《Energia Tower》


 Chapter 1: Brand New Home

    Gillian Zain craned his neck upward, beholding the glowing towering structure that would soon be his new home -Energia Tower. The sight was a breathtaking blend of magnificence and grandeur; it appeared as if it were diamonds gleaming in the luminous night sky. Unfortunately, appearances were often deceiving.


    Each forceful step Gil took towards the colossal tower made him feel more and more awestruck. Strangely there was no trace of anxiety or terror within him, an absence of emotions that had become all too familiar. While anyone else would be a nervous wreck upon learning that Energia Tower would be their new permanent residence, Gil remained strangely detached. It was as though he lacked the essential components required to experience those crucial emotions.


    He looked down at his tight handcuffs, would it kill them to loosen them a bit? After all, there was nowhere for him to run - escape was futile under the watchful gaze of the massive police presence surrounding him. Attempting to escape under those conditions would be suicide.


    "Keep walking!" One of the police officers shouted as he gripped Gil''s arm with a vice-like hold.


    "Eh... I never stopped walking slower, but will do," remarked Gil with a hint of playful sarcasm.


    "Ugh, I can''t stand this kid!" grumbled the guard. "A monster like you will fit in nicely in Energia Tower!"


    "Man, you don''t have to be rude," said Gil almost playfully.


    "Don''t mind him, he''s just cranky because he''s constipated," the other police officer snickered.


    "Shut the hell up Barney! Stop playing around! Don''t forget how much of a monster this kid is!" the angry officer shouted.


    "Sorry Charles," smirked Officer Barney Pierce.


    "Also, you sure I''ll never get out? I''ve got video games to play," said Gil.


    "You''ll never play video games again! How does that make you feel," the same guard laughed.


    "It sucks... I guess I''ll have to start reading again," said Gil nonchalantly.


    "What''s with this kid," Officer Charles Moore said as he finally opened the back door of the enormous tower.


    Gil surveyed his surroundings and watched the dozens of police officers trailing behind him. Only two of them were carrying him into the building; was it really necessary to have so many police officers behind? Then again, he was an innocent person being accused of an extremely heinous crime so perhaps the excessive caution was warranted.


    Inside, Gil''s gaze fell upon a room filled with chairs, illuminated by a largeholoscreendisplaying a myriad of numbers. It vaguely reminded him of the dreaded DMV - God he hated those places. Many future prisoners were already seated, their eyes locked into him with a tense, almost ghostly stare.


    "Is that him," the receptionist stammered, her voice quivering.


    "Yeah, this is him," said Officer Charles with a smug countenance. "Barney, take a seat with the monster, Gonna'' help him get processed. I''ll be back."


    Barney guided the handcuffed Gil to one of the uncomfortable seats in the back of the room. As nearby individuals swiftly rose from their own seats and relocated farther away, a thought crossed Gil''s mind.


    "It must be my new deodorant," Gil joked.


    Barney smirked while trying to keep a straight face as he turned his head back to eye the dozen police officers who were now behind them.


    "You know... I''ve escorted a lot of prisoners to Energia Tower... Every single one of them cried or were at least somewhat emotional. Energia Tower is a prison after all, so you know that''s to be expected; you on the other hand don''t seem to care at all! The crimes you''re being accused of are some of the worst crimes I''ve ever heard in my entire career. You''re very fortunate you didn''t get the death penalty. Many people have wept like babies coming here only receiving a fraction of your time, yet here you are, calm as a bird," explained Barney.


    Gil raised his eyebrow to stare at Barney. Here it was again, people trying to understand his weird psyche. Gil quickly picked up the scrambled words to attempt to articulate himself. "Well... I think I''m calm because I know I''m innocent. I''ve got no memory of those crimes ever occurring. I don''t really get stressed out, maybe it would feel cool to feel something more, but... I can''t. Perhaps I''ve got a screw loose or something. Just not a screw that would make me commit those crimes! I''m a nice guy, I''m just kinda weird."


    "Hmm, interesting," said Barney. "You have maintained your innocence this entire time, even through trial. Does anyone believe your claim of innocence?"


    "Nobody at all," laughed Gil.


    "Does that bother you?" asked Barney.


    "Not at all," said Gil.


    "You sure?" asked Barney.


    "Well... It definitely is disappointing, to see that even your own mother is suspicious of you, but then again it doesn''t bother me like I feel it should," explained Gil. He almost felt like he was in another therapy sessions. Those sessions were always unsuccessful. People had the tendency to label him a freak for not expressing appropriate emotions. That was the reason why he was often forced to go to therapy. Now he was being called a freak for something terrible that he believed he didn''t do.


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    "Have you cried once during this entire trial?" continued Barney.


    "Not once," said Gil as he scratched his head in disappointment.


    "Not even when you heard your sentence?"


    "Not then either," said Gil. He felt that perhaps his lack of appropriate emotions affected his guilty verdict.


    "This kid is an absolute monster!" One of the police officers from behind shouted.


    "Hey c''mon, I look nothing like Frankenstein!" joked Gil.


    One of the security guards then immediately struck Gil in the back of the head. "Don''t joke around like that! Understand the position you are in! You may not be sad now, but the despair will eventually cripple you!"


    "Well that''s going to leave a bruise... I still haven''t recovered from the last time some guy hit my head," sighed Gil.


    "Was it really necessary to hit him Davis! This young man is already in handcuffs!" Barney shouted.


    "This man, or rather, this monster has already been given a fair trial and has been proven guilty. I have the right to treat a monster anyway I please," Officer David said.


