Zack's POV
We are now in our original bodies. The transmigration reverse was a success. I don't know what to feel. With Anna being executed, the timer running out, all of it happened so fast.
I thought this was just going to be an easy trial. I didn't expect that it would be this complicated.
My brows furrowed, when I saw Arya staring on something in front of her, as if her screen had appeared. But, why only her screen? What about us?
Curious, I simply tapped my forehead to activate my new ability, and her vital signs appeared before me.
[Arya Smith]
Heart Rate: 120 bpm
Oxygen Levels: 98%
Blood pressure: 110/80mmHg
Temperature: 36.6C
Respiratory Rate: 20 cpm
Condition: Stable
Stable, but her heart was racing. Excitement? Relief? Had she discovered something?
A small smile curled in her lips. She saw something she likes. Maybe her new ability leveled up? She did something before that was quiet of the ordinary. She held up the helmet as if she was trying to read it. Maybe, that's it, she had an ability that allows her to communicate or figure out how a certain machine works. That's amazing.
I looked around. Jake, Mark, and Ellie were deep in conversation about what had happened. Clark and Nicole are sitting together in one corner, no one was talking but feels like they don't have to because they already know what someone was feeling or thinking.
And there he was—Ambrose.
He was still sitting on the chair not moving. Before I could walk towards him, a sharp, searing pain exploded in my skull.
"AAAH!" I held my head with both hands, then I fell on my knees on the floor. The world blurred, and I barely registered the sound of footsteps rushing toward me. Someone grabbed my arm, but I couldn't see who it was—the pain was too much.
The pain was unimaginable, it was like something was trying to squeeze my head. My vision shattered into fragments, flashing memories I didn't recognize. I saw someone—a man, average height and looks older than me, maybe in his early 40s. Then, I saw… myself? We were talking. But, I've never met this man before, never in my entire life have I seen him.
We were looking at this hologram, something about programming, and a blue print of…I don't know. A facility? I scanned the room, it was full of advanced technology like holograms and people with tablets, their fingers swiping over controls as they manipulated the projections.
And in the corner of the room, he sat.
Ambrose.
He didn't blink. He didn't even look human. His gaze was empty, hollow, like a machine left on standby.
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the pain vanished.
I gasped for air, my vision clearing. Jake and Arya were beside me, their faces laced with concern.
But my mind was still trapped in the vision. The memory. The impossible memory.
What the hell did I just see?
So, the memories I saw before was not from Ambrose's memories…
It was mine.
"What happened to you?" Arya asked, her face full of concern, brows furrowed.
"A-ah-uhm nothing. It was just a migraine, I think," I said as hesitantly.
"But, this was the second time that happened," Jake added.
They grabbed my arms and helped me stood up. "Maybe because of the stress," I said as to not cause confusion.
"Well, you're the doctor, if something's wrong with you, you'll know," Jake said.
"You sure, you're okay?" Arya asked softly.
"Yea-Yeah, I'm feeling much better now. Thanks," I said, then, I let out a small chuckle, tried to shake it off and act normal.
I am still reeling from the vision, my mind racing with questions I couldn't answer. I barely registered the conversation happening around me until something happened.
Ambrose stood up.
The chair creaked as he stood, slow and deliberate. Everyone's attention snapped towards him. His head tilted slightly, his dark eyes sweeping across the group. Then, he looked at me.
For a split second, I felt pinned in my place.
If there is someone who could answer my questions, Ambrose could answer it.
Then, in a low, measured voice, Ambrose finally spoke.
"We should move."
That was it. No explanation. No urgency. Just a simple, almost mechanical statement. And then he turned, walking away as if nothing had happened. He walked towards the black door.
"Wait—" Mark called out, moving towards him. "How do you know that there is nothing behind that door? There are five doors in here, and you chose that one?"
Ambrose stopped but didn't turn. Instead, he exhaled quietly, as if exhausted by the question.
"Because I know."
Ellie scoffed. "That's not an answer."
Ambrose turned his head slightly, just enough for his sharp gaze to flick towards Mark.
"I've saved your lives countless of times already. Why doubt me now?"
The room fell into silence.
He wasn't wrong. Despite all the mistrust and suspicion surrounding him, Ambrose had saved them, had saved us. More than once. He even sacrificed himself before.
And yet, I couldn't shake the weight pressing on my chest.
My hands curled into fists.
Moving carefully, I stepped closer to Ambrose's side, keeping my voice low enough that only he could hear.
"Ambrose," I said, my voice steady but firm. "Who are you?"
Ambrose fully turned to face him this time. His expression remained unreadable.
"You already know the answer," Ambrose replied.
My stomach twisted. Because maybe, deep down, I did.
"You were there. I saw something," Zack pressed, taking a step closer. "A memory. A vision. It was mine, but it shouldn't be. I saw you back there in the —facility. You weren't just a part of the trial. You were there before all this. Weren't you?"
For the first time, Ambrose hesitated.
A fraction of a second. A moment so small anyone else might have missed it.
But I didn't. I saw it.
I caught the slight twitch in his fingers.
A reaction.
He was listening.
He looked me in the eyes and said, "I'm not your enemy, Zack. I'm here to help you."
I was taken aback. That was not an answer. But I can't talk to him in front of them because they might get suspicious.
I looked around. The others were still distracted—Mark was questioning Ambrose about his choice and telling Ellie about it, and Clark had started debating with Nicole. They weren't paying attention. But I saw Arya and Jake whispering, maybe they are getting suspicious. So, I told him to say something.
"Say something about what Mark said, they're getting suspicious now. Say it out loud, enough that the others could hear it." I paused. "But, you and I are not yet done."
Then, Ambrose did something unexpected. His posture shifted. Less rigid, less detached.
"I would never put you in danger," he said, his voice steady, but firm. "Because you are my…" He paused, "you are my friends."
Zack inhaled sharply. The way he said it—it wasn't calculated. It was a real. And then, he smiled for a second, and his face become unreadable again.
That was what unsettled me the most.
Because for the first time, he felt sincere.
"You mean that," I murmured.
He blinked, something flickering behind his dark eyes. Like even he didn't fully understand what he had just said.
They all looked at Ambrose, as if it's the first time he showed emotions, and the first time he called them his friends.
A lump formed in my throat. My fists slowly unclenched, but my mind was still racing. I didn't have an answer to my questions.
But one thing was clear.
Ambrose cared.
And that scared me more than anything. What is he not telling me?
Jake's POV
As Zack whispered to Ambrose, the others continued their discussion, debating whether to trust Ambrose.
But then, Me and Arya noticed. She was beside me. She frowned slightly, tilting her head. Zack was standing too close to Ambrose, his expression unusually tense. And Ambrose—Ambrose never whispered.
Arya nudged me, "What are they talking about?"
We both looked at them, her brows furrowing. I studied them for a moment, noticing how Zack leaned in, his lips barely moving.
"That's weird, even for Ambrose," I said.
"Zack looks like he's interrogating him," Arya said.
I didn't say anything, but my eyes narrowed. I had seen Zack collapse earlier—I was there when he claimed it was just a migraine.
And now, he was whispering to Ambrose of all people?
My gut says something was off.
"Should we ask?" Arya whispered, which snapped me back to my consciousness.
I shook my head. "Not yet." My voice low, and cautious. "If it's important, Zack will tell us. If it's not…" I glanced back at Ambrose. "… then maybe we don't want to know."
Arya didn't look convinced, but she let it go.
For now.
Then, Ambrose said something.
He called us his friends?. Well, that's new. I didn't expect to hear that from him.
Then, he immediately stepped forward and without hesitation, he opened the black door.