/LEVEL 05
/Press Play
"What is the pattern?"
Teresa’s lips twisted into a smirk, a glint in her eye as she looked down at Lucy. “Caught on, did you?” she murmured, her tone carrying a teasing edge. She resumed her steps, angled toward the walls as if they were her private map.
She reached out, finger tracing along the faded marks as they passed—two circles sketched in chalk, barely visible under the layer of dust. “This here,” she pointed with a tone of mock instruction. “That means two turns to the right.”
Further down, her finger landed on a series of crossed lines, X's haphazardly scrawled near the corner. She tapped the mark twice, her eyes flicking to Lucy with a raised brow. “X’s? Simple—you keep straight. Don’t even think about turning. It's a dead end.”
Lucy's pace quickened to match the one of the Watcher, shoes scraping against the gravel as if the walls themselves whispered directions only Teresa could hear.
Her eyes darted between as if expecting another bellybutton-less creature to materialise from thin air. Her fingers brushed against her stomach absently, a small reassurance—she was real, she was here. Yet the sight of the hollow creatures haunted her thoughts, nagging her for not knowing what to call them. Friends seemed like a potty word.
Beside her, Jude strode silently, his head tilted down. His useless rifle slung over his shoulder, its weight bouncing lightly against his back.
Lucy studied his face, catching the tense line of his jaw, the steady frown creasing his forehead. Whatever thoughts drifted through his mind, just out of her reach, stayed locked there.
Jude’s feet suddenly stopped, his body tensing as if hitting an invisible wall. She nearly stumbled, pulling up short just behind him.
His face had gone pale, eyes wide and staring into the distance, a flicker of disbelief darkening his complexions. His chest rose and fell quickly, and his lips parted, but no sound came out, a realisation taking shape slowly, painfully.
He swallowed hard, his voice finally breaking into sounds. “This... this isn’t Earth.”
Jude glanced at Teresa and Lucy, searching their faces for a hint of denial, for something that would tell him he was wrong.
But their expressions remained unchanged, unreadable.
“This isn’t Earth,” he repeated, almost daring someone to contradict him. “This is another planet… called what? Nirvana?”
Teresa looked away, her silence louder than any answer he could expect.
She took a few steps back, letting her gaze drift as if recalling a distant memory. A faint, almost amused smile tugged at her lips. "Started with a song, if you can believe that," she said. "Guess the name just... stuck."
Jude took a hesitant step forward. "So…what—my consciousness just… travelled? To some copy of me out here?"
Teresa's eyes softened, and she spoke slowly. “Yeah, pretty much…” She tried to calculate her words. The last thing they needed was for Jude to have another brain freeze. "Let’s keep it simple," she said, pausing. "Decades ago, they started marking every child with a chip—implanted into their brain. Their own personal SiC."
She shifted, watching his face closely, bracing herself. "They used that exact chip to create… I mean, recreate ‘sleeves’ of us, here, on this planet. You close your eyes on Earth, and… you wake up here," she continued.
Jude’s jaw tightened slightly, eyes searching hers, grasping at understanding, and perhaps, she noticed, a sliver of disbelief he was fighting to suppress.
Teresa held up a hand abruptly but requested calmly. "Hey, don’t go sniffing through my brain while I’m explaining, alright? I'm telling you how I know.”
Jude blinked, hands raised defensively. "I’m not touching anything. I was not even thinking of that!"
She gave him a searching look, then nodded.
"So, to get here... they'd need that chip," he said slowly, piecing it together aloud, “and a pod to make the transfer. It is like this: the information of the chip inside your brain will be the same information of the chip inside your sleeve. It’s you with the most expensive plastic surgery ever put in place."
Teresa smirked wide as she crossed her arms, leaning back casually against the wall. “Yeah, kind of. More like a high-tech smoothie. Mix human and Friend know-how, mecha, tech, biology and neurology, throw in some neural wizardry, and voilà—long-distance travel without the jet lag.” She gave a dry chuckle. “Just the occasional brain freeze instead. That’s what the Phantom Zone is for—a little adjustment buffer. At least now, it wasn’t like this in the beginning.”
