No Escape from Ultra Deluxe

Prove It

You don't move for a long time, trying to think of anyway to prove that The Narrator isn't so bad. You stay there for a little too long apparently.

"Did I hurt your feelings that badly? I thought it was kind of funny. The idea that I wasn't real." The Narrator said. "Though now that I think about I suppose it was rather mean. There's already so much to question in terms of being real or fiction here."

"No, it's not that." You said. "I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Stuff. Don't worry too much about it."

"Well... Ok. I also want to apologize for early, that rant about how I would just leave everything. To be fair I don't think I could leave even if I wanted to."

"It's fine." You don't move and it's silent again for awhile.

"How long are you just going to sit there?"

"I don't know." You said, pulling up your knees.

"Ok."

After another long while you finally stand up. You step out of your office and begin walking.

"All of their co-workers were gone. What could it mean? (Y/N) decided to go to the meeting room; perhaps they had simply missed a memo." You walk to the two doors. "When (Y/N) came to a set of 2 open doors, they entered the door on theri left." You do. "Yet there was not a single person here either. Feeling a wave of disbelief, (Y/N) decided to go up to their boss's office, hoping they might find an answer there. Coming to a staircase, (Y/N) walked upstairs to their boss's office." You walk up. "Stepping into their manager's office, (Y/N) was once again stunned to discover not an indication of any human life-"

You type in the pin and flinch "Crap- wait-"

"(Y/N) was in such a rush to get through the story as quickly as possible, they didn't even have a single minute to just let the Narrator talk! That kind of anxiety isn't healthy, so they relaxed for a few moments, with some calming new age music."

Music starting playing and you sighed, "Sorry. Got excited."

"For what?" The Narrator asked. "(Y/N)?"

"Hm?"

"Excited for what?"

"What?"

"You said you were excited."

"I did?"

"Yes."

"Oh! Yeah, for the ending I guess." In truth excited was not the thing you were feeling.

"You don't look excited, you look concerned about something."

"Does it matter? Don't you think we should continue the story?"

"...Feeling- feeling soothed... No. No, I don't. You're scaring me, what are you planning?"

"Nothing. I'm just bored, ok. It's not like I've never rushed this ending before."

"Fine. Feeling soothed and rejuvenated, (Y/N) calmly walked forward into the opened passageway."

The passageway doesn't open.

"Narrator." You said. "The passageway."

The Narrator doesn't answer and for a minute nothing happens. Finally the passageway opens slowly. You walk calmly towards the elevator and press the down button.

"Descending deeper into the building, (Y/N) realized they felt a bit peculiar. It was a stirring of emotion in their chest, as though they felt more free to think for themself, to question the nature of their job. Why did they feel this now, when for years it had never occurred to them? This question would not go unanswered for long." The Narrator said and you continued forwards. "(Y/N) walked straight ahead through the large door that read 'Mind Control Facility'."

"Alright." You walk straight ahead and press the button.

"The lights rose on an enormous room packed with television screens.What horrible secret did this place hold, (Y/N) thought to themself. Did they have the strength to find out?"

"The door said mind control facility so I could make a few guesses." You continue forwards and press the next button.

"Now the monitors jumped to life, their true nature revealed. Each bore the numbers of an employee in the building, (Y/N)'s co-workers.The lives of so many individuals reduced to images on a screen, and (Y/N), one of them, eternally monitored in this place where freedom meant nothing."

"It's funny because even at the end of this it still doesn't mean anything." You press the next button.

"You're very cynical today. This mind control facility... It was too horrible to believe; it couldn't be true. Had (Y/N) really been in someone's control all this time? Was this the only reason they was happy with their boring job? That their emotions had been manipulated to accept it blindly?"

"That makes more sense than willing being a button pusher." You get onto the elevator.

"True. Anyway, they refused to believe it. They couldn't accept it; their own life in someone else's control? Never! It was unthinkable, wasn't it? Was it even possible? Had they truly spent their entire life utterly blind to the world?" You get to the top and begin to walk across the large room. "But here was the proof. The heart of the operation. Controls labelled with emotions: 'happy' or 'sad' or 'content'. Walking, eating, working... all of it monitored and commanded- no." The doors closed before you could walk through to the two buttons. "I know what you're planning now and I can't let you do it."

"What-"

"Why would you ever want to go through that again?! I can't watch you go through that again. I won't let you do it!" The Narrator said. "Go back and do some other ending, I'll take the elevator back down it you want. I'm not letting you press that button."

"Let me go."

"I know what you're doing! Why?"

"Narrator let me through."

"Go back."

"Just Let me through."

"No."

"Narrator."

"Fine." The doors opened back up. "You want to know what happens when you press the button, huh? Go on."

You walk through and you walk up to the buttons. You put your hand over the off button for a second before closing your eyes and slamming your other hand down on the on button. 'Bzzzt' you look up and the screen flashes red.

"There. I turned it off. I turned it off a long time ago so you wouldn't ever have to go through any of that again. Why would you want that ending? Did I upset you that much?"

"No. No it's not like that really." You smile. "I got everything I needed."

"What?"

"It's not you, or me I just needed to prove something."

"Prove what?"

"That you do care about me."

"Well... Of course after all this time it would be weird if I didn't."

You press the off button.

(1107 Words)