    "Bummer," said Gil.


    "Look Mr Zain," said Barney after a brief silence. "After studying your case and talking with you now, I think you''re telling the truth."


    "What are your saying Barney?" another police officer angrily said.


    "I''m saying I think he''s innocent," said Barney.


    "Wow thanks Barney! You''re the best!" celebrated Gil.


    "Don''t mention it. Keep saying you''re innocent no matter what, and a way out of this filthy tower may present itself to you."


    Gil turned his head and smirked. Officer Barney Sims was the first person he met to truly believe him, or was he lying? How could a way out of Energia Tower come by anyway? He had been told numerous times that Energia Tower was inescapable no matter what. Was there really hope all along?


    "Any reason why you believe me?" asked innocent Gil.


    "Well... It''s a secret."


    "Eh... Okay," said Gil covered with confusion.


    Officer Charles returned with an electronic tablet. "You are required to sign all of these documents with this stylist."


    "Why do I have to sign my name anyway? Seems kinda pointless, because you guys would probably force me into my cell anyway," said Gil.


    "Just sign it!"


    "Okay!" Gil said as he signed his name in every prompt. It was a nice tablet too, he had played many video games with one, just not one that spectacular.


    "You don''t suppose we can play games on this tablet," Gil said afterwards.


    "Of course not!" yelled Charles. "Now we''re taking you to your cell. Normally you have to wait in this room to be processed to get to your cell, but they want you in a cell immediately! I don''t blame them either!"


    "Okay! Let''s go!" exclaimed Gil.


    Barney and Charles escorted Gil through an automatically door and led him into a steel room with blue lasers running through the metal walls. Barney turned on the huge holoscreen.


    "You must watch this short presentation. Consider this your orientation," said Charles.


    Gil turned his mellow head to the holoscreen. He was blown away by the definition, definitely had to be greater than 20k. He watched the presentation that showed a suave man get into an elevator and then exit out on the top windy floor. When the man turned around, Gil immediately recognized him... Arthur Lux... one of the most famous men in the world.


    Welcome to Energia Tower. As you know, I''m Arthur Lux, CEO of AquaLux. You''re here because you screwed up somewhere down the line, but that''s okay because now you''re going to make our beautiful corporation even greater!


    As you know, every peace of land on Earth is owned by different corporations; as of 2084, AquaLux owns approximately twenty-five percent of all land masses, but that''s not enough! We can''t fall behind other corporations like Skyra or Grappa, even for a second! AquaLux is destined to become the greatest corporation ever created... that''s where you come into play.


    Your job is simple, as a prisoner in Energia Tower, you will perform mandatory tasks in order to be released from your sentence. These tasks will include various activities, such as working in assembly lines for our new incoming robots, or be responsible for creating and maintaining exclusive weaponry for our military.


    Don''t get any funny ideas, you won''t be able to use those weapons to escape, as there is absolutely no ammunition in the entire tower! Nice try you! All of these tasks will be performed within Energia Tower. You will not leave Energia Tower until your sentence is complete! Not even for one moment!


    For every task you complete, you will receive a point. A task lasts for eight hours, it''s essentially a work shift. Let''s say you''re sentenced to prison in Energia Tower for petty theft, you only need thirty points to get out! If you perform a task every day for the next thirty days, you''re home free! Don''t come back either!


    You can perform a task anytime you wish, but you will be penalized if you do not perform a task for at least three days. The penalty for not completing a task in three days, would be another point added to to your total points, for one week, you would receive ten points, for two weeks, you would receive thirty points, for three weeks, you would receive fifty points... After a month of no tasks completed... You will be sentenced to death. Yes you heard that right, you will die if you don''t do any tasks to make us a greater corporation. We at AquaLux do so much for our residents, if you don''t want to help us after getting caught committing crimes... well adios! Yes this is legal, because nobody has more authority than us in the land that we own! Don''t worry, you will probably not be sentenced to death, as you would have to be an idiot to not complete a task in a month. Don''t worry about being falsely accused of not completing tasks, our system is accurate and will keep track of everyone who does tasks!


    Anyway, that''s all for now, you will be given a handbook that goes over all of the rules here. Something important to look at is what to do if you get ill here. It''s all in your prisoner handbook! Next, our great officers will take you in a room to get changed into your new prison uniform! Get used to it, because you won''t wear anything else until you leave. Well... I''m rambling too much, it''s time to go. Thank you for helping us stay the greatest corporation of all time!Once you''ve completed your required points, you will be free to go; but remember, even outside of Energia Tower, AquaLux watches over you. We have eyes everywhere; we will not tolerate any form of betrayal or rebellion. Remember, you owe us for you second chance... If you have too many points, you probably won''t get another chance though.


    As Gil absorbed the shocking revelation, a strange mix of determination and resignation washed over him. He realized that his survival and eventual release hinged on his ability to adapt to this new reality and play by the rules set by AquaLux.


    The hologram abruptly turned off as Gil looked towards Barney and Charles. "That Arthur Lux guy is a little... intense isn''t he?" said Gil.


    "Well of course, he is one of the richest people that have ever lived. If he wasn''t so eccentric, AquaLux wouldn''t be as great as it is now," said Barney.


    "Eh, if you say so," said Gil as he rose from his hard metal seat.


    Charles handed Gil a prison uniform. "Put that on you monster! You have over a hundred thousand points, this is your new home... forever."


    Gil picked up the rough uniform while staring at the empty metal walls of the room. The weight of his impending tasks and the realization that freedom could possibly never return to him, made his mind take a thousand laps of confusion. Though he wasn''t afraid, he couldn''t help but wonder if this new chapter in Energia Tower would provide the answers he sought about his own innocence and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his conviction.

