Gillian Zain craned his neck upward, beholding the glowing towering structure that would soon be his new home - Energia Tower. The sight was a breathtaking blend of magnificence and grandeur; it appeared as if it were diamonds gleaming in the luminous night sky. Unfortunately, appearances were often deceiving.

Each forceful step Gil took towards the colossal tower made him feel more and more awestruck. Strangely there was no trace of anxiety or terror within him, an absence of emotions that had become all too familiar. While anyone else would be a nervous wreck upon learning that Energia Tower would be their new permanent residence, Gil remained strangely detached. It was as though he lacked the essential components required to experience those crucial emotions.

He looked down at his tight handcuffs, would it kill them to loosen them a bit? After all, there was nowhere for him to run - escape was futile under the watchful gaze of the massive police presence surrounding him. Attempting to escape under those conditions would be suicide.

"Keep walking!" One of the police officers shouted as he gripped Gil's arm with a vice-like hold.

"Eh... I never stopped walking slower, but will do," remarked Gil with a hint of playful sarcasm.

"Ugh, I can't stand this kid!" grumbled the guard. "A monster like you will fit in nicely in Energia Tower!"

"Man, you don't have to be rude," said Gil almost playfully.

"Don't mind him, he's just cranky because he's constipated," the other police officer snickered.

"Shut the hell up Barney! Stop playing around! Don't forget how much of a monster this kid is!" the angry officer shouted.

"Sorry Charles," smirked Officer Barney Pierce.

"Also, you sure I'll never get out? I've got video games to play," said Gil.

"You'll never play video games again! How does that make you feel," the same guard laughed.

"It sucks... I guess I'll have to start reading again," said Gil nonchalantly.

"What's with this kid," Officer Charles Moore said as he finally opened the back door of the enormous tower.

Gil surveyed his surroundings and watched the dozens of police officers trailing behind him. Only two of them were carrying him into the building; was it really necessary to have so many police officers behind? Then again, he was an innocent person being accused of an extremely heinous crime so perhaps the excessive caution was warranted.

Inside, Gil's gaze fell upon a room filled with chairs, illuminated by a large holoscreen displaying a myriad of numbers. It vaguely reminded him of the dreaded DMV - God he hated those places. Many future prisoners were already seated, their eyes locked into him with a tense, almost ghostly stare.

"Is that him," the receptionist stammered, her voice quivering.

"Yeah, this is him," said Officer Charles with a smug countenance. "Barney, take a seat with the monster, Gonna' help him get processed. I'll be back."

Barney guided the handcuffed Gil to one of the uncomfortable seats in the back of the room. As nearby individuals swiftly rose from their own seats and relocated farther away, a thought crossed Gil's mind.

"It must be my new deodorant," Gil joked.

Barney smirked while trying to keep a straight face as he turned his head back to eye the dozen police officers who were now behind them.

"You know... I've escorted a lot of prisoners to Energia Tower... Every single one of them cried or were at least somewhat emotional. Energia Tower is a prison after all, so you know that's to be expected; you on the other hand don't seem to care at all! The crimes you're being accused of are some of the worst crimes I've ever heard in my entire career. You're very fortunate you didn't get the death penalty. Many people have wept like babies coming here only receiving a fraction of your time, yet here you are, calm as a bird," explained Barney.

Gil raised his eyebrow to stare at Barney. Here it was again, people trying to understand his weird psyche. Gil quickly picked up the scrambled words to attempt to articulate himself. "Well... I think I'm calm because I know I'm innocent. I've got no memory of those crimes ever occurring. I don't really get stressed out, maybe it would feel cool to feel something more, but... I can't. Perhaps I've got a screw loose or something. Just not a screw that would make me commit those crimes! I'm a nice guy, I'm just kinda weird."

"Hmm, interesting," said Barney. "You have maintained your innocence this entire time, even through trial. Does anyone believe your claim of innocence?"

"Nobody at all," laughed Gil.

"Does that bother you?" asked Barney.

"Not at all," said Gil.

"You sure?" asked Barney.

"Well... It definitely is disappointing, to see that even your own mother is suspicious of you, but then again it doesn't bother me like I feel it should," explained Gil. He almost felt like he was in another therapy sessions. Those sessions were always unsuccessful. People had the tendency to label him a freak for not expressing appropriate emotions. That was the reason why he was often forced to go to therapy. Now he was being called a freak for something terrible that he believed he didn't do.

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"Have you cried once during this entire trial?" continued Barney.

"Not once," said Gil as he scratched his head in disappointment.

"Not even when you heard your sentence?"

"Not then either," said Gil. He felt that perhaps his lack of appropriate emotions affected his guilty verdict.

"This kid is an absolute monster!" One of the police officers from behind shouted.

"Hey c'mon, I look nothing like Frankenstein!" joked Gil.

One of the security guards then immediately struck Gil in the back of the head. "Don't joke around like that! Understand the position you are in! You may not be sad now, but the despair will eventually cripple you!"

"Well that's going to leave a bruise... I still haven't recovered from the last time some guy hit my head," sighed Gil.

"Was it really necessary to hit him Davis! This young man is already in handcuffs!" Barney shouted.

"This man, or rather, this monster has already been given a fair trial and has been proven guilty. I have the right to treat a monster anyway I please," Officer David said.

"Bummer," said Gil.

"Look Mr Zain," said Barney after a brief silence. "After studying your case and talking with you now, I think you're telling the truth."

