The observing room was already full when Lieutenant Simmons opened the door. The lights were dimmed and the low murmur of side conversations filled the room. Simmons' entrance cut through the chatter as everyone's attention fixed upon the man of the hour. Absent-mindedly his hand scratched at his beard and shoulders rolled in his suddenly uncomfortable uniform. He stepped crisply into a salute letting the round of greetings wash over him. lieutenant-majors, Generals , and even a politician or two greeted him before returning to their murmured conversations. It had only been a few months and already much of the urgency and tension of the situation was breaking in the face of the consistency. He was told to be at ease but even as his commanding officer thanked him again for his service he couldn’t fully shake the growing frustration in his chest. All this preparation, the world shattering truths, and it was all beginning to feel like a damn joke. Simmons only nodded hiding his feelings with the mask of a professional as the overly long monologue came to an end. From the side, two analysts came forward holding out their files. Dan internally sighed, he’d done this enough to know the usefulness of procedure but he could almost rehearse their questions by heart. There wouldn’t be anything new here, just more of the same questions .
“ Please make sure he describes how the passage of time felt….”
“ What does he remember when exactly the teleport took hold of him..”
“ See if he was contacted by another one of these factions…..”
“ Dan, we would also like to know his willingness to have his new abilities tested….”
Dan’s face twitched as the list kept going. In growing incredulity he realized that they were about to read every single question out loud for the audience. Jim and Dani had been helping him with the interrogations, or interviews as the actual professionals had insisted on calling it. At this point they’d gotten everything down to a science. Heck, he and Jim had already made a drinking game out of some of the answers during the interviews. Things hadn’t been this bad since the first time they brought Simmons in . It had been right after their original interviewer died from a sword to the chest. An event that had apparently happened to several other interviewers prompting a change in tactic. Which was why people like Simmons had been recruited into the interviews.
He glanced around the room at the stern faces and the stars that decorated their uniforms. There was a suspicious amount of the upper brass here. “Well this does go some way to explaining the lecture” Simmons thought as he nodded and asked the appropriate clarifying questions to ease things along. They’d done this at least a half dozen times. Usually without as much attention as today but they had worked together for months. Dani was already explaining the importance of the interview while Jim with his tiny, pale hands was handing the earpiece to Simmons.
“ …This subject is of particular interest as he’s one of the last recorded missing persons after contact with the entity” Dani’s eyes were intense despite her calm tone. “ We believe that considering the time it took for the subject to return we believe that there is a high likelihood of him experiencing higher level floors from the tower...maybe even floor 8 or 9”
That was too much even for Dan. Most of the poor souls who had escaped were only able to make it to the 3rd or maybe even 4th floors with a rare few making it past the 5th. To make it to the 8th or 9th floors usually indicated a background in live combat or at least self-defense.
“Isn’t this kid just a civilian?” Dan said, going back over their files, “ Says here the closest activity to real combat he’s had was a passing interest in sports so why are we assuming he’s 8th or 9th floor material?”
“That’s w-what we want you to find out” Jim interjected, “ In order for that to occur, and to coincide with what we could glean from our current readings ...well there's the radiation coming off of this kid in levels that are way above average. Even for other taken by the entity we don’t usually see this level of radiation” Jim slowly came alive as he slowly lost himself, “Whether it’s some kind of Relic or ability granted by the entity we need to know how it was received. Perhaps, it’s what made the difference in his climb. Perhaps even….”
Dan held his hands up “ I got it Jim I got it. no need to go on” both analysts nodded and retreated back into the gloom. He didn’t want to be too hard on Jim but the man could get lost in the excitement of the moment. though as the two found their places, Dan could see Dani giving Jim’s hand a quick squeeze to assure him. Closing the files and sorting his thoughts Simmons took the few seconds he had to organize his thoughts. The top brass really thought this kid made it to Floor 8? It was laughable considering just how difficult getting past floor 10 had been for him. He’d been trained to fight, and the ten floors he’d experienced had pushed him to his limits. Other people hadn’t even experienced half of the training he had and it showed. Most of the interviews were just people crying about what they experienced. Some were too shell-shocked to even speak about it, with a few being outright hostile to any attempts to speak about the entity. In either case, he had stalled long enough.
Simmons closed his folder before saluting again and exiting the observation room. Next door two soldiers held ready nodding to him before letting him pass to the door leading to his next interviewee. Familiar gray walls with a table and familiar chair greeted him as right across sat a young man looking off in the distance. He was dark-skinned and despite the relaxed nature of his posture, his eyes held a tension as if he was ready for anything. Dark clothing had clearly gone through abuse, with cuts all along its edges. The kid looked up from his daydreams and fixed Simmons with a glare that would make a drill sergeant proud. Neither party said anything as Simmons set his files down before taking his seat. Despite the distance he could almost feel the stares from the other room as he got himself in order.
“ Any reason for why you’ve got me trapped here” The kid said
“Well a hi to you too” Simmons opened his folder, “ First off let’s start with confirming who you are before we get into your temporary stay here” The kid shrugged before leaning back.
