…
Dany soon returned from the small room in the back, holding onto a coil of rope. "Here," he said as he tossed the rope to his sister, Dena caught it, trembling as the monster's gaze slid over her.
Elyas was facing her, silent. Harmless. Observing. But under the receding waves of darkness that occasionally washed over him, every small movement, every rise and subsequent fall of his chest seemed like an attempt. She wasn't sure an attempt at what, but Dena knew she didn't like it.
Why do I have to deal with the monster? I'm just a new hire! She was a newbie in every aspect of the word. Dena had only become a Bender at the previous year's awakening ceremony. She was only a First Grade Dreamer that had little to no experience, how was she supposed to deal with a breakout on her first day?
"Come on Dena, he isn't going to stay like that for long." Claire said, not helping her coworker's tense nerves. That coupled with the monster's complete silence, and brown eyes that seemed to follow her every move even in the dark, only made her worries feel more justified.
So Dena decided it would be best if the monster was tied up…even if the one doing the tying was herself.
With each step the lights came and went. She half expected the man to disappear with the fading light, leaving them in disarray like in the novels she read. But that didn't happen. In fact, nothing did. As she coiled the rope around the man, as she told him not to make any sudden movement, and as she finished up the tie, nothing happened.
If it wasn't for the man's complete silence and his ever watchful gaze, she would have believed his words already.
Guess I really am a newbie… After reminding herself to not be so naive, she walked away from Elyas and to her coworker's side.
Claire spoke, "We will wait five minutes. If by then nothing happens we will consider his words."vBoth of the siblings nodded and steadied their aim. All was silent. No one dared to move, all of them held onto their revolvers and pistols with unshakable grips. A few minutes passed like that and it was the same. Nothing bad had happened.
Just as Dena was about to ask her brother how much time was left, the man spoke, "Five minutes have passed. Can we now have a civil conversation in which one side is not considered a literal monster?"
Dany gave Elyas an unscrupulous look, "How did you tell the time perfectly?" He pointed to his wristwatch. The watch read 11: 55 when Claire had spoken, but now both of the watch's hands rested on number 12. They only had the chance to move on after Elyas responded.
"Oh, allow me to demonstrate the supreme technique. One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi—"
"Enough." Claire said as she examined Elyas thoroughly. Meanwhile, Dany was laughing his ass off. "It tells jokes. Sissy, it tells better jokes than you!" Dena was too tense to even consider her brother's jab.
"It? You're calling me "It"? You're already dehumanizing me to make the guilt easier to swallow?" Elyas said with a chuckle of his own, making all of them tense up and grow serious once more.
"A-are you saying you're scared?" Dena finally managed a question of her own. In response, she got a bewildered expression from the supposed monster.
"Yes I am! Put yourself in my shoes for a second. You just came to the Protocol for…" The man dozed off before continuing, "let's forget that part. You came down here to get something done, got lost and walked for an hour straight, and as soon as you open a single door you have a gun pointed to your face."
"Then they scream something about "code black", everything goes dark and when you try to reason with them, they just tie you up and point three guns to your head instead of one. Would you not be a little afraid for your life?"
That is… Dena was moved by his words, but more than that, she found herself interested in what the man didn't say. This is the second time he doesn't say why he came to the head quarters… On top of catching that fact about Elyas, she noticed something about herself…
She had forgotten too.
All three fell silent at his words. After a while, Claire spoke, "Release him."
Dany was quick to plead for the opposite. "Don't." He stopped his sister and turned to Claire, "Don't tell me you're fooled by his words."
She shook her head, standing up from her desk. The red light came back at that moment, brightening her black eyes and hair. "I only trust myself, Dany. I said five minutes didn't I? It's been seven already. If the man was really the Anomalous Artifact, based on the handling instructions we should have been dead long ago."
"Thank god the lady's brain works better than the bumbling fool and miss coward." Elyas said as he stood up, the rope tying his hands and body falling to his feet. "W-what—you were free?!" Dany spouted with an alarmed look.
