[2 Weeks Ago]
Five squads of four walked down a flight of stairs.
-Squad one, check in-
-Squad one here. Eyes on the front. Don't worry-
-Squad two?-
-Squad two. Watching Squad one's back-
-Squad three?-
-Squad three. Watching squad two and the surroundings-
-Squad four?-
-Squad four. Watching squad three and bringing up the rear-
-Squad five?-
-Squad five. Watching squad four and the rear-
-The moment you sense something off, let us know immediately-
-Sonar frequency up and running?-
-Check. Is that going to help though?-
-Nothing better soldier-
At the bottom of the stairs was a door with a security lock on it.
-Breach and entry. Go do your thing-
-Yes, sir-
-Silent-
Within ten seconds, they poured into the room. Flashlights at minimum. Soundproof shoes on. They swept the room in a circular motion, never looking at the same thing. There were rows of medical equipment, corpses, and leftovers all around. A squeak to the left. Two people went to investigate. A spoon acting like a seesaw over a jar of peanut butter.
Many hand signals after assessing the situation. Thumbs up for approval. A scan of the environment to compare later.
-The door on the left leads to the possible call-in. The door on the right potentially has the unknowns-
-We got orders not to split up, no matter what. Gotta make a decision-
-Evidence isn't running. Unknowns can leave at any time-
-Unknowns can make sense of it-
-Forensics Labs?-
-They're smart. They'll figure it out. Would be more helpful if we got those unknowns-
-Alright, remember? Evidence could be fake. Unknowns are the better lead-
-Let's go with that then-
-Breach the right door-
-Yes, sir. Got a circular saw. Noisy as a baby sleeping-
-That is news to the ear-
-Hands are on your soldier. The moment you say clear, I'm pulling you back. Do not vanish on me-
-Heaven to my ears, sir-
Silence
Silence
-Clear-
-Attaboy-
-Double rotating sweeps. Keep an eye out on the sweepers and continue to monitor the surroundings
-Roger-
Every inch of the room was constantly bathed in light. If there was something, it had nowhere to hide. If there was anything invisible running around, it would be obvious.
-So far, all clear-
-Corpses. More of them-
-Doors. 8 of them. What the hell? How is that even geometrically possible? Reports said each door led to a full-sized room-
-They're fake doors. Most likely the beginning of the game-
-Scan em. See what's behind em-
A small device was set up. Sonar and infrared.
-Some kind of weird substance. A powder, maybe some aerosol? I can't tell-
-Can you confirm?-
-Not unless we open-
-Not risking it. Let hazmat do it. Which doors are real?-
-Those three-
-Burden of proof?-
-Pitch black. Fake doors only have a little bit of wiggle room-
-Understood-
-What door?-
-Hell if I know. Heat signatures?-
-None-
-Deeper in-
-ANY kind of heat signature?-
-Well, there's residuals. 3 days ago on the right. 2 hours ago on the right. 5 hours ago on the left. 30 minutes ago in the middle. Possible vent with the left. Residuals are active-
-Wait. No heat signature, but an active residual?-
-Dead?-
-The dead would have fading heat signatures. Not no heat signature-
-Then what the hell is it? A zo-
-Do not say stupid shit. This ain't a horror flick-
-What else moves with no heat signature?-
-An unknown cause. Unknown NATURAL cause. Unknown. Not stupid f**king ass sci-fi cause-
-Check it out then?-
-Keep an eye on it-
-We got a Rogue on the team right?-
-Of course-
-Check it out? What do you see?-
-I can't do that thing. Bullets only remember? I wish I could do that-
-Keep an eye on it, like I said. Too much fantasy on your mind-
-Wasn't hurt to ask-
-I appreciate you asking-
-So you're stuck to bullets forever?-
-Nah, I heard things-
-What things?-
-Top secret things I shouldn't mention-
-No fun dude-
-Well, a peaceful life is pretty fun-
-Military's peaceful?-
-Stop joking around-
-So which door?-
-The one in the middle. Keep a look on the left-
-Roger-
The teams went through the middle door in a chaotic v position. They scanned left, right, up, down, on the walls, behind the couch, everywhere.
