Two looked around uneasily, trying to figure where he was. Something strange had happened back there, and now he was in a strange space. It wasn't right to call it a place, or a room, or even an area. Just a space. He didn't feel like he was floating, but at the same time he could see and feel no surface beneath him. There was no air, yet he wasn't suffocating. The space was colourless as well, not white or black or grey, just colourless. It was simply space, the physical embodiment of nothingness.
He tried for the third time to locate his brother, to communicate with him in some way, but heard nothing. The space was as silent as it had been ever since he found himself there. Sighing deeply, Two sat down heavily on whatever it was he had been standing on, and rested his head in his hands. He was stuck. He would have had the feeling that the walls were closing in on him by now, if there had been walls. Still, even though the space seemed to go on for infinity, Two knew he was trapped, and that made him feel claustrophobic. He had tried to hide it, tried to act as if he was invincible, but the truth was that he couldn't stand being trapped. It made him feel so vulnerable and helpless, and the longer he was left in a small space, the worse it got for him. Once it had reached a certain stage, only his brother could bring back his sanity. He shut his eyes, trying to imagine that he was safe in Merovignian's lair with his brother, but it was no use. He didn't think he would ever escape. He would just be trapped here forever, left to waste away into the nothingness around him. It was hopeless.
As Two sat there, resting his forehead against his hands, he began to hear something. It was little more than a whisper, but he could hear voice. Puzzled, he looked up, trying to figure out where it was coming from. That's when he realised it. It was inside his head. His brother. He blanked out his mind, concentrating on making out what One was trying to say to him. The voice was so quiet, but as Two focused on it, it began to grow louder, until he could make out a few words of what it was saying.
*Fight it.*
*Don't leave me...*
Filled with a new feeling of confidence and determination, Two rose steadily to his feet. He knew now that his brother was searching for him, and needed him. He concentrated on sending a reply to his twin brother, knowing that if he could just let him know where he was, then maybe One could get him out of this place. After a few moments of concentration, he finally found a link with his brother's mind, and focused on projection these few words he knew would tell his brother that he was still alive, and needed him.
*Please help me...*
Two drew his legs towards his chest slowly, resting his chin on his knees. He was willing to wait for as long as it took for his brother to hear him and send a reply. He wanted out, he hated this place more than anything else. He remembered the last time he had been trapped in a confined space for a long time, and as painful as it was to think about it, he now found himself unwillingly reminiscing the whole event.
"Two? Come on man, where are you?" Two could hear his brother's voice, but it sounded far away, and even if he was nearby, Two was too frightened to even make a noise. Earlier that day, he had got into an argument with Persephone, who had decided to get revenge on him, and had somehow lured him into a janitor's closet. He couldn't even remember how she had done it now, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was trapped, and as far as he knew there was no way out. Desperately, he started tugging at his hair, as that familiar feeling began to creep over him. He felt as though the walls were coming closer, closing in on him and crushing him. Driven to sheer panic, he screamed and pounded on the door, knowing that even phasing wouldn't get him out. He had already tried it, but Persephone had her ways of blocking access to the twins. She had done the same to her bedroom door. Again Two pounded on the door, screaming at the top of his lungs. Finally, feeling totally lost and defeated, he slumped to the floor, shaking uncontrollably. He needed One, but his brother still hadn't found him. Maybe he never will, Two told himself. He just felt so scared and vulnerable.
"Two??" One shouted, frantically searching for his brother. He had heard him scream, and knew the sound all too well. It meant that Two was trapped somewhere, and One was almost certain he knew who had done it. Persephone. She hated Two, and seemed intent on torturing him and making his life misery. Ever since she had found out about his severe claustrophobia, she had used it to her advantage, trapping him in the smallest spaces possible whenever possible. And although it happened rarely, when Two was confined to a small space for too long, he snapped.
Two whimpered quietly, drawing his arms tightly around him. He couldn't make sense of anything anymore, and his fear had left him numbed. He was blinded by the endless darkness of the small room, and could hear nothing but his own breathing. He whimpered again, feebly kicking the door, and closed his eyes, not caring anymore. Suddenly, his head jerked up, as he heard someone banging on the door. He blinked, then shrunk back against the wall, not daring to breathe.
"Two? Are you in there?" Two's eyes widened, vaguely recognising the voice, but he was still so shaken with fear that his instinct was to keep away from whoever it was. Again he heard banging, and stared in silent shock as the door started to come off its hinges. He heard a loud crack, and the door was thrown to the side. Blinking against the bright light, Two stared blankly at his brother, who slowly crouched next to him, knowing how hard it would be to get much of a response out of him in this state.
"No," Two moaned, backing away from his brother. He didn't see his twin, only a stranger who, as far as he was concerned, would hurt him if he touched him. One gently laid a hand on his brother's arm, but Two quickly knocked it away, pressing himself closer against the wall behind him.
"Leave me alone!" He wailed, and One shook his head.
