Final Collection
Page 19
CHAPTER 19
Adam was brought out of the conference room by a man and woman, relatively young compared to Evelyn, possibly the same age as himself, but it was hard to tell, the purity in them seemed to take away years. The man who Adam had sat next to initially had still not returned and he was beginning to believe the man had seen enough and must have other things to attend to. There was another corridor he was being led down with rooms similar to the ones he had been in on the other side, only slightly smaller and with tables instead of beds. The two made no attempt at conversation with Adam or each other; they simply seemed to be enjoying themselves which left Adam slightly uncomfortable, as if he were missing a joke. The rooms they passed changed after a while and they were smaller yet and with desks instead of tables; after passing through the doorway into the conference room Adam wondered if the view was one way restricted or two ways. His mind lingered and once again he reached for the paneling on the wall, stopping just shy of actually connecting. It was difficult to tell whether his arm was trying to reach beyond what he was allowing himself or if the paneling was attempting to draw him to contact. Adam’s mind swirled slightly then felt that he was being led away by the waist and arm. Thoughts stirred and he recognized that the doorways were always restricted one way and when desired two ways so that one from the hall could never peer into a room, this was a change from the original design which had been completely restrictive of view from either side. Adam’s recognition of the information passing through him faded as the final things that came to mind on the doors were how they had been adjusted so that one from within a room would know what lay outside in the unlikely event of hostilities. Adam’s mind swaggered to come back to focus and he saw he was not being brought anywhere, he barely remained standing and that was with the help of the youngish man and woman who had been leading him down the corridor. “He’s not ready to go in there yet,” the man said releasing his support a little and forcing Adam to try harder to stand on his own. The woman of similar age frowned, “Let’s just get him there, he’ll be fine; and when did you start to change your opinion of things?” Adam felt his strength regaining and fully stood on his own testing his legs and vision discretely while the two finished their conversation. The man was now frowning himself, “I haven’t, perhaps today isn’t the right day, but this is correct nonetheless.” Even though Adam was fully up and ready to move on his own the man grabbed his arm with slight frustration and pulled him along before realizing he was getting upset over nothing. The woman was following slightly behind Adam and somewhat between him and the nearest wall to his right hand trying to discourage him from making another attempt. Adam appreciated the message she was giving him by her positioning because he was quite tempted to find out more about the exact reasons for changing the design of the doors; he breathed and reset his mind, closed his eyes and felt his hands flex as if to feel the pressure of gravity on the ground beneath him. Adam opened his eyes and followed the man until he turned and stopped in front of a room. The room seemed to be selected at random but now, Adam understood must have been one available although he was still unsure how to determine the difference.
Standing just on the inside of the doorway, Adam took in the small room. Behind him was a wall and in front of him were four wall sections that began perpendicular to the wall behind him then turned inward to come to a point directly in front of him. Along one of the angled walls was a bench and table, the other was a chair and desk. To his immediate left there was a panel similar to a closed door and to his right the same; Adam felt two hands touch him as if to say goodbye and when he turned the hands left his shoulders and the man and woman walked away. Adam was left inside a room alone with unfamiliar things and with all his curiosity closing in around him.
Time lapse
Adam had spent the last several days being trained by his own curiosity and was growing familiar with his interactions in the system, the wealth of information was astounding and though it felt as if no time had gone to him, the knowledge amassed seemed an individual life's worth. Adam had not lost himself to distress about Eva; instead he kept her and his situation entirely separate, as if he were on a short business trip they both had anticipated.
The young pair that had taken him to this room and seen to his needs, most of which were in providing fresh clothes, came once more only this time early and with his original clothes. The young woman spoke, "Adam, we have a guest for you." The young man turned to her with a look of sarcastic frustration, "A bit ominous don't you think?" Adam laughed less than silently and prepared himself to be brought out. The young woman directed her statements at Adam once more, "We'll be going to the main chamber where we will await her arrival." Adam smiled again as he rushed to ready himself.