-Stop-
-What?-
-Room is identical to the room before-
-So?-
-I feel like we stepped into the exact same room-
-But we were all watching each other. Has anyone noticed anything-
-No sir-
-No-
-No-
-You're overthinking it. Identical rooms are not crazy-
-I guess you're right-
-Anyone, you got anything?-
-No-
-Nada-
-No lo veo-
Silence
-Excuse me?-
-I don't see it. I don't see nothing, sir-
-What did you say before that?-
-I don't see nothing, sir-
-You spoke Spanish-
-I didn't, sir. I only know English-
-You're not bi-lingual?-
-Sir, aren't YOU bi-lingual?-
-I'm hearing things. Damn it. I don't remember smelling anything. You all are keeping me on track right?-
-I see you perfectly clear, sir-
-So what the hell is happening?-
-You heard what you wanted to hear I guess? It SOUNDED like Spanish. It wasn't actually Spanish-
-Code: Bird flew out of the-
-Code: Blinders box. The sun caught up with it. Would feed it. 2918-
-Good. That's you alright. I DON'T know numbers-
-So?-
-It means it ain't a biological agent. Toxicology? Not in a chance. What the hell is it?-
-You're affected by it but are still rational. Floor number?-
-Still first floor at the bottom of the stairs, far as I know-
-Good-
-Maybe you saw some Spanish words on something?-
-Perhaps. I don't remember-
-The vent. Let's take our mind off this-
-Sounds good soldier. Find it, back them up, scouter, open, and scout some more. We gonna take this fool down-
-Yes, sir-
The sound of rubbing metal could be heard. Barely discernible. Not possible to avoid.
-Weird-
-Don't say that. What's weird-
-3 different paths. 3.5 One of the vents leads down, but it's like the architect changed his mind and rammed a final path up the middle of it-
-That explains a lot-
-What?-
-Not the vent. The intent of the room-
-And?-
-Sir, you're bi-lingual-
-Don't need you to remind me. Show me something Spanish. I'll translate. Easy as 123-
-He studies layout design-
-Get to the point-
-Both of you are among the best we have, relatively comparing-
-You're good at explaining things, Mr. Scientist. Oh damn-
-Exactly. We're overthinking things-
-That's our job little miss-
-It's also the easiest way to divide and conquer. If the leaders disband, everyone moves around mindlessly. Disrupts the flow without any intervention-
-What the f—k does that mean-
-We're dealing with a psychopathic lunatic. One with a severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. It's a working theory-
-And for all we know, that's what this bas***d wants you to think-
-That's also true-
-So what DO we think-
-I don't know. That's why I feel helpless-
-Well don't. If you show me this fool. I'll shoot him. Can I trust my life in your hands? Can you trust your life in my hands?-
-Always-
-Then, don't pay any damn attention to what you see. Pay attention to what I'm saying-
-Thank sir-
-We gotta have each other's back, or we'll be the next victims-
-How's he luring the right people in?-
-He's not. We're deciding on the best people. They're gambling with a considerable probability of success-
-How do they have a considerable probability of success?-
-That's what I want to know-
-So keep looking-
-Yes, sir-
-Whoa boy, where do you think you're going? Almost gone off on your own there. What did you see or hear? Tell us-
(Silence)
(Smack)
-Huh? What happened?-
-You were zoned out. What happened. You were nearby us. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary-
-Um. The middle of the explanation just now. I heard a whisper. It said, *I heard you guys. I can help. I have some crucial evidence. Please save me*. I might have also heard *I'm gonna f**k you up, sunny boy*-
-And you like helping, right? You were about to run off on your own. Be hero-
-No. I felt it was the right thing to do. I felt compelled. I felt hungry. Yeah, hungry-
-Lunatic is a no-go, then-
-What do you mean?-
-Some type of hypnosis? Active hypnosis-
-Alright, son. Where did the noise come from? We all going in. See someone acting weird. Smack some sense into them. Then yell at the top of your lung. Keep close and nothing else-
-Yes, sir-
-We're getting to the bottom of this mystery-
They all grabbed a shoulder with their free hands and marched into the darkness.
-The voice is getting quieter, running away. I hear scurrying-
-This is the right direction. This is progress. We will not repeat mistakes. Understood everyone?-
-Yes, sir-
-It's still in my head. Just running away-
-My hand is still on your shoulder. If you feel it being taken off, scream immediately. Don't even misunderstand my reason for taking it off. I will not take it off. I'll smack sense into you-
-Thanks, sir-