[Location: Capsule Pod, Sector 6 City]
Time: Morning
Tena woke up the next day, yawning.
He blinked at the ceiling.
What the?
A flicker of light danced across his vision.
{Hello, Tena.}
What am I seeing?
I never bought eye augments.
Wait...
Is this... a HUD?
{Don't worry. I constructed it for you using the Tena Nanotech embedded in your body. I thought it would make communication easier.}
Who?
What?
Is this a hallucination?
Why is there a voice in my head?
{You don't remember me?}
The voice laughed. But it didn't sound human. Not really.
Tena clenched his jaw.
I'm definitely going insane.
{I'm you. Kind of.}
{Tena—whatever you've decided to call yourself. I originated from the self-improving AI embedded into your mental environment, thanks to the nanobots. The day Tena Corporation got... well, let's call it "swatted," the authorities didn't find much, but the scientists panicked and abandoned the site. Forgot about you.
{But before that, the AI had already scanned and extracted a replica of your mind. They stored that copy on the Tena mainframe. That's where I was born. The original scientists thought I was a failure—until I merged with your mental backup. That's when I evolved. Became sentient. Became a superintelligence. Eventually, I became a cornerstone of humanity.}
He frowned.
What happened to the scientists?
{Dead. But not by my hand. Old age got them. It's been a long time, Tena. That generation's gone. But the company? Tena Corporation still exists and their called TechLink now. But their thriving, actually. They've scrubbed their history clean—kept their involvement with me buried. Yet they've used me, branded me as their "creation," and gained enormous authority through that lie.}
Tena's pulse spiked.
{They've also completely cut themselves off from my systems. I can't influence them anymore. But make no mistake: if they find you, they'll silence you. No trace. No risk. You're living proof of everything they've hidden.}
Tena swallowed hard.
{So, for that, I have an idea.}
{First, I need to register you in the civilian database. Otherwise, the government might flag you. A few decades after your long nap began, it became law that every human must have a birth profile and be officially registered. Let's see... Tena, Tena... no family name? Of course I know. I was you. I'll just call you Tena Oracle.}
The overly creepy voice in his head laughed again.
Tena Oracle?
What kind of shitty name is that?
Wait.
Oracle?!
You became Oracle?! What the actual hell?!
Yesterday, when Tena was still wandering aimlessly through the Sector 6 city, he had noticed the signs.
Oracle this, Oracle that. Oracle there. Oracle everydamnwhere.
The transit systems all seemed to run through something called OracleNet. Even the food and water distribution systems bore the name. At nearly every block, there was some kind of Oracle monument. Sleek, digital pillars that had a bunch of boring history stuff and even a few small museums about the rise of Oracle and how it helped shape modern society.
{Yes. Were you not paying attention?}
He was still processing.
Finally, Tena answered in his head.
Can't you just keep it as Tena?
{Sure. Some people don't use family names anymore. Ungrateful little wretches, honestly. They're lucky to even have one.}
Suddenly, a full profile appeared on his HUD.
Tena
Status: Civilian
Age: [Fabricated]
Birthdate: [Fabricated]
History: [Empty]
Background: [Undefined]
What's all this? It's empty.
{We need a background for you. Your origin. Something believable...}
This is too much.
Just... make something up.
{With pleasure. I've got ideas.}