"I can't," he said simply, calmly watching his brother. "I can't leave you in this state. Two, it's me, One. You remember?" Two simply stared at One, not knowing what to say. Yes. No. His mind felt as if it was being torn in two; he remembered his brother well enough, yet something inside him refused to let him acknowledge this. Groaning, he closed his eyes again ad held his head in his hands, blocking out all his senses...
*Hang in there. We're trying to sort this out right now.*
Two opened his eyes suddenly, glancing around. He was back in the space again, and he instantly recognised the voice that seemed to speak to him from inside his head. One had heard him, and was trying to reach him. Slowly he got to his feet, and sent another message out to his brother:
*What's happening to me? Where am I?*
He waited for a few moments, then just as he decided that One hadn't heard him, he heard his brother's voice again, echoing in his mind.
*You've been affected by a virus of some kind. You're in Adrian's lab, and you've been out cold for the last few hours. Adrian's trying to get rid of it, but it's taking over your code.* Two frowned, trying to figure out why he was in this space. This wasn't Adrian's lab, his brother was nowhere to be seen, and as far as he could tell, he wasn't infected by any virus. But then again...he remembered feeling ill earlier, then collapsing. Then he awoke to find himself here...
That's when he realised it. This was all just a dream. He was about to send another message to his brother, when a small cloud of black smoke appeared in front of him. He stared at it in curiosity, watching as it grew, engulfing the space around him. Instantly, he understood. This was the virus. Lines of code flashed before his eyes, twisting around him and disappearing as the smoke touched them. He stepped back hesitantly, trying to avoid the smoke. Suddenly there was a loud boom, and everything exploded in front of him. He turned on his heel and ran, but was cut short by flames that erupted from the smoky ground beneath him. He screamed as it burnt him, but his scream was silent. He could hear muffled voices around him, but couldn't make out what they were saying. They sounded frantic, shouting what seemed to be commands to one another. He could feel an intense pain in his head, weakening him and spreading throughout his body. He dropped heavily to his knees, desperately trying to crawl out of the flames that surrounded him. Once again he heard his brother's voice, calling out to him.
*Fight it, don't give up. I'm not going to lose you.*
Everything went black, then exploded into green light.
"I can't stop it!" Adrian exclaimed, frantically typing away at the keyboard. He started pounding it with his fist, trying to get some kind of response out of the machine, but it was no use. The lines of green code were flashing blood red, and behind him he could hear Two screaming and convulsing. One watched his brother helplessly, barely whispering the single sentence that entered his mind. Adrian again felt a lump rising in his throat upon hearing it, and as he looked behind him, he noticed a single tear trailing down One's pale cheek.
"We can't save him..."
He tried for the third time to locate his brother, to communicate with him in some way, but heard nothing. The space was as silent as it had been ever since he found himself there. Sighing deeply, Two sat down heavily on whatever it was he had been standing on, and rested his head in his hands. He was stuck. He would have had the feeling that the walls were closing in on him by now, if there had been walls. Still, even though the space seemed to go on for infinity, Two knew he was trapped, and that made him feel claustrophobic. He had tried to hide it, tried to act as if he was invincible, but the truth was that he couldn't stand being trapped. It made him feel so vulnerable and helpless, and the longer he was left in a small space, the worse it got for him. Once it had reached a certain stage, only his brother could bring back his sanity. He shut his eyes, trying to imagine that he was safe in Merovignian's lair with his brother, but it was no use. He didn't think he would ever escape. He would just be trapped here forever, left to waste away into the nothingness around him. It was hopeless.
As Two sat there, resting his forehead against his hands, he began to hear something. It was little more than a whisper, but he could hear voice. Puzzled, he looked up, trying to figure out where it was coming from. That's when he realised it. It was inside his head. His brother. He blanked out his mind, concentrating on making out what One was trying to say to him. The voice was so quiet, but as Two focused on it, it began to grow louder, until he could make out a few words of what it was saying.
*Fight it.*
*Don't leave me...*
Filled with a new feeling of confidence and determination, Two rose steadily to his feet. He knew now that his brother was searching for him, and needed him. He concentrated on sending a reply to his twin brother, knowing that if he could just let him know where he was, then maybe One could get him out of this place. After a few moments of concentration, he finally found a link with his brother's mind, and focused on projection these few words he knew would tell his brother that he was still alive, and needed him.
*Please help me...*
Two drew his legs towards his chest slowly, resting his chin on his knees. He was willing to wait for as long as it took for his brother to hear him and send a reply. He wanted out, he hated this place more than anything else. He remembered the last time he had been trapped in a confined space for a long time, and as painful as it was to think about it, he now found himself unwillingly reminiscing the whole event.
