Project: Death for Classroom Zero

Chapter 61: Subconcious

Tristan and Amara walked on a tubular path. It has seemed that they were walking inside a facility that prioritizes futuristic works and inventions—which according to Amara, is said to be their main goal for Project Zero. The bluish-white neon lights beaming from the surface of a huge, tunnel-like pathway they are walking in, is their guide towards another metallic door, yet circular in shape. On the left side of the door is a keypad which Tristan has only seen mostly in a future and advanced-theme movies.

Amara paved her way, and started pressing buttons on the keys. The sound of each keys as she pressed it, were all different, making a harmonic tune on it. Seconds later, the door grandly opened as if it was a backstage door that opens whenever the main character in a performance show was about to start their performance.

Tristan expected to see a Caspian behind the door—he imagined a lot of possible things he would see being happened to him: weak, battered Caspian; a flatly lying in the bed Caspian filled with IV tubes and surrounded by machineries; an unconscious Caspian tied in a chair; and a lot more even worse imagination.

However, as the door fully opened, he had seen nothing from among his deep, terrified imagination. He felt confused as he observe what was the thing behind the room: a huge monitor that is thrice as the size of him. At the surroundings of it were knots of varying-colored wires—from blue, to red, to yellow, to green—that makes the room terrifying, for it looked like webs of spiders. The room too was cold, as if the cold winter breeze has been trapped inside the room.

“Where is Caspian?” he asked.

As he asked that question, the monitor suddenly turned on. On the screen, an influx of yellow colored lines appeared. It was chaotic to look at, for the set of the thin yellowish lights were fuzzy and knotting towards each other. It was like a yard of threads all stuck and twisted, as if a child has played on it.

“He was right in front of you,” Amaras suddenly said.

Hearing her answer, Tristan’s eyes suddenly bulged in shock. “W—What do you mean he’ s right in front of us?”

Slowly, he turned his head to the huge monitor on their front—slowly, just like how he was also processing the truth about Caspian.

“I told you, Tristan, expect for the worse. I said I couldn’t guarantee you that you’ll fully see him. And I can’t just tell about him outside of my laborator,” Amara said.

Tristan has fixed his stare to the huge monitor. His eyes could not easily follow the paths of the thin yellow threads because, just like earlier, it’s all chaotic and tangled. As he stared, his eyes burned a swell of cold tears on its corner.

“Can you tell me what has exactly happened? I … I don’t get the reason why he has turned like this, or what exactly is him right now?”

Amara sighed. Just like him, he too stared at the screen on her front. “Alright, another long explanation. Listen closely, Tristan. The main culprit of this happening is the principal of Josen High.”

“Copper Mariano,” Tristan said.

“Right, Principal Copper Mariano. Apparently, he has been looking for test subject for the current experiment that he is doing right now. He could get just random people out from the street, if he wants to, but you know, he always seeks for excellence and high quality of everything. That’s why when he learned about Caspian being in a near-death experience, he immediately decided to use him as a test subject. I could even remember what he said about him: That even though he was injured and about to die, he was still a high-grade, good quality individual which can be fitted to his experiment.”

Tristan scoffed from both in annoyance and frustration. “it was as if he was treating Caspian as a meat inside a supermarket.”

“If you just knew him, or have the time to know him better, you will see the way how he sees other people. It’s worse than just viewing one as a high quality meat. I was always having a hard time—sometime panicking—whenever I am with him.” Amara said, “Anyway, to continue my story, soon as he heard about Caspian, he let other do the preparation on him. Then, as far as I knew … when Principal Copper laid a hand on him, he did not hesitate … killing him. Or more precisely, butchered him like a pig.”

Tristan’s lungs tightened upon hearing Amara’s explanations. His heart has ached after knowing that one of his friend has been into that terrifying, painful situation. He could not believe that it was what he suffered after leaving him in that small, cramped clinic room which he did not see anymore. If only he knew what was about to happen, he would never leave his side that time.

Even though at first, Caspian had a bad encounter to him and her (being the alpha of the bullies), he made a very big impact to him, for it was an unbelievable event that a strong, ferocious wolf would decide to lessen the sharp of his fangs and be friendly towards them. He has been a good friend.

“You see, the reason why he was butchered was because Principal Copper needs to test human organs. He said to us that it is for another experimental project that is connected to the main: the project Zero. And so, he dissected his body, severed pats of it, and placed it into containers for future references. As a friend of Caspian, I was pained while looking at him being part by part, placed inside a container. That was really painful, and I need to make a straight face so that I would not cause any issue while the Principal was still in my front.” She stopped, sighed, and looked at the monitor once again. “Then, Principal Copper asked me to do something which I don’t know I am grateful or not.”

“What is it?”

“This,” she pointed at the monitor.

“You see, one of the job that we, part of the research team, are doing, is to make a digital data of the brain activity of a person. And Principal Copper has just gave me the task of extracting the data of the brain of Caspian.”

Tristan decided not to react about the extraction of the brain and turning it into data. He wasn’t actually sure what to react, because no one knows that he and Rain has been suspecting that thing about the project Zero. Instead, he reacted to other thing.

“I swear, if I have the chance to meet that Principal Copper face to face, I would make him suffer from what he had done,” he said, gritting his teeth and balling his raging fist.”

Amara again sighed. “I don’t know, I swore that kind of thing too, you know, when I first met him. But … the longer I knew and recognize him, the more that I realized that I could never lay a hostile hand on him,” she said.

“Amara, if you could not kill a tree of century with axe, poison it, and it will slowly die on its own,” Tristan said.

Amara again sighed, and his shoulders drooped in frustration. “I don’t know, Tristan,” She looked back at the monitor. Going back to the topic, she asked, “do you know what’s that yellow thread-like lines moving and tangling on the screen?”

“I am not sure, but my guess would be Caspian’s brain data.”

“That’s right. But it’s more amazing than that.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not just a brain data, but it was the brain itself. The living brain of Caspian.”

“What? I … I don’t understand.”

“It’s all the mind of him. It was his conscious and unconscious mind.”

“Conscious mind? Which means … he knows what was happening? He knows that his thoughts are inside a machine?” Tristan asked, both surprised and confused.

“More than that. The machine he was currently residing, has a special tool that can generate hearing capacity. Which mean—”

“He can hear us,” Tristan suddenly said. “Hey, men. I’m sorry I was … I was a fool to leave you at the state of nightmare. I’m sorry, man. I didn’t know you’ll be … in that situation.” He melancholically sighed.

“He can hear us, but he can’t speak back. The technology for a data of a brain to speak was still being constructed. If you noticed, earlier, the moment you spoke is the moment he too opened that means he heard you.”

Tristan nodded. “I’ll make a way for you to get out of that place, Caspian. I swear, I’ll save you.”

“Yeah, we will definitely, surely, save you,” Amara said.

Seconds after, there was a sound that has erupted from a distance. Though it was far, they can still hear it from this place. Tristan distinguished the sound: it was the banging of the bell from the main campus of Josen High. The bell that he first heard during his first stay inside this place.

“What was that?” Tristan asked.

“I think there will be a surprise news for us,” Amara answered. “Quick, I think we need to go back.”