OBLIVIOUS

Chapter 3

I could not tell whether the White Shadow that entered the room was a man or a woman. That's how extra the protective suit was. It could even be a Mediborg that's wearing it right now, but I could definitely see why Forte called them White Shadows. The plastic-made suit was a ghostly white and has a mechanical look to it that reminded me of astronauts, which made me think that it's kind of bizarre when I realized that I knew how astronauts look like but not my parents, so I was laughing inside my head for my comparisons that might not be based on reality as I don't remember anything.

The White Shadow walked to my bed and stopped beside me. Standing there like a post, he or she gave me the creeps, because the outline of the suit was glowing a faint blue light. I could not even tell what he or she was doing, and I am sure standing beside me was not the agenda. Also, the white suit didn't show anything about its wearer's appearance, like the face or skin so I could not guess what was about to happen. The person inside the ghostly suit could have been staring at me while I just lay there on the bed pretending to be sleeping, so I made no move in opening my eyes even though I wanted to. Other than the fact that it is the only thing I could do, the stories that I had been hearing from Vista made me wary of these people. And while this weird scene was happening it also dawned on me that this is why Vista disappeared. She must've sensed that someone was coming.

As the White Shadow stood there silent, I took in the reality that everything Vista had been telling me was probably mostly true. Everything that Forte guessed might have been true if this is where it's going. I don't know how to describe this feeling but it is quite different when you actually see (squinting actually) the thing that is told to you rather than just create an image of it in your head. Seeing the things and persons Vista (and Forte) talked about in the flesh made their story a lot real and alive--- which made me feel more hopeful for my situation because if the White Shadows are real, then me finally being mobile will be real too. All I have to do is wait.

While I was swimming on my own thoughts, an electronic beep took out the eerie silence in my room, and I squinted again with my eyes to see what was that about. Although my eyelids were very narrowly opened, I saw the White Shadow raised his head as something appeared right just in front of him or her. It was nothing that I saw before, I think. It was some kind of light that formed into the face of the head of another White Shadow but this time the light is electric blue, making the image of the head bluish too. I don't know if this was technology, but if it is then I could already tell that this is some kind of advanced technology. Something about it made me feel apprehensive, yet awed too as it looked like electric-like particles that have been hovering in the air, directly above my chest.

My guess is that this is some kind of communication, and I think I am right as the real White Shadow standing beside me talking to the floating electric blue image. "Progress?" The voice I was hearing right now was a male's, and I was sure it came from the floating image that manifested just above my body. I closed my eyes again as I sensed that the White Shadow was observing me now intently more than ever.

"Good. Nothing to worry about. The medication is working. Brain activity increased ten times from the last scan check. His vital signs are gradually improving. Bodily fluids are in check. All statuses are following the model. Estimated completion of Phase 1 will be four days from now."

Phase 1?

What do they mean by that?

"Alright, that's fine. Despite him not waking up first like what we expected, everything seems normal and his responses are what we wanted. Good work, Olan. Come back to HQ for now as the Interval Simulation will resume in ten minutes."

"What about Baron 1?" the White Shadow called Olan interjected. "Did the others found him already?" Upon hearing this person called Olan ask a question like that, like a real human being and not as a talking machine, it was only then that I realized that this one was also a male. Probably a grown man because his voice sounded like he's already in his thirties. Or forties. And he's talking about a person with a number on his name too. Baron 1, I heard him say.

But wait... Could it be---?

"Not yet," replied the voice on the image. "But somebody said he was last seen with Vista 1. The Second Unit is already on it. We will prioritize the Interval Simulation." Olan did not reply anymore and the floating image of the White Shadow he was talking to disappear out of thin air. Even though I never opened my eyes again while he was still there, I could tell that whatever that was that was hovering just above my body was now gone. I could sense it while it was still there... like it emitted something that gave the room a different kind of feeling. It felt like it had energy on its own.

It was quite an experience, and I was still in total shock of what had just I saw and heard that I almost did not notice Olan walking towards the door. His back now facing my bed, I only opened my eyes when I heard the door being closed, and as soon as he was gone, I heard Vista's voice that shocked me again. I would have shouted in surprise. I had already forgotten about her talking to me before the White Shadow came in. I did not even expect her to return here immediately but I guess there is no point in complaining, as things had started to get more and more confusing but interesting too.

"I am sorry I had to leave you," Vista said, who sounded like she was breathing heavily. Like she went out for a run. "That White Shadow almost caught me. It was lucky he was humming loudly when he was approaching and I heard him so I hid for a while. I guess it helps when you're immobile for a week. It sharpens your hearing a hundred times." She laughed again at her remark, and it was almost painful that I couldn't join her because it was true. I do feel like my sense of hearing is a lot more sensitive than ordinary.

But anyway, she just answered my question a while ago. She did hide because someone was coming. I was glad that she came back, but I was happier than she's quick-witted enough to hide when Olan came. After hearing about the White Shadows searching for that Baron guy, I didn't want Vista to get caught too. She might get punished and never return here.

"They usually come once every three days, just to make sure that we are fine. Apparently, the Mediborgs are smart assistants when it comes to keeping track of our health but they are still machines and they can be fooled. So a personal check-up with a White Shadow every now and then is part of their protocol. According to Forte, one of us Mosses had actually managed to trick a Mediborg. I don't know what he did but a guy named Baron escaped from his room by outwitting the Mediborg that came in to check his health status."

Baron?

Isn't it the same name that Olan mentioned? The one who was last seen with Vista?

