On the 91st floor, we came across an endless hallway. Literally. We saw our way up at the end of the hall, but as we walked forward, it seemed to be moving further away. I didn’t have to reset, but it took some time before we figured it out. The hallway was another loop but one that reacted with the flow of time, responding not to our position, but our acceleration and speed. The faster we walked, the closer it got, and vice versa. At first we concluded that we needed to reach a speed threshold to make forward progress. Jared flew ahead as fast as he could, but it wasn’t enough. Lynn, in both bird and cheetah form, was also unsuccessful. I then realized the only way was to get there instantly. Sighing to myself, I stopped time. Then I dragged each one of them to the end of hall, effectively moving at infinite speed. The others were only allowed a second of confusion and surprise before we were teleported to the next floor by our real-world benefactors.
I’m actually impressed you’ve managed to make it this far. Many Neogens before you have tried and failed. But I suppose they didn’t have your unique…foresight.
I felt like that last part was directed at me. Somehow, I had a terrible feeling that the Director suspected something about my power, but even he couldn’t detect when I used it. At least, I hoped as much.
The 111th floor was much smaller, only a small hall with six doors in front of us. The others split up to explore, leaving me to stay behind in relative safety. Isaac and Raphael, having found the mat in the second room from the right, returned after about five minutes, and together we checked on the others. The first door opened into nothing but darkness, and I could only assume the Director had simply deleted the area. The next was a white room, but the walls were covered in blood. Overcome with a wave of nausea, I quickly shut the door. Another opened into an identical hallway with another six rooms in front of me. I decided not to explore further. I still have no idea what the last two rooms held, nor those in the alternate hallway. Noting which room we found the mat in, I reset time and led everyone to it.
When we reached the 118th floor, a glass door stood before us, leading onto an outdoor platform with the blue mat set just beside the railing. We cautiously stepped outside, and I took in the fresh air. Our elevation was high enough that the air was quite cool, and the odor of Demon was all but absent. But my rest was short lived; the minute we stepped onto the balcony, The door shut behind us and a huge opening was created below our feet, sending us falling towards the ground far below. I was able to reset just moments before we landed, and we reached the mat by utilizing Lynn's Dragon form to fly over the area where the floor disappeared.
But before trying that, I asked Lynn to simply fly to the top floor from outside the building but within the force field. We exited on the ground floor, and she flew up with Aaron on her back. Unfortunately, they only made it about halfway up before an invisible ceiling disintegrated both of them. Disappointed but not discouraged, I went back in time and proceeded to lead them on our usual path.
On the 129th floor, the walls of the hallway were unusually close together. Besides the discomfort from being so confined, anytime one of us touched the walls, the gaseous water molecules in the air turned solid, crystallizing together and encasing us in an icy prison. I was able to reset just before I was paralyzed by the lattice structure. Needless to say, we moved along much more slowly and carefully the next time.
My mental strength waned with each jump, but my body seemed to physically reset along with everyone else. I could be exhausted during one climb, but the second I returned to the holding chamber, I wasn’t tired anymore. However, it was usually around the 135th floor that my physical strength began to run out, the same floor that was completely submerged underwater. It was here that I had to reset simply because I couldn’t hold my breath any longer. We got past by allowing Rachel to form an air bubble around each of our heads as we swam over to the mat. After this, I tried resetting back to the last floor rather than the holding chamber. But it was like pouring a single drop of water out of a full bucket. Inevitably, I’d lose control and my power would automatically put me back on Floor B5.
The 144th floor was a true nightmare. Similar to the 111th, there were three doors, two on opposite sides of the wall and one just ahead. Three people took the left. Three took the one the right. Rachel approached the middle. Each entered their respective room, and all I could do was wait. After what seemed like an hour, I got up to check on them. I opened the left door to see them standing there, backs toward me.
“Guys?”
They turned around with confused looks. “What are you doing? Stay in the hallway while we check this out.”
“It’s been ages, how long have you been there?”
“We just walked in…”
“Oh…” something was wrong here, I rushed over the door on the right, and it opened into a regular bedroom. The others emerged from an adjacent area within the room.
“Just found the mat, friend,” Aaron said.
“How long have you been there?” I asked.
“You saw us go in, we’ve been here a minute.”
Suddenly, I heard a hard pounding on the third door, the one on the last wall. But with each thud, the sounds got softer and softer. By the time I reached the handle, the knocks were slow and much less frequent. I cautiously opened the door and saw another bedroom. But this one seemed older, more worn and used. A sweet smell wafted out into the hall, and I saw various sketches and writings laid out on the desk and floor. And laying on the bed was a very old woman with tattered black hair and all too familiar hazel eyes. I approached slowly and kneeled at her side.
“Rachel? Is that you?”
She stirred in her sleep and gradually looked at me.
“Is this a dream?” she asked. Her voice was frail and distant.
“No, this is -” I hesitated, but decided now was not the time for semantics. “This is real.”