 Chapter 2: Must Get Out

    After Gil changed into his new white prison uniform, he was escorted to his new spacious cell by Charles, Barney, and several other guards. The prisoners who managed to get a glimpse of Gil eyed him in fear, their expressions filled with trepidation and unease. Charles hastily left the cell after accomplishing his tasks, his face glistening with fearful sweat. Barney however, briefly stayed behind.


    "Does it feel good to finally have those cuffs off?" smirked Barney.


    "Feels amazing! My wrists will probably be bruised for weeks though," sighed Gil, as he rubbed his sore wrists with a wince.


    "Understandable," laughed Barney.


    The plain white color of the tile and the gray metal walls certainly did not contrast well together, creating a stark and impersonal atmosphere. The cell, however, was surprisingly sizable, providing an eerie sense of relief amidst the gloom.


    "Do I really have a hundred thousand points? That would take more than two hundred years to earn! Can I really get out of here?" asked Gil.


    "Don''t worry about points for now, just do tasks now so that you don''t end up getting executed. I''m going to get together a team to prove your innocence, we''ll do our best to get you out of here. I''m confident we''ll succeed, we''ll just need a lot of time," explained Barney. He then walked away from the door of the cell. "Take care Gil."


    "Barney wait!" Gil said.


    "What is it?" Barney asked as he turned his head.


    "Well... You''re the only one who believes I''m innocent. Even if you aren''t able to get me out, I''m grateful! Thanks a ton!" said Gil.


    "Don''t mention it," said Barney. "...I just happen to have knowledge about things I shouldn''t." He walked away like a ghost planning it''s next haunting.


    What knowledge could that be? Gil thought. Perhaps it wasn''t that important.


    He turned his head once more to eye his white cell. Perhaps it looked more luxurious than he expected due to AquaLux''s humongous revenue. Arthur Lux was a trillionaire, so perhaps he purposely kept his prison towers in tip top shape. He seemed very passionate about the productivity coming out of the towers so that was a huge possibility. The tycoon owned many prison towers throughout AquaLux''s owned regions, Energia Tower was just one of several.


    His jaw dropped when he saw a door for a bathroom. Judging by the size of the door, it wasn''t that large, but it was surreal to have your own personal bathroom in a prison. Just what was the catch?


    He then noticed a large bed with white sheets to the right corner of the room, he titled his head to another bed and realized a blonde young man was lying in it with his face buried in the pillow.


    "Oh, I didn''t realize you were there!" Gil said excitingly. "I''m Gil. And you are?"


    "I know who you are," the man said quietly and fiercely.


    "I guess that''s not surprising, everyone in the other cells were looking at me," chuckled Gil.


    "So what is there to do around here?" Gil asked as he slowly walked around the cell in awe. To think that he could be there forever was sort of haunting.


    "I''m not here to be your friend," the man said as he moved the pillow away from his face and sat on the bed. "I will tell you this though... During dinner tonight, or whenever you''re out in public, I''m going to kick your ass. If it''s not me someone else will do it. I''ll make sure I''m the first one to bash your teeth in though."


    Gil was taken aback. The young man on the bed appeared to be a few inches taller than him and he probably could beat him up if it didn''t happen. Perhaps it would be socially appropriate to pretend to be afraid; he just wasn''t quite sure.


    "You''re scrawnier than I imagined you would be. You don''t look like you did on the holoscreens at all. It''ll be easy to crush someone short and skinny like you," the young man continued.


    "I''m five foot seven, I''m not that short!" Gil complained. "But then again... I''m not the tallest guy either. Eh I don''t know."


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    "You''re puny to me. Every guy in this place is going to be coming for your head after what you did! There''s no rest for you. I overheard your conversation, a hundred thousand points is no joke. You''ll be a target every day for the rest of your life now," said the young man.


    "If that''s the case, why do you want to beat me up?" Gil asked as he placed his hand on one of the cell''s hard pearl white walls. "Are you mad at me for the crime they''re accusing me of committing, or is there another reason why you want to beat me up?"


    "Accused of committing? Are you saying you didn''t commit that crime," the young man said with an entirely new countenance. "Well... I''m still going to beat you up though!" he said with his previous expression. "You don''t need to know the reason!"


    "Well if that''s the case, beat me up right now," said Gil as he turned his head towards the cellmate. "I''m completely defensive now and the guards probably won''t come to assist me. You''re also larger than me so it''s unlikely that I''ll overpower you. Now''s the perfect time for you to ''bash my teeth in''. That is what you said you were going to do, right?"


    "Man, what''s with you!" The young man said angrily. "Don''t you get how this stuff works! If I beat you up in front of everyone, I gain a lot of respect here! Once I do that I''ll run this hellhole."


    "Why would you want to run a prison? Wouldn''t it be better to be in charge of something more meaningful?" Gil asked.


    "Just shut up already! Just know that I''m kicking your ass during dinner. If it''s not me it''ll be someone else," the man said turning his back away from Gil.


    "Sounds like you really don''t want to beat me up." He eyed the cellmate and realized he was completely disengaged. "Fine I''ll drop it."


    Gil walked towards his white bed. He was flabbergasted by the bed''s phenomenal level of comfort when he sat on it. "Sorry if I came off rude, so how''s the food here taste!?"


    "Dude... You''re apologizing to a guy who said he was going to beat you up and now you''re trying to make friends with him? Seriously, what''s wrong with you!?"