“ Fine, I just want to get out of here. It’s been a….interesting time since I got out”
“Well sorry about that but you’ve been missing for sometime and we’re in a state of emergency. Sooo…” Simmons pulled out his recorder and slid it half way across the desk. “ State your name for the record please and we’ll see if we can get you out of here”
“Kelford Booker and who are you?”
“ I’m Lieutenant Daniel Simmons of the US Army”
“ Your name's Dan” The kid, Kelford was smiling now. Simmons just sighed , this part always came up.
“I’m lieutenant Dan, yes, I know, everyone knows the joke and I’ve heard anything you could possibly be thinking up right now, Now please state your age and….”
“ I don’t know, I was like 22 before I was abducted but it’s easy to lose track of time in there”
“ That does fit in with our records”
“ Oh you’ve been keeping records? How many people have come out”
“About a few million over the intervening months but i've only done a couple dozen interviews since I came back” Kelford leaned forward
“ You were in the tower?”
Gets them every time Simmons thought as he put out his hand and pulled at his Inventory. The reassuring feeling of solid wood filled his grasp as a long pole of dark wood materialized from the aether. Tipped with a blade of roughly carved iron and glowing runes all along the sides. The magical weapon casted a wicked glow through the space.Sparks danced on the edges as Simmons showed off his favored weapon. Executioners Thunder had carried him all the way to the 10th floor and back to his family. More importantly it was a Very Rare item which he had been barely able to afford with the entirety of his team's finances.It didn’t hurt that it was a good way to leave other tower survivors in awe as most of them wouldn’t even have passed the 5th floor much less the grind for the 10th. Simmons turned his attention to Kelford, seeing mild appreciation but nothing more. Kid either had some stones or he’d seen something as impressive before. Considering who was in the observing room he was willing to bet it was the latter.
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The weapon disappeared in a flash of light, “ That answers your question” Kelford nodded “Good, now that we've gotten that out of the way now let's start at the beginning. Where were you when you were taken”
“At home getting ready for the last day of my old job”
“Yes, we got a report from a supervisor that you hadn't shown up for your cashier position” Dan checked the file,”after that multiple family members and friends reaches out about being unable to contact you later that day”
“It was early, I didn't have the chance to talk to anyone before it happened”
“What do you remember of being teleported? Were you dizzy, confused…”
“I remember being pissed I didn't get a bite of my cereal”
Simmons just stared for a minute. “ That was your first thought after being teleported…That you never got your cereal?”
The kid leaned back with a shrug before looking away to the distance again. Simmons shook his head. This interrogation wasn’t going anywhere and Simmons was beginning to feel that maybe they really needed a professional to come in here for this one. The kid wasn’t impressed by his weapon and moreover didn’t seem to care about the gravity of the situation. Which really when he thought about it led to only one conclusion.
“Hey Jim” Simmons said seemingly to the air, “ I know you keep some cereal in the mess hall can we get some in here?” He smirked thinking of the incredulous looks that must be on some of the officials in the observation room. They were going to love this.
“Any cereal you’re really feeling for right now? I know you’ve only been back for a bit but we have cereal around and nothing beats normal food after getting back. Trust me I can vouch for it”
Simmons tried his most disarming smile. I think that might just be my best smile yet!
Kelford froze for a few seconds before a laugh burst from him. It high pitched and ended with a shudder that seemed to take the wind out of the kid’s sails.
“ ..You guys got Captain Crunch?”
“Sure kid, we’ll get you some Captain Crunch”
The silence returned though Kelford was no longer looking out in the distance, instead he stared at the table as if the reality of his experience had just hit him all at the same time. 6 months, 32 days and 15 hours since the arrival of the Tower, millions of people worldwide had gone missing only to return with increasingly fantastical stories. All of them came back with magic and sorcery straight out of a fantasy novel. Flaming sword, unicorn mounts, and even draconic scales. Worst was that all their stories had only three consistencies. The many floors and rules of this Tower, the deaths that they faced within the structure, and the warning. The warning that humanity had only 100 years to live. Simmons took a breath, everything had gotten too real too quickly. He’d seen the warning, seen that there was only one way to survive the coming apocalypse. Climb every single floor, defeat every monster and trap in their way, and pass the 100th floor. On paper it seemed so simple. Take a strike team and fight their way within the decade. Easy peasy. That’s how he’d heard it from some drunks at the bar anyway. Heck, most people probably thought that way. Simmons knew differently and hopefully so did everyone who had been in that insane trap. It was only going to get harder from here and they needed every shred of info they could get.
“ So Kelford…while we’re waiting I’d like to hear your story. From the beginning.” Dan's gaze met Kelford's .
“ I wasn’t lying earlier” Kelford said, “ I really was pissed about my cereal”
6 Months Earlier…
After The initial shock of finding yourself in a mysterious third location wears off Kelford found that his thoughts were cluttered. He edged through the black passageway, using his hands to keep him moving along the craggy wall as he tried not to trip. It was slow going. Not helped by the shivers. Which were completely uncalled for as the temperature of this..cave wasn't anything less than pleasant. Strange as it was to consider.
