My Strange System

Somewhere

With a sudden jerk, he woke up in a sleek chamber that reeks of technologies that could have been from the future. The walls glinted with the reflective sheen of advanced technology.

He made to rise from where he slept, but unfortunately, his wrists were locked in place with iron manacles to the metallic part of the bed.

He laid on his back and turned his neck to his right to survey his surroundings properly.

The chamber was a cold, sterile environment, with harsh fluorescent lighting casting a sickly glow across the sleek metallic floor. The walls were covered with screens and dials, their glowing displays reflecting in the dark, polished floor.

At the center of the room stood a futuristic-looking chair – which he guessed is the same as the one he was chained to – surrounded by a web of wires and cables that snaked across the floor and up the walls. The chair itself was made of a glossy black material, with a series of restraints positioned to secure the occupants.

Jacq's eyes adjusted to the harsh lighting, and he could see that the screens and dials on the walls were displaying a dizzying array of data, scrolling across the displays in a blur of numbers and symbols.

As he surveyed the chamber, he noticed a pair of figures standing far off to his left, their faces obscured by the shadows cast by the harsh fluorescent lights. Their uniforms were sleek and utilitarian, made of a dark, almost metallic-looking material, with no visible insignias or markings.

I'm in a lab... Good God.

He made another attempt to free his hands from where it was bound. It was a futile attempt. Then, he yelled out.

The two figures standing with their backs to him turned in his direction. They were masked.

In fact, they were in suits. Suits looking like those he had seen in multiple movies and games. He remembered the mobile game, NOVA: LEGACY. The whole setting of this place was like in the game.

The chamber was too futuristic to be true. This inclined bed he laid on has faint blue round it, just like in the games. The quietness of the chamber is deafening. He remembered his voice was muffled when he yelled before.

He yelled again. His voice was muffled again with a technology he has no idea of. And once again, the men in metallic suits at his left turned at him, as if to threaten him, before going about their work.

He shifted his body to sit half upright, and he examined the madness before him again.

The walls glinted with the reflective sheen of advanced technology.

The room was a maze of flashing lights, humming electronics, and sleek, angular surfaces.

The scene looked like something out of a futuristic movie, but there was nothing fictional about the danger he faced. He was at their mercy, trapped in this high-tech lair, and he had no idea what they wanted from him.

His head swam as he tried to make sense of this surrounding and he ended up in this mysterious lair.

He thought long and hard at what happened the last time he was conscious. After a series of dizzy feelings trying to remember, he finally got a grasp.

He remembered his phone ringing early in the morning after he had taken his bath. His over loaded bags he carried out of the mall. How he got home and found the door open.

His hiding behind the sofa and the sight of his broken console and game pads... He cringed. He remembered the number 911 and the sight of the locked door.

The sharp scent that caught his nose beore he fell half conscious to the floor... And...

The blue eyes...

He became blinded with fury.

"Hey, you two. Get the fuck up here and unchain the fucky fuck out of my wrists!" His blood was boiling.

The men in suit turned again and returned back to their work.

"What? You scared of a little boy? Get the fuck up here, I say!" He struggled hard against the restraint.

He realized his legs were not chained a and he started banging the metallic chair with his heel.

The noise he made wasn't much, but it seemed the men in suit have had enough. The two of them advanced with steady steps up the short stairs, at him.

The two of them cast a dark shadow on him. Jacq suddenly wished he hadn't provoked them. He became scared.

Their mask was metallic and it has a creepy look to it. The eyes were black but it reflects the many colours present in the chamber. A dark line traced a line from the corner of the eyes to form a sad expression as the mouth.

The suit was also made of metal, dark in colour and there are green outlines with regular patterns around the chest and stomach right to the back. The lower part, the same.

The one on the right side stepped forward a few more steps, and stopped suddenly.

"WHAT WERE YOU SAYING?" An angry sound emerged from behind the masked face. It sounded nothing like a human's voice. The voice resounded in Jacq's ears and gave him a sudden headache.

They are robots?! Goddamn!