    "Sorry, my psychiatrist asked me the same thing," chuckled Gil.


    The young man rolled his eyes and buried himself into his blankets without uttering another word. It seemed the conversation was officially over.


    Gil lied on his bed over the covers and eyed the clean impenetrable metal ceiling of the cell. No video games, no holoscreens, and no sports... he was bored out of his mind. If he was never accused of the crime, he would likely be gaming and then preparing for his upcoming career test. His career test was scheduled that week; he was super bummed that he couldn''t take it.


    A career test was a test that all residents of AquaLux were required to take. The test would reveal the occupation that the tester would be legally required to complete for at least a decade. High school seniors were the primary test takers. He wondered what career the test would have given him. Hopefully it would have been something related to computers. He loved gaming, so a game developer probably would have been most ideal. Now all he could do was imagine his life inside his new boring cell. Somehow, he needed to get out of Energia Tower. Regardless of his inadequate emotions, an innocent man should have no business in prison. Escaping seemed unlikely, so all he could do at that time was try to find an accelerated way to earn more points, or put his trust in Barney (which probably wouldn''t be a good idea since he didn''t know Barney too well.)


    After a long agonizing hour of ceiling gazing, the back door to the cell opened. Gil glanced up and saw a large bearded man with a large hat. Judging by his exquisite uniform, he had to be a high ranking officer of some sort.


    "So you''re the guy everyone here keeps talking about," the large bearded man said with a strong thunderous voice.


    "I''m the guy, sadly," Gil said as he sat atop his bed.


    "My name is Officer Daryl Bowman, I''m the warden here in Energia Tower. During your stay here, you will listen to every word I say or face the consequences! Is that understood!"


    "Eh... Yes sergeant!" Gil said.


    "This isn''t the military!" Bowman shouted.


    "Sorry," remarked Gil.


    Bowman pulled out a holotablet and began reading from it. "Every day at nine in the morning, required tasks will be given. A guard will unlock your door before that time and then you will go to the end of the hall to the basement level, after eating a quick breakfast. This is a large tower and we are currently on floor thirty-one. Once you reach the basement level, you will work until five pm. You are required to check in before each shift. You will be given three breaks only, two fifteen minute breaks and one hour break. Lunch will be given during your hour break. At five pm, you will take the elevator back to your cell! At seven pm, dinner is served, nine pm is the curfew to return to your cells. Do you have any questions regarding this schedule!?"


    "Eh, sounds pretty easy to understand so far," said Gil.


    "At the end of each shift or task, you will be given one point. Optionally, you can choose to not go to a shift and complete a task any day you want. You will be penalized the more you wait though, and remember if you don''t complete at least one task in thirty days you will be legally executed!" Bowman explained.


    "It''s pretty intense that they''ll kill you for not wanting to work. Have you seen people here get executed before?" Gil asked.


    "I have," Bowman said with a new somber tonality. "Many kids come here lazy and ambitionless, they come here not wanting to work and lose their life because of it... I''ve seen kids come here with only a petty theft charge; they only needed thirty points to get out but chose to stay in their cell and mope. Once the thirty day mark came, they tried to work, but it was too late." (There are no children in prison towers. Bowman is just saying kids because he''s way older than the average prisoner).


    "How tragic," said Gil.


    "If you don''t complete tasks in thirty days I won''t mind though!" Bowman said with his signature intensity. "...After all... because of the crime you committed, several people lost their lives!"

 Chapter 3: The Worst One of All

    The infamous Gil Zain strode into the crowded cafeteria, with all eyes on him. They looked at him as if he were a savage beast, but at that time, all he desired was a simple meal. Hunger gnawed at his stomach, driving him forward with a sense of urgency. He noticed the long line of people waiting for food and he eagerly maneuvered his way towards it, his immense hunger making it difficult to stay still.


    He was especially surprised by the aesthetic of the large cafeteria. The white walls were devoid of any adornment and created a sense of minimalism that spoke volumes of the stark environment. Large windows, though equipped with sturdy bars, allowed feeble streams of natural light to penetrate the otherwise controlled atmosphere, casting gentle shadows upon the prisoners. Though the tables and polished tile were white as well, he couldn''t help but be blown away by how spectacular the lighting appeared to be. Why did the environment appear to be so welcoming? After all, it was a prison, not a restaurant. The shiny white floor made him think about who mopped the place? They surely excelled at the task.


    Perhaps a sense of trepidation lingered in the atmosphere. The prison had a stench of regret, burdens, and hopes. Even Gil, void of emotions could sense that.


    "Excuse me," Gil said to the prisoner standing in front of him. "What''s the food like in this place? It''s not bad is it... please tell me it''s not bad." He rubbed his rumbling stomach, hoping for a reply.


    The prisoner immediately recoiled, his face turning pale as if he were speaking to the grim reaper. Without uttering a word, the prisoner fled, followed by the two people ahead of him in line.


    I guess the food sucks, Gil frowned.


    Watching them run also made Gil ponder on the fact that all of the prisoners came in many shapes and sizes. He noticed that some of the men were way older than him, while some seemed to be around his age. Some were ripped like bodybuilders, while some were scrawny like broken strands of grain. He wondered which prisoners were giving off the hopeless stench, and which prisoners were giving off the stench of optimism. It was too hard to tell. Regardless of the prisoner, none of them approached Gil... Not one.


    Gil glanced around the enormous cafeteria once again to meet everyone''s beating eyes. His cellmate told him he would be attacked by anyone; so far it seemed like he was in the clear. It seemed the crime he was accused of committing instilled massive waves of fear in his fellow prisoners... no one wanted to come near him.


