“His Royal Highness will be with you shortly, Gentlemen.” a man in a butler’s attire told them.
The two sat in cushioned, metal chairs in an office which held technological marvels. To October’s right, sat a box which emitted sounds of music. He twisted the nobs on the front which changed the music to different songs, then stumbled upon a report of some sort.
“In more tragic news, a sinkhole appeared on the streets of Division Eight on the Guilder frontier. This marks the seventh sinkhole to appear in the past two months, worrying the citizenry of the surrounding Divisions. A response from Parliament reads as follows…”
“Ah, I see you’ve noticed my latest invention.” a middle-aged man covered in grease stained overalls appeared. “I call it the radio. To put it in simple terms, it uses frequencies that are transmitted through the air to produce what you’re hearing now.”
Siegfried jumped from the sudden appearance of the king of Guilder and knelt immediately.
“Your Majesty! I apologize, I didn’t see you come in.”
October stared at the ruler of Guilder in complete and utter confusion.
This grease monkey is the ruler of Guilder?
His bespectacled friend rushed to him and forced him to kneel, making Gael Van Gogh, Sovereign of Guilder, laugh.
“It’s quite alright, Lad. I hate formalities anyways. And to answer your visible confusion, Doctor Mourne, this grease monkey is the ruler of Guilder.”
“H-how did you…” he stammered.
Gael held a hand up to silence the doctor.
“I’m no mind reader, just conscious of my appearance. That’s the first thought that comes to people’s minds when we meet for the first time. Please, rise.”
The two stood up and all three sat in the metal chairs, October and Siegfried in two opposite of Gael’s which sat behind a desk. Gael made a motion with his head towards October with one eyebrow raised and Siegfried nodded.
“He knows. I practically gave him a full vocal dossier in the waiting lobby.” Siegfried explained.
“You trust him that much?” Gael asked, getting a nod from Siegfried.
“With my life, sir.”
Gael nodded and reached into his desk to pull a large stack of papers contained in a file.
“This is the report I received this morning from our man inside the Femian Church. You might want to take a look at this.” He said handing the file to Siegfried, wearing a face befitting that of loss.
************************************
September 20th, 316 L.Y.
Reconnaissance Mission
Agent Codename: FAITH
Mission Codename: GENESIS
Day One:
I arrived in the Holy City of Gristkhal only to be met with countless cautious stares. The local populace avoided my every stride and only interacted with me if they absolutely had to. I made my way to the Holy Citadel Eden immediately from my landing by airship to fulfill this mission’s requirements with the upmost secrecy.
Upon reaching the citadel and declaring my wish to join the Brotherhood of Femia’s Grace, I was cast out on the streets being told that my faith was nowhere near high enough to study Femia’s holy texts. Nevertheless, I persisted. After a full day of pretending to pray outside the citadel, the doors opened and they allowed me inside, having proved my faith. Though I was inducted into the Brotherhood, I was still not trusted. Training begins tomorrow and from what I’ve been told by the initiates, it will be the beginning of a rigorous training.
Day Two:
The other initiates weren’t kidding. I was beaten savagely by the senior member and have nearly everything that identified me as an individual stripped away. My hair, my clothes, and all my journals excluding the one I am recording this mission in, which I have hidden beneath the floor in my dormitory.
I did manage to befriend one of the other initiates. I will not refer to him by name in this report, in order to keep from exposing his identity in case this report gets into the hands of the investigated. He will be referred to as MICHAEL for the remainder of the report.
MICHAEL has told me many different stories that have been passed down from initiate to initiate. Some of which, he says, are more than mere stories. He says the punishment for disobedience is to descend to the lowest parts of the citadel for “Direct Repentance”, after which, the subject will return completely different from his earlier behavior. “The most rebellious youth will come back the most submissive sheep, doing all that his master bids with no question.” I will obtain more information on this specific story and report my finding.
Day Three:
I disobeyed one of the senior members, stating that I would not beat any initiates or MICHAEL. To save me from the “Direct Repentance”, MICHAEL stated that he would take my place. Though after taking MICHAEL, they did not easily let me off the hook.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
They took me forcefully for what they called, “Indirect Repentance”. They forced me into this room with only enough space for a small bed. One specific event stuck out in this period of extreme isolation. No matter where turned or how I faced, a single droplet of water fell onto my forehead. Even when standing on the bed (however much I could) it still managed to hit the same place over and over again.
I don’t really understand how that could force me to become more obedient, but I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I’ll wait until tomorrow to see if they release MICHAEL and report more on that subject.
Day Four:
That same damn droplet…I couldn’t sleep because of that damned droplet. I would touch my forehead to check for moisture, but nothing. Just one touch on the center of my forehead all night. Every time I would rest my head upon a pillow…the same droplet. Probably nothing to it, I am just exhausted from this reconnaissance.
MICHAEL returned today…but not the same. No reaction was given, no matter how many times I yelled. I would even shake him to get even a semblance of a reaction. Just a blank stare as he completed the tasks he was assigned.
Tonight, I will try to sleep, even if it’s only a few hours. Then, I shall descend this labyrinth and take a more direct approach to reconnaissance.
