Ivan Braginsky. Xiao Mei Lin. Lai-Ying Wong. Alfred F. Jones. You are all called to assembled in the main lobby. Unlike the other initiations, this felt a bit more.. different. You all meet in the main lobby where the head mod, Francisco, awaits you all. He looks professional for once, the only unruly thing would be his hair, that’s it. With a raise of a hand, a group of well dressed men appear, all holding guns. “Follow me, will you?” And with that he takes the lead, the rest of you being forced to follow with guns aimed at your heads.
It’s Mod Francisco, of course nothing will be easy. You are guided to the to a large, very secure door, it’s mere presences intimidates you. Francisco attempts to open the door with a flick of his hand, only for the security check to reject him. Another flick, another rejection.
“Give me a moment,” he mutters angrily as he steps closer to the small screen next to the door and messes with it. A few minutes later and call to Isabella (who is still out god knows where with Ferdinand), he pushes Isabella’s emergency code and the door opens slowly. It would be hilarious if not for how obviously irritated Francisco look.
Mei and Leon knew what was coming after all.
Immediately the room is filled with multiple lab techs, with Francisco being the last one to enter and letting the doors close behind him.
Francisco opens up four pod-like chambers filled with lukewarm water, and punches a bit of information into the screens on the outside. While he does this, the four of you are asked to strip down to your undergarments and then have a small vile of blood taken from each of you. Once this has been accomplished, the people in lab coats lead each of you to a pod and begin hooking you up to what could only be compared to the monitoring cables one would see in a hospital.
You are each asked to lay on your back inside with pod with your faces above the water, and told to just breathe and meditate as best you can. Isolation can sometimes cause people to panic.
The doors to the pods are closed and you’re left in complete darkness, wading in the pool of water. The only sounds you are able to hear are the sounds of your own breath and heartbeat. You lay in the chamber for five, fifteen, thirty minutes until your heartbeat has slowed significantly. Then, without warning, a jolt of electricity comes through one of the wires connecting you, and you jerk from the shock. The pain lasts only for a moment and then the pod is opened and you are taken out, disconnected from the wires and then are given bathrobes to cover yourselves.
Without warning, Alfred is grabbed by Francisco in a frontlock and then slammed down to the ground. All of you either recoil or fall in pain from the suplex.
“You all share pain now. The pain will be split among you all, just like what happened right now.” A nurse quickly rushes to Alfred’s aid.
“This is Level I.” He tells the four of you, “In the levels that follow you will begin to share emotions, be able to communicate telepathically, share memories, and even take over each other bodies. The closer the four of you become, the quicker you will be able to access these abilities. But until then, pain is your bond.”
And with that he dismisses all of you, leaving the room first without bothering to check if you all were alright.
With that, the four of you are sent back to the living quarters, are given free reign for the rest of the day; your connection has now officially been initiated.
The timer froze and suddenly the screen change, Mod Francisco appearing. He looked calm, and then after a few seconds of silence began to speak.
“This mission is supposed to test your resolve in the face of crisis,” He repeats what Ferdinand said in the beginning of this mission. “It is also a way for us to gauge how committed you are to PIERCE and how much you trust others in your Cluster. If anybody refuses to partake in it, they may face expulsion from our program.”
He sighs loudly and starts rubbing at his temples. “Lai-Ying Wong, if you do not wish to reveal your secret, you will be removed from the program. Our mission was not for you all to cry, but for your all to learn to trust one another.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small remote device.
“You were all aware of the nature of this job when we invited you and trained you. We apologize if these secrets are too much for you all to bear, but it will make bonding much easier.” His eyes narrowed and he pressed down on the button, the collars activating and sending a jolt of electricity through them.
“The countdown will reset just out of my generosity. If I hear more of this refusing to speak, Lai-Ying, you will no longer be allowed back into PIERCE. Thank you.”
As the screen went black, silence fell into the room and the timer began to countdown once more.
