Here's another chapter. As summer comes to an end, so does the increase in chapter postings. Expect very long gaps in-between chapters.
"Words" Speaking
'words' Thoughts
"Words" Demon Speech
'Words' Demon thoughts
Scene change
Over the next week, my routine changed very little. I still woke up and got ready before eating breakfast, after which I had a knowledge test. The tests increased in difficulty every day. In the beginning, it was manageable; However, by Friday, I guessed at every question. I still managed to get a high score despite not knowing what the answers were.
After the knowledge tests, more interviews, morphogenetic tests, and my gift tests, it turns out I have low to mod level precognition, depending on the situation. If I am in a relaxed environment, I can tell what actions give me the best outcome within a few minutes. As stress rises, that best 'outcome' could lengthen to days.
But it was once again Saturday. It had been a week since my arrival here at Sigma and now was my day off. Tomorrow, however, is when the real tests begin.
I had finished my breakfast and washed my hands after using the bathroom. Sunny was already back in our room while the others had dispersed to do their recreational activities.
'Sunny still doesn't want to open up. Maybe some more bonding in his dreams is needed. I think I'm going to do some more research in the library and then work out. I need to maintain my fitness to escape.' I thought.
I left the bathroom and left the dormitories, headed toward the library.
'Should I look for more of Minerva's books? Or maybe some practical books like ones about the demon world or demons themselves… the twins should be there, so maybe I'll ask them.' I thought as I reached the door to the library.
I walk in to see the twins with ebony skin reading at the table. Noticing my entrance, C and K smile and wave before returning to their books.
I walk over to the section of the Masks, wanting to learn more about their species. The book I picked up was titled "The Trafiti's Hierarchy" by Abalone Ratri 1934.
For the next two hours, I read the book. According to the book, the Masks or Trafiti government is a cast system. At the top is लᘯ⠝ێ, a being who is also called God. Below them are the queen and the royal family, then the lords and high-class Masks. Below them are the soldiers and scientists, then the farmworkers who operate the premium farms, then the workers who operate the mass production farms, then the Peasants, then the Tamed, and lastly, the Mindless.
After I absorbed the knowledge of their system, I sat on the other side of the table C and K were seated at and looked at them.
"Hey C, K, I have a question…" I ask.
The two girls look up at me and close their books.
"What's up?" They ask.
"Well, what're your Gifts? I want to learn what everyone can do." I ask.
"Ohh, you want to know our abilities, do you?" C said, bringing her hand to her chin.
"I see. You want to get to know us a bit more. Okay then." K replied.
"I can understand the composition of an object just by touching it. Touching things like plants means I learn the makeup and what they can be used for, or a person for what makes up their personality. But I have to know what the chemicals are to interpret property or know what an aspect of a personality means to make a judgment call." C tells me.
"For me, I can reverse the morphogenetic field, meaning I can switch the roles of transmitters and receivers. I just have to touch one, and then the reserver can send information as if they were a transmitter; however, when I let go, they return to normal." K explained.
"Cool! So you can see if certain plants or animals are poisonous and if a person is bad or good!" I say, looking at C, who nods. "And you can make receivers talk to transmitters as long as you're touching them!" I said, looking at K, who nodded. "That's very useful! I have some form of short to mid-level precognition." I tell them.
"Hoo, that is a useful ability. You better train it so you can use it properly." The twins say in sync.
"What was your childhood like? I know you lived in separate houses, but other than that, what was life like?" I asked.
"We came from the plantation Goodwill Ridge. At our orphanages, we lived with fifty other children. Each house was kept in a dome with a fake sky." K told me.
"Our Mama told us the outside was dangerous because of pollution, so newborn children are given to the orphanage in the dome to keep the children safe and healthy." C continued.
"Our IDs are on our right shoulder blade, rather than our necks like you. Mama told us that children had these to keep track of us until we were old enough to return to our parents outside." K said.
"Wow, that's much different than what my Mama told us. She said the fence was made cuz the forest was full of wild animals, and people would adopt us when we were shipped out." I tell the twins.
"That's what Mathias told us. It's kind of weird knowing what we were told our entire lives was fake." K said.
"Yeah…" I say, remembering all the lies Mama told us.
"Tell us, Spencer. Do you have any friends other than your girlfriend?" C and K said at the same time.
I blushed at the idea of Emma being my girlfriend, not that I would mind, but I shook it off and replied. "Ye-yeah. Ray is a friend my age who We'd play with. He was blunt and studious but cared a lot. And Norman was the smartest out of all of us. Then there is Don, Gilda, Phil, and everyone else. I miss them, especially Emma…" I say, looking down to the ground.
"Don't worry, Spencer! You'll see them again. We know it!" They said at once.
"Thanks, what about you?" I ask.
"Ib, she was pretty young when I left, around six. She's nine now. I felt a strong connection with her when Mama brought her to us, her piercing red eyes and beautiful brown hair. When she was old enough, she'd follow me everywhere and always played with me. I still miss her…" C said.
"Yes, my sister Wendy. She's the same age as Ib, although she has dark blue hair and brown eyes. She was so shy and loving. I miss her." K told me, looking at her hands.
"Sorry to make you sad. I didn't mean for you to remember sad things." I say with a concerned look.
"no, no, it's fine." The ebony twins said.
"We asked you about your family. It's only fair if we tell you about ours." C told me
"Yeah, and it's good to remember the people we love," K reassured me.
"Okay, well, should we go get lunch? It's almost time," I said.
"Yes, let's." C and K reply.
The three of us left the library, taking the books we wanted to read with us to the dining room.
For lunch today, I had a hot dog with fruit salad and celery sticks.
Once I got to lunch, I walked to the table Penny and Tikvah sat at as their discussion escalated.
"It's not cheating! I just have the skills to win every time!" Penny exclaimed.
Using your gift to win is cheating! You always win cuz you manipulate the code in your favor!" Tikvah argued.
"Excuse me, what's this all about?" I ask as I sit down.
"Penny keeps cheating at playing the arcade games!" The youngest girl tells me.
"And I'm telling you it's not cheating! I'm using my skill and playing within the limits of the game." The orange-headed girl argued.
"Well, maybe if you explain what you mean by "your own skills" I could make a stance," I said.
"By skill, I mean my. I am a technopath. I can talk to technology, make it start and stop, or even manipulate code, but I need to know how it works. I need to take the thing apart and put it back together." Penny says.
"Well, if you're manipulating the code of the game to be in your favor, then that's kind of cheating…" I told her.
"Ha! Told you!" Tikvah said, pointing at the older girl.
"Yeah, whatever," Penny said dismissively.
"Speaking of gifts, what's your Tikvah?" I ask as I took a bite out of my hot dog.
"Oh! I'm a spirit medium!" The girl with the bun hair replied.
"Spirit medium?" I parrot perplexingly.
"It means I can see and talk to those who have passed on, and I can let them possess me for a short time. But I have to know their name, date of birth, date of death, and what connects them to the living world." The young girl explains.
"That's amazing! You can get so much information from people who have died." I say with a smile.
'I wonder if the spirits can go through walls and listen in on others' conversations? I'll ask later.' I thought.
"What about you?" Penny asks as she takes a bite of pizza.
"I have low to medium precognition. I'm still trying to figure out all the details, but that's what I know." I told her.
"Sweet," Tikvah replied.
For the rest of lunch, we discussed what we liked to do. I learned that Penny wants to take apart and put back together some of the game room arcade machines and learn more about computers from books. Tikvah likes to write poetry and play video games with Penny, even if she cheats.
After lunch, I took a few minutes to read Minerva's "Mystical Encyclopedia," a book that was back at Grace Field, but I figured it had hints about this world's fauna.
After my lunch had settled, I wanted to exercise to keep my body fit and ready for the escape. I went to my room and changed into my workout clothes.
When I arrived at the gym, Ryan was working out on the rowing arm machine. He seemed very concentrated, so I walked to the treadmill and began to run on it. I kept running at a steady pace of eight miles per hour. After a few minutes, Ryan approached the treadmill next to mine and began running on it as well. He set up a preset running program that constantly changed the speed up and down every few minutes.