    His cellmate also informed him that he was going to beat him up during dinner, yet so far he was nowhere to be seen. Gil didn''t really believe him, he seemed like the kind of guy that told a lot of lies. Perhaps he would be proven wrong.


    When Gil finally made it to the front of the line, he was almost salivating. The spicy smell of chili was driving his eager nostrils mad.


    "He-re... You go," the prisoner  serving dinner said as he nervously scooped a large pile of savory chili into a metal bowl.


    "How''s the chili taste here?" asked Gil.


    "Um... It''s okay I guess, it''s uh- bet- better than you''d think," the sweating young prisoner stuttered.


    "Awesome!" cheered Gil as he reached for his bowl. He looked into the serving stands and could see multiple prisoners working in the cafeteria. Two were men, and three were women. Now that he thought about it, he hadn''t seen a woman in about two days.  All of the fellow prisoners he saw so far were men. As hungry as he was, he had a few questions for the worker.


    "So... You work here for extra points?" Gil asked. "Also, I didn''t know this tower had girls here too. I haven''t seen a single one other than the ones working behind you."


    The server almost began to hyperventilate now, hopefully his cold sweats didn''t get into the gigantic bowls of Chili. "Did you... really do it?" the nervous server asked totally ignoring all of Gil''s questions.


    Gil sighed as he looked back behind the counter once again. That time, he made eye contact with one of the women working. Though she was somewhat far away, he could tell that she was beautiful, an ethereal beauty that seemed to defy the bleakness of his surroundings. He wondered could she have done to become a prisoner at Energia Tower. Surely it couldn''t be anything worse than what he was being accused of. She was the only one whose eyes seemed to not display any fear of him. The staredown made him feel slightly uneasy... It was probably nothing.


    "Well of course I didn''t do-," said Gil before he was interrupted by someone rudely knocking over his bowl of Chili.


    "My chili!" Gil freaked as he viewed the diaster with sad eyes. For the first time ever, he thought he finally understood what sadness was.


    He glanced up and met eyes with the angry countenance of his cellmate. "Oh wow, so you weren''t kidding about beating me up huh?" Gil joked.


    The cellmate ignored Gil and went between the counter and grabbed two kitchen utensils, he banged them together to produce sounds like church bells.


    "You guys know what this guy did right?" The cellmate screamed as he walked towards the other prisoners. Their attention was now locked on him.


    "What''s that guy''s name anyway?" Gil asked the nervous server.


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    "Uh... Vince I believe," the server answered.


    "Eh, he doesn''t look like a Vince but whatever," said Gil. He titled his head back towards Vince after mourning the loss of his chili once again.


    "I said, you guys know what he did right!?" Vince screeched again.


    "... Is it all true? Did he really do all of that?" a prisoner asked Vince.


    "It''s all true! He confessed to me in our cell! He had no remorse for it at all!" Vince continued.


    "Can I have another bowl of chili?" Gil asked the server, almost ignoring Vince''s escapades.


    "Gillian Zain... Why don''t you tell everyone here what you did," said Vince.


    "You know my name?" Gil asked. "... Well I guess I did tell you my name in the cell, but I didn''t think you were listening."


    "Everyone knows your name! You''re guilty of mass murder after all! You''re the worst one here!" Vince yelled as he bawled up Gil''s shirt.


    Gil titled his head towards the many security guards who were stationed around the vicinity. Not one of them interfered, they only watched with grinning cheeks.


    "I told you I didn''t do-."


    "He has absolutely no remorse for all of the innocent lives he''s taken. He didn''t receive the death penalty because they brought him in here to torture us!"


    "Stop touching me..." Suddenly, Gil''s eyes shifted and he quickly slammed Vince on a nearby table, breaking it in the process.


    "Oh my God!" A prisoner shouted, as five to ten security guards tackled Gil to the dense metal ground


    Wait... What happened? Did it happen again? Gil thought as he was brutally forced to his feet and handcuffed. He looked with new blurry vision and ringing ears to see a broken table and Vince being attended to by prison doctors.


    Am I responsible for this? If I did, then I could als-... No that''s not true... That''s not true.


    ***


    Gil looked to the ceiling with his entire body bounded to an intolerable metal chair. He couldn''t move an inch, if he attempted to, he was met with more agonizing discomfort. The tight handcuffs on his wrists and his ankles assured him that he was not getting out... Why wasn''t he scared though? Or angry for that matter. Was it weird that he wanted to be? He had been totally isolated and starved for hours now, yet he felt nothing. If only he could cry on que.


    The reinforced door finally opened for what seemed like a century of boredom.


    "Good news Gillian Zain... Your cellmate Vincent Rich confessed to what happened. After speaking with him, he wants you out of here," the warden  Daryl Bowman said.


    "Really!?" Gil smiled. "This is great! I can finally get some chili."


    "Well... The chili''s all gone," said Bowman.


    "Aw, c''mon," freaked Gil as the painful handcuffs continued to desolate his wrists.


    The warden slowly walked over and unlocked Gil''s handcuffs. "If it was up to me, you''d be here all night... what you did is unforgivable after all."


    "Well I... didn''t do it...," said Gil as he held his now free wrists.


    "So many people, killed by one evil young man," Bowman said as he slowly but ragefully walked around Gil like a wolf studying it''s prey.  "And now, that young man lies right in front of me. You escaping the death penalty is a miracle on the level of Moses opening the Red Sea."


