The Dreamweb, Part 2
Part one can be found here
Part 2
For some time, Tetra stared blankly at the inhabitants of club Wonderland. Nobody paid her any attention in return, but this suited her just fine. The music was an odd sensation, there was something about it that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Still, it made her decide to wait for the signal to return inside the club in stead of out on the streets as was expected of her. When asked, she told herself, she would just tell her superiors that she couldn’t leave the club without drawing unneeded attention to herself, something they had been very specific about during her briefing.
Finally Tetra heard a series of soft beeps, barely audible over the sounds of her surroundings. She pulled the phone out of her purse and read the message that consisted of only one word. “Return.” She got up and made her way to the exit, casting one last glance at the strange kind of people around her. She’d never understand how they could neglect their bodies and minds like that, and she realized Thomas Gaelen, the man she had met here two hours ago, was just like them, although he’d never openly admit it. Part of her wondered why he was chosen, but she new better than to question her superiors. When she stepped into the cold night air, she saw that the car that would take her back was already waiting for her. Without saying so much as a word to the driver she sat down on the backseat. As she closed the door the last distant echoes of the music playing inside the club faded out, and for some reason completely unknown to her she couldn’t help but shiver a little. Silently the car glided through the streets, going completely unnoticed by the lost souls wandering the sidewalks. She closed her eyes and shut down the higher functions of her mind, reducing her to a sleep-like state.
Two hours later a chiming note coming from the car’s speakers woke Tetra up again, and she quickly left the vehicle, ignoring the stiffness in her limbs. As she opened the door, she was briefly blinded by the bright glare of the white, sterile surroundings of the building, but her eyes only needed half a second to compensate. She left the garage and walked down the hall until she reached a door, made of the same blindingly white, ceramic panels that made up the wall. Only the thin seams on all four sides and the glass panel besides it gave away it’s presence. She pressed her hand against it’s cool surface, and for some reason her body shivered again. She made a mental note to report this malfunction after her debriefing. To her knowledge, her body was not supposed to shiver. A thin beam of red light traced the palm of her hand, and the door besides it swung silently inward. She stepped through and sat down on the chair inside, waiting for what was to come.
“You have returned.”
The voice Tetra heard echoed through the room, although there was no visible source. This didn’t unsettle her at all. Her superiors had been speaking to her like this since she first woke up.
“I have. I have contacted Thomas Gaelen, and he has agreed to the parameters you have set for him. He has taken the money, the vial and the disc, as you told he would.”
“Very well. If there is nothing else, you will return to your room until further notice.”
Tetra hesitated for a second. Should she tell? Yes, she should. Her masters would find out about the malfunction sooner or later anyway.
“There is one more thing. Twice during my mission I experienced a… malfunction. The first time was when I closed the door of the car that was to take me back. The second time was when I pressed my hand against the scanner to enter. During both occasions, I experienced a physical discomfort.”
“That was to be expected. Remember, tonight was the first time you spent more than a few minutes outside the Facility. If you are to continue in our employment, you will experience both comforts and discomforts far stronger than what you felt tonight. Now you shall retire, we will call on you when we need your services again.”
Tetra was slightly confused by this, but she didn’t reply. Why didn’t her superiors inform her of this? She guessed it was probably of too little importance to matter to them. Still, she had expected some warning… Realising that she was still seated she quickly got up and left the room walking faster than she usually did. She hurried down the corridors, paying no attention to the people she passed. Finally she reached her room. She placed her hand on the glass panel of the scanner and was allowed access.
Once inside, Tetra quickly slipped out of her clothes. She always felt oddly restrained when she wore them, but her superiors were quite insistent on it. She deposited the garments in the laundry chute before crossing the room to the capsule she would rest in. The capsule, like the room itself and all the other pieces of furniture in it, was made of the same material the Facility was made off, and for the first time since she woke up three weeks ago, Tetra realized it was, for lack of a better word, cold.
