My mind flashed quickly.
Taking note of the security captain, I moved slightly, obstructing his path forward.
I spoke at the same time.
"I presume that you’re done."
"Not quite."
The captain replied, settling down as he stared at me.
"I’m just coming back here to gain access to the footage so that I can review it. I’m trying to understand what has happened, and in order to do that, I need to get a better look at the entire situation."
"...Understandable."
I nodded in understanding.
His words did make a lot of sense.
But I still didn’t move. The captain’s head turned as he took a step to the side, trying to enter the room behind me. However, I still didn’t budge.
"Enforcer...?"
"There’s something that I’d like your help with."
The captain didn’t respond immediately. His eyes moved over me slowly, glossing every part of me as though he was studying me. I could see the trace of confusion on his face.
A second passed.
Then two.
"...What is it?"
His words eventually reached me as I answered right after.
"There’s something off about the entire situation. From the security cameras to the weird behavior. There’s a good chance that the two things are tied together. I’d like your aid in the investigation."
The captain paused for a moment, his gaze shifting to the area behind me. A flicker of hesitation marred his features, but his face eventually settled.
"How can I help?"
"I’d like you to go back to where Osvald is located. We lost connection with the room once more. I was just about to go investigate that area, but since you’re here, it’s better. There’s another place that I need another check."
"Understood."
The captain didn’t argue much.
Perhaps because in his mind I was no doubt the Enforcer, he turned around and headed in the opposite direction of where I needed to go.
I stared at his disappearing back. He didn’t look back. He just walked until he turned the corner and disappeared entirely.
I waited another second before moving.
Something about the way he agreed so easily didn’t quite sit well with me. Perhaps it was indeed because he didn’t suspect the fact that I was the Enforcer, or maybe it was because I was being paranoid...
But whatever the case was, I was quick to move as I turned to face the opposite direction, my appearance shifting into something else. With no surveillance system active, I no longer needed to care about my actions.
As the sound of my steps bounced off the walls of the long corridor, I walked ahead without looking back.
Having gotten a good look at the outline of the entire ’laboratory’, I now knew where I needed to go. Although I didn’t quite memorize the entire layout, I did memorize where I needed to go as I turned the corridor to head straight.
But just as I had⎯
"....."
My steps came to a sudden stop, the air around me seemingly shifting.
The white coat was the first thing I noticed, fluttering with each unhurried step he took forward.
Behind him, two guards followed in perfect formation. I felt a sense of oppression coming from their bodies.
I pressed myself to the side, as far as the wall would allow.
Step. Step. Step.
The sound cracked off the walls.
Their bodies drew closer.
I dropped my head, fixing my eyes on the floor, watching the edges of my own vision blur as I forced myself to breathe slowly.
Each second stretched and pulled into what felt like minutes.
As they drew level with me, the rhythm of their footsteps seemed to bleed into my own chest, matching the frantic knocking of my heartbeat for beat.
I didn’t move.
I just let them pass.
And they did.
Or so I thought.
The footsteps stopped.
The silence that followed was worse than any sound that could have come after. It pressed in from all sides, and within it I felt a gaze settle on me like a hand placed slowly on my shoulder.
It simply stayed, hovering over me as though it was carefully analyzing me.
I kept my head down.
And then, barely above what felt like a whisper, the doctor’s voice broke the silence.
"And where might you be headed?"
The doctor’s soft voice lingered in the air, the silence that followed feeling incredibly oppressive as I lifted my head to stare at the doctor, taking note of his curled lips.
I answered almost immediately.
"I’m headed for Sector 3."
"Sector 3?"
The doctor tilted his head, the gears in his mind turning as he seemed to think about the direction of where I was headed. And then, as if realizing something, he asked, "From what I’m aware, Sector 3 should be in the opposite direction. Why are you headed this way?"
I stood still, calmly processing the doctor’s words.
But then...
"Pardon?"
I tilted my head while staring at the doctor.
I then pointed in the direction of where I was going.
"If I cut through Block C of Sector 2 and take Corridor 117, I can bypass the main route entirely. It connects directly to the northern entrance of Sector 3. Shorter by at least three minutes."
This much was true.
I didn’t quite memorize the entire map, but I had memorized the way that I needed to go in order to get back to Sector 3, where Rowan’s sister was located. From what I understood, Soran was also located there, meaning that I had to get to Sector 3.
Shifting my attention back to the doctor, I caught the tail end of his smile fading. The air between us felt heavier than it had a moment ago. I held his gaze just long enough to seem unbothered, then lowered my eyes.
My actions were neither too fast nor too slow.
The silence that followed felt as though it would last forever.
Thankfully, it didn’t.
Eventually, the doctor smiled.
"You’re right."
His smile was pleasant, almost friendly, as he raised his hand and pressed it against my shoulder.
The touch was light. Casual, even.
But it made my entire body tense.
"This place is quite big, so I tend to forget. It’s good that you know the way."
He patted my shoulder a couple of times. With each pat, I could feel the beat of my own heart increasing as I lowered my head further.
"In that case, I’ll be leaving."
Retrieving his hand, he started to move away, heading in the direction of where I had come from. Most likely, he was going to the monitoring room. Considering how I had called for him, this was only normal.
Despite knowing this, I didn’t move. I kept my head lowered and mantained my position, my hand slowly reaching for my chest.
Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!
Sweat trickled down the side of my face as I thought back to his look, and as I clutched my shirt, I found myself smiling.
"This guy..."
I bit my lips, trying to suppress the sudden urge that took over me.
But it was hard as my toes curled inward.
Images flashed inside my mind, and for a moment, I almost turned back and headed straight for the doctor.
’No, not yet.’
It wasn’t time yet.
Collecting myself, I thought back to the situation.
The doctor was going to reach the monitoring room soon. When he did, he was probably going to see the state that it was in. Although I had cleaned up most of the stuff, the monitoring devices were completely shut down, and with no one inside, I was certain that he’d understand immediately that something had happened.
Things were probably going to get quite troublesome soon.
Since that was the case⎯
’I’ll need to pick up my pace.’
And so I did.