We took right.

After exiting the cave and entering this strange white place, we got two directions; the left and right. In the left direction, the corridor splits into three other roads, whereas the right direction only had one corner to the left. So we took the less mind bugling choice.

I don't know if Alec knows where any of these directions lead, or if he just wants to start searching this place from the bottom, but he seems to not hesitate, so the others didn't ask any more questions and followed.

But the selected direction quickly proved to be a deadlock, right after walking roughly twenty meters, we turned left and we could see it. Our first obstacle. A wall.

"What the fuck is this bullshit?!"

Well, I have to agree with the porcupine fetish guy, there is no better word than bullshit. An empty corridor leading directly into a wall is a waste of money if you are not building some kind of horror house. Still, it made me curious about the architect's mindset and... also maybe his dealer.

Alec, however, didn't seem disturbed by the concrete impasse and silently continued walking until we are in front of it. Then he took out the magnetic card he used previously to open the cave's door, and placed it on a black screen built onto the corridor's wall to our left.

Tsheee.

The sound of high pressure air getting out through a narrow conduit was heard as the obstacle in front of us, the wall, separated in half vertically, then each side pullback into their respective side of the corridor's wall.

The obstacle is not a wall but a door. An automatic sliding wall door? A hatch?

"Wow, color me surprised," Zane whistled "they might really be showering with butter."

I didn't understand the joke the first time nor do I understand it now, but I think I get what he meant.

The technology used for the sliding wall door is not rare, unknown, or complicated. It is used in elevators' doors and even in supermarkets for their glasses doors. The obvious difference however between the elevator metal door and this wall is the thickness. Whereas the elevator door is less than ten millimeters thick, the moving wall is about fifteen centimeters, which is the same as the average bank vault door thickness. So calling it a moving wall is not wrong.

Furthermore, it is made from steel, I didn't notice at first since it was painted, and I didn't get close enough to touch its surface, but as the door opened it revealed its edges to be in metallic silver. So with that thickness and material the door is all but light. How much energy do you need to power an actuator powerful enough to move so much weight?

And more importantly why do they feel the need for such a heavy impenetrable thing? What do they have in here that is so valuable that it requires a bank vault door to protect it from powerful outside attacks?... or maybe it is the other way around, maybe it is not a bank, maybe it is made to contain something... a prison.

For Shredders?

As the two sides of the door fully slide open, the other side of it comes into view. And it is the continuation of the corridor only on the walls had doors on them, normal doors with a handle, a lot of doors. And each door had a small window.

Alec didn't give orders or linger, soon after the giant wall opened, he immediately walked to the closest door and twisted the handle a couple of times but didn't open, taking the handgun holstered at his waist pointing it at the locker, and fired.

Bang.

None of the team members said anything as some stood guard whereas others followed inside. I too followed inside while trying not to show my frustration at the wasteful approach.

And to think these people didn't use automatic firing on their rifles while fitting a Shredder but didn't hesitate to waste bullets on a poor door. A door that could have been easily opened had he called for the bald guy, Bart. Not to be cliche or anything, but the buff soldier physique is made for that type of thing. How many hours had he spent at the gym training, lifting weights, and gaining muscle to look like that? This was supposed to be his time to shine. He was born for these types of things.

But no, let's just stop thinking forward, and just waste both ammunition and laborer's talent.

"There is nothing."

Well technically if there is air inside then it is not 'nothing'. But yeah, Eric's words perfectly resumed the room's situation; a four-by-four small and fully white, empty room.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Alec toured it for a moment, if you can tour such a small place, check corners, walls, and even the poor door. Then got out after presumably didn't find what he was looking for. Only to do the same process in the adjacent room, which turned out to be the same as the first one.

And so we started checking every room and destroying every locker, fortunately after thee fired bullets, Alec, stopped wasting precious ammunition and started using his head to open the door, figuratively, it was his leg that he used.

Three rooms, five, then eight, Alec moved and we followed like ducklings going after their mama duck. The team members tried asking questions from time to time but either didn't ignore them entirely or just hummed.

I stayed in the corridor after following them to the third room, I lost interest, since honestly everything seem just a waste of time and energy. I mean every room's door is locked, true, but don't they also have a window in them, you can see what is inside. I did, timidly voice my point, but got ignored, it seem the stoic captain want to check in full detail every room's interior by himself.

