Four tried to stand up as the shackles came off, but found herself unable to move. She tried to look over to Three, but again found herself not able to move. Then she simply tried to speak up, but once again, no movement.
After what seemed like some of the longest few seconds in her life, a voice spoke through her headpiece. It was one she had heard before, the same voice that had spoken over the intercom a short moment ago. The thing was that it seemed to say no more than gibberish. Still she found that it somehow made sense. What didn't make sense was that she, without making any attempt to, stood up, like she wasn't in control of her own actions.
After trying to move again, she found she still couldn't. She couldn't even get herself to sit back down. "What is happening? Why can't I move on my own?" She thought to herself as something from within her seemed to force her to walk. Three seemed to do the same, and together they left the door they came from, into the maze of hallways that, while she didn't know where they were or where they were going to, the thing controlling her did.
Having rounded another corner, she was already lost as to where they had gone from the station. What gave her some hope was a voice sounding in her headpiece, not the same robotic one as before, nor the static that she heard when they entered.
"Four? Can you hear us?" The voice of Six spoke.
"We've tried to reach Three, but she wouldn't respond…" The voice of Two chimed in.
"What are you all up to down there?" The captain finished.
"I can't do anything, we need help." She wanted to say, but thinking it is as far as she came.
"Four?"
"I think she can't hear us Gramps."
"First nothing from Three, now also Four stays silent. Let's hope Eight's device still works."
And with hearing that from Six, the headpiece fell silent again for a bit as she and Three kept walking down the barely illuminated corridors for a little while longer. "What happened? Why couldn't I even speak? Where are we even going? Is Three having the same problem?" From the corner of her eyes she saw her colleague marching in exactly the same pace as that she was doing.
After having rounded a couple more corners, she could hear voices in her headpiece again.
"Eight, Are you there?"
"Yes, Me and Devon can hear you loud and clear."
"Good. Me, Two, and the Captain have tried to contact Three and Four, but they won't answer…"
"What are you doing down there?"
"We were separated."
"I specifically told you to stick together."
"Your voice was replaced by static before you told us that ma'am."
"At least you two are still together. And where are the others?"
"They continued their way on the metro?"
"The metro!? Why revisit those cursed tests?" The captain seemed perplexed.
"We were led down here by some of those soldiers."
"You followed them!?"
"They seemed to have no ill intent sir."
"Nonsense!"
"Please Gramps, calm down."
"They only take orders, they must have been expecting you."
"We have been led to a room similar to where I fought Three last time." Four got a bad feeling when she said that, seeing how they were making their way somewhere without any control over their own actions whatsoever.
"But why aren't the others answering us?"
"We haven't tried contacting seven yet."
"I can't find him anywhere, the others are all close to one another, but he seems to not be anywhere near you."
"Then maybe he's somewhere else?"
"I'll try to look for him elsewhere."
"What? Seven missing?"
"What about me and Three? That we can be located isn't really something that should assure you that everything is fine."
"I'm trying to find him."
"Don't worry Gramps, It's Three and Four, they're fine."
"No, we're not!"
"That's not what has gotten me worried. Last time Three got taken over, what if that happened again?"
"Taken over? Is that what this is?"
"Not again…" Eight's voice trembled
"But they have each other, they will not get caught as easily when they are together." Nine tried to assure her.
"And that's where you're wrong. I even caused this, Three didn't trust those chairs, and I got us both to sit down in their trap."
"I guess you are right." Eight said, taking Devon in an embrace, something the rest could hear as she continued. "It is nice to be comforted by a friend." Nine's surprised reaction was however something they couldn't see.
"Anyway… We'll be on the lookout for Seven, tell us when you find the other two, or Seven even."
"Will do."
"Yes ma'am."
The silence once again set in, the two agents still making their way cod knows where. Next to her, Four could see Three still marching without an expression on her face. It looked almost as if she was a marionette controlled by a talented puppet master. "Did she hear all of that too? Do I also look like that?"
After a few more corridors, they finally did something different. Three opened a door and the two entered a large room, or better said, half a room. The place they entered had a floor and walls on all but one side, and it was missing the ceiling, making them able to see what was above them. The room appeared to be in the same space as the metro they had been on, a void in which floated indistinguishable items.
The room itself was rather simple, featuring walls that were reinforced with metal and a metal floor. On that floor stood, or for the lack of a better word, hovered a platform, one that looked similar to the ones Four had seen in the Canyon, but this one seemed to be in a better shape, not having ragy wires sticking out or metal bits hanging off to the sides.
The two got on and stopped, standing perfectly still. "What are they planning on? What are we supposed to do?" The platform started rising and soon was on its way, floating over the maze of corridors and rooms that seemed to be supported by only a couple of small pillars that disappeared into the darkness below and faded into nothing above them.
"...and ten she told me she was not interested! Can you believe tat?" The plumber was telling Will some office story, but he couldn't get himself to listen.
"Anyway, we are tere." He stopped in front of a small door and opened it, revealing a large array of office cabinets, some of the drawers opened and showing the dozens of documents inside. He however didn't let him in yet.
"But I want to ask, what do you have tat large cylinder for?" He looked at Will's roller.
"I believe it's some kind of weapon for them." He looked at it, unsure how covering one in yellow would hurt someone.