What the—wait, that just proves he's not a monster! …Or a smart monster. Dena thought before Elyas could explain the same.
Elyas chuckled, "Yes. And before you can point fingers let me explain. If I really meant harm, we're talking human to human, I would have grabbed your sister's gun, used her as a meat shield, and eliminated you and the other lady." Just as he finished, Dany raised his lowered gun.
"I said let me explain, are you deaf?"
"How can we trust you to not use this as an opportunity to kill us?!" Dany said in response, rightfully earning a facepalm from both his sister and Claire.
"You know I just said it as a joke… But you really are stupid. The fact that I DIDN'T do anything while free, proves I don't plan on harming you." He explained to Dany.
Elyas walked by their side, standing only a few steps away from Claire, "So, now that you know I'm harmless, can someone explain to me what is going on?"
…
"There are… gaps. Like I reach out to something I know should be there but it… just isn't." Dena shared her concerns regarding her memory loss.
Dena told Elyas and the rest that she found herself grasping at air whenever she thought about how she got here. When she became an Enforcer, or anything regarding her family members beside Dany.
Elyas nodded, "Same here. I feel the same whenever I try to think of why I came to the Protocol… maybe it has something to do with the monster?"
Dany shook his head. "I don't know about the memory problem. But one thing to keep in mind is that it's not a monster."
Claire expressed her opinion too. "I haven't experienced anything like what you described, but I think Elyas is right. There might be more to the handling instructions…"
What Dany had said caught the attention of both Dena and Elyas, so they asked a question. "What's the difference?" The blond man combed his hair with his hand and spoke with a pompous attitude. "Oh you don't know? I thought you were supposed to be the smart guy in the room. But as I am a forgiving man, I will tell you… after you apologize."
...How petty can you be? Elyas couldn't believe what he was hearing, and apparently, neither did Dena.
"Dany, you weren't like this!" She glared at her brother, making him scoff.
"Fine, just because my dear sister asked. When an Artifact is taking form, it can either become a Sealed Artifact, a normal one or an Anomalous Artifact. The reason we call them "Anomalous" in the first place comes from the unusual form they take, a living monster—"
"Can't you give us the gist of it?"
Dany, unable to accept such a comment from his own sister stopped for a moment, his face falling because of it. "You ungrateful…Fine."
"Most Figments have the cognitive abilities of a toddler, but an anomaly can be as smart as a normal adult human, or more. Naturally, the higher the level of intelligence, the more dangerous handling them would become. On top of that, the anomalies possess the Wish and Cost of the fallen dreamer they originate from, which they can freely utilize."
How are we supposed to deal with that? The thought of a Figment capable of using anything close to a Dreamer's power of even First Grade, was beyond horrifying. What made the situation worse, was that the beast would probably be smart enough to utilize it to its fullest!
To try and get a better understanding of what he was dealing with, he asked, "Do we know how smart it is or what powers it has? It has to be documented somewhere, right?" To his disappointment, both Dany and Claire shook their heads.
"That's what the handling instructions are for. But as you heard the speaker, it didn't give us anything useful." Dany said.
Claire added, "The handling instructions didn't ring a bell for me either. I think we should group up with the other offices, see if they have encountered it or know about the Artifact.
Everyone agreed.
Dany opened the office door and examined the hallway, Dena and Elyas went to gather anything that might become useful and Claire scavenged for ammunition. After half an hour of preparation, they had come up with 37 bullets, a few meters of rope, three sets of clothes and some water.
"Give it to me, I'll take care of the dead weight." Elyas said as he outstretched his hand towards Claire. She didn't mind, giving him the bag of supplies minus the bullets.
Elyas raised his hand and pressed forward, trying to shatter the air and make a window…Nothing. He used more Will, but the outcome stayed the same. "Why isn't the window opening?" He was clearly distressed, so Dena, wanting to comfort him and the rest after half an hour of hard work, tried to conjure some cold water. She couldn't.
Claire and Dany tried as well. They couldn't do anything either. They were trapped here, with monsters possessing horrifying abilities without access to any of their powers.