When I noticed they don't seem against the fact I wasn't following, I started to walk, first back and forth, then moved further away with each iteration and checked the unopened rooms' inside through the window. They are the same, identical room, same lighting, same color, same size, and the same door, so much you would think they are made out of one giant mold and then got assembled to form a corridor of rooms.

I tried to make some assessments or guesses on what this place is supposed to mean and its purpose. Yet, all of this is so bizarre I don't even know where to start. At first, was the heavy metal sliding door that even the richest bank in the would be reluctant to use, and behind that fortification is a series of simple wooden doors with empty rooms.

Yet if anything is more upsetting to me other than the mystery of this place is the fucking white. Everything is white. Everywhere you look is white. It is getting on my nerve.

"The little rabbit should never get too far from home, or the fox will show its own instead."

I looked at the owner of the voice.

"What do you think this place is?" I turned from Bell to look at the room to my right through its door's window.

"Eh?!" Acting as if she was surprised at me for asking so directly "a question? Getting out of your shell? Or is it the Opioids?"

Confirming the room is the same as the others I moved to the one opposite to it, ignoring Bell's excessive performance.

"That is unnecessary, Captain will go through them one by one anyway." Crossing her arms and leaning her back against the white wall "there is a reason why he isn't doing what you are doing, after all."

"And what is that?" I turned and looked at her getting comfortable, with a rifle strapped on each shoulder.

"Do you want to know?" she smiled "but I am only feeling generous for only one answer, which one will it be?" shaking her head, the ponytail swinging left and right "if you want both answers um... you know the saying, nothing is free."

"The first, then."

"Baah, wrong choice," imitating the incorrect sound in a quiz show "but if you want my guesses than legit info, then your choice was the correct one."

"So?"

"Well, if I have to think about it, I would say either a government facility or one of many Peacock's fetishes, or both."

"Peacock's fetishes?" I asked spontaneously hoping she didn't notice my initial hesitation.

"Yeah," She nodded and I almost sighed in relief "I mean they have money and powers, though I would put my chips on the government."

That doesn't answer what Peacocks are but it left me with some guesses.

"And here you have it your free answer." Moving away from the wall and then stretched her shoulders.

"You haven't answered anything." I looked at her with unimpressed eyes, and I mean it. Her answer not only wasn't an answer to my question it also gave me more questions.

"What?!" She asked seemingly surprised "are you perhaps one of those people that like to squeeze even the lemon peels?"

Is she saying I am trying to take full advantage of a situation?

Yes, I am.

But now. In this situation, I didn't get any lemon to squeeze let alone its peel.

"My question," I said trying not to sigh, one lifetime of baldness is enough "was about the purpose of this place, whereas your answer is about its origin."

"That is a bad trait you have there, Dumdum," She approached the door's room I have yet to inspect, crossed her arms once more, and then leaned on the wall with her shoulder "girls don't like pushy guys."

"If the girl is smart," I smiled and mirrored her, or tried since both arms are quite hard to move as I please, so I jute leaned against the wall with my left shoulder and a door's distance between us "she would know the guy is desperate."

"Oh, it is because she is smart that he was desperate."

I shook my head before looking through the door's window. Another empty room, white, with nothing inside. Still, these piqued some interest, they are all locked and empty, and the lighting was on. Aren't they afraid of the monthly bill?

"So, you don't know?" I turned my head from the door's window, but stayed put "or you don't want to?"

"None, I said it, didn't I?" Leaning her head slightly forward "nothing is free."

"You also said you were generous to answer one question, I asked but you didn't answer."

The wisest move here is to ask her what she wants, sure she may just deflect it by asking another question, but a slight chance she would answer with what she had in mind, and the key word here is slight.

However, I didn't do that since it would be like throwing the towel and following her rhythm. And she also said it didn't she; squeezing the lemon peel.

"And that is why you are Dumdum, Dumdum." She shook her head "I answered a question, I never said it was your question."

An unintentional chuckle escaped me, but I quickly suppressed it.

This cunning woman is irritating and... fun.

But it extraordinarily alleviating and mending, I did not know I need this but what they say about laughter being the best medicine may be true.

Still, the arrogant triumphant look on her face is doing terrible things to my ego. So I tuned from her cheeky smile to look inside the white room. And as soon as I saw the inside, my eyes widened and my smile froze on my face.

The white room I checked twenty seconds ago, the room I confirmed to be empty, with absolutely nothing inside, now, however, that room is... not empty anymore.