“There’s a pod in my basement,” he said, his gaze darting around like he was piecing together an escape route. “If I can just get a message to my wife, she can use it, get here too. Easy peasy. The Arena—it’s got to connect back to Earth somehow, right? Some kind of link?”
Teresa’s gaze shifted to Lucy, and they exchanged silent glances. Lucy’s eyes widened as she dug into her, pulling out the neural EpiPen and clutching it tightly.
"Your wife is pregnant," Teresa said.
“Wait... but one pod is enough for... right?” he tried again.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Lucy shifted her weight, eyes downcast. “They... they don’t send babies here, Jude. The pods only work after—well, after you are eight, like me.” She took a small, steadying breath, adding, “That’s why I’m here... so other kids can join. I'm the guinea pig.”
Teresa's gaze flickered between Jude and the ground as though looking anywhere else might break the care she was weaving into her explanation.
“If your child’s born now... it’ll be years,” she said, almost apologetic. “Eight, maybe more, just for a... sleeve to be ready. And it wouldn’t be simple,” she added. “Growing a sleeve fast enough, syncing it to the code... that kind of thing takes time.”
Teresa’s words slowed, a hesitance hanging, "I mean... I suppose a mother would understand what that means and what waiting would take. I don't know... I never had kids, but I guess your wife will want to stay with your baby.”
Jude's gaze darted around the narrow passage, his fingers unconsciously flexing, his breaths quickening. The walls seemed to inch closer, "One pod... just one. For her. But what about everyone else?"
Teresa stood close and anchored his hand. "That," she said, her tone like iron wrapped in velvet, "is why you’re here." Her fingers squeezed around his hand. "Five starships, Jude. Enough to take them all. That's Paris and Len's plan."
"Marta...where is she going? If Earth is—if it’s really dying—I have to get her out." His eyes were glossy, desperate like he was clinging to a lifeline he couldn’t quite grasp. “I need to get her out! I need to connect her here. She might… I only have one pod… and I need a pod for the next eight years, right? They can grow inside the pod… or they can’t? If they can’t… what grows in a starship? Are they big enough?”
Teresa's hand held his firm but gentle. She looked at him with an intensity that steadied him. "Marta’s safe, Jude. They’ve already reached her. Friends, real friends—you’ve met some—they’re stubborn, relentless, the kind that don’t let go." Her grip tightened. "She’s in good hands, I promise."
“But… you said—”
Teresa cut him off, shifting from reassuring to blunt. “Yeah, there are bad ones, too. Friends who don’t exactly play nice. But that’s a different mess waiting for us, not here.”
She chuckled. “They can’t slip into the simulation. No ‘Saint’ chip embedded in their heads, see? Without it, they’d just get… well, let’s say ‘blasted’ on entry.”
Her smile faded as her gaze swept the surroundings cautiously. “As for how those… things slipped through?” She shook her head. “No idea. But something tells me we’ll find out before long.”
Jude's breaths grew sharp and ragged, the panic clawing at his chest. His hands trembled, and his voice cracked as he spoke, “Teresa, I… I need to talk to my wife. I need to know if… if I’m…” His words faltered, and he swallowed hard, struggling to keep control.
“Listen,” Teresa said, squeezing his hand to bring him back. “First, Lucy has to get to Level 16. Then, we’re heading to the Arena. There, you’ll get every answer you’re chasing, enough to put your mind to rest. And if it’s possible, we’ll find a way to reach Marta. Marta, that’s her name, right?”
Jude’s nod was small, his gaze distant, as if still catching up to everything Teresa had laid out for him. His mouth opened and closed, finally settling on a quiet "Okay.”
“Good.” Teresa flashed him a quick, determined look, already stepping ahead. “Now, let’s move. You think landmark scanners grow on coconut trees?”
Jude chuckled, though it sounded more like a nervous hiccup than real laughter. His eyes darted to Lucy, who was gripping the Neural Epipen with the seriousness of a soldier ready for action.
Teresa raised an eyebrow, her smirk half-hidden. "You sure, dude? Kid’s got that thing aimed right at you like she's ready to take you down."
