Changed: Outbreak

Chapter 17: To no longer dream

[Lui's pov]

"Wake up, Lui. Someone almost took advantage of you, but I prevented them from entering your dream state in your deep sleep." I was awoken from my deep slumber by a voice, and I slowly opened my eyes before being blinded by the bright ceiling lights. I immediately covered by my eyes using my right arm, shielding my view from the bright ceiling lights. I then noticed the soft cushion pressing under against my whole body. It's a bed, right? I slowly got up to sit upright, and the empty white room welcomes me. Where am I?

"If you are wondering where you are," A voice suddenly spoke softly on my right ear, startling me to quickly turn around to look, but no one is there.  "someone knocked you unconscious and has taken you somewhere. According to your diagnostic tests from the past 24 hours, you have suffered an injury to your chest from a gunshot, and a blunt trauma to your visor which has resulted to your loss of consciousness. Your diagnostic tests have also shown that you have suffered a minor injury to your left wrist, right arm, and left leg from multiple needle insertions."

I looked around for the source of the voice, but there's nothing. I can only hear it from my right ear. Did those Protogen who have abducted me placed something inside of my right ear? I began clawing on the floor with my claws in panic and terror, before being startled once again by the voice. "Those Protogen who kidnapped you didn't put anything in your right ear. It is me, the voice in your dream state. The very same who protects you from any dream state outside attacks." My eyes widened in surprise before standing up. The soft padding cushion of the floor presses up against my foot paws.

The same soft padding cushion is present on the walls and the ceiling, and I leaned my left shoulder against the soft wall as I turn my head to look around the room. How are you able to speak despite myself being awake and out of my dream state? "I have no clue as well. Ever since you got here, I was able to manifest out of the dream state. I also detect a few minor bugs within my coding, as if something is scrambling a part of me and shifting into something else."

Something must be affecting my safeguard program that is present close by within this facility I am in. I look down on my arms, and the viscous liquid is still present as it flows down from my whole body. I am still viscous, but the Latex however, does not leave a single drop on the soft padded cushion on the floor, nor does it leave a residue to be absorbed by the cushion. My body regenerates, and now I wonder what else it can do. I noticed a door on the north wall of the room, and slowly approached it to examine closer.

The door is made out of steel, and it looks heavy. I thought prison doors were made out of bars according to the book I have read, but I never knew it can also appear as a plain metal door. I placed my left paw on the metal door, and I can feel a slight vibration from the metal door. What's this feeling? Am I feeling sound? "That might be correct. Sound can bounce on solid matter known as vibration, and you can feel it because you are partly solid and partly liquid. A portion of the vibration passes through the metal door and is transferred to your Latex body."

I noticed that the vibrations are growing stronger. Someone is close by, and they are moving closer. The vibrations grew and grew stronger, then it stopped. I heard the locks of the metal door open as I step back, and the metal door slowly creaked open. A Protogen wearing a lab coat is standing behind the now opened metal door, and the expression on its visor appear to be friendly. "You are... Umm.. Bendy? Wait, wrong documents." The Protogen began to search through the documents they are holding before ending up with the last on the clipboard.

"There you are. You are subject... You don't look like this one. Whatever. Follow me closely, and I will escort you to the Lieutenant's office. He wants to see you. I heard it's a very important matter." The Protogen in lab coat stated before turning around and walking away. I followed the Protogen from behind as we walk through hallways upon hallways. Silence surrounds us as our footprints are the only noises to be heard echoing through the hallways, and I eventually broke the tension.

"Did you do some tests on me?" I asked and the Protogen turned their head to take a glance at me before looking back straight forward. "I didn't handle your tests, but I heard that the others did took some tests on you. Unfortunately, I don't know what your blood samples are for, if you even have blood within your melting body." The Protogen replied as we pass by a double metal door with a Protogen wearing a riot gear, and I paused on my tracks to stand and stare at the double metal door. The voice on my right ear spoke. "Ask them what's behind the double metal door. My systems are... Questionable from this point we are standing on."

I turned to look at the Protogen wearing a lab coat who is standing by next to me, almost as if the Protogen knows that I will stand here to look at the double metal door. "May I ask, what's--" My voice suddenly began shrieking uncontrollably, emitting a robotic screech for a split second before returning back to normal. "--Behind this door?" I asked, and the Protogen tilted their head at me before looking at the door.

"It is common for subjects to pause and question what's behind these doors, and only a few ever got to receive the answer. Behind these doors contain a heavily guarded artifact. It is rumored that it is part of a long forgotten culture. We rarely perform examinations with the artifact these days, as previous experiments have shown that it affects software neural implants and subjects who have software neural implants have been recorded to often times attempt to steal the artifact upon closer inspection and attempt escape. Aggressive behavior was present to all subjects along with their desire to steal and leave the premises with the said artifact. To this day, we don't know why it happens."

The Protogen in a lab coat then gestures to follow, and we walked past the double metal door. A sense of dread accompanied with curiosity hangs over my shoulder as we walk farther from the double metal door. I feel uncomfortable, but the feeling of being incomplete is there. I would rather not think further about it. The Protogen wearing a lab coat eventually led me to an elevator, and we stood inside the elevator. The Protogen pressed a button, and the elevator began moving to life. We stood inside the elevator for a good minute, both of us being silent and the only audible sound is the humming of the lights of the elevator and the elevator moving.

Eventually a beep came from the speakers of the elevator, and the elevator doors opened. The Protogen stepped out of the elevator, and I followed the Protogen as they lead me through a hallway. At the end of the hallway is a door, and we soon reached it. The Protogen gave the door a few knocks before turning the knob and opening the door. I followed the Protogen wearing a lab coat inside, and behind the door is a luxurious looking room.

Various paintings are hung up on the wall, and at the middle far end of the room is an office desk with the office chair turned facing towards the windows. A figure is sitting on the office chair. "Lieutenant. I have brought you one of the outsiders." The Protogen in lab coat spoke before suddenly turning and leaving, closing the door behind him. The figure sitting on the office chair turned to look at me, and the figure revealed to be a Protogen with... A skull mask attached to its visor, and is wearing a military fatigues.

"Lui, it is nice to meet you. Advanced appreciation on your humble donation. Your DNA will serve us greatly towards scientific discovery, and to enhance our soldiers into something far impenetrable and indestructible. You can call me Ghost, the other side of the coin."