“I didn't even get to finish my cereal” it was a dumb thought but it was all that was keeping him sane. What did you do after finding yourself lost in a dark cave right before work? Lay there and cry? Kelford cringed. That was the first thing he had done. Now he was on his feet putting one foot in front of the other. He couldn’t see where he was going but it had to be better than sitting alone in the dark for something to eat him. Right? Besides, how had he gotten here? Where even was here? Was this a weird attempt at a prank or new reality show? Somebody's idea of getting their sick kicks by kidnapping him and dropping him here to survive a gauntlet of traps or worse? Did he leave the light on in the bathroom or leave the…
Focus!!!
Pain radiated from his knuckles as he dimly realized he had punched the wall. It flowed from bruised fingers, up his arm clearing the rising panic. Kelford’s breath was ragged but the thoughts had stopped their racing pace. For now anyway.
“ It’ll be okay” The words were small in the dark, “ It’s going to be okay” His hands were shaking again but there was no longer the energy to stop them. It all seemed too much. The impulse to just sink into a little ball and lay in the dark was overwhelming. He wasn’t worth the effort. He would be a mediocre man who hadn’t accomplished anything. He would die here in the dark, forgotten and useless.Like always. A familiar lethargy began to sap at his mind making even just standing seem like a chore. Why wouldn’t he give up at this first challenge, it wasn’t even a certainty his efforts would pay off? He floated there for just a moment then he took one step forward. Then another. Each became easier as he left those dark thoughts behind. The wall began to veer sideways on a gentle curve forcing Kelford to follow it.
“Is…is it getting brighter?”
He rubbed at his eyes before the realization sunk in. It was getting brighter! He turned the corner and saw a pale light at the end of the tunnel. He didn’t even think. He ran for it. Tripping and scraping himself along the rocks he pushed forward headless of the pain. He grew closer and closer, relief flooding every inch of his body as finally he could see the dark walls around him. The light came from above and it fell upon a stone set of stairs. Each perfectly carved and uniformed. Kelford’s mind finally caught up with his situation and before he took the steps he skidded to a halt. What was he doing? He didn’t know what was up there or even if this mysterious set of stairs didn’t just lead to an even worse situation? He glanced back towards the tunnel he came from and shivered. He’d take the steps one at a time and peek over the landing to see what lay beyond. It wasn’t as if he was flush with options right now.
He climbed the stairs slowly peeking his head above the landing to see a room straight out of a fantasy novel. The room was layered in pelts that covered the walls. Smooth, dark stone made up the floor covered by rugs made of some sort of wool. Braziers and torches gave the large space a surprisingly warm feeling but what held Kelford’s gaze was the center. A crystalline pattern dominated the ceiling spilling in the light he had seen from the stairs. Beneath, were a series of pedestals that were made of pale stone.
“What in the heck is this place?” Kelford climbed the rest of the stairs keeping his eyes peeled for any movement. Still his eyes were inevitably dragged back to the altars and his curiosity got the better of him. Each was opulent to the extreme, with gold and silver ringed edges. Beautifully carved stone was polished till shining holding up silk of a different color for each of the 5 altars. Laying on top were weapons. A sword, twin daggers, a bow , some kind of tome, and a wand. Kelford had no words. He was dreaming, it was official. That or he had lost his mind. Still as he gazed at the ludacris scene his eyes turned upward.
“Okay, now I must be losing my mind”
The window wasn’t made of glass but some kind of crystal. Along the borders were threads of gold woven like vines that split the mural into 5 sections. One was of warrior clad plate holding up a sword and axe in each hand. The others all had similar scenes, a wizard with a wand, a rogue with dual daggers, an archer skulking through the trees, and some sort of priest holding a thick tome. Each was as beautifully crafted as the next. Leaving Kelford in awe at the skill required to create them. Each coincided with an altar. It was straight out of some kind of larping event, though with a surreality unmatched by anything Kelford had seen before. Still… the sword was high quality and having something to defend himself would go a long way to making him feel safer. He reached for it,wrapping his fingers around the grip and pulled to no avail. Confused, he pulled again this time with both hands feeling the blade barely budge. What was going on? He went to try again before the message appeared.
Language Matrix Identified
Please Hold
“ Gaahhhh” Kelford skidded back only to be chased by the floating words. He waved his hands seeing the words overlay of the waving appendages. The words were gold with some sort of screen surrounding them. He tried to touch them but they disappeared only to be replaced again.
New Species Confirmed
Beginner Floors Deployed
Reliquary populating
Tower User Interface Downloading
Kelford’s hands shot to his face as his eyes began to burn. A knife stabbed into his brain ratcheting up in searing agony as he began to scream. Dimly he felt himself fall to his knees as the words continued to dominate his vision beneath closed lids.
Welcome To The Tower
Please Prepare for Installation
This Might Be Painful
The pain reached a crescendo before, mercifully, Kelford fell unconscious.