Russian Department of Quantum Physics
Doc 0.1.645.A.S.Y
Date: 03-10-2030
From Kelvinov Strontiy, Lead Researcher, Facility 005
Subject: USA EXPERIMENTATIONS_ PHASE II
Facilities are more crowded than ever. It's the new project. Starting next week, I'll be working at Site 42. The Americans are finally trusting my fake English accent. They appointed me to a new program. It has something to do with high-energy physics. We have to be ready for anything!
Transmission ends
Shisui awoke in complete darkness, bound to a chair in what he felt was an empty room. It seemed about the size of his own, yet the darkness blinded his vision. Shisui glanced around, though he could barely see anything, he recognized knotted ropes on his chest, hands, and legs. Only his head could move, but it made no difference. He tried to scream for help, perhaps the old man or even the dog would hear him, but there was no sound, no echo, nothing but complete silence, as if he was trapped in the void. Suddenly, a sharp, resonant bell toll filled the room. Then, dozens of clocks ticked and tocked in an overwhelming pattern. Shisui glanced around again. Panicked. Scared. Perplexed. He squeezed his eyes shut, then snapped them open, over and over, again and again, like he was trying to wake up from a dream. As he repeated the motion, a light light appeared, no source, not bright, just barely there. Shisui glanced closely at where it was going. As it reached the end of the room, a massive hourglass was on the floor. Its grains were close to filling the second bulb. "Your time has come!" A voice echoed in the room, but Shisui couldn't recognize its source. The phrase kept repeating over and over, it started driving him crazy. Unexpectedly, he fell off the chair, untangled, the light went off, and the room got darker than before. "Where am I?" Shisui let out a scream the moment he stood up, nevertheless, nobody answered. He dragged his feet forward, one cautious step at a time, afraid of tripping or slamming into something in the dark. His path seemed endless. At last, the room wasn't as small as he imagined. He stretched his hands, trying to reach something. Strained his eyes, searching for shapes or anything familiar. One step after another, until a ghostly hum echoed from somewhere ahead. His pace quickened, his hands folded, cautiously not curiously, the faster he moved, the closer the sound grew. In the blink of an eye, a black abyss appeared before him. It began drawing him in. Now, he started walking backward, but it was pointless, like walking on a treadmill. He's trapped, moonwalking, trying to outpace the weight, but nothing worked. He kept persisting continually. Suddenly, a soft, fierce voice screamed in his ears, "I'm sorry!" Before he could turn around, two hands shoved him hard, sending him into the gaping hole. The black hole consumed him. Shisui gave up resisting, spiraling deeper into the endless void. He closed his eyes, surrendered, thinking he was dead at last. As he opened them again, he found himself lying on his own bed, drenched in sweat, and his heart racing wildly. "Another nightmare!?" He mumbled. It took more than a dream to scare Shisui, and the idea of death had never truly frightened him. For so long, he thought of death as an escape from all of life's burdens. However, nothing bothered Shisui more than the idea of going to work again. His job wasn't particularly demanding, and as the head of the writing department, he enjoyed more freedom than his colleagues. "Does he desire something much better?" you might have asked yourself. Shisui's emptiness killed every desire he had. He complained constantly. About everything, day and night. Always troubled. Always confused. He found no joy in the routines of his daily life, yet the thought of abandoning them bothered him even more. Shisui smoked a single cigarette before he left the apartment. Remembering yesterday's events, he hid whatever he found on his desk under his bed, closed every door, every curtain, and locked the front door as he left. On his way to the train station, Shisui was unconsciously panicking. He didn't realize how slowly he walked. Tense. Sharp eyes scanning and staring everyone down on his path. He was scared and hesitant. "What if they attack me? Why me? Will they come back again? Could it happen now?" The questions wouldn't stop. While he was waiting at the train station, stress crashed over him like a freight train, he started thinking of taking a day off. In a snap, Shisui pulled out his phone, called in sick, threw in a few coughs, and turned around, heading back home. On his way back, he tried to push away his fear by imagining how he would spend the rest of the day at home. Shisui was apathetic by nature. Growing up, he didn't have many hobbies, and nothing really caught his interest. Still, he always had his headphones on while reading books, magazines, articles, or newspapers in his free time. He loved reading. He picked it up as a kid, digging through his parents' library. On his way, he bought a book titled "Brain Droppings", written by a comedian named George Carlin. He didn't who the comedian was, but the cover caught his interest. And the book offered a lot of sarcastic takes on different topics: politics, economy, humanity, and science. While drifting between the lines, he read, "I'm a personal optimist but a skeptic about all else." "I like this book," Shisui murmured. When he got home, he let the light in, opened the doors and curtains, threw his bag somewhere, and settled onto the couch, spending the rest of the day reading the book.