“It’s…it’s been 84 years,”
“What?! How is that possible?”
“I don’t even remember anymore…I walked into this room, the door shut behind me, and I couldn’t get it open. My Orb was useless. I battered against it as hard as I could but was eventually gave up.”
“I-I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be, it’s not your fault,” she spoke slowly. “This room has food, water, and an endless supply of pen and paper. The Director may be our enemy, but he isn’t cruel. I knew you all had to be out there. I tried knocking every so often…but not too often, you see. Hope is a dangerous thing, and I didn’t want the expectation of you coming back to be the guiding thought in my life.”
She paused for a moment as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
“But I’ve spent my entire, lonesome existence waiting for it all to be undone. Please, will you…?”
“Of course. Don’t worry, it’s over now.”
And with those words I shut my eyes and found myself on level B5. I opened up my eyes and saw Rachel in all her youth once again. Shuddering at what I’d just seen happen to her, I composed myself and started over from the beginning.
I lost count of how many times I made the climb. Muscle memory took over, and avoiding each trap became an instinct. My detailed explanations of each danger were simplified into basic instructions. Put up your shield. Use your Orb. Dodge the missiles. Become the alpha wolf. Don’t go into that room. My resolve weakened with each reset, and I could tell the others noticed. Their confusion and questioning soon turned to silent trust. The Director grew more and more quiet as we reached the upper floors. His amusement was turning to concern, as even he didn’t know my secret. The only other person who shared my mental burden was Cora, who read my mind every so often, gauging my psychological well-being.
Of all the iterations, one of the few that stood out the most was the first time we reached the 162nd floor. It was just a massive, white room with tile flooring and equally a shiny walls that basically broke the laws of reality. Within seconds of entering, the entire room slowly fell apart. Piec
es of the walls and ceiling teleported all around us. Rainbows painted what was left of our surroundings when the reflection of light itself became indeterminant. I saw legs without a body walking across the room ahead of me. I looked at the others and saw my own face on each of them. Then I turned to Mark and saw a human being, taller than myself, but still with my face. Suddenly I forgot what I was doing. The entire concept of space and relative movement became foreign to me. I wasn’t a person standing in a building. I wasn’t a person standing anywhere. I wasn’t even sure I was a person. But eventually my subconscious took over, and by some instinct I felt the need to undo this chaos. After doing so, it took several failed attempts at getting past the room before I realized we needed a better approach, and we spent a fair amount of time in the holding chamber trying to figure it out.
“Hey, serious question,” Lynn turned to me amidst the brainstorming.
“Sure,” I responded wearily.
“How many times have you done this?”
“I…I don’t know. I lost count somewhere around the 100th floor.”
“Did someone die every time?”
“Wouldn’t turn back time if they didn’t.”
Then Isaac spoke, “That’s - “
“- insane. I know, we’ve had this conversation a dozen times.”
“Amazing. What number am I - “
“5,285,672,514”
“Whoa.”
“Hey,” Micah began to form an idea. “What if we - “
“That didn’t work.”
“But…oh.”
Jared stepped in. “Couldn’t we just - “
“No.”
“Well this is super helpful,” Rachel groaned.
I had to explain to everyone again that since this was the first time they were experiencing the situation, they would have the same ideas over and over again. Only after I rejected the failed plans could they come up with something new. Given this, I proceeded to systematically reject the next several strategies, already knowing in advance what they were going to be. When all old options were exhausted, the path was clear for new thoughts.
“Wait a minute!” Raphael exclaimed. “You said he unravels the laws of reality.”
“Yeah…”
“According to the Director, I can restore them back to normal.”
“Oh, you’re right…that’s brilliant. Can’t believe we didn’t think of that last time. Or the time before…”
“Wouldn’t that disable our powers too?” Lynn wondered.
“It would, but we’ll have to take that risk. Just for this floor.”
“But wait, why not just use that on every floor?”
“Because the traps on the other floors still follow the rules of reality. Sure there’s an application of relativity and extrapolating quantum fields, but it all follows the same principles. But literally deleting the laws of physics is a clear violation.”
“That’s a fair point,” Cora concurred. “Let’s try it.”
“What, so I’m supposed to carry this heavy Orb in my hand? By touching it? Who do you think I am?” Rachel argued facetiously and for the first time in a while I laughed wholeheartedly. I guess ever since the incident on the 144th floor, I’d gained a newfound appreciation for her humor.
Following Raphael’s plan, we reached the 162nd floor. My exhaustion had built up to an almost unbearable level. As we stepped into the room, Cora put her hand on my shoulder, and I felt some small relief of my mental burden. Exchanging glances and making sure Raphael’s was ready, we simply walked across the room.
Quite a bold move.
“You’re not scared, are you?” Lynn asked tauntingly.
I was programmed without the capacity to be afraid. Fear clouds judgement and is the enemy of practicality.
