Note: This is an unedited version of this chapter. Some inconsistencies can be seen in this chapter. This chapter has some information that does not align with the previous ones. Once again, what you will read is an unedited version. Although there are mismatched details, the overall plot is not affected in any way.
CADE
MY BODY HAD LOST its sense of time. Without any clock here to tell the time, I didn't know if it was morning or night. But then I realized the cycle of day didn't matter in outer space. In here, it was all darkness with only little twinkling starts that served as my light. Even that, I couldn't see, because I was at the heart of this facility. No windows to look and appreciate the stars. Every time I would open my eyes, white walls were the only ones that greeted me.
Trapped here for several days—I wasn'tsure—I could almost see their smiles every time they do it. Anything could push me out of sanity—the walls, the lights, the ceilings, and of course, the ruler of them all, my own thoughts. Some days, they were hostile.
You'll never get away in here. You will rot here as they steal your consciousness away from you, and someday you will kill thousands, even millions, of people without even knowing it.
Your family's death was the curse of your power's blessing.
Even though with that power, you still failed to save them. You're worthless. You're pathetic.
Some days, they were vengeful.
Kill everyone who had killed them. Show no mercy.
Let your power grow and grow until no one could ever stop you. You are powerful and you deserve to be looked up upon.
And some days, they just wanted everything to end.
How I wish I was the one who died and not them. Will they suffer like I do?
Little by little I was wandering farther and farther away from sanity, and what kept me anchored to it was the frequent visits of Goldberg's minions. It gave me the chance to talk to someone. Even though they were doing their jobs quietly, I still talk to them and they would just either answer me with a nod or a word.
Marami silang mga tests na pinagawa sa 'kin. Iba't ibang uri to ng mga pagsusulit at lahat 'yon ay nangyayari sa loob ng aking isip. Pero kahit gano'n, pakiramdam ko'y naranasan ko ang lahat ng 'yon nang totohanan. Kahit gusto ko nang magpahinga ay hindi nila ako hinahayaan at sa halip ay isasabak na naman sa isa bang simulation.
Iba't-ibang simulation ang pinasabak nila sa 'kin. Iba't-ibang bangungot ang aking naranasan sa iisang pagtulog at lahat ng aking kinatatakutan ay nangyayari sa mga simulasyong iyon. Lahat na yata ng hindi gustong makita ng mga tao sa kanilang bangungot ay nakita't naranasan ko na. Kahit kailan, hinding-hindi ko na gugustuhin pang bumalik sa mga lugar na 'yon.
In the simulations, while in a forest, I fought a creature—it was a humanoid monster—which had a head and a set of limbs, but its back was full of think vicious snakes and its face was even hidden underneath its black mask. Each head spat different elements: one spat acid, the other one spat fire, and the others breathe something that would make your stomach upside-down. I fought it with all the might I could muster.
The moment I cut out the last snake's head, I though I won. But then again I was wrong. The humanoid turned laughed at me and the dead snakes on its back turned into sharp bones. It detached from it and circled it horizontally as it shot out each pointy bones towards my direction. The good thing was I had my ability with me every time I would be immersed in a simulation and it worked greatly to my advantage.
I changed the direction of the flashing bones it shot at me. I willed myself to do it but it sapped my strength. As my strength receded, I used the thick and healthy trees to my bidding and dodged each and everything he blasted at me. In that way, I managed to go on with the fight.
When the bones were all shot and luckily, none of it hit me, I thought it was over. But then, I was wrong for the second time. Three pairs of wings had spurted from its back and with powerful force its wings had given to it, it flew high above the sky. The clouds even parted from it like it was a kind of an angel which the Heaven had long since waited for.
Inipon ko ang mga hangin sa aking kamay. Inipon ko ito nang inipon hanggang sa maging kasing lakas ito ng rumaragasang bagyo. Nag-antay ako ng tyempo at pinakawalan ko ito sa kaniyang direksyon. Hindi niya natantiya ang hangin sa ilalim ng kaniyang pakpak at hindi niya rin inasahan ang lakas nang hangin. Sa langit ay nawalan siya ng balanse hanggang sa malaglag at tumama ang kaniyang ulo sa lupa na agad ninakaw ang kaniyang natitirang lakas. Habang nakahandusay sa putikan ay sinubukan niyang ipagaspas ang kaniyang nanghihinang mga pakpak pero hindi siya nagtagumpay. Sa pagkakabagsak niyang iyon ay siguradong may nabaling buto sa kaniyang mga pakpak.
Ito na ang perpektong pagkakataon.
