Radical-9

Intermission VII:

February 24^th, 2022

5:03 am

The doors stick shut behind me, they're sliding glass doors that must run on some sort of electrical circuit that no longer works. I had to pry open the door myself. I had to. There's something about this building that draws me near, like a little voice whispering right next to my brain, “Come inside, you know you want to.” There is darkness all around me, if I squint I can almost see objects and their figures. It's not too dark that I can't see, but it is definitely more difficult.

The black tiled floor stretches in both directions down some ways, meeting the asylum-white walls around. Debris litters various parts of the floor, papers and pottery scatter the floor, I have to step around some of the broken pottery on the way in.

The building itself seems to be standing from inside, at least, from down here it is. On the opposite side of the entryway lies a receptionist desk, most of it a hard wood built into the wall behind it, leaving only a small partition for workers to exit and enter. On the front side of the desk are some drawers which have just stacks of loose leaf sheets of paper. I take out a stack and hold it up into the light to see what is on it. They seem to be just simple memos, “Meeting with Mr. Radica – 3:00 pm,” and a small check mark next to it. Underneath that is, “Meeting with Mr. Adata – 3:30 pm.”

There's a strong chance that these two worked here, most likely in charge somewhere based on the need for meetings with them. There's something about all of this that scares me as well as draws me closer. I feel like I'm being dragged in, like I want to run out back to Jake and head back home, pretend that everything will be normal when I wake up.

Putting names to this means I can't do that. This now means that I have someone to actually blame for this accident. Someone to put a name to the mystery that is Adata. These guys should be to blame for the state Andy's in, and of course, I can't be satisfied with that. How could I? I don't even have a first name to deal with.

I'm setting down the sheet of paper and I hear a loud thump above me. My muscles tense up, my thoughts immediately jump to the idea of the building crashing on top of me, leaving me underneath the rubble, crushed and flattened.

But then I hear footsteps.

They're muffled, but after the first set I hear the second more clearly, someone is definitely above me. Jake must've found a way in through the second floor, however he had managed that. Now, only to regroup and scope this place out more thoroughly together.

I grab the sheet of paper again, folding it and tucking it away, I head to the far east end of the building, in the distance I can see the dusty remnant of the sign for stairs. I pass a cylindrical-paned elevator, I don't dare even attempt it. I can assume that it must run through the same electrical circuit as the front doors, so they wouldn't even open easily, much less be safe even if they did open correctly.

The door to the stairs looks like it is normally locked, there seems to be sort of scanner to the side of the door, but the lock is disengaged since it isn't receiving power. Inside the stairs corkscrew up the side of the building, the stairwell seems to be hosted in its own little tower, the eastmost sector of the building.

The first floor is much different, the little plaque I'd seen on the door says “Research & Development.” I exit to a very narrow and long hallway that extends about equally both left and right, both turning at the end making a sort of square. I take a right first, running down, calling out his name. The first door, the first on the external wall is empty, inside looks like some sort of lab, tables scatter the floor, and of the floor that is covered by tables, the rest is covered by papers and broken glass. I can't open the door all of the way, I think a cabinet had fallen over in the way, the door only opens about halfway before coming to a stop.

I turn out and head left, there is a doorway much like the one on the other side of the hall, one that leads into a larger, more rectangular laboratory. Inside I can see the door has been blown in, it lies on the ground in front of the doorway. The lab inside is is more grand than the one I'd seen before. Large machines sit undisturbed alongside the walls, all of them look completely alien to me, I've never been too in the know with technology, that's always been Andy's thing. The room dips down in the middle and then back up near the back.

“Are you sure that it is safe for you to be here?” A low voice calls out.

There is a dark figure standing over a table, it is too dark to see any of his features clearly. I take a few steps closer and see that he is wearing a white pinstripe suit, his hair is kept short, and he's working on some electronic devices on the table.

“Hello, do you work here? Or maybe worked would fit better, are you Mr. Adata? Or maybe Radica?” I ask.

“No.” The man answers.

Of course he isn't, what was I even thinking? What are the odds that-

“I knew them, though,” the voice says. “How...if I may ask, do you know those names, I wonder?” he asks, turning around finally. I can see his hair is really short, it is just enough to not be a complete buzz cut, at least, from the back. I can see his eyes widen as he sees me, “Oh...I see. Okay, that explains it, at least a little bit,” he says.

What? What could that even mean? Maybe he thinks me of someone he knows? Looking at him now, he doesn't look like anyone I know, big and long nose, small jawline, gray eyes that look eerily like thunder clouds one second, and then nice and puffy ones the next.

“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” I ask.