The lid of the capsule slid away at the lightest touch of the finger, revealing a simple mattress made out of a stiff synthetic foam. It fit her contours perfectly. Once she lay down, the lid slid back in place, blocking out the harsh glare of the white neon light coming from the ceiling. She closed her eyes and shut down, waiting for the time when her superiors would need her again.
Smiling softly to himself, the Doctor got up from behind the microphone and headed for the Supervisor’s office. As the frail old man ambled down the hall, the people he passed couldn’t help but notice that from the impeccably clean lab coat he wore to the halo of snow-white hair that surrounded his head, everything about him made it seem as if he had been pulled directly from the Facility’s walls. Completely lost in thought over the success of his creation, his mind already began to spin fantasies over the rewards the Supervisor would undoubtedly bestow upon him. Finally he reached the office, and after his identity had been confirmed by the palm scanner besides the door he was allowed access.
The office behind the ceramic doors was nothing unlike the rest of the Facility. Where the endless corridors and rooms seemed to resemble efficiency in its purest form, there was an air of luxury to this room that seemed to be completely out of place in this building, and, in a sense, even out of place in this era. The room was easily eighteen feet wide and thirty feet long. The Doctor could feel the hard tiles under his feet make place for the soft, navy-blue carpet that covered its floor. The walls of the room were covered by hardwood panels that had undoubtedly cost a fortune. One wall was completely dominated by bookcases, filled with works covering every subject from pre-war architecture to sub-molecular physics. Unlike the rest of the building, the room was lit with old light bulbs in stead of white neon. The soft yellow glow made the room seem infinitely warmer. Sitting at his desk, was the young Supervisor, who impatiently beckoned for the Doctor to sit down.
“Greetings Doctor, I heard your experiment has returned. How did she do?”
“Most excellent. She performed her assignment exactly like she was told to, as I told you she would.”
“There were no problems?”
“None that weren’t expected. If tonight was any indication, it seems that the damage her mind suffered because of the mishap during the disassembling process proved to be insignificant.”
“Insignificant? You’ve wiped her mind completely clean Doctor. She didn’t even know how to breathe when you woke her up again.”
“In all fairness… she recovered quite well…”
“She did, but it cost us two weeks. Valuable time wasted. You’re aware that such inefficiency is frowned upon, aren’t you?”
The Doctor bit his lip, and he could feel sweat breaking out on his forehead. This wasn’t what he had hoped for when he stepped inside. When he spoke again, he sounded a lot less confident.
“But… in the end, we found that she performed all the better for it, that has to count for something, doesn’t it? A level of obedience that had been thought impossible to attain…”
“In that, you’re correct, which is the only reason your position hasn’t been terminated yet. However, your next assignment will have no room for failure.”
“Failure is never an option…” muttered the Doctor silently, repeating the Facility’s motto.
“I’m glad you haven’t forgotten. In seven days’ time, two very valuable minds will be delivered to you. You have until then to prepare for what I’m about to ask you.
“After reviewing the data from tonight’s mission, it has been decided that the product of your failure is more efficient than it would have been if you had succeeded. That is why it has been decided to grant you the resources to refine this process. However, where the mind of the prototype was expandable, the subjects that will be delivered to you are not. They contain valuable information that will have to be preserved when you wipe the rest clean.”
“What… what you are asking of me is quite difficult… I don’t know if I’ll-“
“Failure is never an option Doctor, and in this case, neither is refusal. Seven days to prepare, it will have to do.”
“Very well… sir…”
“You are dismissed.”
The Doctor nodded and got up, glad to leave. Feeling very nervous, he left the foreboding luxury of the Supervisor’s office behind to step back into the cold, comforting embrace of the Facility’s architecture. Once he had reached his quarters he sat down at his computer, hoping to find something that would aid this seemingly impossible assignment. Seven days… The Doctor sighed, reaching for the pot of coffee that was ever present on his desk. It would be a long week.