"So, fresh meat, you want to get fit?" The beefy teen asked.
I looked at the boy with crimson eyes as I continued to run. "Well, it's more like staying in shape. My friend told me my body type is not suited for having big muscular arms. I'm lean and tall and am more suited for cardio." I say.
"Ahh, your body type is an ectomorph. You will find it hard to gain muscle mass and keep fat reserves. Your friend was right. You're more of a marathon runner or swimmer." Ryan tells me.
"What body type are you?" I asked as we ran.
Ryan's running quickly slowed down to a walk as he took a sip of water.
"I'm an endomorph. I gain and maintain muscle mass and fat really easily and am suited for wrestling or powerlifting." He tells me.
"I see," I said as I looked at the wide-bodied teen. His arms were well defined and thick with muscle. His neck and body were also thick and rigid.
"Pff, you keep looking at me like that, and I'll start thinking you're into me or something," Ryan said with a grin as his treadmill picked up speed once again.
My face turns red as I look away, "It's not that. I was just thinking. How did you get so muscular in only a couple of years?"
"That's my gift. I can control my body's production and use of hormones and proteins. I still have to consume food and exercise my muscles, but I can control where the proteins are made and the hormones used to increase my adrenaline and such." Ryan explained as the treadmill's speed increased.
As Ryan ran at a full sprint, I was left to think about his gift. 'He can control his body's hormone and protein production? That explains his super muscle mass… how precise can he control? Can he make his body attack viruses? Can he control chemicals and specific cells?' I thought as my treadmill slowed to a stop.
I hopped off the treadmill and walked to the fridge, where cold water was held. After taking a drink, I started walking out of the gym.
"Come back if you want me to make a training regimen for yeh," Ryan said as he continued his running.
"Thanks for the offer. I'll do it later!" I replay as I walk out.
'What should I do now? I have about three hours till dinner… I know! I haven't played the piano for a while. I should do that to keep my skill.' I thought, walking towards the playroom.
When I arrived, Mathias and Akiza were playing chess. The seventeen-year-olds looked up and waved at me before returning to their game.
I walked over to the instrument section. On the wall was what I was looking for, a piano.
I sat on the bench and lifted the dusty cover. 'Seems like no one has played in a while…' I thought as I placed my hands on the keys.
I played B4, hearing the note echo through the room.
'Seems to be in tune…' I thought as I started to play the eighty-eight keys, seeing if the unused piano had any faults.
'Sounds good to me, if a little unloved.' I thought happily as I placed my feet on the pedals and readied my hands.
Taking a deep breath, I began.
[Insert Alpha Bookstore Theme, from A Hat in Time.]
The melody filled the room with its grace. I was too focused on enjoying the tune to notice Mathias and Akiza had stopped playing their game. About halfway through the piece, I saw the light in the room shift, so I glanced back to see the couple dancing to the music. The dance was a Waltz. Mathias's left hand was held in Akiza's right, the boy's right hand was settled above her hip, and her left hand on his shoulder. The two teens move in sync, spinning, and dancing around the center of the room, smiling at each other all the while.
A little embarrassed, I returned to looking at the piano, focusing on the song I was playing.
Once the song finished, I sat in silence for a moment before hearing clapping behind me.
"Well done, Spencer! I never knew you were so talented!" Akiza praise.
"I did," Mathias said with a grin.
I turned around to see the two teens look at me with giant smiles on their faces. I expected them to praise my skill after I finished but didn't predict they'd start to dance to it.
"Tell me, what was the name of that song?" Akiza askes.
"Well, it's called "Tale of the Moon Jumper" by Pascal Michael Stiefel," I responded. "Umm, why were you dancing to the music, though?" I ask.
"Oh, that's just something we like to do," Akiza said casually.
"We usually have to use one of the CDs to play music, so having live music was too enticing," Mathias explained.
"I just love dancing with Matt," Akiza said, playing a hand on her cheek. "The harmonious movement, working together to express our love. It's so romantic." She said.
"I just like being close to her. Feeling her warmth is a drug I'm addicted to," Mathias said, wrapping his arm around the crimsonette and hugging her.
I blush at the open display of affection the couple shows. I can practically feel the love these two have for each other.
As I looked, I couldn't help but imagine Emma and me in their place, expressing our deep caring and love for each other similarly.
I blush and turn back to the piano, trying to take my mind off the embarrassing thoughts that clouded my mind.
The next song I played wasn't a dance song, just another lullaby I'd playback at Grace Field.
[Insert OST Hunter x Hunter Senritsu Kurapica Piano II Theme].
The song was different from the previous one, having less emphasis on melody than the previous one and having a different kind of melancholy tone.
"This song is called "Panorama," by Senritsu. It's usually played a little faster than this, but I find slowing it down brings a more calming energy to it. Where "Tale of the Moon Jumper" feels like being outside on a snowy winter night, this feels like being inside on a rainy day, more gloomy." I explained.
As I played the song, Mathias and Akiza embraced in a new form of dance, where Mathias hands were above Akiza's hips, and Akiza's hands rested atop both his shoulders. Their bodies were close as they moved side to side with a depressing tone.
When I ended the song, the two teens finished dancing as well.
"Man Spencer, you are really good at the piano. Do you want to play for everyone at some point? I'm sure all of them would enjoy it!" Akiza said, "Well, maybe not Ryan, but who cares…" She said under her breath.
"I think that's a good idea, but not yet. Let's see if we can get Sunny more comfortable and socially active before that," Mathias said.
'Right… Mari plays the piano,' I thought.
"Well, I'm hungry after dancing so much. Let's go get dinner," Akiza said, walking to the door.
"Yeah…" I respond, standing up.
When the three of us arrived at the dining room, Sunny was just exiting, giving me a quick glance before hurrying off to our room.
'... at this point, I don't know what's going to get him to eat with me… I could try going to eat with him?' I thought.
"Hey guys, do you mind if I go eat in my room with Sunny?" I ask the eldest Sigma subjects.
"Oh, that's a good idea, Spencer! Go on. Eat with him." Akiza said.
"Yeah, that might get you closer to him," Mathias said.
With a nod, I got in line to pick up my dinner. Tonight I got Fish and Chips with steamed broccoli and sliced apples.
As I walked to my room, I thought about what I should do with Sunny as we ate. 'Should I just eat in silence? or try to make small talk? Maybe some simple yes or no questions about his friends in Headspace…'
I entered my room, seeing Sunny sitting on his bed eating a steak with a baked potato and grapes.
"Hey Sunny, do you mind if I eat here with you?" I asked.
The black-haired boy looked up from his meal, still chewing his stake, and nodded.
"Thanks," I said, walking to my bed and sitting down.
As I started to eat my dinner, I again thought of questions I could ask the older boy.
'Gosh, how can I ask Sunny questions he can answer without bringing up bad memories?' I thought as I ate my broccoli.
Suddenly Sunny's face turned green. He placed his tray on the side of the bed and rushed out the door.
I quickly followed him as he entered the bathroom and ran into one of the toilet stalls.
I ran to the stall door and heard the boy vomit and gag as he expelled his stomach contents.
"Sunny? What's wrong?! Did your stomach not agree with your food?" I ask, concerned.
What responded was another lurch of vomit from the stall. I got a glass from the cabinet and filled it with tap water. Slowly I opened the stall to see Sunny leaning on the toilet, his head hanging over the bowl.
"Sunny? I have some water you can use to rinse your mouth with." I say, kneeling down and presenting the glass.
The monotone boy shakily took the glass from my hand after filling his mouth with water, swishing it around in his mouth before spitting it into the toilet.
"..." I sat in silence next to the boy as he wiped the sweat from his brow. 'What should I say?' I thought.
"... Sunny… I know you're not well, both physically and mentally," I say as I sat next to the older boy.
Sunny continued to look down at the bowl containing his own vomit, not reacting to my statement.
"I still don't have all the answers, like why you shut yourself in and away from the others, what happened at your orphanage, or what… Something is. But I want to. I really want to get to know you." I said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.
Sunny jumped slightly at the contact but didn't respond, continuing to look down.
