One hour and fifty five minutes had passed.
The place kept repeating itself over and over again. Slightly little things were changing every time, but it wasn't that much at all.
As if we were all trapped here, but was the only one who noticed.
"We might as well become a part of the scene." Or have we already become part of it?
But why? How to get out of this trap?
I looked around me and headed to the labs on the right. It was typically the same as what I saw the first time.
Off computers, research papers all over the place, and a door to the left that kept on going to similar rooms over and over.
I searched once more through the papers, and when I got sure that nothing changed I headed back to the hall.
All the researchers there were working, no one said a word. And regardless of what I've done, no one acknowledged my existence.
As if they just work. Nonstop—
Wait,
Nonstop?
No one gets to work nonstop!
"They'll stop when it's time to break."
That idea gave me a glimpse of hope, and my mind automatically started to think of a way to use it.
I searched for the main office there, and found it immediately. It was off so I tried to turn it on… but it didn't work the normal way since it was an old computer.
Next I tried to check the cables and got under the table to make sure every one was in its place before turning it on… it didn't work either, and I've lost my patience.
Hence, I've done something as crazy as punching the case with all the rage I have… and it worked completely fine.
Using violence from the start could have been the very accurate thing to do, why didn't I ever think about it?
"Now, the time—"
I focused at that huge old monitor and started to use that weird mouse to look out for things.
It was connected to the company's main network, and that network was simple enough for me to hack it.
There were no extra important files nor secret files in there, so I just made sure to take all the files under Tristan's name (the one I had his card) since he is the team leader, and send them to my tablet.
When I finished, I took a look at the time and date.
10 AM.
Monday, forty years ago.
I didn't play with the date, and when I tried to modify the time I got an idea to make it past work time but I immediately got rid of it.
Who knows what kind of crazy things will happen in the night?
The break time was the safest way to test the idea. So I did it and made it to 12 PM before taking a deep breath and tapping Enter.
For two minutes, it was all the same, but then, with a deep ring all over the place, everyone left his work.
They all started to talk to each other and laugh… talking about lunch and how bad their work went.
No one said a word about the real situation.
No one.
That alone was enough for me to know that they are already a part of this scenario— and that I too was supposed to be part of it.
"But if there's a scenario or whatever, doesn't that mean that the object of this is someone else? Someone or a group that entered somehow?"
Or there was no need for an object for all of this to happen?
I didn't think so. My instincts made it clear that this isn't just happening for no reason.
And if I'm part of it, why not act like a real part of it?
I simply left my chair and went to a group of researchers to stand with them.
They were talking about daily life things, and the moment I came close they stopped to greet me as if they were old friends or something.
"Tristan, where were you all day? Did you come late?"
"No, You just didn't see me."
"Right right. You're still working on that useless thing of yours. Good luck on it."
"It isn't useless." I insisted, as if I know what they are talking about.
"Yes, that's right. Those gems of yours will be the new iconic technology for the next generation. But first you must stay healthy in order to finish it."
"I'm doing my best."
All three of them clicked their tongues after hearing me saying that.
"First you must go home more often instead of working over time."
"Your wife will be happy if you did that."
"And eat properly. Go have a haircut… living this way won't make you go anywhere."
"Right— then excuse me, I'm going to have my lunch."
After that conversation, I went to my desk again, sat there, and took my full time to think about it.
Does this place hold on all the researchers' memories?
I wasn't Tristan, and they weren't Tristan's colleagues… yet we all played it as if we were them.
"And that project… it must be the one about the gems."
That simple information was enough to change everything. Because, although I didn't know a single thing about those gems, I did know that they are important, very important…
So the project went well.
And the one who was in charge of it was me— or the one I'm taking his identity at least.
"What chaos… what am I supposed to do then?"
I thought about the system once more, and the mission's panel showed itself in front of me again… this time, I read it word by word, trying to catch the hints if they existed.
[Old company mission: SPT(MNT)-H-12053
•State: ongoing.
The company's researchers have been working secretly on a project. That project led to the company's undoing.
•Condition for success: find the project's file and corrupt it.
•Rewards: 500 S.P.s, ■■■■■, ■■■■■
•Penalty for failure: work as a researcher until someone corrupts the files.]
Things did changed—
A mental category was added to the name, the S.P. 's points decreased, and another encryption reward was added.
Other things were the same.
I have to corrupt the files, and if I didn't, I have to wait until someone else corrupts it.
But I'm the main and maybe the only researcher who works on that…
"this make things a lot easier—"
All I had to do was play with the labs files? And literally, it was there, on the secret file on the computer!
I opened the folder, then the file… and what I found there was a bunch of reports. One about the shapes and quality of the gems, another about how much Vessels give depends on their class… the rest was as general as listing information, except the last one.
"Containment rates and what could that mean and be used for…"
That sounded serious, so I opened it… expecting to see important or exciting information. What I found instead was one line.
One familiar line…
Way down in the same report, there were another two lines:
"..."
Ding—
I was startled when the ring sound filled the hall. When I got my senses back, I found all of the other workers in their places… looking and sounding like dolls.
I stood up too in order to go find the lab mentioned in the report, but before that I took a good time going through the things since mentioning the drawer made me realize that I didn't search in a proper way.
I found a key with no label on it, a multi tasking tool, and a ring— which was a silver shiny one that seemed expensive.
I took all of that, and headed to the labs before changing my mind and going to the left side, where the main labs should be, and where I've always found myself returning to the hall.
This time, things went differently.
And if my theory was true, and this place needed me to find the files, then it'll make it easier for me to find the lab.
I inhaled before holding the handle, then closed my eyes and opened the door.
Then I opened my eyes, got a bad shiver all over my body, then closed the door before taking any step, when all I could feel was my heartbeats in my throat.
It was the main lab… finally—
But why were so many people there?
"Are they even humans?"
Human bodies, black suits, and crazy heads, more disgusting than what people in the investigating floor used to be! More realistic masks!
What if they were anomalies? Was it possible for anomalies to wear suits like humans?
"What shall I do…"
I calmed myself, then remembered that I took off my watch earlier so I wore it again with a simple concept in mind: if they were from my company, there's a chance that I'll see them as humans. If they weren't from my company, they'd see me with a blank white head without eyes or features and that wasn't any less scary than their crazy heads.
"Don't hesitate, Nathan…"
I opened the door again in a hasty way. All the eyes landed on me, while all I did was to look at them, unable to say a word.
It was them—
Team A and B from my department.
And they reacted as if I was the suspicious thing out there. Nobody said or did anything for a whole minute before Silas stepped closer and hesitated.
"Nathan, where have you been?"
"On the research hall. I have just opend the door of the main lab successfully after ten times of failure."
"...So you broke the spatial cycle you where in?"
"I guess." Now when I thought about it, it was a Spatial cycle.
"And you came out from the wall here..."
"...?" A wall?
I snapped my head to see the door I used, but all I found was a wall.
A wall that made me look more suspicious and insane than anyone else in the room.
Ha—
"What's up with my luck these days…"