Lumalit ako sa kaniya nang dahan-dahan habang buong puso niyang sinusubukang ibuka ang kaniyang napinsalang mga pakpak. Tinitigan ko siya ng maigi at nadiskubreng ang katawan niya ay katawan ng isang lalaki. Unti-unti kong inalis ang kaniyang itim na maskara at—
Napaatras ako nang nakita ko ang mukha niya. Ang mukha ko.
Hindi ako nakapagsalita. Para akong tinamaan ng kidlat. Nanigas ang aking mga kalamnan at ang aking mga buto. Sa isa pang pagkakataon, ang kalaban ko na naman ay walang iba kundi ang aking sarili.
Ano ang ibig sabihin nito?
Bakit halos puro sarili ko ang kalaban ko na may iba't-ibang anyo?
Habang iniisip ko at naghahananng kasagutan sa mga tanong na 'yon ay may tumataga na naman sa utak ko.
Ako'y napaluhod at napahawak sa 'king magkabilang sintindo habang ako'y unti-unting nalulunod sa sakit. Hanggang sa tuluyan na akong kainin nito hanggang sa nagdilim na lang ang lahat.
I jolted awake. I was still inside this glass tube and they never released me since then. There would be just a time wherein they would put somehting on the liquid that would make me sleep and plunge me into another set of simulations.
I would never get away in this. This was my cage. Especially designed for someone like me.
I never tried to escape since then. I didn't want to hope because it would eventually crush mg heart into millions of pieces. I was trapped. I no longer own myself. I belong to them. They owned me.
THE DOOR IN FRONT of me opened without any alert, making me jump inside the glass tube. The director of this facility, Dr. Goldberg, entered with a smile on his handsome face. He wore a white double-breasted suit with the dark blue lab coat with the logo on its left pocket draped on his shoulders. Knowing his real age, you wouldn't tell he was older than he looked like. You'd never know he was more than a hundred years old. His face was like chiseled by the angels themselves but then his smile was molded bu the demons. He was beautiful and he was insane.
Gusto kong pilipitin at durugin ang bawat butong nasa loob ng laman niya. Gusto ko siyang balatan nang buhay.
"Good day," bati niya sa oras na lumapat ang paa niya sa loob. May dala rin siyang isang napakanipis na salamin na may mga holographic projection. "You should feel special because I personally deliver your results here." At may nilapitan siyang isang hologram sa gilid na ang nakalagay naman ay ang aking mga emosyon at nararamdaman.
"What?Special?" I scoffed at him. "Go fuck yourself." My voice felt like it wasn't mine. It came from something else. It came from the speakers in the corners of the lab. Even though it was amplified, it shouldn't sound like this.
"Yes," he answered, still busy thping something on the hologram. "Hindi ko ito ginagawa nang madalas. Hindi ako madalas lumalabas ng opisina ko. Besides, yung apat na alagad ko ang nagdadala ng results sa iba pang subjects dito," sabi niya na parang kami ay isang mga hayop na pinag-eeksperementuhan lang. Mas lalong kumulo ang dugo ko sa pagkakasabi niya ng "subjects" na tila ba'y hindi kami tao. Nanginig ang laman ko sa galit. "You did very well to your last test." Tumango-tango siya at napataas na lang ako ng kilay. Wala akong pakialam kahit purihin niya pa ako.
"You mean they're awake?" I asked, referring to the other subjects.
"Yes they are. If you're planning to escape with them. Forget it."
"Hindi ko pinaplanonb tumak—"
"Believe me. You're not the very first one to say that exact words."
That made me shut my mouth.
Habang binabasa niya ang mga resulta, tumatango-tango siya na parang nagugustuhan niya ang kaniyang mga nakikita habang nakahawak pa ang isa niyang kamay sa kaniyang baba na parang nagbabasa siya ng isang article na kaniyang sinasang-ayunan.
"Very good, Six." The hologram, the biggest one, flashed the results before my eyes. Looking at it, I could say that I improved a lot. That I was playing by their rules.
Mental Strength 95%
Physical Strength 93%
Ability Test 96%
Strategy 98%
Emotional Test 89%
Overall 94.2%
"Your Emotianal Strength is really improving. From 12% to 89%! You did very well." He smiled. "Well, get ready for tomorrow. Get ready for your final evaluation then after that we'll proceed to second phase." He swiftly walked out of the room that I didn't raise the question before he could walk away.
Second phase? This was just the beginning of it all?
Questions then again started to form in my mind. But I whisked them away before they could even get the chance to pester me because I know it wouldn't be answered.
I turned around and gazed at my progress rate.
Project Progress: 25%
Ready for Second Phase