This chapter is relatively short. (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞
It was originally supposed to be annexed to the previous chapter. But the lighter tones it had didn't mesh well with this chapter's slightly off tone, so I just split it in half and added a few things so it wouldn't look bare.
Chapter 2: Hardly a Daydream
"-the assets show no signs of instability-"
This.
"-proceed to monitor the assets-"
Was.
"-to think two assets would-"
Driving.
"-might require rebranding the assets, sir-"
Me.
"-higher-ups already designated the assets-"
Crazy!
Assets this, assets that… This was all the people from the Outside blabbed about nowadays. I didn't even know what that meant!
I think I preferred it when they were quarreling and disparaging each other's necks. All their hype was making my head spin.
Well, good for them, I guess. I wish they'd tone it down a bit.
The wall that blocked my hearing was out of my reach. Just when I assumed I'd be close to jumping beyond the wall, the people would break my concentration and I'd have to start all over again.
I was still going to seek a way out, but with all of these distractions, it was going to be a long ride.
"-why can't we keep the original-"
"-noteworthy to contribute, then don't say-"
"-ypto? It fits, doesn't it?"
"-you imbecile. That's already taken-"
"-how about Gemini?"
"-it's not under our jurisdiction. Now get back to work!"
Seriously, it's not a big deal to name things. Just pick one and move on.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but… just do as Jerkface says.
(Urk. That puts a foul taste in my mouth.)
･ﾟﾟ･: ｡.｡ : : ｡.｡ *･ﾟﾟ･
I didn't perceive if it was my stubbornness or grit that helped me, but I didn't care.
I had breached the wall. Finally.
And oh boy... I was not prepared to face what awaited me on the other side.
(Lord.)
A multitude of ineligible noises immediately bombarded me. As I struggled to filter everything out before I relapsed once again into blackout 2.0, a slow, uncomfortable sensation tingled at the back of my head.
I deduced the noises that overwhelmed my ears weren't those of people talking or of garbled sounds.
No… Those were screams.
All I could do was stay still, chills traveling through my spine, as the agonizing shrieks and shrills of whatever cried deafened my ears.
(Stop.
It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.)
I couldn't fathom where it was coming from, nor what they were going through. All I knew was that they were in pain-
(Make it stop.)
-and my head felt like it was going to burst. I just wanted everything to end.
(Make it s̷̮̩͌͠t̶̫̯̓o̸͓̚p̸͔̅͝.)
.
.
*SNAP*
.
.
A sound I never heard before broke me out of my stupor. It was sudden, lasting for about 3 seconds, but I heard it loud and clear, cracking the screams into total quiet.
What followed was something heavy landing on the ground. I didn't know what fell, but I couldn't hear anything coming off of it.
It was still as stone.
Then… nothing.
Absolutely nothing. Just like that, as if it had never occurred.
Complete and absolute silence was left in its wake.
.
.
.
.
.
.
It was f̸r̸i̶g̵h̶t̵e̷n̶i̸n̷g̷.
･ﾟﾟ･: ｡.｡ : : ｡.｡ *･ﾟﾟ･
I closed the wall and scurried back to the corners of my darkness, where nobody could harm me.
*Badump*
I needed to think of something that wasn't a nightmare. Just for a moment at least.
*Badump*
And it seems that my pleas were answered as thumping sounds, not from my own making, resonated in my ears.
I would have dismissed it as my imagination running wild, but...
*Badump*
I paused and listened.
I could pick up little, slow beatings of a heart, humming alongside my own erratic pumping.
I calmed myself down, and tried to follow the other's rhythm.
*Badump*
*Badump*
It was oddly comforting, almost like putting my ear on top of a sleeping baby's chest.
I hadn't noticed there was someone else so close to me.
Call me crazy, but I knew from every fiber of my being that the other presence was a boy. I couldn't hear his voice, sense his movements, or even see him, but somehow, I knew all the same.
I sensed he was small, too small to comprehend anything. I only hoped he wasn't in the same situation as I was in.
"-guardian is gone! How did this-"
"-require to grow another-"
"-inspect the assets. NOW!"
As I heard the people from the Outside rushing in, I continued to focus all of my attention on the boy, listening to how our hearts beat in sync.
*Badump*
*Badump*
･ﾟﾟ･: ｡.｡ : : ｡.｡ *･ﾟﾟ･
SI be like:
SI: I'm a curious gal. What could possibly go wrong?
.
*̴̡̢͖̠͔̣̟̟̞̺̮̠͔̝̿̇̒S̷̡̛͇͕̱̻̻̜̃̇̚͠ͅc̵̢̛͈̼͓̞͙͍̟̦̭̼̠̳̃͗͒̉̓̃̽̅͊͗̕͝ͅṟ̵͙̥̟̺̭͒̀̈̅͌̾́̊̈́̃̕̕͝ě̵̤͕̦̖̣̻̟̦̣̬̯̙͈̺̇̂̑̑̓͗̕ą̷͉̼̭̓̈́̀͌̈́̀̇̆͝m̵̡̖̪̬̥͙̺̞̪̼̯̮̤͓̋̑͐̓͋̏̎̇͊̌͛̽̽̐į̷̧̘̣̝̎̒̎̃͌̃̃̔̓͑͑͘͝ṇ̸̜͔̈́̔̆͂͛̉̍̓͗̚͠ģ̶̙͓͇̰̜̱̬͖̞̀̃̽̔̔̎̋̈́́́*̴̗͎̟̦̪̜̙̤̗̙̞̚ͅ
.
SI: Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming-
A/N
SI is going to have to try keeping her sanity in check.
After all, being isolated in a weird place and having your mind messed with does wonders for the human psyche! (・_・ )