"What are you going to do? Paint your enemy?" Jan laughed and stepped aside. "In any case, try not to dirty te files."
Will hesitantly went in first, followed by Jan who closed the door behind them, making dust swirl up from the ground, wall, and the back of the door itself. The room now only being lit by a couple small lights he had turned on and the small bit of light that found its way between the door and the doorframe.
"What is in all these?" Will asked, walking up to one of the open drawers.
"All te files of all te employees. Everyone is in h-" He stopped as Will picked one of the documents out of the drawer. It fell apart in his hands, adding more dirt to the dusty floor.
The both of them stared at the remnants of the paper in his hand. Only now did he once again hear the ambient sound of the facility, fluids flowing through pipes, rythmic sounds of metal screeching, some slight dripping of a leaky pipe, and most weird of all the faint sound of a train driving through a tunnel.
"It is a good ting tese are also stored on the computer." Jan broke the silence.
"I guess it would make finding my file a lot easier."
"I bet." He finally took a step again, making dust fly into the air and adding to the prints he had already made.
He walked up to a small desk that stood at the corner of the room. On it lay a few simple office supplies, a mug, an empty clipboard, and a computer. The whole looked not only abandoned, but almost eerie, like someone had one day left without knowing it would be the last time they would sit behind the desk.
"Where are the others?" Will asked, getting a bad feeling about all this.
"Waiting on us i te ship." Jan replied, not thinking about it nearly as much as he did.
"All of them?"
"only some."
"Then what happened to the rest?" He feared the worst.
"I never wondered that."
"Can we find out?"
"I could ask." The plumber shrugged.
"Ask, didn't you say you were alone here?"
"Te control system of tis place." He replied, clearly not knowing how to put it in any better words.
The computer booted up, showing an empty screen, apart from a cursor. There was no sound, next to no light, and no way of opening documents.
"It's empty."
"You just have to ask."
"Ask?"
"Like tis." He cleared his throat. "Computer."
"Yes?" A robotic voice spoke, not coming from the computer, but the entire room.
"Show us te files of member seven."
"Currently displaying files of subject 100.007" The voice said as a document appeared on screen. A picture of Will clearly visible in the corner.
"Tere you go. I am going to get a coffee in te break room." Jan said before standing up. "Tat is in te room next to the room tat it next to tis one."
"Okay?"
"Good, have fun reading." And with that he left.
William started reading, skipping the first section that contain no more than medical information and a physical description. What did interest him was the part after, displaying his previous employment. He apparently had served as a soldier, and worked as a security guard crew for the facility he was in before being enrolled for the program.
"Computer?" He suddenly got an idea.
"Yes?"
"Can you see where people are in this facility?"
"Yes."
"Are there others beside me and Jan?"
"... … … No." This answer puzzled him, as he was almost certain the others hadn't left yet.
"Were there people here who left this day?"
"... … … No."
"Than what were those green creatures that led me here?"
"... … ... … …"
"Why won't you answer?"
"Certain information is labelled as classified."
"Classified? By who?" He couldn't imagine Jan telling the computer to hide that other things dwelled down here, not even taking into account that he didn't seem to know himself.
"The main facility control."
"So where are they?"
"I have lost contact with the main facility control approximately 2 days ago."
"So they are all dead?"
"All contact with the main facility control has been lost, the reason for this is still unknown."
"Where was that anyway?"
"The main facility control was located at the top of this facility, above all other departments."
"All other departments, how many are there?"
"There are 23 well documented, although there are more that are mentioned in documents, but not filed to the system."
"So the people from main control were alive two days ago?"
"Negative" Another answer that puzzled him.
"But you had contact with them two days ago."
"The main facility control does not consist of any biological component. It is a program designed to keep the facility operating and to ensure the set goals to be achieved."
"So an artificial intelligence?"
"Correct"
"And it prohibited you to tell me about the others creatures here?"
"Correct"
"Can I overrule that?"
"You are able to."
"Then I hereby order you to ignore that order and tell me."
"Your order has been processed. There are currently 2 humans, 2 squids, 2 octop- [ERROR: unsolved plural form], 15.734 employees, 243 unresolved, in this facility. Scanner unreliability at 7.32%."
"Where are these squids?"
"They are currently 479 meters away from your location."
"Can you show me?"
"Opening visual link from unit 12.093." The voice spoke before a new window popped up, showing an at first empty scene with a floor covered in green and purple. However, soon the roofless room that he was watching down into came into better view, showing something he had trouble to comprehend.
"Ma'am, I am scared." Devon was quivering, although she did her best not to let it show, which didn't go to well.
"You do not have to be." Eight replied. "I am here with you, and I will make sure nothing bad happens to you."
"Thank you for that ma'am." She sighed, looking at the platforms that slowly circled the room they were in, each one having a couple soldiers standing on them.
Some of these platforms appeared and others disappeared to make place for them, but one of them caught Eight's attention, and it left her face as white as a towel when she saw it.
Four and Three stood side by side on the platform that brought her a scare, standing perfectly still and watching the two with cold eyes, with one pulsing green next to a chunk of light green goop that clung to the side of their head.
"Why are you so silent ma'am?"
"Not again…" She whispered, holding her breath and taking a stance as both agents jumped down, their weapons at the ready.