(As October read, he reached the end of the legibly written report and on to the final page which looked as if someone scratched it onto the page.)
They’re doing it…they’re really testing on humans. Blood…so much blood. Dismembered bodies everywhere and chairs that looked as if they ran a sort of electric current through a helmet, every known torture device known to man is down here. Canisters of this odd black substance hung from posts at every bed without a dismembered body. Those seem to be breathing, but only the Goddess knows what is being done to them.
I will hide here and attempt to photograph this scene as best I can. Hopefully I can help these poor souls escape. If this report and accompanying photographs reaches you…I can only hope that I’m the one presenting it.
************************************
October sat back in his seat, preparing himself for any photographs. Once he was ready, he nodded to Siegfried. He pulled the photos out of the file, but nothing could have prepared them for the horror that was detailed in those photographs.
“Where is this man now?” October asked.
Gael’s expression became very dark.
“He was captured and…killed.” he explained.
“Then how did this report get to us, Your Highness? He must’ve at least found a trustworthy source to pass this on to.” Siegfried reasoned.
Gael pulled another file from the drawer in his desk and dropped it on the top. Not saying a word, he motioned to it and retreated to the large window that stood behind to take in the view and distract him from the horror he just released to the scientists. Siegfried took the folder and opened it, before closing it back up and walking away from the desk. His face contorted with pure disgust, trying to keep the contents of his bowels where they are. Seeing his friend’s reaction to the file, October reluctantly opened it.
The file contained only two pieces of paper. One photograph and one note written in blood. The note read: “A new Genesis has begun…” The photograph was of the agent…cut into a horror that is nigh indescribable. The pieces were arranged into one word that read: “Faith”.
October put the file down.
What the hell…
“He gave this to us purposely, with the photographs. He wants us to know about his testing.” Siegfried said, crossing his arms in thought. “But he has an underlying question posed to us with this information.”
October and Gael gave him a confused look.
“The question is this: ’What are you going to do about it?’” he clarified.
October slammed the folder on the desk and stood up.
“I’ll tell you what we do, we find out what it is he’s testing and expose it to the world!” October yelled, letting his emotions get the better of him.
“Use your head, October. Do you not remember what I told you? Seventy percent of the world are considered Femian Nations. Even if we were to find out what he’s testing and expose it to the world, do you really think it will make that much of a difference?” Siegfried retorted.
October clenched his fists and sat back down. “Then what do we do?”
Siegfried crossed the room and took the samples out of October’s lab coat pocket.
“We analyze these.” he said holding the samples to the light. “These samples hold the key to whatever it is that Gilgarian is testing and what we can do to stop it. Releasing the information is pointless, but it is information that we will be able to use against the Femian Church nonetheless.”
Gael took his seat behind the desk and rifled through it for paper. After pulling a piece and quickly writing a note down, he stamped it with the royal seal of approval and handed it to Siegfried.
“Whatever you need, it is yours. But it must only be you two, discretion is key. Not even B.I.O. can be involved in this. If word were to get out that we are attempting to thwart the plots of the most powerful organization in the world, there will be hell to pay.” he said.
Siegfried took the paper with enthusiasm.
“A functioning lab is all we require, Your Majesty. Oct and I will take care of the rest.” Siegfried said, a glimmer of excitement in his eyes.
“Then follow me, I will show you the ‘Underbelly of Innovation’ that Guilder has hidden from the public.” Gael said, standing and approaching a hidden elevator in the back of the room. “Our top scientists would prefer nothing stand in their way whilst they work on what needs to be done.”
The three descended into the lowest depths of the parliament building, leaving October and Siegfried speechless. They passed many levels of engineering innovation, each with miles upon miles of offices and laboratories. After descending at least fifty floors, they reached an empty floor.
“This is the fifty-first floor. The Health Research Department has been complaining about a lack of space to conduct their research, so I decided to make another floor dedicated to them. It hasn’t been released to the public yet, so you both should be able to complete your research here.” Gael explained.
The doors to the elevator opened to show a white hallway leading to a massive laboratory with many different kinds of materials and tools for medical research. Further past the laboratory stretched another hallway leading to rooms for the scientists’ living quarters.
“Here, you will be equipped with everything you’ll need. There is a kitchen in the living quarters that has been stocked to the brim with food and a laundry room that has spares of all the bed sheets. But if you need anything…” Gael said, placing a device in both Siegfried and October’s hands. “Use these to call me directly.”
October eyed the odd, rectangular device.
“What is it?” he asked.
“It is what we call a ‘cellphone’. It’s a device that holds the ability to call any number connected in a network of numbers. There is a battery placed inside the case on the back of it, so be sure to charge it every day with the packs that are provided for you in your living quarters.” Gael explained.
Gael returned to the elevator and smiled to the two doctors.
“There is no rush on this research, but you both know the kind of situation you are in. Take your time and find the answer that you need. We are all depending on you.” he said as the doors closed for his ascension.
Siegfried held the samples out to October.
“You heard him Oct, let’s get started.”
October nodded to his partner.
“Right.”