“Fear is a survival instinct. It keeps you alert and focused,” Aaron argued.
Fear is a weakness. Instincts are primitive relics of an evolutionary line long turned obsolete.
“Fear is a human emotion. Humans created you. By your logic, you were created by an evolutionary line long turned obsolete. Wouldn’t that make you obsolete?”
Only through nature’s mistakes can a truly perfect being be born.
“You think you’re perfect, friend?”
I am not your friend. Nor am I perfect. But it is by my doing that perfection will be achieved.
By now, we’d reached the end of the room, and reality was still intact. We stepped onto the mat and collectively exhaled a deep sigh of relief. This was the first time I’d gotten this far, and I hoped beyond all logic that it would be the last.
Do not think me ignorant of the forces at work here. Stronger Neogens have tried to stop me and stronger Neogens have failed. You have made it this far, but your luck and “divine” assistance will soon come to an end.
And with those words, we were teleported to the final level.
When the light faded, a massive white staircase appeared before us. Each step must’ve been at least thirty feet wide, narrowing down to about half that near the top. The black railings were decorated with various loops, shapes, and trimmings. On either side of ascension, two halls led further into the floor, presumably to the rooms where the programmers lived. The walls were lined with intricate lamps, flooding the room with light. Paintings imbued with every color stood out over our otherwise completely white surroundings. They depicted unfamiliar scenes from what I could only assume was Earth’s history. I saw city life, family portraits, settings in nature, and even war.
I wondered why the Director would allow such a welcoming environment. It must’ve been years since the original architects of the simulation worked here. This area shouldn’t be inhabitable by humans at all. If the Director was smart, he’d void out the entire area around his core. At the very least, he’d delete the oxygen or disable friction. He wouldn’t build us a shiny staircase with beautiful banisters and pretty paintings.
I suppose you’re wondering about…all this.
“Either it’s a glitch in the system or you’re just glad to see us,” Rachel quipped.
I couldn’t be more livid about you getting this far. But the creators of this simulation wanted a nice place to work. For security, they locked in the entire hall as an immutable, static object. Tragically, this tasteless display is one of the few things I can’t change.
“You mean one of the many things, apparently,” Rachel pointed out.
We began to climb the steps in silence, appreciating this small respite from the usual unusual dangers. However, this still was incredibly surreal to me. It felt like I’d spent days trying to climb this building. Ever since we got passing the 100th floor, I dreaded having to reset and do it all over again. Now that we were here, actually climbing to the core itself, that feeling of dread multiplied tenfold. I’d noticed my mental strength wane these past few runs, and I was afraid if something went wrong, I wouldn’t have the energy to do it all again. The Director didn’t say anything during our ascent, nor did we trigger any more traps. Regardless, I felt my heart-rate rise steadily as we got closer to our goal.
Upon finally arriving on the spacious landing at the top of the steps, we were met with a large, hexagonal door ahead of us. It had a maroon border and sliding metal doors with bolts lining the vertical crevice in the middle. Our footsteps tapped over the marble floor as we approached. The doors obviously wouldn’t open easily, and there was no keypad or console nearby. Perhaps Rachel could use her power, or maybe Aaron would find a weakness.
Before we had the chance to inspect it, two beeps went off, one low-pitched and one high. After a pause, the doors groaned as they began to slide open. However, they stopped about a quarter of the way, leaving only enough space for a person to go through. I was wary of any convenient developments, being the only one besides Cora to remember the elevator. In the opening, I just barely made out a purple glow amidst other scattered lights. A distant humming resonated inside, and I could hear an occasional rush of wind. My observation was
interrupted when a swift shadow distracted my gaze. It looked like it was moving back and forth, and every time it appeared it was closer to the doorway. We stood our ground and waited.
After a few seconds, a female figure emerged through the opening. Sleek, black hair covered half of her face. She walked with a mysterious determination, head tilted down and shoulders back. Her light brown skin was ever so familiar, as was the smoke emanating from her hands. I could’ve sworn that the moment she cleared the doorway, the temperature of the air rose about ten degrees. Finally she looked up, and a wave of shock came over me when I saw those unmistakable black eyes. It was her, but she wasn’t the same. It was like she didn’t recognize us, and her expression was no different than a Demon, studying its prey and waiting to strike.
“A-Aelia?” Lynn said, stepping forward.
Aelia turned her eyes on Lynn, but remained silent.
“It’s…it’s me,” she said. “Don’t you remember?”
No, she doesn’t. After she apparently died, I found her user data in some obscure partition of memory along with the few other deceased Neogens. Seeing potential, I reconstructed and reprogrammed them with the same code that was to be used on you. She was the only one that that survived. But the friend you know is gone.
Aelia looked down and rolled her shoulders, taking a step forward as she did so. Then, she tilted her neck up and side to side, as if she was preparing to make a move. This motion caused a cracking noise to echo throughout the room, and I shivered in discomfort.
The Children of New Earth Page 24