He turns back around to the desk and takes some small pieces of a circuit into his hand, “Well, I guess I could very well ask you the same questions, but we'd both get to the same answer on why we're here, no? You're here because you wanted information on this whole Elysium incident, am I correct?”

“And you knew that...how?” I ask.

“Because I am here for very much of the same reason, my name is Jay Rein,” he says. “Your friend, he isn't in here, is he?”

“How...”

He cocks his head towards the window to his right. I walk up to it slowly, keeping an eye on him beside me, there's something about this man in white that is off. Outside the window I look down to see the gate surrounding the building, right where I'd climbed over. So, he must've seen us when we were walking up.

“So, you said you knew those two people, does that mean that you work for this Adata?”

“Worked, as in past tense. And I'm sorry, I'm afraid I didn't catch your name,” Jay says.

“That's because I didn't say it.”

“Right, right. Well, if you really are here because of the Elysium incident then I hardly think you should have a reason to believe me to do you harm.”

“So, what are you doing here?”

Behind me I hear a faint sound, a siren blares in the distance. “H-Hold on,” I tell him, turning to see police lights fade in on the back road, heading straight down. It pulls up to the gates and out steps Jake into view.

“Your friend, are you sure that he is okay?” Jay asks, peeking out.

“What do you mean? His dad's a police officer, probably called him because he couldn't find a way in,” I say. “He probably got worried.”

Jake's father steps out of the car, his hands buried into the pockets of his coat. Jake begins speaking, of what I cannot hear, but it is probably along the lines of “She's in there and I need help getting in.” He points to the building. Mr. Carroway says something in return, not flinching, and then nods his head to the car.

“Are you sure?” Jay asks.

Jake shakes his head, turning to walk to the building, but his dad catches his arm, saying something, at which Jake breaks free to run up to the gate. That's it, I'm done here, I'm done I am-

“Hold on...I don't think you want to go out there...” Jay says, stopping me in place. “Just wait one second, I don't think your friend's father is there because he called him.”

“What?”

“How could he have gotten here so quick if he'd just been called? Something's not right.”

I turn back to the window, I see Jake pounding on the gate, his back turned now to his father, he is shaking his head still. Mr. Carroway takes a step forward and lowers his head. He takes a deep breath and then reaches into his pocket, pulling out a gun, a small pistol.

“What's...what's he doing?” I say, more to myself then Jay.

A bang sounds out and I can feel my breath stop, the bullet catches in Jake's gut, he falls to his knees, his hands still clutching the gate. Mr. Carroway walks over and picks Jake up, bringing him to the police car. He sets him into the backseat, still moving, and gets into the driver seat, heading off the way that he had come.

“JAKE!” I'm gripping the side of the window pane for support, my legs have lost the energy to support me, Jay keeps me from falling. “No, get off of me! I could've stopped this, I could've left and everything would have been normal!” I scream.

“Listen, okay, you need to keep it together, there's something you need to know about the police. You know, Adata, the company that made Elysium? Of course, that's why you're here. The police are in league with them,” Jay says.

“You...you're an absolute mad man, and you still haven't answered me what you're doing here!”

“Okay, first thing's first, I used to work with the people that made this death game, the people that are doing dirty deals with the police to allow this death game to be made without interference, and I quit when I found out about how deep this went. I am here now trying to stop them and save these people that are trapped inside of this game. I'm a good guy.”

I wipe my eyes and lean my back against the wall.

“I can't speak for your friend, Jake. I'm sure he was a good guy too, but this is the kind of thing that the people responsible for this are known to do...they took my boy from me,” he says.

“Jake was more than a good guy...way more,” I say. “And sorry about your son. My name's Jen Cress, by the way, just call me Jen.”

A flash of recognition shines in his eyes, but it is only momentary.

“Well, Jen, these people take and they take until no more can be taken. That's who that Mr. Adata is, he's the head of what happened here.”

“And what about that Mr. Radica fellow?”

“I don't know where he is now.”

I close my eyes and think, I can't stop seeing Jake. My heart drops. If we didn't come out here this wouldn't have happened. I'm so sorry, Jake. All I can do to apologize is to stop all of this. Stop this stupid game and stop this Jack Adata from destroying everything I love. “Do you have room for one more?”

“Hm?”

“I...I want to help. My brother. He is one of the people trapped in this game.”

“You mean Andrew?”

“How...?”

“Your father...” He hesitates, “I also worked with him. At least, if his name was David?” Jay asks.

“Yes, he passed nine years ago.”

“Nine years is such a long time, that's about when I left, same with Radica, Mason's his first name.”

“Yes, it has been such a long time.”

Jay stands, turning back to his desk, “Well, I'm always open for a little help. I've been here for the past few days combing this place over, it'd be nice to have some company.”