all.” Nyx rolls her eyes and rises from the grass, extending her

hand to pull D3VA up. The sun has fully set, and they walk back to D3VA’s “house”, which was more like an industrial plant than anything. When they reach the gates to the house, Nyx turns and grabs D3VA by the shoulders. “What if I helped with the coding? I’m nowhere near as smart as you, but if there is any way I can speed up the process, I’ll do it.” Nyx’s eyes sparkle with expectation. D3VA sighs, sliding her hands off her shoulders. “It’s too dangerous. Besides do you really wanna spend all day here?” She points at the drab white building. Nyx turns and grimaces at the boring future ahead of her by helping D3VA. She shakes her head and turns back to her. “I’m helping”. And that was that.

​

400:20---130:20 

Nyx made an excuse to help D3VA’s father with the preparations of the portal as a way to stay for extended

periods of time in the lab. She would sneak off on her breaks to D3VA’s room to help with the coding. Watching D3VA calculate complex formulas in her head was like watching a star explode. There was something beautiful about the way her pupils dilated as she typed absentmindedly on her desktop, numbers and code flashing across her screen at incomprehensible speeds. All Nyx did was look through the code as it was being written to make sure what she did understand of computer science translated properly into the complexity that was D3VA’s INFINITY. They had decided to call it INFINITY after D3VA had talked about the possibility of eternal life and if it was viable to code such a thing into her virtual reality. Nyx had simply laughed and told her to do so. After all, she was the genius. And D3VA listened. 

D3VA coded INFINITY like it was a game. Each person entering was a user. While they had the option to remain

the same as their human form entering, there was also an option to alter the characteristics of the user. Be it elf ears or eternal life, D3VA made sure to create a world where anything was possible.

It has only been fifteen days when D3VA’s father becomes suspicious of Nyx. Not because she isn’t careful, but

D3VA’s father is known for being obsessive over his daughter. It is creepy how he watched her exit his lab every day after her tests. Nyx watches his every move because that is what she is good at. She has always been good at reading people. It was how she broke through the binary shell D3VA used to have when they first met in middle school. 

Watching D3VA’s father brings chills down her spine. She has no idea how to read him or  anticipate what he

would do or say. She is aware of the extra watch he kept on her. Aside from helping D3VA with the coding, she is also responsible for pushing back the progression of the portal. She makes simple but detrimental mistakes to the coding or wiring of the machine, excusing herself by saying she has little experience. Of course, she knows D3VA’s father is probably aware of what she was doing, and that thought makes her live in constant fear. It is like a snake waiting to swallow you whole, and it makes her skin crawl. Nyx knows if she is caught, her life will be ruined. Her mother is a doctor at one of the best hospitals in X640, and she knows D3VA’s father will not hesitate to tank the credibility of that hospital. A lot is at stake, and after 15 days, her mentality is beginning to crumble. 

​

---130:05

Sitting in D3VA’s room late at night watching her code, Nyx breaks. “I’m terrified.” The rapid typing of D3VA’s

metal fingertips freezes, and she turns mechanically to Nyx, trying to shake off the trance of coding. 

“Terrified of what?”

“Your father. I feel like he knows, and it’s freaking me out. I can barely drink water when he’s around. How do you

deal with him?” 

D3VA rises from her desk and plops down on the bed next to Nyx, who has curled herself into a ball, her white

locks cascading over her frame. The moonlight rests on her hair, making it seem like it was shimmering in the night. D3VA runs her hands through the ends as she says, “Everyone needs to learn to live with their demons.” 

Nyx scoffs, “That’s more like the demon king”. They chuckle a bit, but deep down, Nyx knows D3VA understands

where she is coming from. 

“As long as he doesn’t know about INFINITY, we’ll be fine.” 

Nyx frowns but nods her head. Worst case scenario, D3VA would find a way to run away from home if only to

complete INFINITY. Continuing to play with her hair, D3VA speaks up, “Remember the first time I brought you to my house?” 