"Two? Come on man, where are you?" Two could hear his brother's voice, but it sounded far away, and even if he was nearby, Two was too frightened to even make a noise. Earlier that day, he had got into an argument with Persephone, who had decided to get revenge on him, and had somehow lured him into a janitor's closet. He couldn't even remember how she had done it now, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was trapped, and as far as he knew there was no way out. Desperately, he started tugging at his hair, as that familiar feeling began to creep over him. He felt as though the walls were coming closer, closing in on him and crushing him. Driven to sheer panic, he screamed and pounded on the door, knowing that even phasing wouldn't get him out. He had already tried it, but Persephone had her ways of blocking access to the twins. She had done the same to her bedroom door. Again Two pounded on the door, screaming at the top of his lungs. Finally, feeling totally lost and defeated, he slumped to the floor, shaking uncontrollably. He needed One, but his brother still hadn't found him. Maybe he never will, Two told himself. He just felt so scared and vulnerable.
"Two??" One shouted, frantically searching for his brother. He had heard him scream, and knew the sound all too well. It meant that Two was trapped somewhere, and One was almost certain he knew who had done it. Persephone. She hated Two, and seemed intent on torturing him and making his life misery. Ever since she had found out about his severe claustrophobia, she had used it to her advantage, trapping him in the smallest spaces possible whenever possible. And although it happened rarely, when Two was confined to a small space for too long, he snapped.
Two whimpered quietly, drawing his arms tightly around him. He couldn't make sense of anything anymore, and his fear had left him numbed. He was blinded by the endless darkness of the small room, and could hear nothing but his own breathing. He whimpered again, feebly kicking the door, and closed his eyes, not caring anymore. Suddenly, his head jerked up, as he heard someone banging on the door. He blinked, then shrunk back against the wall, not daring to breathe.
"Two? Are you in there?" Two's eyes widened, vaguely recognising the voice, but he was still so shaken with fear that his instinct was to keep away from whoever it was. Again he heard banging, and stared in silent shock as the door started to come off its hinges. He heard a loud crack, and the door was thrown to the side. Blinking against the bright light, Two stared blankly at his brother, who slowly crouched next to him, knowing how hard it would be to get much of a response out of him in this state.
"No," Two moaned, backing away from his brother. He didn't see his twin, only a stranger who, as far as he was concerned, would hurt him if he touched him. One gently laid a hand on his brother's arm, but Two quickly knocked it away, pressing himself closer against the wall behind him.
"Leave me alone!" He wailed, and One shook his head.
"I can't," he said simply, calmly watching his brother. "I can't leave you in this state. Two, it's me, One. You remember?" Two simply stared at One, not knowing what to say. Yes. No. His mind felt as if it was being torn in two; he remembered his brother well enough, yet something inside him refused to let him acknowledge this. Groaning, he closed his eyes again ad held his head in his hands, blocking out all his senses...
*Hang in there. We're trying to sort this out right now.*
Two opened his eyes suddenly, glancing around. He was back in the space again, and he instantly recognised the voice that seemed to speak to him from inside his head. One had heard him, and was trying to reach him. Slowly he got to his feet, and sent another message out to his brother:
*What's happening to me? Where am I?*
He waited for a few moments, then just as he decided that One hadn't heard him, he heard his brother's voice again, echoing in his mind.
*You've been affected by a virus of some kind. You're in Adrian's lab, and you've been out cold for the last few hours. Adrian's trying to get rid of it, but it's taking over your code.* Two frowned, trying to figure out why he was in this space. This wasn't Adrian's lab, his brother was nowhere to be seen, and as far as he could tell, he wasn't infected by any virus. But then again...he remembered feeling ill earlier, then collapsing. Then he awoke to find himself here...
That's when he realised it. This was all just a dream. He was about to send another message to his brother, when a small cloud of black smoke appeared in front of him. He stared at it in curiosity, watching as it grew, engulfing the space around him. Instantly, he understood. This was the virus. Lines of code flashed before his eyes, twisting around him and disappearing as the smoke touched them. He stepped back hesitantly, trying to avoid the smoke. Suddenly there was a loud boom, and everything exploded in front of him. He turned on his heel and ran, but was cut short by flames that erupted from the smoky ground beneath him. He screamed as it burnt him, but his scream was silent. He could hear muffled voices around him, but couldn't make out what they were saying. They sounded frantic, shouting what seemed to be commands to one another. He could feel an intense pain in his head, weakening him and spreading throughout his body. He dropped heavily to his knees, desperately trying to crawl out of the flames that surrounded him. Once again he heard his brother's voice, calling out to him.
*Fight it, don't give up. I'm not going to lose you.*
Everything went black, then exploded into green light.
"I can't stop it!" Adrian exclaimed, frantically typing away at the keyboard. He started pounding it with his fist, trying to get some kind of response out of the machine, but it was no use. The lines of green code were flashing blood red, and behind him he could hear Two screaming and convulsing. One watched his brother helplessly, barely whispering the single sentence that entered his mind. Adrian again felt a lump rising in his throat upon hearing it, and as he looked behind him, he noticed a single tear trailing down One's pale cheek.
"We can't save him..."