"I can take a guess as to what happened to your older sister and Hero, them being older than you. But just because they are gone doesn't mean their love for you is gone. Love is a form of energy, and like energy, it cannot be destroyed, only changed. Mari's love for you has not left this world. It is still inside of your heart and will stay with you no matter what." I said.
Sunny began to shake at the mention of his big sister but stopped when I said she loved him. The black-haired boy looked up at me with his cliff-face, but eyes filled with confusion.
"You seem confused as to why I'm so hell-bent on becoming your friend, huh?" I ask, to which he nods.
"Well, it's a lot of things. For one, you look a lot like a friend from back home. He's also pretty stoic. I also got to know you from your friends in your dreams, and especially Mari. Most of all, I see the state you're in out here in the real world and the weird things I've seen in Headspace. I am concerned for your well-being, Sunny, because you're a human being like me, and I want to help." I said as I stood up.
Sunny continued his stoic stare at me, trying to understand my words. I offered my hand to help him up. "Come on, we should get you some more water and light food. You can nibble on my apples," I said as he took my hand.
I helped him back to our room, getting him on his bed. I put his tray to the door and got my apple sliced with a glass of cool water. I sat there with him as he sipped the water and nibbled on the apples, slowly regaining his stomach contents.
"Well, Sunny, you should get some rest. We do have tests tomorrow…" I said, remembering the impending tasks I would have to accomplish. "Honestly, I'm a little scared. What will I have to do? Am I going to face a life-and-death situation? The unknown future, it's terrifying!" I say with a shutter.
Sunny placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. Even with his emotionless gaze, I could feel what he was trying to say.
"Yeah, it's going to be okay. I just got to move forward. Thanks, Sunny." I said as I stood up.
I got ready for bed, brushing my teeth and putting on my PJs before laying down, ready to sleep. The lights turned off automatically, plunging the room into darkness. As sleep overtook me, I heard a very soft and quiet whisper coming from the other side of the room.
"Goodnight." Sunny whispered.
With a smile, I shifted to a more comfortable position, "Goodnight." I replied.
That morning.
Birds chirping once again woke me from my slumber. This time, the atmosphere around the room was different.
While last night I had a breakthrough with Sunny, and I was happy about that, it was also my first actual test day. There was nervousness, hope, fear, anticipation, and so many more feelings.
I quickly got up and turned off the alarm, and went into my closet to get dressed for the day. When I got out, Sunny was waiting at the door with our trays in his arms,
"Morning, Sunny! Do you want me to take my dinner tray?" I asked.
Sunny gave a nod and outstretched his arms, allowing me to take my tray of dirty dishes.
"How are you feeling today? Better than last night?" I asked.
Sunny gave a thumbs up as we walked out. Outside I saw Ryan walking out of the bathroom and Mathias out of his room. Ryan gave a small wave before rushing out of the common room.
"Morning Spencer, Sunny, How'd you sleep?" Mathias asked.
"Good, Sunny felt a little sick last night, but he slept well," I responded.
"Good! Don't worry, Spencer, today is going to be hard, but you will make it." Mathias reassured me.
"Thanks. I needed that." I said with a smile as we walked out.
As the three of us left, we saw Akiza and the twins walk out of their side of the dorms.
Akiza and Mathias gave a hug and a kiss good morning while the twins waved at Sunny and I as we left into the main hallway.
Mathias and Akiza look at each other smiling, making some weird faces.
'They must be talking through the morphogenetic fields. Wonder what they're talking about?' I thought as we walked to the dining room.
Ryan was already inside and eating. Penny and Tikvah were in line to get their breakfast, as well as the rest of our groups.
Sunny and I deposited our trays from the previous night and got in line to get breakfast.
Once it was my turn, I scanned my Nullpad, which delivered my breakfast, cinnamon, and apple Oatmeal with a glass of milk and a one-eyed jack.
Sunny once again left to eat in our room, but before leaving, he glanced at me as if to say, 'ill be able to eat here soon, just not today.'
I decided to eat with Tikvah and the twins, looking at their Null pads as they ate.
"Morning, girls!" I greeted as I sat down.
"Morning, Spencer." The three of them greeted.
"You ready for your first day of real tests?" C asked.
"I am kinda nervous, don't even know what I'm doing today yet," I replied as I took out my Null.
"Well, check it. We want to see it as well!" K said as she put her Nullpad down.
I opened my Null pad and taped the schedule app. I tapped the "Today's Test" tab to see my schedule.
"...what do the bones mean?" I asked.
"Oh, that's the level of danger the test will be. No bones mean no chance of bodily harm or psychological damage. One bone means a small amount of bodily harm and a very low chance of permanent psychological damage. Two bones mean a moderate amount of damage possible, and a medium amount of psychological damage, also a small chance of death. Then a skull and crossbones mean life and death with psychological damage. A real possibility, pain and bodily harm are almost certain." K explained.
My face drained as I took a second look at my schedule.
"... first is a knowledge test, one bone," I say.
"That's a knowledge test where if you get one wrong, you get an electrical shock that ramps up the more you get wrong," Tikvah said.
"Then an escape room, skull and crossbones…" I said, fear and anxiety starting to take over.
"Spencer… it's going to be okay… take a breath, in, and out," C said as she got up and walked over to me.
"Yeah, it might be scary, but you can't let the fear take over you. Let it relax and motivate you," K said as she placed her hand on my shoulder.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I heard Emma's voice in my head, something she said in the past. 'It's okay, Spence! As long as we're together, nothing is impossible! Like you say, "The impossible is possible, all you gotta do is make it so!" right!?'
"Right…" I said out loud, looking back at my Null.
"Next is Lunch, then interview/therapy with no bones. And lastly, an obstacle course with one bone," I said.
"I see. I'm starting with a guessing game with two bones and then an obstacle course with two bones. Then I have a fight with Sunny and then a medical check-up." Tikvah said.
"C and I have a two bone split puzzle room and then a joint skull and crossbones fight with a Tamed. After lunch, there is a no bones knowledge test for me and a dream test for C." K said.
"Okay. so should we eat?" I say, trying to get past the depressing atmosphere.
"Yeah, let's finish breakfast," C said softly.
The rest of breakfast was silent as we ate. As I ate, I thought of what I would do with the escape room, 'what would the nature of it be?' I wondered.
I finished my breakfast along with most of the others, dispensing with the used dishes.
A few minutes later, the doors opened, revealing Makoto and the guards once again.
"You know the drill guys, do your best. Spencer, this will be the last time I escort you. After I take you to your first test, it will be a standard guard like everyone else. Let's get a move on." the adult Esper said.
The walk to the testing room was silent. I had been here before. It was the same room as the previous knowledge tests.
"Spencer, I know you are nervous about today and maybe even scared, but you can do it. All you need is to trust your gut feeling and utilize your mind to its fullest potential. I know you can do it. I'll see you later for the therapy session. Okay?" Makoto said as he kneeled to my level.
I gave a nod in response, and the man patted my shoulder and stood up. Makoto made his way to the exit door and gave me a wave before leaving to enter the testing room as a scientist followed me into the room.
I sat down and strapped on the helmet while the scientist got some wires from under the testing machine. At the end of the cables were pads of some sort that the scientist stuck onto my arms, head, and torso.
The unnamed researcher left me alone in the room as the robotic voice played in my head.
"Sigma-five. Knowledge tests. Shock motivation. Answer each question within ten seconds. Failing to answer or answering incorrectly will result in an electrical shock. Shocks will get stronger with each failure. Begin." the robotic female said.
The screen lit up with the first question.
'There are two ducks in front of a duck, two ducks behind a duck, and a duck in the middle. How many ducks are there?... three, right? Two in front of the last one, the first duck has two behind it, and one is in the middle!' I thought, choosing option three.
I got no shock, and the next question popped up, 'guess that means I'm right.'
'Find the distance from the origin to the plane 2x + 3y − 6z = 14. This is calculus. How am I supposed to do this in under ten seconds?!' I thought in frustration. I took a quick breath and closed my eyes. 'What is it?' I asked. A number appeared in my head, slightly fuzzy but still readable, 'two!' I answered, but just as I was about to scan the answer, the screen turned red, and a beep was heard.