Jacq laid there petrified. His mouth moved but he couldn't make a sound.

"TELL ME, HUMAN. WHAT WERE YOU SAYING?!!"

"I... I... I said..." He trailed off, unable to make any sensible sentence.

The other robot at the left side let out a laugh. It was a human's laugh.

The robot at Jacq's chair laughed too. It was human.

"It was funny of you to activate the Android's voice, K-43," he laughed again then removed the mask.

A man's face appeared from from behind. He couldn't have been more than forty years. He has white set of teeth that makes a great sight when he laughed. His nose is the most pointed nose Jacq has ever seen. He has close set eyebrows... And of course, shiny blue eyes, just like Cassie's. Though, not as bright.

Aha. Y'all are Mutants, right?

The one who had frightened Jacq started working on the manacles, and in no time, Jacq was free.

He jumped down from the metallic chair and backed off to a corner by his right. He stared unblinkingly at the two men as he exercised his painful wrists.

"What is your name, kid?" The unmasked man asked gently.

"I'm no kid," Jacq protested.

"WHAT IS YOUR NAME, KID?" The masked one echoed the question asked by the middle-aged man... With the robotic voice activated.

"My name's Jacq," frightened Jacq replied.

"Jack?" The man asked casually.

Jacq's playful nature kicked in.

"No, Jacq."

The man was surprised. "That was what I said... Jack."

"It's J-A-C-Q, not J-A-C-K," Jacq explained.

This time, the middle-aged man laughed so hard. The masked one made a raucous human sound.

"You got me there, kid." He turned to hire masked friend. "We got a stand-up comedian here." He laughed again.

Masked man laughed a little and walked towards Jacq. His suit reflected lights off different colours as be moved.

Jacq's heart thumped as straight figure closed in. He bumped into the wall as he backed and slid down to sit on the glinting floor.

The advancing figure stopped a few steps before him. He raised his gloved hands and removed his mask.

A boyish face appeared behind the mask. Blond hair, straight nose, thin lips and a beardless chin. The shiny blue eyes matched his boyish looks perfectly as he stood there, staring down at Jacq.

He stood at least 6ft but it's hard to guess his height because of the suit he wore.

Jacq grinned amusedly.

"You're not so scary now, are you, boy?" Jacq rose on his feet as he mocked the boyish figure.

"Careful now, Jacq. He might not speak much but he has a bad temper." The middle-aged man warned from behind the boy.

The blond boy shifted on his feet and opened his mouth to speak. He stopped.

Has a low self-esteem, this one. He only feels safe behind his mask.

"Go on," the man urged the boy.

Boy scratched his blond hair.

"Jacq... He cringed a little at the sound of his own voice. "... Commander Cassie awaits you."

He has a boyish look and a girlish voice.. Immediately he said that, he put his metallic mask back on, and his voice transformed back to that aggressive tone.

"FOLLOW ME."

Jacq laughed to himself and went after him. The man winked at him before they went out an inexistent door. They passed between two blue pillars in the chamber and they appeared in a long corridor, lined with dim blue lights at the edges.

Jacq became lost in thought. His ability to get over shocking events too quickly is taking its toll on him now. He had gotten over this strange surrounding and even made a liking of the middle-aged man from earlier. He had even become amused at this strange shy kid, probably leading him to his doom.

Commander Cassie?

He had expected it at first, but it's reality now is shocking. Step by step, he's getting closer to his fate and something is telling him it won't end well.

Cassie, the girl he had liked was going to pass a judgment on him, he knew.

His heart thumped steadily this time, as they edged closer. He's going to see Cassie. Even in this situation, his heart still flutters at the thought of beholding Cassie again.

"Well, she has an explanation to do. I'm not going down so easily," Jacq assured himself.

"WE'RE HERE, JACK."

Jacq stopped in his tracks and breathed hard. He rubbed his wrists unconsciously and rolled his tongue nervously.

Alrighty... Here goes nothing.

He looked back at the boy in suit and spoke softly.

"It's Jacq."

The door opened.