    Gil could tell Bowman was trying to invoke fear in him. Once Bowman was unsuccessful, he turned back around towards the door.


    "Anyway, you should be given more points for that outburst in the cafeteria, but Vincent was practically begging for you not to be disciplined... Those in charge of me have taken Vincent''s request. I don''t know why, but you will not receive any kind of discipline for what happened. If it happens again, I''ll make sure you suffer."


    "Uh... Yeah, good to know!" gleamed Gil.


    "Now about food?"


    "Our workers will give you food before we return you back to your cell," said Bowman. Bowman then eerily walked close to Gil. "One of these days... I''ll make you break," he threatened before exiting the room alongside Gil.


    Maybe that would be fun, thought Gil. He had no idea what it meant to be mentally broken, perhaps it would been more entertaining than feeling nothing.


    After being given a ton of crackers and pudding, Gil was escorted by several guards to his white emotionless cell.


    "Hey man, I''m really sorry," said Vince as soon as Gil entered the cell.


    Vince''s apology caught Gil off guard. The sudden change in behavior was puzzling. "No problem, I''m just shocked that you actually stayed true to your word," said Gil has he ate a huge spoonful of chocolate pudding.


    "I did not expect that slam, you really roughed me up!" exclaimed Vince.


    "Did I now... I see," said Gil blanklessly. He then shoved crackers into his mouth.


    "Uh... Is that all they gave you to eat?" asked Vince.


    "Sadly, yeah. Luckily, this chocolate pudding is amazing!" smirked Gil.


    "I don''t get it," said Vince. "Everyone that leaves the isolation chamber always comes back a nervous wreck, but you seem unnerved. I have to admit I''m really impressed."


    "Uh well... I''ve been diagnosed with what you call psychopathy. I didn''t commit mass murder though. Even if I''m weird, I know I didn''t do that. I think my diagnosis could have made them frame me."


    "Wait... You''re a psychopath! Doesn''t that mean you''re like a criminal mastermind! And I thought psychopaths could still feel fear."


    "That''s just a stereotype! I wouldn''t hurt a fly and I definitely didn''t commit mass murder," explained Gil. Gil wondered why Vince was acting so much differently than he was before. He spilled his chili earlier and now he was trying to befriend him. He wondered why that was the case.


    "Are you being for real!?" asked Vince.


    "For real!" said Gil as he ate more pudding.


    "But who really committed that mass murder though, and why would they frame you!?" Vince asked.


    "I''m not sure. I don''t know a way to prove my innocence so I''m imprisoned for now. I wish I could leave this boring place though," said Gil.


    "Aw man, that''s rough. I at least committed a crime to get here. The news really paint it out for you to be the culprit, if you''re really innocent that blows," said Vince.


    "Yeah, it is what it is," said Gil. "Hopefully I get out one day... So what are you in here for?"


    "Selling illegal substances and robbery. This is my fourth time here so I''ve got a ton of points I need to rack up! I need four hundred points to get out now, but that''s nothing compared to your one hundred thousand," answered Vince.


    "That''s only a little more than a year of work! You''ll get out before you know it," said Gil.


    "Maybe you''re right," said Vince with a melancholy smirk. "Well to answer your question yesterday, I''m Vince."


    "I already know your name, but nice to meet you! I''m Gil."


    "I already know your name too, but nice to meet you."


    It appeared as if Vince would be a great ally despite their previous scuffle. He wasn''t yet sure he could trust Vince; his drastic chance of behavior was sort of suspicious to him.


    Sadly, Gil was unaware of the unbelievable hatred that was aimed at him in Energia Tower. As a person convicted of mass-murder, it was natural for flames of rage to be aimed at him. Gil also secretly directed the rage towards himself. The flame of  hatred that was aimed at Gil wouldn''t be satisfied until Gil suffered and was ultimately broken. Could one without emotions break?

 Chapter 4: The Red Eyed Lion

    "Ready for this," Vince asked Gil as they walked towards the enormous elevator to start their task.


    "I''m ready!" exclaimed Gil.


    With a hundred thousand points, there probably was no point in Gil working, as it would take a hundred thousand days to be released from Energia Tower. All he could do was put his faith into Barney''s words... He hadn''t heard from him yet though.


    There was also the threat of being executed. He had to work at least once in thirty days to keep himself from being executed. He wouldn''t have to work to save his life until the twenty-ninth day. As much as he wished he could feel more, he definitely didn''t feel like dying.


    Gil and Vince finally entered the elevator to start their shift with a plethora of other prisoners - whose eyes were of course all locked on Gil.


    "The first task you do is always the most complicated, but once you get used to it it''s not so bad," said Vince as the elevator began to descend to a place without sunlight.


    "I''m probably going to do the ''bare minimum'' but let''s see what happens," joked Gil.


    "That''s the spirit!" chuckled Vince.


    "Uh... Vince. Did that guy really commit mass murder?" a concerned prisoner asked.


    Vince quickly turned his head towards the prisoner. "Well he''s in Energia Tower so what do you think!" he snared.


    "Actually, I''m -." Vince quickly pulled Gil away before he could finish his sentence.


    "What do you think you''re doing!?" asked Vince.


    "What do you mean?" Gil said as confusion became printed on his face.


    "Don''t you know how this stuff works! This is a prison! The only reason why nobody here is giving you a hard time is because they think you committed mass murder. If you correct them, you could easily become a target. Not everyone would be as nice as me, some people here are pure evil to the core," explained Vince with deep concern.