Confusion only pledged to me for a moment as I felt a shock surge through my body. My body froze as electricity constricted my muscles. Pain shooting everywhere, but I was unable to scream.
After a moment, the shock stopped, and the screen retired to the next question.
'Fuck that hurt! Don't wanna mess up like that again, gotta answer this quickly!' I thought as I focused on the next question.
Over the next two hours, I continued to answer the questions one after the other. If I didn't recognize the answer immediately, I used my gift to guess. I slipped up on a couple other questions, resulting in an even stronger shock. It hurt, but I kept my composure and answered the next question.
After the twelve hundredth question, the screen displayed white, and the voice returned.
"Sigma-five. Knowledge test. Concluded," the robot said before the screen powered down.
I quickly took off the helmet and ripped off the electric shock bandages as the doors opened, revealing the same scientist as before.
"Sigma-five, you are finished here. You have another test in thirty minutes. Come." The man ordered.
I followed the man, my fingers still tingling from the shocks of before. When I entered the observation room, I saw a man I recognized from the day I arrived here,
He wore the same combat suit as before but without the rifle, he had that night. His turquoise eyes glared at me from behind his glasses. His straight blond hair created a dome around his head.
"Sigma-five, Staff Sargent Andrew will be leading you to your next test on level nineteen. Follow his instructions, and there will be no problems." The researcher told me.
With a nod, I walked up to the intimating security guard. He scowled as he looked down on me before turning and walking towards the door.
Not wanting to upset him, I followed quickly behind.
We walked to the elevator in silence, Andrew striding quickly in front of me as I struggled to keep up, still feeling the side effects of the shocks I received.
We arrived at the elevator, and Andrew scanned his Null. Within a few seconds, the elevator doors opened, allowing us inside. The blond man pressed the button labeled nineteen, and the door closed.
For a moment, we descended in silence. However, once we passed the sixteenth floor, Andrew quickly scanned his Null on the panel and pressed the emergency stop button, halting the elevator's descent.
Confused as to why we stopped, I look over to the man just to see his knee rushing toward my stomach.
Air was shot out of my chest, and I was unable to gain it back. I fell to my knees, gasping and clutching my stomach.
"Since you're new here, I want to make a few things clear," Andrew said in a threatening tone. "I'm Staff Sergeant Andrew Left. I am not sir, not Andrew, and not Mr. Left. You will address me as Sergeant Andrew or Sergeant Left." He said calmly.
"First, I would like to express the sheer depth of my apathy towards your survival. I. Do not care. If you live or die today." he said, emphasizing his words.
I finally regained my breath and looked up to the man staring down at me with contempt.
"I have been working here for sixteen years at my master's orders to serve a purpose. A purpose I do not plan on failing." he said, "I have worth. I am a human." he said, pointing to himself.
He then pointed to me. "You, however, are nothing more than a calf, a lamb for slaughter, Food. And that will never change as long as I breathe. If you die here today, your disgusting cattle body will be given to that being for consumption, and I am completely fine with that."
Andrew kneeled down to me, pulling my hair up, and stared directly into my eyes. "Here at Sigma Labs, I have a single rule that all you cattle children must follow. It's called the golden rule, and it's not that bullshit 'do unto others as you want them to do to you' stuff your herder told you." he said mockingly.
"It's quite simple, 'do as you are told. Without any back-talk or questions.' For example, when I tell you to move, you move. When one of the nerds tells you to solve a puzzle, you solve it. When I tell you here and now, don't even try to escape. You better follow that rule, else I will make sure you end up on a silver platter, filleted and cooked for that being. Understand?" He asked, leaving no room for me to answer in the negative.
My body was shaking. I was unsure if it was because of the shocks from before, the sudden knee to the gut, or for the menacing energy Andrew was emitting. Fear arose in me as I forced my vocal cords to respond.
"Ye-yes, S-Sargent Left," I said, trying to regain my composure.
The older man smirked and let go of my hair, standing up. The smirk seemed fake and sincere at the same time. Like he was happy, I was on the ground in pain but wanting to beat me down again.
"Good." He replied as he once again pressed the level nineteen button. "And don't tell anyone what I did here. If you do, I'll kill you."
I got back on my feet, nearly stumbling over once again after the elevator stopped on the nineteenth floor. Sargent Left gave me no time to recover as he walked out and turned right.
I quickly followed, a dull pain still throbbing in my torso. 'God, I knew this guy was bad news from the first time I saw him, but he's worse than I thought. I'm still having issues breathing after that hit. He is the biggest hurdle in our escape, no doubt.' I thought as we approached the door labeled "Escape-03."
With a quick scan by Andrew, the door opened to another monitor room, however, the glass was dark, and I could not see inside. The tan-skinned man grabbed my shoulder and shoved me in before closing the door behind me.
Rubbing my shoulder, I looked around the monitor room to see Dorthey and Dr. Ludwig approaching me.
"Hello Spencer, I hope you are feeling well?" Dr. Ludwig asked as we walked up.
"I'm. Fine, I got shocked a couple times and fell on my way here, but I'm fine." I said,
"Well, if your walkin and talkin, your good enough to do this test, baby dick," Dorthey said as she walked to a counter. On the counter were a canister and a mask.
"First, we are going to give you a small amount of Anesthesia, so you don't see anything as you enter the room. It should only be enough to keep you asleep for less than an hour, so don't worry. The test will begin when you wake up." Dr. Ludwig said as he took the anesthesia from Dorthey.
"What exactly will I be doing?" I asked.
"It's an escape room. What the fuck do you think you'll be doing?" Dorthey said condescendingly.
"What she's trying to say is you'll solve several puzzles within a timeframe to get out of the room." Dr. Ludwig explained more clearly.
"Okay… how deadly is this going to be?" I ask.
"If you fuck up and don't get out within time, your dead," Dorthey said bluntly.
'Certain death…' I thought, anxiety rising once again.
"Don't scare him, Dorthey!" Dr. Ludwig said, slapping the blonde girl's head.
"Ohhh," Dorthey moaned, causing Ludwig to glare at her lewd vocalization.
"Enough, Dorthey! Don't worry, Spencer. As long as you keep a level head and follow your gut, you should be totally fine. Now, sit down on that chair if you please?" The doctor asked.
I sat down on the chair. Dr. Ludwig gestured towards an office chair with wheels on it and leaned back comfortably.
"I'm going to put this mask on you, and I want you to take a deep breath and count down from three." The older man said as he placed the mask over my mouth and nose.
"You have to remain calm if you want to survive. Panicking will only waste oxygen and energy that should be going to solve the puzzle. If you feel like you're going to break down, take a deep breath and remember something to calm you down." The doctor said as he turned on the gas.
I took a deep breath of the white gas that exited the container. Immediately, my vision became blurry. "Threeee." I said with a slur. "Twooo…." and before I could say one, I was met with darkness.
A loud sown and shaking woke me from the darkness. It only felt like seconds past since I was knocked out. The dim light took a minute to adjust to, but I noticed it was very unfamiliar.
I quickly sat up from lying down, only to be met with a sharp pain hitting my head.
"Ow!" I said.
I rolled over and threw out my head to steady myself, but I found myself groping at the empty air.
I lost my balance, and along with the still drowsy mind, the pain from hitting my head, and not knowing where I was, I tumbled down to the cold, gray floor.
"Ow-Goddammit!" I yelled in pain. I looked around, still trying to find my bearings and what this "Escape room" really was.
The fall had shaken the last cobwebs of sleep from my mind, and I could finally see where I was and what I had fallen from.
It was a three leveled bunk bed, and I had apparently fallen from the top bunk. My shoulders, knee, hip, and back were all in pain. I could feel a bump forming on my forehead, where I slammed it against the low ceiling.
I wondered if that bump was the reason I felt my vision wavering a bit, but that seemed unlikely. At first, I thought the tremor that ran through my legs was just another effect of my rude awakening, but as I looked around, I realized it was real... The whole room was shaking.