Part 2
For some time, Tetra stared blankly at the inhabitants of club Wonderland. Nobody paid her any attention in return, but this suited her just fine. The music was an odd sensation, there was something about it that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Still, it made her decide to wait for the signal to return inside the club in stead of out on the streets as was expected of her. When asked, she told herself, she would just tell her superiors that she couldn’t leave the club without drawing unneeded attention to herself, something they had been very specific about during her briefing.
Finally Tetra heard a series of soft beeps, barely audible over the sounds of her surroundings. She pulled the phone out of her purse and read the message that consisted of only one word. “Return.” She got up and made her way to the exit, casting one last glance at the strange kind of people around her. She’d never understand how they could neglect their bodies and minds like that, and she realized Thomas Gaelen, the man she had met here two hours ago, was just like them, although he’d never openly admit it. Part of her wondered why he was chosen, but she new better than to question her superiors. When she stepped into the cold night air, she saw that the car that would take her back was already waiting for her. Without saying so much as a word to the driver she sat down on the backseat. As she closed the door the last distant echoes of the music playing inside the club faded out, and for some reason completely unknown to her she couldn’t help but shiver a little. Silently the car glided through the streets, going completely unnoticed by the lost souls wandering the sidewalks. She closed her eyes and shut down the higher functions of her mind, reducing her to a sleep-like state.
Two hours later a chiming note coming from the car’s speakers woke Tetra up again, and she quickly left the vehicle, ignoring the stiffness in her limbs. As she opened the door, she was briefly blinded by the bright glare of the white, sterile surroundings of the building, but her eyes only needed half a second to compensate. She left the garage and walked down the hall until she reached a door, made of the same blindingly white, ceramic panels that made up the wall. Only the thin seams on all four sides and the glass panel besides it gave away it’s presence. She pressed her hand against it’s cool surface, and for some reason her body shivered again. She made a mental note to report this malfunction after her debriefing. To her knowledge, her body was not supposed to shiver. A thin beam of red light traced the palm of her hand, and the door besides it swung silently inward. She stepped through and sat down on the chair inside, waiting for what was to come.
“You have returned.”
The voice Tetra heard echoed through the room, although there was no visible source. This didn’t unsettle her at all. Her superiors had been speaking to her like this since she first woke up.
“I have. I have contacted Thomas Gaelen, and he has agreed to the parameters you have set for him. He has taken the money, the vial and the disc, as you told he would.”
“Very well. If there is nothing else, you will return to your room until further notice.”
Tetra hesitated for a second. Should she tell? Yes, she should. Her masters would find out about the malfunction sooner or later anyway.
“There is one more thing. Twice during my mission I experienced a… malfunction. The first time was when I closed the door of the car that was to take me back. The second time was when I pressed my hand against the scanner to enter. During both occasions, I experienced a physical discomfort.”
“That was to be expected. Remember, tonight was the first time you spent more than a few minutes outside the Facility. If you are to continue in our employment, you will experience both comforts and discomforts far stronger than what you felt tonight. Now you shall retire, we will call on you when we need your services again.”
Tetra was slightly confused by this, but she didn’t reply. Why didn’t her superiors inform her of this? She guessed it was probably of too little importance to matter to them. Still, she had expected some warning… Realising that she was still seated she quickly got up and left the room walking faster than she usually did. She hurried down the corridors, paying no attention to the people she passed. Finally she reached her room. She placed her hand on the glass panel of the scanner and was allowed access.
Once inside, Tetra quickly slipped out of her clothes. She always felt oddly restrained when she wore them, but her superiors were quite insistent on it. She deposited the garments in the laundry chute before crossing the room to the capsule she would rest in. The capsule, like the room itself and all the other pieces of furniture in it, was made of the same material the Facility was made off, and for the first time since she woke up three weeks ago, Tetra realized it was, for lack of a better word, cold.