    "I appreciate the concern Vince, but it''s fine. I want to be authentic, lying about something I haven''t done is something I just can''t do. If the prisoners beat me up, it''s fine... I don''t mind," said Gil. "Also I''ll probably launch them to a table like I did you," he laughed.


    "Whatever, do what you want!" groaned Vince.


    Gil walked back towards the prisoner who asked Vince the question.


    "Hey, I''m Gil. No I didn''t commit mass murder, I was framed," said Gil.


    "Wow, that''s interesting," the prisoner said.


    The elevator stopped and finally opened. Gil was greeted by a gigantic factory that almost had a red tint to it. The humid air made it a little difficult to breathe, just how many people could have fainted there?


    "We''ll probably be assigned different stations," said Vince. "If somebody gives you a hard time let me know."


    "Will do."


    Gil was unaware of the lion he would encounter on his first shift... that lion would change everything.


    ***


    It turned out Vince was correct, they were assigned different tasks that day by the prison guards in charge of the facility. The task Gil was assigned was so ridiculously easy that he was almost shell shocked.


    All he had to do was move the crane-like component of a giant machine to rip off heads of enormous war robots. The robots were on a slow moving conveyor belt, very simple task. He controlled the crane with a controller above the conveyor belt. He was told that the heads were to be removed because they were replacing them with an updated version.


    Gil gleamed with joy; breaking the heads off of war robots was surprisingly therapeutic. He wondered what Aqua Lux needed the war robots for anyway. If other prisoners were doing similar tasks, there had to be millions of war robots, yet here he was, removing heads from robots. There hadn''t been any wars in decades, keeping robots up to date just seemed like a waste of time.


    He quickly wiped the sweat from his face as he glanced around the dark factory. He could see other prisoners also breaking robot heads but he couldn''t see Vince anywhere. He wondered if his task was as simple as his. He then jolted his eyes back to the conveyor belt - he almost missed a robot! Who knows what the prison guards would do if he were to miss one... probably another point.


    After nearly three hours of the competitive task, it was time for a fifteen minute break. He backed away from the machine panting with boredom, what started out easy eventually became boring misery! At least he could take a break now.


    "Gillian Zain right?" a strong voice called out from behind him.


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    "That''s me, what''s up?" asked Gil.


    He turned to three prisoners who all looked to be around at least their mid twenties. The man in the front appeared to be the most bulky, probably three or four times larger than Gil.


    The man in the front sharply looked into Gil''s naive eyes. After a brief silence, he finally spoke again. "I''ve heard that you didn''t actually commit mass murder... that true?"


    "Yeah, it''s not true!" Gil said as he slowly walked towards the other prisoners. "I''m still trying to prove my innocence, hopefully it works ou-."


    Before Gil could finish his sentence, he was brutally punched in the abdomen. He lied on the floor gasping for air, the impact was like getting hit by an angry bull.


    The man in the front slowly bent down and put his face near Gil''s agonized face. "Let me make one thing clear," the man began before forcing Gil to rise back to his feet. "If you didn''t commit mass murder, what would stop us from killing you right now?"


    "Don''t know actually," laughed Gil. "I doubt the guards would stop you if you tried."


    "My name is Bug," the man said before violently striking Gil in the face. "Nice to meet you."


    Perhaps he was supposed to be terrified at a time like that but fear would not show itself. He was in pain, but his psyche prohibited him from being afraid.


    "So Bug... why are you punching me? What have I done to you?" asked Gil.


    "We think you lied about those murders so that you could come run things here... Not gonna happen."


    Gil immediately busted out laughing upon hearing those words. Running a prison just sounded like a very lame thing to do. Something like running a corporation was definitely more commendable. As shrewd as Arthur Lux was, he was still in charge of something meaningful.


    "Why would any one want to run a prison? Vince said the same thing, you guys really need better priorities!" laughed Gil.


    Gil''s laughter made Bug and his companions freeze with confusion.


    "Don''t you know what kind of position you''re in right now!" One of Bug''s companions named Russ shouted.


    "There''s nothing funny here... hold him up," Bug said softly.


    Gil tried to make it happen, but he couldn''t. Anytime he tried force it, it never succeeded. He flipped Vince over the table without thinking about it, perhaps something similar would happen.


    Russ and the other companion named Tim held Gil up by his tired arms.


    "You think this is funny!" yelled Bug before socking Gil in the face repeatedly.


    Each punch felt like getting pounded by rusty cinder blocks. He tried desperately to break free, yet failed everytime. His body was not reacting to the damage - it wasn''t happening that time.


    Why won''t it work? Gil thought before taking another brutal punch from Bug.


    For as long as he could remember, he always subconsciously fought back against people who were trying to harm him. It was like his weird special power that he never really pondered about too much until that moment. Growing up as an orphan was tough in Arthur Lux, there were no angels and there were no sympathies, only devils and hostilities. He constantly met people who wanted to annihilate him, yet his special power saved his life every time. Even when he didn''t intend to fight back, he always attacked. It was like he couldn''t help it, it was no different than breathing for him. Ironically, now he wanted to attack but nothing special happened. All he could do was wince in agony as each bowling ball punched his face. He heard nothing but ringing in his ears, he was amazed he was still conscious.


    "Not tough now are you! You think you''re strong because you knocked over Vince!? It was fluke," Bug said before continuing his mercilessly assault.


    What had he been doing all this time? Why didn''t he consider his power at all? In his day to day life, the thought of having his ability never occurred to him. He also didn''t consider his lack of emotions, could the two be related?


    The strange forgotten words of his adopted father played in his head as he took more agonizing hits. "They say Aqua Lux was conducting experiments on people, your mother and I think-"


    "Jerry that''s enough! Not another word!" His adoptive mother screeched.