Was it an earthquake? I wondered. It didn't seem likely. It was shaking far too quickly for an earthquake. I rubbed the growing bump on my head and gingerly climbed to my feet. With my balance regained, I finally took my first good look around the room…
Then, as suddenly as they had begun, the tremors ceased. A cold silence fell over the room. From around the room, I could hear the sound of metal squeaking, like a force was bending it against the metal's will.
I took a look around the room to note the interesting objects. There was a stove that looked more antique than functional. The 3-level bunk bed had mattresses that were so thin that they were little more than blankets. On the other side of the room was an identical bed.
I approached the door slowly. Standing, at last, in front of the door, I grabbed hold of the L-shaped handle. A push yielded no movement, and a pull had the same result. A few more tries cemented the truth in my mind: it wouldn't open. It didn't matter how much I pushed and shoved. The handle wouldn't budge. Next to the door was an odd-looking device that reminded me of the card readers on the front of every entry in Sigma Labs. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the odd-looking device was keeping the door shut.
It was at that moment that I noticed the window. The window was round, rimmed in riveted brass, like a window from an early 20th-century ship.
"Is this escape room based on a ship?" I asked out loud.
I walked cautiously toward the window. I could see nothing beyond it but thick, impenetrable darkness.
"Sigma-five. Escape room, Gigantic. Threat level, maximum. Objective: Escape within nine minutes. Begin." A robotic voice echoed through the room.
Confused, I looked around to see if there was a speaker of some sort, only to hear the sound of glass cracking.
I quickly looked back at the window, seeing large cracks appear on it.
"Oh, Shit!" I exclaimed as the window shattered, allowing a geyser of cold water to rush in from outside. The water shot out with such force I was knocked down onto the wet floor.
'Shit shit shit!' I thought as I stood up, now soaked through my clothes. 'Gatta, find the way out! What I need is the key card to get through!'
I frantically took in my surroundings once more. My breathing became erratic as my vision became blurry once more.
Then, a voice echoed in my head, reminding me of earlier. "If you feel like you're going to break down, take a deep breath and remember something to calm you down." The voice of Ludwig said.
'Calm, I have to remain calm…' I thought as I took in deep, rhythmic breaths. 'Emma… I have to survive if I want to see her.'
The water was already soaking into my shoes. I had to move fast if I wanted to get out of here without drowning.
I looked at the sink next to me. Over it was a shelf with a picture frame on it. I grabbed the frame and examined the picture.
"A ship…" I said I put the frame back on the shelf for later.
Above the shelf was a tack board with a piece of paper on it. I grabbed the paper and looked at it closely.
'A sideways right red triangle facing downright, with an outline of a right red triangle that would make a square if put together. An arrow that changes from red to blue below it. On the blue side is a mirror image of the triangles only colored blue.' I thought. 'Must be a code of some kind.'
I pocketed the note and continued my search.
I started rummaging through the beds. On the middle bunk of the left side beds, I found a blue briefcase. On the handle was a four-digit code showing 0000 and an empty keyhole.
'I'll have to find a key and a four-digit code to open this.' I thought as I lay the briefcase onto the bed.
I found a similar briefcase colored red on the top bunk, so I put it next to the blue one and continued my search.
Under the pillow of the right middle bunk was another slip of paper with blue and red shapes on it. In this paper was a blue-filled square, then an empty blue right triangle facing down right. After that was a filled-in red triangle facing down left than an empty red square.
The water was already up to my legs, almost reaching my knees. I had to move quickly.
Next, I looked at the old-fashioned stove. A rusted metal teapot was on top. I took the lid to find a blue key inside.
"I'll need this, no doubt," I said out loud, putting the key into my pocket.
I opened the door to the stove to find a screwdriver lying on the fire grate.
"Wait, maybe if I?" I said, taking the screwdriver and walking back to the picture frame.
I turned the frame around and used the screwdriver to unscrew the frame. I then pulled the back of the frame and took out the picture.
"A ship on one side, what's on the back…" I said as I turned it around.
'1= an empty right triangle with the hypotenuse facing to the top right, 2= an empty right triangle facing downright, 3= an empty right triangle facing down left, 4= an empty right triangle facing up left, and 5= an empty square. Then 6= a filled-in right triangle with the hypotenuse facing to the top right, 7= a filled-in right triangle facing to the lower right, 8= a filled-in right triangle facing to the lower left, 9= a filled-in right triangle facing to the upper left, and lastly 0= a filled-in square.' I read in my head.
'Some sort of answer key, I'll need it later.' I thought as I pocketed the picture.
The water was still pouring out, now my waist was about to be submerged, and it was getting harder to move.
'Have to go faster!' I thought.
I found a slider on the end of the bed. Opening it revealed my reflection, a mirror with a red key taped to it.
I pocketed the key and moved on.
I took out the code slips and the key and trudged to the now floating cases. I put the blue key into the blue case, and the key was locked in place with a click.
Looking at the key and the blue-colored shape, I entered the code.
"Zero, two, six, three!" I said as I entered the code. The hole case clicked and opened.
Inside was a red binder and nothing else. I quickly took it out and opened it. Inside was a plastic sheet and three red cards with numbers on them.
At this point, the water was up to my neck. Soon I would have to swim up just to have air, which was undoubtedly finite.
I took the sheet and started to read it.
'Compute a [digital root] with the following steps: First, add all the numbers in question to one another. If you end up with something greater than a single-digit number, add the digits to one another.' I read a little confused as to the reason this was here.
'(For instance, if you have a double-digit number, add the number in the [tens place] to the number in the [one's place]). Keep adding digits in this manner until you have a single-digit answer. That final single digit is your [digital root]. EX: The [digital root] of (678) would be… 6 + 7 + 8 = 21 ? 2 + 1 = [3] Therefore, the [digital root] of (678) is [3].' That was all that was on the sheet.
'I need the red case now,' I thought, treading water to keep my head above.
I put the key and used the key to get the code. "Seven, four, eight, five," I said. Once again, with a click, the briefcase opened, revealing three blue cards.
The water was now almost to the ceiling, and I was struggling to stay up.
'I have these cards, but which one is the right card?!' I thought
I took a deep breath and ducked my head underwater, and swam to the card reader. The sheets were floating in the water, and the open briefcases had sunk to the bottom. I scanned the card with the number one on it, the reader had a green x on it, but nothing happened. I tried pulling the lever, but the green x turned red before turning blank again.
'What do I do!' I thought as I returned to the small air pocket that was left. I started to panic and breathed heavily. I couldn't keep myself calm.
'Emma… Ray… I, I'm sorry…' I thought as the water continued to rise.
Then, I started to feel something, a sense of deja vu. I tried to remember when I could have been here before, but all I could think of was the number five. I slowed my breathing, calmed down as the last few seconds of air remained.
'Five, five… Five!' I suddenly remembered the red number painted on the door. It all clicked then, the numbered cards, digital roots, the number five-door. I need to use three of the cars to make the number five!
With a final deep breath, and ducked down to the card readers.
'Three numbers combined to make five. One plus six plus seven would be fourteen. One plus four is five!' As I sorted through the six cards, I took out the blue one and the red six and seven.
I scanned the cards and pulled the lever. For a brief moment, there was nothing, no sound as the entire room had filled with water.
I checked the math in my head, it was right. Could my deduction have been wrong?
My lungs started to burn. My vision already blurred from the water, started to blur even further until I heard a chime.
It was muffled but still there. And the panel light glowed green. Suddenly I heard the sound of water draining. In my excitement, I gasped, allowing water to fill my lungs.
I spasmed in shock, trying to swim myself up to the air above me, but I couldn't. My muscles seemed unresponsive. I thrashed around trying to move up but continued to sink.
Consciousness slowly faded, and I felt myself land on the floor, still underwater.
'I have to hold on, I. Have. To. Stay. Alive.' I thought.
Just as darkness was about to claim me, I felt the water pass my head. With all my strength, I lifted my head and exhaled all the water from my lungs. The pain was excruciating as I coughed up my nearly drowned lungs.
My blurry vision saw the door open to reveal Dr. Ludwig standing there with an oxygen canister and mask. From my blurry vision, I could just barely see my left wrist flash a teal light.