Lucy’s expression softened just enough for a playful grin to peek through.
“No, no,” Jude replied, waving his hands in mock surrender. “I’m fine. Really. No need for... any drastic measures.”
They continued to trail their way silently behind Teresa. Jude’s gaze lowered again, each footstep echoing with the faintest crunch on the alien soil, foreign yet unnervingly familiar. Every so often, his eyes lifted, scanning the maze’s towering walls before drifting upward, searching the endless blue sky. It held the same calm hue as Earth’s sky, but there was an emptiness to it—a sense that it wasn’t a sky at all but a careful replica, like a painted ceiling meant to fool the eye.
Teresa’s footsteps halted abruptly. Her head tilted up as her eyes scrutinised the high walls with an intensity that set Jude’s nerves on edge. Her posture had gone taut, and her fingers curled around the weapon at her side.
Jude followed her gaze, adjusting his grip on his useless weapon, trying to steady his breathing as he searched the empty space above. “Are we... being followed?”
“Yeah,” she muttered, slinging her weapon over her shoulder, eyes flicking from shadow to shadow. “They’re up there, watching us.” She glanced briefly through the scope. “But somehow, they’re playing smart. They know better than to show themselves.”
"How far are we from the next landmark?"
“C8 nearby,” she said. “Could be any corner around here. But we’re not safe up here. We need to go underground.”
Without waiting, she turned, picking up the pace, "Let's go."
----------------------------------------
The underground looked like a parking lot. It opened up like a concrete cavern, with rows of white and yellow stripes tracing empty parking spaces. Rusted tool carts sat against walls, and faint oil stains marked the floor. Jude’s eyes swept across the rows, trying to picture how vehicles could ever fit here. The maze outside had barely enough space for them to pass through on foot.
As if reading his thoughts, Teresa gave a slight nod, “The walls? They can lower,” she said, gesturing to the towering barriers behind them. “Security measure… you know, for when they need extra room.”
“So... they come here using those things,” he muttered, almost to himself, his gaze hardening as the memory of the hollow-eyed figures flashed through his mind. “Those empty shells,” he added.
Teresa just nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line. "Mecha or sleeves. Just shells, waiting to obey."
As they moved deeper, a pungent scent filled the air—a heavy, stale blend of dry petrol and rusted metal that clung to the back of their throats. Lucy covered her nose, glancing uneasily at the yellowed concrete and faded toll booths they passed. Ahead, a faint glow caught her eye—a blinking red light pulsing softly in the dimness.
The familiar shape of a landmark scanner stood ahead, yet this time, Lucy held back. She lingered near Jude, eyes on the blinking device but feet rooted to the spot, her usual eagerness replaced by a quiet hesitation. She was scared.
Jude approached the scanner, setting his rifle down with a soft clink against the concrete. His gaze narrowed as he leaned in, studying the screen. Something was off—the usual clean, glowing interface was replaced by a dull, flickering display streaked with static. Lines of strange symbols blinked in and out, unlike anything he’d seen on the other scanners.
Jude glanced back at Teresa, brow raised. "Is this… normal?"
She stepped forward, leaning in to read the faint text on the screen. A single, flashing command blinked up at them: Press Play.
Her hand shot up, covering her face as a quiet groan slipped through her fingers. “Great. It’s busted,” she muttered.
“So… do we move on and find another?” Jude asked.
She lowered her hand, letting out a resigned sigh.
Before Teresa could say anything, Lucy’s hand shot forward, her finger pressing the “Play” button without hesitation. "Why don't we try?"
The machine whirred, a low hum building as a flat, synthetic voice cut through the air.
“Thank you for engaging in this interactive sequence. Your participation is noted. Please be advised that you have three tokens remaining. Each token grants one attempt. To proceed, you must answer three riddles correctly. Failure to do so within the three allocated tokens will result in the termination of this sequence. Your success rate is monitored for accuracy. Good luck… if applicable.”
Lucy’s eyes widened, her face paling as the message sank in. Her lips barely moved as she whispered, “Oh… shit…”
The machine’s hum sharpened, the monotone voice breaking the silence once more, echoing through the parking lot.
“Riddle One.”