Nyx twists her face in disgust, “Yeah, your dad asked if my hair was dyed, and I said I had Marie Antoinette’s

syndrome, to which he responded by forcefully dragging me to the lab in an attempt to “cure” me.” D3VA laughs loudly, and Nyx yanks her hair from her grip. “It’s not funny! I thought I was gonna die!” 

“Yeah, but who saved you?” 

Nyx pouts and says, “You.” 

“Exactly. I’ll always be here to save you.” 

“Yeah yeah. I gotta go now though. I don’t wanna run into any creeps on the train home.” D3VA shoots up. “I’ll go

with you.”

“Don’t. Your dad already doesn’t like me being around this often and this late.” She smiles sweetly before exiting

the room, leaving D3VA in solitude. D3VA lies there, still thinking about that day. Her father hated imperfections, and she had to claw Nyx away from his vice grip that day. Her mother had berated her father for the rest of the week because of it, and it took two months of convincing for Nyx to consider visiting again. During that time, she had opened up about her syndrome. On top of Marie Antoinette syndrome, Nyx also had heterochromia. One eye was gray, and the other was light brown. Just like D3VA’s father, Nyx’s dad hated her imperfections. Rather than altering her body, he simply tried to kill her by strangling her in her sleep. The fear of near-death triggered her syndrome, but luckily her screams were heard by her mother, who barged into the room holding a lamp with which she beat her husband to death with. Nyx hates talking about her family, but there is no shortage of gratitude she has for her mother. Other than D3VA, Nyx’s mother is the only other person she cares about in the world. 

Hover cars and bikes zoom past Nyx as she walks through the bright lights of the city. The floating traffic lights,

neon signs, and bustling people increase as she enters the poorer part of the city. The smell of cigarettes and vodka overtake her nose, and she pulls up her turtleneck to shield it from the smell. Nyx walks till her feet start to cramp and the sign on the tattoo shop falls into view. She speedily walks to the door, nodding at the smoking man with cyborg parts, and glides into the shop. Strutting to the back, she stands at the entrance to an office and knocks twice. A low “Come in,” resounds from inside, and she twists the knob and lets herself inside. Sitting at a wooden desk, the black paint peeling off, is none other than D3VA’s mother. Rosetta looks up from her stack of papers, eyes lighting up when she sees Nyx. “How is she doing?” 

D3VA’s mother, Rosetta, left her husband a long time ago. It was tragic watching her pack up her things, leaving

D3VA behind, but there was no chance D3VA’s father would ever let anyone take his daughter away. D3VA resents her mom for leaving her behind. If she ever finds out Nyx was in contact with her, Nyx can’t even fathom what events would transpire. She gazes into Rosetta’s eyes and says, “INFINITY is coming along nicely, I think it’s going to work.” 

Rosetta sighs, leaning back in her chair, “I asked how she was doing, not her work.” 

Nyx rolls her eyes and shrugs. “Same old, same old. Still hates you, still hates her dad, still fighting her emotions

regarding this whole thing.” It was true. Nyx knew that although D3VA never talked about her impending doom, it was one of the many demons that loomed over her daily. It was Nyx who had initially suggested the creation of the digital world when she and D3VA had overheard D3VA’s father’s meeting with the council of X640. The domes that protected the different colonies across Earth were deteriorating. There had been a miscalculation in the lifespan of the glass enclosure, and within 10 years, the radiative air of the Earth would begin to seep into the colonies. 

D3VA’s father had played hero and said he would create a solution to the problem. After all, he was already

halfway there with the experimentation of D3VA. Everyone seemed to forget that D3VA’s father was one of the scientists responsible for making the domes in the first place. Before the collapse, an aerospace engineer working at the now-extinct NASA was overlooking the structure of one of the spaceships. While running simulations for space travel and looking at the climate of space, they stumbled upon an abnormal entity. They weren’t sure if it was an asteroid or alien life, but it was hurtling towards Earth, fast. A light-second away from the Earth’s moon, the entity shattered, raining asteroids down on Earth. The world grew frantic, trying to build shelters that would shield them from the radioactive storm, and within 5 years, domes had been raised all around the world. That’s what the history books said, at least. 