"He- Pencer. Breath." I could barely understand what he was saying with my water-logged ears, but he placed the mask over my mouth and nose as I breathed in the pure O2.
"Deep breaths Spencer, deep breaths." The doctor told me. As he held the mask, he hit my back to get more of the water stuck in my lungs to be coughed up.
As I breathed in the gas, I could feel consciousness returning as my ear drained out the water and my lungs replaced the water with air.
"Very good, very good. You did well for your first escape room." Ludwig praised.
The doctor got up, and I grabbed the mask to keep it on. He left the room only to return with a towel and the office chair.
Over the next ten minutes, I dried myself while constantly breathing in the oxygen from the tank. After thoroughly drying, Dorthey came in with a fresh set of my white clothes and told me to get dressed.
As soon as I got dressed, the doctor returned.
"Spencer, how are you feeling now? Better, I hope." Ludwig asked.
I took the mask off and smiled at the older man.
"Yes, I'm feeling better. My lungs don't hurt anymore. My throat is still sore, and I have a headache, but I'm fine otherwise." I side.
"Well, you nearly drowned. So it's to be expected you have some side effects. I'm just going to ask you a few questions, and then the security officer will be able to take you to lunch." The medical ESPer told me.
"Okay," I said as I sat comfortably.
"Okay, on a scale from one to ten, where ten is high, and one is low, How challenging was this escape?" The doctor asked as he took out his Null.
"Uhh, well, I'd say about a seven. The logic of it wasn't that hard, and the items weren't that hidden, but that last puzzle was a real struggle, and the water made everything much slower." I explained.
"Did you have any knowledge of the test before you participated in it?" Ludwig asked.
"No," I answer, shaking my head.
"At any point during the test, did you have any feeling of deja vu? Like you had seen or done something you have no memory of?" The doctor asked.
"Yes actually, yes! Nearing the end, when the entire room was flooded, I had remembered seeing the number five on the door to the room, but there was a feeling of nostalgia or deja vu with it."
"Umm, there is no number on the door…" Dr. Ludwig said, moving aside and closing the door to reveal no red number on it.
"But… I remember seeing a stylized five on the door!" I say in shock at the blank door.
"Hmm, well, you SHIFTed, the energy sensors indicate as such. You see, Spencer, before you arrived, we flipped a coin. On heads, we would have provided a clue as to the digital root needed while tails we did not. You must have SHIFTed from a timeline where you saw the number but failed to get out." The doctor explained.
"But, I don't remember anything like that. It was just a feeling and an image. I don't remember ever doing this test." I said defensively.
"You wouldn't. Only ESPers who have SHIFTed multiple times and gained a lot of power over time can remember the timeline before SHIFTing," Ludwig said patiently.
"Okay. but then that means I'd have no means to king five was the answer in this timeline, so I would have died." I say, a little angry that I could have died.
"Yes, but that is how things work here, sadly. Life and death are major factors in this facility. Every ESPer here faces the likelihood of death nearly every day. To survive, you must shift. I don't take any pleasure in forcing children into life or death situations. In fact, I despise it." Ludwig said vindictively.
"Oh, well, thank you for your concern. Sorry if I made it seem like I was angry at you." I apologized.
"No, it's okay. I understand your anger." The doctor reassured me. "Well, that's all the questions I have. There's a guard in the observation room to lead you down to lunch."
With a nod, I got up and walked out of the test room into a hallway that had a few other closed doors on the sides and an open door at the end. When I got there, Dorthey was talking with the guard in full body armor.
"So what do yeh say, big guy? Want a piece of this after dinner?" The blonde asked with a seductive voice.
"No." the gruff security guard said simply.
"Ohhh. Come now, don't play hard to get. I know you feel pent up, not many girls here, less who are willing to blow off some steam without a date." Dorthey said, using her fingers to climb up the man's arm.
"Oh, look at that, the subject is here, come on, let's go." the man said quickly, walking over to me and nudging me to the door.
"Call me!" Dorthey yelled as the door closed.
The guard sighed in relief before leading me to the elevator.
"Thank you." He said quietly as he called it up.
"No problem," I said, knowing he was thanking me for getting him out of that awkward situation.
The ride to the living floor was silent, simply nodding to the guard as the elevator doors closed.
When I arrived at the dining hall, I saw everyone but Sunny there once again. At the side, Akiza and Mathias rushed over.
"Spencer, are you okay? The teens told us you had a deadly escape room!" Akiza asked.
"Do you feel okay? SHIFTing can be very disorienting for a first-timer." Mathias said.
"You Shifted!" Akiza said in shock.
"Yeah, I'm fine, a little shaken up at almost drowning, but otherwise fine," I say calmly.
"Yikes, are you sure you're okay? No issues with breathing?" Tikvah asked in worry.
"I'm hungry right now, but otherwise, I have no problems," I said, wanting to eat.
"Okay… but if you want to talk, we will make time for it," Akiza said.
"Right," I said, walking to get my lunch.
Today my lunch was a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich along with celery sticks and apple juice.
I ate my lunch alone in silence, focusing on my food rather than what happened during my test.
The others tried to come and talk to me, but I just said I wanted to eat alone.
After lunch, the guards walked in to take us to our next test. I arrived on the twentieth floor, where the guard took me to the same room I went to a week ago when Makoto interviewed me.
Inside the monitor room was the middle-aged ESPer known as Iroh, who was looking into the interview room. When the door closed behind me, Iroh turned to me with a smile.
"Hello, young Spencer. How are you feeling after what happened this morning?" Iroh asked.
"Fine, I guess… more confused and disoriented after the escape room," I explained.
"Understandable. from the report Ludwig gave me, those feelings are natural." The eldest ESPer said. "So this meeting will be a simple conversation between you and Chise. You can talk about the tests in the morning, the SHIFT, and ask any questions about what happened," he explained.
"Okay," I respond, walking over to the door leading to the interview room.
The door opened, revealing the same setup as before. Two comfortable chairs with snacks and a teapot on the coffee table.
Sitting on one of the chairs was the newest graduate from the Sigma program. Chise had a cup of something hot in her hand along with a clipboard on her lap.
"Spencer! Good to see you, come sit down. I have hot chocolate and cookies." Chise said with a soft smile.
I sat down on the comfortable chair, took a cup, poured some hot chocolate, and sipped.
"It's delicious." I complement.
"Yes, it is. We try to make things like this as comfortable as possible as almost every other test has some level of stress applied to it." Chise explained. "So, tell me, how are you feeling? Both emotionally and physically." Chise asked, getting right into the interview.
"Well, I feel weird. I'm emotionally confused and disoriented, like I'm asleep or about to fall asleep without the drowsiness. I don't feel any of the side effects of the shocks anymore, and most of the chest pain and chills I was feeling after the second test, but if I breathe deeply, I will feel slight tension." I explained.
Chise was writing down what I said while still looking directly at me. "SHIFTing can cause many things, disorientation, vertigo, headache, and even hallucination. Because it's your consciousness that shifts, along with some memories, the subconscious and rest of the mind have to adapt to having something from another place and time inside it rather than the one that was born in there." the girl with short red hair explained.
"So it's like a part of my mind from a different timeline just replaced the one in this timeline, and my mind and body have to get used to it?" I simplify.
"Exactly, now tell me more about the emotional side of things? A near-death experience comes with a lot of emotions." Chise asked.
"Well, I feel scared. I mean, the escape room was my first of many near-death experiences that are to come. I also feel tired, but also not… I want to lie down, but I don't think I could fall asleep." I told her.
"It was your first real test day, and a pretty extreme one at that, so fatigue, both mental and physical, is expected. I think we should cancel your obstacle course tests so you can get some rest. You're still adapting to the new environment." Chise says.
"I agree." Iroh's voice says through the intercom. "Rest is one of the most important things to do before and after a stressful situation. Chise, finish this soon so young Spencer can go and rest." the older man told the younger girl.
Chise nodded and looked back at me.
