"Although I read in the report that this base is completely closed for security reasons, I still don’t understand why they had to replace the conventional doors with these. I mean, if a containment breach happens while they’re outside, wouldn’t it be even harder to locate the door since it looks like the walls?"
As she got lost in thoughts about Graham and his true motives, Emily blinked briefly when she heard Laura’s words. She remembered that although Laura was a scientist in the organization and knew what kind of place Base 17 was, nothing compared to actually being there in person, as opposed to the reports and documents that described the place.
Besides, the reports, while informative about the anomalies, didn’t provide the full context. Often, simple explanations like "There have been containment breaches in the past, so we decided to remove all doors, at least until they aren’t visible anymore" were the norm. These were the types of explanations found in the security reports: direct, objective, without delving into details.
"This happened in the beginning, when we built the base around the anomaly, as recorded in the reports. At first, we used conventional doors. But when the containment breaches started, we realized that, for some reason, the anomalies derived from the Base 17 anomaly were able to get through those doors. While switching to more secure doors has somewhat improved safety, still... if another breach happens... honestly, I don’t even want to think about it"
Emily’s body involuntarily shivered as she recalled the events she witnessed at Base 17: colleagues who died in horrific and terrifying ways, along with distorted, completely surreal visions that appeared in the snow-covered forest surrounding the anomaly.
With Emily’s memories, the already vast corridors felt even more endless and cold. With every step, her heart tightened and quickened, as if all her instincts were telling her that fleeing right then would be the most sensible choice, the only truly viable option. However, since becoming a scientist in the organization, Emily had simply stopped following her instincts.
My aquarium was following down the endless white corridor, lit by ceiling lights that seemed to stretch on forever. Of course, that was just my impression; it had probably been no more than two minutes since we passed the strange spiral door. By the way, if those ceiling lights started flickering, wouldn’t it be the perfect setting for some kind of haunting to appear?.
Or better yet, do hauntings really exist? I know that, technically, I’m a translucent being with eyes that glow in the dark like candles, but I still consider myself something within the bounds of acceptable. However, a haunting... that definitely seems to fall outside of that concept, right?.
If we’re dealing with a haunting, wouldn’t it be able to move objects with its mind and walk through walls? Personally, I keep thinking: how would you even defeat something like a ghost? Even if it had a weakness, is it really possible to "kill" something that’s technically already dead?.
Anyway, back to the present: looks like we’ve finally reached our destination. At the end of the corridor, a wall completely blocked our way, making us stop for a moment. However, just like at the entrance, the wall suddenly spiraled open, revealing more long and vast corridors ahead of us.
This time, though, unlike the previous corridor where we could only go forward, several forks appeared, leading to different paths within Base 17. Finally, we started to see people around, but the environment here felt extremely gloomy, very different from the atmosphere of the base I was in earlier. Also, I noticed there were no scientists in sight.
"Why aren’t there any scientists here? This is making me uncomfortably uneasy"
Victor seemed to have the same question I did. Honestly, I was relieved he asked it since I couldn’t find the words. Laura, who was pushing my aquarium, also looked at Emily, visibly curious for the same reason.
"... Well, it’s not exactly a secret or anything like that... The truth is, this place is pretty dangerous. The scientists, aside from their knowledge of the brain, couldn’t be called anything other than dead weight. Many died during the containment breaches that happened. In the end, the council decided to suspend the scientists’ activities in Base 17. Now, the only ones allowed to stay here are members of the team trained to collect data according to the scientists’ instructions"
When Emily finished speaking, the environment fell into a deep silence. Although no one had said anything, it was almost certain that we all shared the same thought. Laura, staying true to her style, was the first to express her doubt, raising an eyebrow and giving Emily a questioning look.
"But, boss... you and I... aren’t we both scientists?"
I turned slowly toward Emily, and as soon as I saw her, I noticed she was looking at Laura with her head slightly tilted, as if wondering what kind of silly question Laura had just asked.
"If I’m not imagining things – and I’m sure I’m not, since my memory is excellent – didn’t you say that the training for the organization’s newcomers was hell, Laura?"
For some reason, her words felt empty and distant. Laura and Victor exchanged glances, swallowing nervously, waiting in silence for what Emily would say next. I, on the other hand, blinked my golden eyes, eagerly anticipating what Emily would say next.
"Welcome to the real hell on Earth, the place we call Base 17"
Emily said this with a smile that somehow had something sinister about it. Neither Laura nor Victor seemed comfortable with her words; in fact, they only seemed to intensify their fear. Laura, especially, was already shaking, while Victor, on the other hand, just stiffened his expression, taking on a grave and serious look.
Emily finally noticed my gaze, and upon seeing me, smiled in my direction. I responded to her smile with a simple gesture, tilting my head to the side, trying to understand why the hell she was smiling like that.
(This woman has completely lost her mind, or something like that?)