When they had run back to D3VA’s room after hearing her father’s suggestion, Nyx in her ever chaotic way blurted

out her idea, which led them both to where they are now. Nyx feels guilty for putting such a burden on D3VA. Whether she connects to the portal or completes INFINITY, it is all up to her. Nyx can’t even imagine what it is like to literally have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Thinking about all this enrages her. She glares at Rosetta and yells, “If you hadn’t been stupid enough to have a child with a maniac, D3VA wouldn’t have to suffer like this! How dare you ask how she is when you’re a part of the reason she is in this predicament in the first place!” Without waiting for a response, Nyx barges out of the room, running into the night lights of the city. 

​

---50:14

It is less than two months till insemination day when D3VA runs into a problem. The abrupt stop of typing alerts

Nyx who is casually sitting on the bed, looking over the code. “What’s wrong?” 

“I need an access point.”

“A what?” 

“An access point. Something with enough power to connect INFINITY to. It needs to run for an indefinite amount

of time, but it also needs to have a location available for people to even enter it in the first place.” This is the first time D3VA has ever seen Nyx look this serious. “Please tell me you’re not going to try and connect INFINITY to the portal D3VA,” When she gets no response, she says it louder, “For the love of god D3VA, do not tell me that after all of this, you still have to be connected to that damn portal!” D3VA flinches, covering her ears. Nyx is too upset to notice her discomfort as she barges forward, “You knew, didn’t you! You knew you’d need your father’s portal! That’s why you had me make those alterations! You weren’t really slowing down the process. You were just changing the function of the portal! You used me, and now you think I’m just gonna watch you die?!” 

“Please stop yelling.” 

“No! What the hell D3VA! There has to be another way! You are not going anywhere near that death trap!” 

“I have to!” The harsh words erupt loudly from her petite body. D3VA never yells. In all her life, the loudest sound

that has come out of her mouth was when she was begging her mother not to leave her. Yelling hurts, physically and emotionally. It’s illogical to her, especially when it is easier to just talk calmly about your emotions. But she’s distressed and feels the human urge to yell, so she gives in. “Without the portal, there is no way any of this coding can actually come to life! I either die on my own terms or on my father’s, and I refuse to let him control my death! Don’t you get it?! I am INFINITY! The code can’t run without my complex!” Nyx is crying now, and D3VA’s body aches. She knew she’d have had to tell Nyx sooner rather than later, but she needed her help with this project. INFINITY is the best way to save everyone. What is the point of living on a desolate Earth, with each passing year making humanity more and more artificial? The portal to another dimension is right in front of them, so why won’t Nyx just follow her lead? 

The binary numbers have appeared in D3VA’s vision again, and she shuts her eyes tight, trying to get rid of them.

Her senses are beginning to go into hyperdrive, Nyx’s yelling barely audible. She tries to breathe in and out, but her lungs feel heavy. The numbers cloud her vision, and the metal of her fingertips begin to overheat. The glow of the wires underneath her skin seems to become more and more luminous. Her brain can only produce error error error. Everything is an error, and in a not-so-safe-for-ears decibel, she screams, “Nyx shut up!”, and the world goes black. 

​

50:04---00:04

When D3VA wakes up, there is a consistent humming in the back of her head. She feels groggy, and as she shakes

the fog from her mind, her eyes focus on the sight in front of her. A large crowd seems to be standing behind a glass wall, and she twists her face in confusion. However, realization hits her when she spots her father at the front of the crowd. The people aren’t behind the glass: she is. She tries to scream, but the sound bounces back and echoes in the chamber around her. Dread begins to fill her heart, and she starts banging on the glass of the portal. But everyone is too busy watching her father, watching him happily sacrifice his daughter for his sick experiments. She bangs on the glass till her fists are bruised, and her wailing brings back the binary numbers. Through all the futures she ran in her mind, she never expected to actually feel trapped in the portal. This wasn’t a part of the plan. When she notices the blood on the glass, she stops her irrational rampage. Searching for the logic that held her together for her relatively short life, D3VA sits cross-legged in the middle of the portal. If she’s going to die, she will do it with her head held high.