The lid of the capsule slid away at the lightest touch of the finger, revealing a simple mattress made out of a stiff synthetic foam. It fit her contours perfectly. Once she lay down, the lid slid back in place, blocking out the harsh glare of the white neon light coming from the ceiling. She closed her eyes and shut down, waiting for the time when her superiors would need her again.
Smiling softly to himself, the Doctor got up from behind the microphone and headed for the Supervisor’s office. As the frail old man ambled down the hall, the people he passed couldn’t help but notice that from the impeccably clean lab coat he wore to the halo of snow-white hair that surrounded his head, everything about him made it seem as if he had been pulled directly from the Facility’s walls. Completely lost in thought over the success of his creation, his mind already began to spin fantasies over the rewards the Supervisor would undoubtedly bestow upon him. Finally he reached the office, and after his identity had been confirmed by the palm scanner besides the door he was allowed access.
The office behind the ceramic doors was nothing unlike the rest of the Facility. Where the endless corridors and rooms seemed to resemble efficiency in its purest form, there was an air of luxury to this room that seemed to be completely out of place in this building, and, in a sense, even out of place in this era. The room was easily eighteen feet wide and thirty feet long. The Doctor could feel the hard tiles under his feet make place for the soft, navy-blue carpet that covered its floor. The walls of the room were covered by hardwood panels that had undoubtedly cost a fortune. One wall was completely dominated by bookcases, filled with works covering every subject from pre-war architecture to sub-molecular physics. Unlike the rest of the building, the room was lit with old light bulbs in stead of white neon. The soft yellow glow made the room seem infinitely warmer. Sitting at his desk, was the young Supervisor, who impatiently beckoned for the Doctor to sit down.
“Greetings Doctor, I heard your experiment has returned. How did she do?”
“Most excellent. She performed her assignment exactly like she was told to, as I told you she would.”
“There were no problems?”
“None that weren’t expected. If tonight was any indication, it seems that the damage her mind suffered because of the mishap during the disassembling process proved to be insignificant.”
“Insignificant? You’ve wiped her mind completely clean Doctor. She didn’t even know how to breathe when you woke her up again.”
“In all fairness… she recovered quite well…”
“She did, but it cost us two weeks. Valuable time wasted. You’re aware that such inefficiency is frowned upon, aren’t you?”
The Doctor bit his lip, and he could feel sweat breaking out on his forehead. This wasn’t what he had hoped for when he stepped inside. When he spoke again, he sounded a lot less confident.
“But… in the end, we found that she performed all the better for it, that has to count for something, doesn’t it? A level of obedience that had been thought impossible to attain…”
“In that, you’re correct, which is the only reason your position hasn’t been terminated yet. However, your next assignment will have no room for failure.”
“Failure is never an option…” muttered the Doctor silently, repeating the Facility’s motto.
“I’m glad you haven’t forgotten. In seven days’ time, two very valuable minds will be delivered to you. You have until then to prepare for what I’m about to ask you.
“After reviewing the data from tonight’s mission, it has been decided that the product of your failure is more efficient than it would have been if you had succeeded. That is why it has been decided to grant you the resources to refine this process. However, where the mind of the prototype was expandable, the subjects that will be delivered to you are not. They contain valuable information that will have to be preserved when you wipe the rest clean.”
“What… what you are asking of me is quite difficult… I don’t know if I’ll-“
“Failure is never an option Doctor, and in this case, neither is refusal. Seven days to prepare, it will have to do.”
“Very well… sir…”
“You are dismissed.”
The Doctor nodded and got up, glad to leave. Feeling very nervous, he left the foreboding luxury of the Supervisor’s office behind to step back into the cold, comforting embrace of the Facility’s architecture. Once he had reached his quarters he sat down at his computer, hoping to find something that would aid this seemingly impossible assignment. Seven days… The Doctor sighed, reaching for the pot of coffee that was ever present on his desk. It would be a long week.