"Being scared is a natural aspect of life, and fear has shown to be connected to SHIFTing as the danger that is often used for SHIFTing almost always causes it. Being scared of what happened in the past, however, isn't something you should focus on. What happened in the past may mold you into what you are right now, but it is the future you need to prepare yourself for. Let the fears of the past go, and walk into the future with hope and caution." Chise told me.
I stopped drinking the hot chocolate and looked down at the warm liquid in the cup. 'She right, this whole time I've been afraid of being away from Emma, I may not have noticed it until now, but I really am scared without her. I can't let that fear hold me back from surviving, though.' I thought.
I took a deep breath and finished the cup of liquid goodness. "Your right. I can't be held back by the past. I need to let go and move forward if I'm going to live," I say with a smile.
Chise smiles and puts her cup down on the table. "I'm glad you see that Spencer, however, saying a thing and doing a thing are very different. I suggest you take your time off to reflect on what it means to let go of past fears." She suggested.
With that, the both of us stood up and walked out to the observation room. Iroh smiled at us and approached.
"Very good Chise, you're getting better and better at talking to people like a therapist." Iroh praised.
"Thank you, father," Chise said with a blush.
"Now, Spencer, let me lead you down to your floor. After all that happened today, you should get some time to yourself," Iroh said, gesturing me to follow him out.
I smiled and waved bye to Chise, who responded with a smile and a wave as the door closed.
As the two of us walked down the hall, I noticed how much older Iroh seemed compared to the other adult ESPers. 'Sigma was founded in 2030, and Makoto said he was one of the first kids to arrive at Sigma. But Iroh looks much older than Makoto…' "where was he before Sigma labs?" I asked under my breath
"You wonder where I was before I arrived here at Sigma labs?" Iroh asked.
"Ohh uhh," I said, embarrassed I asked it out loud. "I mean, Makoto said he was one of the first kids here, and he's like, thirty or thirty-one. And you look a lot older than him, so I was wondering where you were before, as I would think you'd have been too old to be kept at most plantations…" I explained.
Iroh stroked his goatee thoughtfully, "You are right, when Sigma labs were founded, I was already in my mid-twenties. The reason for my being so old is I was kept at another experimental facility known as Lambda 7214 before being transferred here." Iroh explained.
"Lambda 7214?" I parrot inquisitive.
"Yes," Iroh answers as we arrive at the elevator. He scanned his Null and waited for the door to open. "While Sigma labs research ESPers exclusively, Lambda researches all kinds of human-based experiments. Before Sigma, the captured ESPers were sent there; however, the scientists there did not have the technology to understand us truly. When Dr. Sigma contacted James Ratri about creating a specialized facility for ESPer children, James jumped at the opportunity to stop some of the inhuman experiments conducted on ESPers. The three of us there were sent here, However, only one of my comrades from Lambda is still alive today." Iroh said with a somber expression as we entered the elevator.
"I'm sorry I reminded you of such pain," I apologize.
"No, no, it's okay, it was bound to come up. Besides, Kyoko is a fine young woman. You haven't met her yet, have you?" Iroh asked, pressing the twenty-first floor.
"No, not yet. Makoto tells me they are close friends and that she isn't often here as she is the Sigma representative for the Masks and Ratri clan," I explained.
"Is that what he said? Those two are as thick as thieves, like Akiza and Mathias. They love each other to the end of the earth and back." Iroh says with a smile.
The elevator doors open on my floor as I walk out.
"It was good talking to you, Iroh," I say with a wave.
"You too, young Spencer." The older man says while waving.
The elevator door closed, and I heard the hum lifting the elevator up. I looked around at the empty hallway, everyone else was off doing their tests, so it was an unusually empty feeling.
'What should I do… I could exercise, read, or play some games… actually, I feel really burnt out after everything. I'll take a short nap.' I decided.
I walked towards the door in silence. I arrived in the male common room and scanned my Null to open mine and Sunny's room.
As the door opened, I heard a gasp and looked to see one of the Masks near my bed. However, this one was smaller than the others, maybe about Mathias's height. It wore a light brown cloak and hood and a wooden mask with three eye holes vertically in the middle with a single horn on the right. Dark purple hair flowed from both sides of their face.
I also noticed a cart with our uniforms and bedsheets neatly folded stacked on top of one another.
"Ah, you must be the newest Subject, Sigma-five, right?" The Mask said in a feminine and shy voice. The now-known female demon turned to me, revealing she held some clothes hooks and some of my uniforms.
"Right, my name is Spencer. What are you doing here?" I ask, a little concerned as to why one of them was in my room.
"Oh, how rude of me, I am Lieza. I work here as a simple housekeeper for you young ESPers. I clean up your rooms, do your laundry and return them to your sleeping chambers. Usually, you are all testing, so I rarely see you." Lieza said, bowing to me in respect.
"That makes sense, I guess, but you look different compared to the others like Roj… why is that," I ask.
"I'm a commoner compared to Lord Roj. My parents gave me up to Sigma labs for a large supply of high-grade food. Here I work and get fed but cannot do much else…" Lieza explained in a somber tone. She turned into my closet and placed my now clean clothes on the rack.
"How horrible! They would treat their own kind like slaves! I'm sorry if I hurt you by bringing it up." I apologize.
Lieza brought up her hands, each with four fingers, and waved them frantically. "Oh no, no, no! Don't feel bad. I have come to accept my place in the world, and you are surely curious." the female demon walked to her cart and quickly picked up Sunny's clothing and some hangers. In a quick motion, Lieza put the clothes on the hanger and moved quickly into the fourteen-year-old closet, hanging his clothes.
Lieza walked over to her cart, her bare feet clicking on the floor. "I have already cleaned the other two boys' rooms and now your room, replacing your bed sheets and pillowcases with clean ones, and cleaning your sink. I will now go to the bathroom before leaving for the girls' dorms." The young demon woman said.
"Thank you." I thank her with a smile as she passes.
Lieza stopped at the door before turning to me, her mask covered her eyes, but I could see her giving me a genuine smile.
"You're very welcome, Spencer." Lieza said. She then turned back to her cart and left to finish her cleaning.
Once again, I was alone. I walked to my bed and sat on the freshly made sheets.
'Still a little warm from the dryer…' I thought, feeling the residual heat of the bed.
I lay down, not bothering to cover myself in the blanket, and stared at the ceiling.
There was absolute silence, except for the quiet breath I let out. Giving me time to think about all that had happened.
'I SHIFTed, probably meaning I died. But I'm still here… Mathias said timelines can be drastically different. Will this new world be that different from the previous one? Have I shifted in the past and not known it? How many times will I shift in the future?' I questioned in my head. There was only one thought that truly matters, however.
"Is Emma here…" I say out loud.
I remembered how Makoto explained the Transmitter/Receiver relationship, which was later expanded by C and K.
I closed my eyes and focused on my desire to see her, how she was. If she is genuinely my Transmitter, I will be able to see her…
After a few moments, images and voices popped into my head.
"This is a farm, run by demons and humans to raise us and have us fed to the demons. Mama works for them," I heard in the low and whispered voice of Emma.
Not losing concentration by my excitement, I continued to focus.
An image of Emma sitting outside under a tree, her head low, with Yvette, Alicia, and Chris around her, listening to her.
"We are going to escape. We have a plan. Don, Gilda, Anna, and Nat are working on it while Ray and I distract Mama, listen to them. They have proof of what I say, so go to them after dinner." Emma tells them.
I could not see the children's faces, but I felt like they were confused and scared.
"Don't worry, we will get out of here. Just keep a smile on and pretend like you don't know. We plan to leave the night before Ray's birthday, so get ready, just follow the others, and you'll be good. I will protect you, I promise." Emma reassures them.
'So she's following our plan, the one Norman and I made. Good. I had worried that she would give up after we left and lost hope.' I thought, bring myself back to reality.
I felt a soft buzzing coming from my pocket and feel for my Null, which was vibrating. Taking it out, I see a message from Mathias. "Spence, come out from your room! It's dinner! We can talk about your day." it read.
I look at the time and notice it's been two hours since I arrived.
'I must have been really focused and lost my sense of time.' I thought, getting up and walking to the door.
As the door opens, I see Sunny approaching with his dinner, so I keep the door open to allow him in.