But why is Vista talking about him like she does not know him? Were the White Shadows wrong to say that she was with that guy? What the hell was actually happening?

My head hurt again from thinking too much, but how can I help it? Something is very, very odd about what was happening especially what Olan and the other White Shadow talked about. They mentioned Phase 1 and 2 like they're stages of our medication. What are these Phases? I am dying to know what they mean. I wanted to know if my instincts are right.

"Anyway, back to what I was telling you..." she continued talking, and then she paused, probably thinking. "Wait, what was I talking about? Oh, right," she also added, sighing. "I was talking about how Forte left a voice note about all of what he discovered here, probably. I decided that that is my mission. Whatever may be the cost, I am going to know everything."

That's what I will also do, I said in my mind because I could no longer accept that what happened to us was just an ordinary accident. The protective suits these White Shadows are wearing are giving me a big clue already because you don't just wear these suits for fun.

They are protecting themselves from something.

It could be the air, or it could be the facility... but the most logical answer to that is us.

And are we the ones they wanna avoid contact with?

Are we, as Forte calls us, Mosses, contagious? Do we have a disease?

Is it possible that instead of an accident, is that we had a very contagious disease and we are here to get cured?

I wanted to move so badly. I wanna walk. I wanna talk. I wanna retain my memories. I wanna know more, but what can I do? I am oblivious. I am nothing but a pair of eyes that could not see anything aside from dirty white painted walls and doors and ceiling. I am just half-alive as of the moment, and what is that good for? Nothing.

"And I think it's time I do more than just spying and eavesdropping," Vista said that made me stop self-pitying immediately. "I just heard what Forte left me on his Jackphone and I was thinking, I wanted it to be heard by every Moss in this place. And I am starting with you."

At first, I could not understand what she was saying. But then it dawned on me. Vista now knows something. She finally heard whatever was Forte's voice note. I wanted to say that I got chills from the excitement but I know that physically, getting chills right now was impossible. But again, Vista now knows something new. She must have probably opened the voice note when she hid while that Olan was here.

"Listen, I know that you can hear me. I know that if you could, you would probably have talked to me right from the start and I know the feeling of being so hopeless. So I'm sorry if I had to beat around the bush. I was waiting for that ten minutes to come."

Ten minutes. Oh wow. Was she talking about the thing that will begin in ten minutes? The thing that the White Shadow Olan was talking to? What was it again? Integral Simulation? Interval Simulation?

"Now that the Simulation is happening, they are no longer monitoring the rooms, so I could tell you anything I want to tell you freely without being overheard. So this is what was the voice note was about. Forte is in danger."

Before I could even process my thoughts about the last thing she said, Vista was already crying. She seemed to have discovered something bad about her friend. The horror started seeping through my skin as I immediately imagined the worst. "There is no truth about us going home when we recover. Forte had read some papers he stole from one of the White Shadows just the morning before he was about to be discharged. According to what he had read, he is to be sent to a place called The Red Veil, and he has found information about it that is so concerning."

I could still hear her sobs and her voice croaks whenever she seems to try to compose herself and I feel sad too but I was more focused on the new information she was giving. If Forte was in danger and that he left the note as a warning, then maybe all of us will be sent to that place called The Red Veil too?

"I know that the name of the place doesn't sound so suspicious, but what Forte was worrying about was the details on the papers. It said that the survival rate of The Red Veil is two times lower than here... And what do you think that means, huh? I'm sure we are both thinking the same thing now. We are in no ordinary facility. We probably aren't survivors of some accidents in the first place. I think we are in an experiment. Forte said that we might be test subjects. You know what the survival rate means, right? It means that we could die here, or we could die in the place where they brought Forte..."

She was definitely crying out loud, and for a moment I became worried that someone might hear her. But no one was coming, not even the Mediborg. I heard Vista took a deep breath to compose herself, and then she continued talking. "The White Shadow called Bridgette had already told me that I will be sent home in two days, and if I didn't hear what Forte left me on his voice note I would have been happy to go. But I am not happy anymore. If it weren't for Forte, I don't want to go there... But I want to save him..."

Of course, she will be sent home now that she could move and walk and do anything. Why did I not think of that? Vista is going to follow Forte to that place. I don't know why does she think that she could save Forte but I don't want her to go. If everything Forte said on his voice note was true, she could be in danger too!

"I have decided to follow him there," she added with a feigned courage anyone could easily detect. "And I am telling you this because I know that you can hear me right now. This will serve as my warning to you, that once the moment came that you can finally move, please do everything to escape. Don't follow us there. Do your best to survive." And with that, she talked no more, and I know that she was not outside the window anymore.

This was the first time I felt this... This insurmountable anger towards this place, to these White Shadow people... to my own body, because I couldn't even say no to stop her when I really needed to...

My head was spinning again. My chest was throbbing and I could feel my blood rising to my head like I was on fire... The shock of what I heard from her must've had brought me into this delirium, because the next thing I knew I could hear a new voice, and that voice was of a guy's. He was screaming at the top of his lungs. He sounded like he is on a rampage, and that he needed a loud and unnerving battle cry for the fight he is in right now.

And simultaneously, I was also screaming at the top of my lungs. I sounded like I was on a rampage, and that I needed a loud and unnerving battle cry for the fight that I wanted to pick right now with these people. It was then that I found out that he was me, and it took some time before I discovered that I have now my voice. I screamed. I called her name, and I got up from the bed, breathing heavily.

I stared into my hands, and finally, I could move.