"What are your saying Barney?" another police officer angrily said.

"I'm saying I think he's innocent," said Barney.

"Wow thanks Barney! You're the best!" celebrated Gil.

"Don't mention it. Keep saying you're innocent no matter what, and a way out of this filthy tower may present itself to you."

Gil turned his head and smirked. Officer Barney Sims was the first person he met to truly believe him, or was he lying? How could a way out of Energia Tower come by anyway? He had been told numerous times that Energia Tower was inescapable no matter what. Was there really hope all along?

"Any reason why you believe me?" asked innocent Gil.

"Well... It's a secret."

"Eh... Okay," said Gil covered with confusion.

Officer Charles returned with an electronic tablet. "You are required to sign all of these documents with this stylist."

"Why do I have to sign my name anyway? Seems kinda pointless, because you guys would probably force me into my cell anyway," said Gil.

"Just sign it!"

"Okay!" Gil said as he signed his name in every prompt. It was a nice tablet too, he had played many video games with one, just not one that spectacular.

"You don't suppose we can play games on this tablet," Gil said afterwards.

"Of course not!" yelled Charles. "Now we're taking you to your cell. Normally you have to wait in this room to be processed to get to your cell, but they want you in a cell immediately! I don't blame them either!"

"Okay! Let's go!" exclaimed Gil.

Barney and Charles escorted Gil through an automatically door and led him into a steel room with blue lasers running through the metal walls. Barney turned on the huge holoscreen.

"You must watch this short presentation. Consider this your orientation," said Charles.

Gil turned his mellow head to the holoscreen. He was blown away by the definition, definitely had to be greater than 20k. He watched the presentation that showed a suave man get into an elevator and then exit out on the top windy floor. When the man turned around, Gil immediately recognized him... Arthur Lux... one of the most famous men in the world.

Welcome to Energia Tower. As you know, I'm Arthur Lux, CEO of AquaLux. You're here because you screwed up somewhere down the line, but that's okay because now you're going to make our beautiful corporation even greater!

As you know, every peace of land on Earth is owned by different corporations; as of 2084, AquaLux owns approximately twenty-five percent of all land masses, but that's not enough! We can't fall behind other corporations like Skyra or Grappa, even for a second! AquaLux is destined to become the greatest corporation ever created... that's where you come into play.

Your job is simple, as a prisoner in Energia Tower, you will perform mandatory tasks in order to be released from your sentence. These tasks will include various activities, such as working in assembly lines for our new incoming robots, or be responsible for creating and maintaining exclusive weaponry for our military.

Don't get any funny ideas, you won't be able to use those weapons to escape, as there is absolutely no ammunition in the entire tower! Nice try you! All of these tasks will be performed within Energia Tower. You will not leave Energia Tower until your sentence is complete! Not even for one moment!

For every task you complete, you will receive a point. A task lasts for eight hours, it's essentially a work shift. Let's say you're sentenced to prison in Energia Tower for petty theft, you only need thirty points to get out! If you perform a task every day for the next thirty days, you're home free! Don't come back either!

You can perform a task anytime you wish, but you will be penalized if you do not perform a task for at least three days. The penalty for not completing a task in three days, would be another point added to to your total points, for one week, you would receive ten points, for two weeks, you would receive thirty points, for three weeks, you would receive fifty points... After a month of no tasks completed... You will be sentenced to death. Yes you heard that right, you will die if you don't do any tasks to make us a greater corporation. We at AquaLux do so much for our residents, if you don't want to help us after getting caught committing crimes... well adios! Yes this is legal, because nobody has more authority than us in the land that we own! Don't worry, you will probably not be sentenced to death, as you would have to be an idiot to not complete a task in a month. Don't worry about being falsely accused of not completing tasks, our system is accurate and will keep track of everyone who does tasks!

Anyway, that's all for now, you will be given a handbook that goes over all of the rules here. Something important to look at is what to do if you get ill here. It's all in your prisoner handbook! Next, our great officers will take you in a room to get changed into your new prison uniform! Get used to it, because you won't wear anything else until you leave. Well... I'm rambling too much, it's time to go. Thank you for helping us stay the greatest corporation of all time! Once you've completed your required points, you will be free to go; but remember, even outside of Energia Tower, AquaLux watches over you. We have eyes everywhere; we will not tolerate any form of betrayal or rebellion. Remember, you owe us for you second chance... If you have too many points, you probably won't get another chance though.

As Gil absorbed the shocking revelation, a strange mix of determination and resignation washed over him. He realized that his survival and eventual release hinged on his ability to adapt to this new reality and play by the rules set by AquaLux.

The hologram abruptly turned off as Gil looked towards Barney and Charles. "That Arthur Lux guy is a little... intense isn't he?" said Gil.

"Well of course, he is one of the richest people that have ever lived. If he wasn't so eccentric, AquaLux wouldn't be as great as it is now," said Barney.

"Eh, if you say so," said Gil as he rose from his hard metal seat.

Charles handed Gil a prison uniform. "Put that on you monster! You have over a hundred thousand points, this is your new home... forever."

Gil picked up the rough uniform while staring at the empty metal walls of the room. The weight of his impending tasks and the realization that freedom could possibly never return to him, made his mind take a thousand laps of confusion. Though he wasn't afraid, he couldn't help but wonder if this new chapter in Energia Tower would provide the answers he sought about his own innocence and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his conviction.