Delta

Chapter Five: The Encounter

I'm not going to talk about every test we went through after that. After we walked through the door of the test we had just completed, we were immediately drenched in the clear liquid, washing away the blue liquid that we were still covered in. We spent the next three or four hours completing chamber after chamber. In one test we were introduced to lasers, which proved to be obstacles. The tests were clearly becoming more complex, and we found ourselves spending more and more time on each one. At point I very nearly fell into the acid when I accidentally  flung my grapple in the wrong direction. The force was very sudden, and the cord began reeling itself in. Ella grabbed my other arm before I went right over the edge. I hung suspended above the acid, both the cord and Ella pulling on either arm. It was a sticky situation. I couldn't press the button to disengage the grapple without letting go of Ella, and by then there would be no point. Ella finally managed to reach the button, and I went down, nearly pulling her with me. We managed to sort the situation out, but it only left me with the reminder that I still had a long ways to go before I got the hang of using the grapple.

I was starting to wonder if they fed test subjects, because we had been going on four hours without any food, water, or rest. Ella and I pulled ourselves up to the platform where the door was, exhausted. I could see that all the activity was starting to take a toll on her too. She looked sleepy and drained of all energy. Still with no recollection of why we were here, we had woken up about six or seven hours earlier from 'stasis', and we were immediately thrown into these physically and mentally exhausting, often life-threatening situations. Could you blame us for being tired?

"I wonder what happens if we don't go through the door." Ella said, her voice flat.

"Good work on completing the tests." Jeffrey suddenly began speaking, which surprised us because he hadn't said anything since the test with the introduction to the elixirs.

"This next room will be what is called a 'checkpoint'. It is a room where you will be able to eat, hydrate, clean yourself, and sleep."

Jeffrey stopped talking and the door slid open. The room was of medium size and pleasant. In the middle of it was a white counter with a stool on either side. There were two plates on it, piled with food. A large pitched of water was placed in the center, and two glasses stood beside it. At the side of the room were two small cots where we would sleep. There was a white door at the side of the room that must have led to the bathroom. At the other end of the room was the triangle door. Without saying anything, Ella and I immediately walked over to the counter where the food and water was and sat down. I grabbed a fork and looked down at the food on my plate.  Some sort of meat was chopped up into cubes, which I found strange. There was rice and some vegetables chopped up to make a salad. And that was it. Ella and I immediately dug in, both of us famished. The food tasted a little strange, but it was my first time eating in forever, and I wasn't in a position to complain. Who knew when we would eat again? 

Neither of us said anything while we ate. When we had both eaten our fill and rehydrated ourselves, we stood up and left the counter. As soon as we did, the entire surface of the counter suddenly flipped over, revealing a clean side. We walked over to the white door and it slid open, revealing a white marble bathroom. Inside was a sink, toilet, and small shower. Hanging on a rack on the wall were two white towels. Ella told me I could shower first and left the bathroom, the door sliding shut behind her. I slid open the glass door and looked at the controls. There was only a knob, so I pulled it out and twisted it to the side. Water sputtered out of the shower head before raining out in a steady stream. 

I peeled off my boots and sweaty socks, and removed the headset and my glove. Then I stripped off my clothes and pulled out my hairband, quickly unbraiding my hair. I slid open the glass door and stuck my hand under the water. I immediately withdrew it. The water was freezing cold. I waited for another minute, waiting to see if the water would warm up. I stuck my hand in again and when the water hadn't changed temperature, I gritted my teeth and stepped into the shower, pulling the glass door closed. The water was so cold I had to resist the temptation to jump right out again. I forced myself to stay inside by telling myself that I didn't know how often a checkpoint would come along, and I needed to take the opportunities I had.