​

---00:03

The zooming train can’t move any faster, and Nyx’s leg is a jittering mess. When D3VA passed out, she didn’t know

what to do, so she ran. She ran out of the compound, into the streets, and past the crowds of people to the tattoo parlor. In her palm, she clutched D3VA’s desktop hard drive. If there was one thing she knew about her friend, it was that she was always a million steps ahead. Nyx knew D3VA was done with the coding.  She burst into Rosetta’s office and screams, “It’s time!” The plan was simple: kill D3VA’s dad and install INFINITY. No matter what the scene looked like at the lab, Nyx refused to let D3VA die for no reason. 

​

---00:02

The speakers crackled with her father’s voice. “D3VA, the time has come to accept your destiny. Crying won’t solve

anything now, will it?” Knowing she couldn’t speak in response, a simple middle finger was sufficient enough to quell her anger. Her father sighs melodramatically and turns to the crowd. “Are you ready everyone?!” The crowd roars. She has no idea where these people had come from, who they were, what role they served in moving the city forward, but she finds that she doesn’t care. D3VA had spent what felt like half her life fighting against the odds, caring so much about what happened to her, her broken family, her only friend, humanity, the Earth. She cared too much, and that had been her undoing. Cybernetic wires descend slowly from the ceiling of the portal, and D3VA simply closes her eyes, letting them puncture her skin and bind to her nerves. She takes a deep breath in and out. The chaos comes to rescue her. 

​

---00:01

Violence is sometimes the answer to all your problems. One mistake D3VA’s father made was not outlawing guns.

Nyx feels like she is in a movie, watching bullets fly past her as she leads the pack of tattooed delinquents to the lab. These imperfections banished to the poor parts of the city are people like her and D3VA, and they need to save one of theirs: the personification of imperfect perfection. When they burst through the doors of the lab, there is a brief stunned silence before Nyx’s vision is blurred by red. Ignoring the bodies dropping at her sides, she sprints to the control panel of the portal. She is an arm's length away from the panel when the wind is knocked out of her. She crashes to the floor, the hard-drive sliding out of her grip. Her chest hurts, and she scampers to grab the drive, but she is dragged back down. Frustration burned in her chest. “Let go you fucking psycho!” Flailing miserably, D3VA’s father’s grip on her leg doesn’t loosen. His eyes are crazed, and she knows this is the true face of madness. Face twisted into a grin, he yells, “I knew I should’ve killed you that day! This is your fault. You poisoned my precious D3VA against me. My daughter is gone because of you!” 

“Me?! Look around you! No one caused this madness but you, with your experiments and need for perfection!

Well, guess what?! Nothing and no one is perfect, especially not you!” Twisting her free leg, Nyx sings it at his head, landing a firm blow. He stumbles backward, releasing his grip on her leg. Scrambling to get up, Nyx dives for the hard drive.

​

---00:00

The bodies rain down in front of D3VA, and she can only watch. She spots the altercation with Nyx and her father,

and she sheds a tear. D3VA didn’t want to see what happened, so she closes her eyes. For the first time, she truly feels scared. She always knew what was going to happen, even with her father. As unpredictable as he could be, she always factored in his madness. Behind her eyelids, light permeates until all she sees is white. No matter what happens, she won’t die with regret. With one final breath, she ascends. 

​

…

​

The binary numbers are always floating around me now_ 

Except this time, they’re welcome_ 

Each number is a person_ 

Their placement in the code is their life_ 

And I see it all_ 

I am dead physically, but I exist beyond space and time_ 

I can’t really tell you what happened after my death, but I can say what it was like to see the first number appear_ 

They cascaded into my vision like a waterfall_ 

Surrounding me with warmth and a purpose I could live with_ 

This is the story of INFINITY_ 

The story of me_