PROLOGUE
1747 HOURS, JULY 7, 2775 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \
ONI CENTRE ASCENSION, IN ORBIT AROUND ONI-INSTALLATION 02
<TO: MONITOR JAMES LOPEZ ID: ONI-CY75234>
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COLOUR?
<FROM: SUBJECT ID: CEH>
James read through the message. The Subject was always sending these useless questions to him. James was in charge of monitoring the Subject. Since he graduated from the Marine Corps to Office of Naval Intelligence he had been moved to this dark, empty station. Sometimes he thought he was the only one on the station; his only company was the Subject. However, on the Other Side, the place was incredibly cramped. James had never been to the Other Side; he had only seen footage from Security. He was alone in the Dark Zone, looking after this strange creature that continuously stared at him through the pane of frosty glass. He was the only human in years to have entered the Dark Zone. No one ever came or left. James typed a message back to the Subject.
<TO: SUBJECT ID: CEH>
GREEN.
<FROM: MONITOR JAMES LOPEZ ID ONI-CY75234>
James waited for a moment. He could barely see the creature's disfigured face smirking. It almost had a feminine quality to it. Did this creature have a gender? He heard a beep and looked at his screen.
<TO: MONITOR JAMES LOPEZ ID ONI-CY75234>
THEN WHY DON'T YOU LET GREEN OUT?
<FROM: SUBJECT ID: CEH>
James couldn't let Green out. Green was far too dangerous. Was Green even alive anymore? He flicked through the Dark Zone's many security cameras until he reached Camera-49. He opened the Commands Menu. He hovered his cursor over the word 'OPEN'. He wanted to do it. No. He wouldn't let curiosity get the better of him. He closed the options menu and looked at the footage on the screen. A metal cylinder stood in the middle of the room, covered in an icy sheet of frost. The vague shape of Green lay still. James zoomed in for a closer look, but something began to cover his screen. He zoomed out to see the Subject's face, but this time it wasn't smirking or glaring.
It was crying.
1532 HOURS, AUGUST 3, 2775 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \
ONI CENTRE ASCENSION, IN ORBIT AROUND ONI-INSTALLATION 02
<TO: MONITOR JAMES LOPEZ ID: ONI-CY75234>
WHAT IS 2775 MINUS 2596?
<FROM: SUBJECT ID: CEH>
Yet another question. This one was different. They were usually questions about James, but maths questions were always a rarity.
<TO: SUBJECT ID: CEH>
179.
<FROM: MONITOR JAMES LOPEZ ID ONI-CY75234>
James sent the message, tilted his head back and spun in his chair. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to be scared of the Subject or not. As he spun around, his mind spun the opposite direction. This place was making him go crazy. He started seeing hallucinations of people a few days earlier. Perhaps 5 years in the Dark Zone was more than enough.
<TO: MONITOR JAMES LOPEZ ID: ONI-CY75234>
YOUT THINK 5 YEARS IS ENOUGH? I'VE BEEN HERE 179 YEARS, AND I FINALLY HAVE SOME COMPANY. HOW MANY YEARS UNTIL YOU FINALLY KILL ME AND MAKE YOUR ESCAPE?
<FROM: SUBJECT ID: CEH>
James froze for a minute. He had only been here 5 years, doing his job, provided with free food, drink and other supplies, while this creature had been imprisoned here for 179 years, trapped in the prison of its own mind. It now finally knew someone was there, watching over it. James had been so selfish.
The more time he spent in the Dark Zone, the more James wanted to enter the Chamber. The Chamber was where the Subject dwelled; it was a mysterious, dark place. According to the scanners, the Chamber was freezing. But was it cold enough to kill a human? James leaned back and contemplated that thought.
0304 HOURS, SEPTEMBER 24, 2775 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \
ONI CENTRE ASCENSION, IN ORBIT AROUND ONI-INSTALLATION 02
The door slid open and James took a step into the Chamber. The ice cracked under his feet and a harsh gust of cold air hit his face. He looked at his hand; it was as pale as the ice in the Chamber. He looked around. Above him was a chasm of pipes and wires that all flowed around the corner ahead of him. He wanted to follow the wire.
So he did.
James kept his hand on the pipe as he walked along the corridor. He took a few more steps and heard a squishing noise. He stopped and looked around. Nothing. He took another step and heard the noise again. The noise was beneath his feet. He looked down. He wasn't standing on ice anymore; he was standing on something organic. He took a closer look. It was skin. It began to wrap around his feet, stopping him from moving. A female voice echoed through the Chamber.
"You like games? So do I."
James clawed at the skin in panic. He broke loose and ran, blood covering his arms and feet. He risked a look behind him to see the skin spreading. The door was just ahead of him. James leaped through and shut the door tight. The glass window became covered in the skin. A face began to form; that same face the Subject had. It spoke.
"You made a promise. Keep it."
[Edited on 11.19.2011 6:26 AM PST]