"Sunny, want to chat after Dinner?" I ask.
The black-haired boy turned to me and slightly nodded before walking over to his bed to eat.
I smiled and left my roommate to finish his food alone, jogging to the dining room.
I arrived to see everyone else sitting down to eat.
Mathias looks up from his meal and gives me a wave. I wave back as I go to get my dinner for tonight.
My supper tonight was spaghetti and meatballs with salad and orange juice.
I walk to Mathias and Akiza's table with my food tray in hand and sit across from them.
"Hey, guys, how was your day?" I asked.
"It was fine, Matt had an obstacle course that was deadly, but he got out fine," Akiza said with a smile.
I don't know if a concussion and a gash on my head are "Fine," but I'm alive." Mathias responds.
"Do you want me to kiss your booboo?" Akiza asked in a teasing tone.
"Sure, I love when you kiss my body," Mathias responded with a grin.
Akiza's face went bright red before hitting Mathias in the back of the head.
"Not in front of the children!" Akiza explained.
"Owwww!" Mathias yelled, clutching his head.
"Oh god, shit, I'm sorry! You got me so flustered I forgot! Are you okay? Do you need me to call Ludwig!" Akiza frantically said, worrying for her muse.
"I'm fine, don't worry, love. I just need to finish food and go to bed, really. Hey, Sunny! How was your day? after the Escape room, I mean." Mathias asked, trying to change the subject.
"Well, I had a therapy slash interview with Chise. We talked about the escape room and how I felt. Mainly my feelings of fear and the discombobulation I felt after the test." I explain, taking a bite of my food.
"Well, of course, you'd be scared. Deadly situations do that. And SHIFTing can cause side effects if you're not used to it." Akiza said.
"That's what Chise said. She and Iroh agreed to give me the rest of the day off. She gave me some advice about not allowing fear from the past cloud my judgment of the future." I tell them.
"She really does know how to give good advice. Chise may be only a couple years older than us, but she still took the role of big sister to an extreme, scolding us, comforting us, playing with us. She really is an amazing person." Mathias said, remembering the fun times with her when he first arrived at Sigma.
"Yep, yep! Chise is the big sister of all the ESPers. Well, minus the ones older than her, but they are more of a parent figure," Akiza continued.
"Well, Makoto is the father figure, and Kyoko is the mother figure without a doubt. I wonder who the rest are?" Tikvah wondered.
"Well, Ludwig is the crazy uncle, and Iroh is the grandad," Penny said.
"And Dorthey would be the bratty cousin." The twins said in sync.
The dining room erupted in laughter at C and K's comment regarding the blonde woman.
The rest of dinner was nice. Mathias was the only one seriously injured, and everyone else had nothing to report.
After eating, I deposited my tray at the drop-off and made my way to my shared bedroom.
Sunny had already finished his dinner and sat on his bed sketching in his book when I arrived.
"Hey Sunny, how was your day?" I asked with a smile.
The dispassionate boy looked up from his drawing and shook his open hand side to side.
"So so, huh?" I translate the gesture into words, causing the black-haired boy to nod.
"Well, that's better than a bad day. I, I didn't have such a "so so" day…" I told him, my tone depressing slowly.
Sunny closed his sketchbook and gestured for me to sit down with him.
I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Sunny, who was staring at me with his monotone face. However, I could see a glimpse of worry in his eyes as he looked back.
"Well, this morning, I had a knowledge test where I was punished with shocks for failing a question. I got fifteen wrong out of the seven hundred and twenty questions, so I guess it could have been worse. But it still hurt like hell, and I could feel the side effects for a while." I told the cliff-faced teen.
Sunny nodded. While he didn't say anything, I could feel like he was listening intently.
"Then, Andr- I mean Sargent Andrew, took me to my next test, a deadly escape room. On the way there, he had a conversation with me," I explained. I hadn't told anyone it was Andrew who led me to the skull and crossbones level test, fearing his repercussions. However, I trusted Sunny would go blabbing about it.
From Sunny's sudden tiredness after I said Andrew, I guess he had been through a similar "conversation" with the head security officer.
"He gave me an introduction on what happened at Sigma under him, but I don't want to focus on that. What really got me was what happened in the escape room. Ludwig and Dorthey were monitoring me. It was an escape from a flooded room. I had nine minutes before the entire room filled up." I explained.
Sunny changed his position from crisscrossing his legs to bringing his knees up and hugging them.
"I started out fine. I got through the parts. However, the water made it hard to move. Eventually, I got the card needed to escape, but I didn't know which number I needed to solve the digital root. You know what a digital root is right, I started losing air and was about to lose my breath when I felt a sense of deja vu and saw a red five. According to Ludwig, I SHIFTed, I got the correct number to get one, but right as I put it in, I gasped, allowing water to fill my lungs. I lost my strength to swim up as I drowned…" I said, remembering the stress and fear.
Sunny put a hand on my shoulder and lightly rubbed it as if to say I didn't need to say anymore if I didn't want to, but I looked back into his eyes and continued.
"Then the water finished draining, and I coughed up my entire lungs filled with water. Ludwig got me on oxygen, dried, and explained it to me, but the fear of what happened and what I might have lost was still there. Then I realized I did lose, I may be in another timeline, but I died and left Emma and the others alone…" I explained, tears starting to form.
Sunny removed his hand from my shoulder, and scooched closer to me, and wrapped me in a hug.
I stopped telling the story for a bit and just let my sadness and fear out, relieving all the pent of stress I had gained over the day.
After a few minutes of shedding tears, I got it out of my system and regained composure. I took a deep breath as Sunny separated from the hug and looked at me again, wanting me to continue my tale of today's events.
"After… After that, I had lunch, during which I didn't really feel that good. I was tired, but I didn't feel like sleeping. My next task was a therapy slash interview with Chise and Iroh. We talked about my fear of what happened, my feelings of discombobulation and confusion, which were likely due to my shift. Chise and Iroh gave me the rest of the day off and told me to let go of past fears so I could focus on the future. Then I went to our room, met with the Mask housemaid Lieza, and rested until dinner." I told Sunny, finishing my story.
The young onyx-eyed boy looked at me and nodded, signaling he heard me and understood.
"Thanks for listening Sunny, you're really good at it." I complement, my mood has changed from fear and sadness to optimism and content.
Sunny, still with an emotionless gaze, nods and gives a thumbs up. Appreciating my thanks.
"Well, it's almost bedtime. I should take a shower before heading to bed," I said, standing up and making my way to my closet.
I picked out my pajamas and a towel before heading out to the bathroom. Someone was already in one of the showers, but not wanting to disturb their relaxing shower, I took the stall and the other end of the room.
I stayed in the shower for a while, allowing all the stress to wash away, and cleaned the fear that I experienced out of my mind. Once I was done, the other showerer had already left, allowing me to get dried and dressed, with the only sound being the water dripping into the drain.
I arrived back in my room to see the lights off and Sunny already lying down, probably asleep.
Not wanting to wake up the fourteen-year-old boy, I silently deposited my clothes and wet towel down the laundry chute and climbed into bed.
'What a day… so much stress, I hope it doesn't affect my and Sunny's dream that much…' I thought as I got comfortable.
'... at least Emma is fine, and working on getting everyone out of Grace Field… if she follows Norman's plan, they will escape the night before Ray's birthday, January sixteen. Depending on how fast they move, they could arrive at the location on the pen within a week.' I thought.
'Hopefully, I can get there soon after to see her and the rest of my family again.' Where my last thoughts before sleep took over my head.
Now I will skip ahead to late January, as I don't want to explain every day at Sigma. Let's make it the first day of the escape plan, January twenty-ninth.
Chapter 17, end.
Again, another long-ass chapter. Fuck I really need to put a cap on how long I make these. Anyway, as I said at the start, don't expect the next chapter to come within a month or five. I don't know when it will come out. I know there are a few plot holes in this arc, but I just want to wait until I explain them, as they are important to the characters. The most helpful thing you can do is post a review, as they help me identify what I need to work on. Well, I think that's everything, so, until next time!
This is RighteousHope, wishing you a good day.