    His father had to be correct, it was such an odd thing to say, but how else could he explain his power? Maybe that was the reason why he was so weird, but he needed more info. Why did he forget that memory until that moment? Who knew beatings could help you remember crucial information.


    Gil broke free from one of the boys holding him. Now he remembered why he didn''t consider his power... It was because he was afraid of it. At one point, he seriously hurt someone - since that was the case he knew that somewhere deep down inside, he possibly did in fact commit the mass murders...


    Gil punched Bug''s bloodied face with everything he had (the blood came from Gil''s face)... Bug didn''t even flinch, he just smirked like some monster.


    "I''m amazed you still had some fight left," said Bug before slamming him into the cold lifeless ground.


    He didn''t want to be the one who was guilty of mass murder. All those innocent people, killed by him. After the anger left, sadness washed over him. He hadn''t been sad in years, if ever maybe. What a horrible feeling, if it was what normal people felt, he never wanted to feel it again. He was begging for the wrong thing. He knew that he didn''t want to harm anyone though, the thought that he could have potentially harmed people moved his emotionless heart.


    "That''s enough," a cold voice demanded.


    Gil looked up to see the voice came from another prisoner that he never saw before. The prisoner''s long hair almost completely blocked his eyes.


    "... Let''s get out of here," Bug said with immense fear. The foolish trio walked away.


    "Get up," The long haired man said while helping Gil get to his feet.


    "Uh... Thanks," said Gil. He was glad the assault was over, but his sadness remained. I didn''t do it, he continued to say to himself.


    "Why do you continue to lie to yourself Gillian?" the man asked.


    It was like he read his mind, who was this person supposed to be?


    "What are you talking about?" asked Gil. Hearing a stranger say his name was puzzling.


    "Aren''t you supposed to be emotionless?" the man asked before slowly walking towards the crane controller. "Here you are with tears in your eyes. There''s no way you''re one of them, if you''re crying," The man smirked.


    I''m crying? Gil thought before wiping his tears. He hadn''t seen his own tears in years, almost felt like he was on an upside down elevator.


    "What do you mean by them!? Who are you anyway!?" Gil demanded - still incoherent from the violent beating.


    The long haired man turned towards Gil with a insidious smirk. "Well maybe you are one of them, perhaps something triggered a temporary emotional outburst. I wonder what did."


    Gil gritted his teeth. "I''ve had enough of your games, if you know something, tell me!"


    "Well... I think we''ve talked long enough for today," the man said before walking away from the platform. "Get out of the facility and go back to your cell. You will receive a point for today, your shift is now over."


    Why was a prisoner talking like he was in charge? Nothing in Energia Tower made any sense. His savior gave him more creeps than Bug did.


    "Who are you?" Gil asked before the young man was out of his sight.


    He looked back at Gil with horrifying eyes. "It''s Leo... you can either forgive yourself or you can let your hatred of yourself take over... I could care less about whichever choice you choose. I have bigger goals in mind."

 Chapter 5: Ten to Twenty Years

    Gil held his bandaged face with a puzzled expression. He never felt such a pile of emotions before, he wondered what changed. The mysterious prisoner, Leo that he met the other day seemed to know a lot about him, but why?


    The oddest part about the whole situation was that Gil actually missed the emotions he felt. It was painful, yet so very authentic. Now he was back to being a blank canvas, he couldn''t fathom which one actually caused more pain.


    He didn''t work the day after getting beaten by Bug and his terrible companions, he chose to remain in his icy cell and continue to tell himself that he was innocent.


    He desperately wanted to leave Energia Tower after the previous day''s incident with Bug and Leo. Though Bug was the one who injured him, it was really Leo who gave him the creeps. It was as if Leo knew secret things about him that he would not reveal. What could he have been hiding exactly?


    He also really missed his adoptive parents. Though he only met them when he was thirteen, they still treated him with love and kindness. His mother was a chef, her cooking was the greatest thing ever. He missed her homemade ravioli and baked cakes, would he ever be able to eat them again? He also missed his father''s enormous laugh, his laughter could fill an entire mansion. He also missed his video games. It was his greatest hobby, nothing entertained him more. He just wanted to take his career test to make games of his own, yet there he was getting pounded at Energia Tower.


    Vince walked through the sturdy reinforced door "How are you holding up now?"


    "I don''t... feel anything," Gil said while eyeing the floor.


    "What do you mean?" asked Vince.


    "Uh... I don''t know actually," said Gil turning towards Vince. "So, when can we eat!"


    "Right now!"


    Gil and Vince exited the cell; the eyed the dozen of guards that watched them like hawks as they walked towards the spacious cafeteria.


    "Told you there were people who would give you a hard time. I''m just surprised they beat you that bad though," said Vince angrily.


    "Why do you care so much Vince? It''s not like you''ve been lifelong friends after all," said Gil.


    "Well," Vince began before scratching his head. "I just don''t like to see innocent people get hurt. Can you believe that I used to want to be a police officer. I have no idea how I ended up on this path," he said while looking at one of the prison guards.


    "What!? You a cop? No way!" laughed Gil. "You''d be one of those dirty cops who''d give someone a ticket for going 1 mph above the speed limit!"


    "Shut the hell up! I didn''t want to do those kind of things!" barked Vince. "There''s just a lot of people who are pure evil in this world, their ice cold eyes give me chills. I just wish I could stop all of them... Now they''re all around me."


    "I see," began Gil with widened eyes. "You mentioned that there were people who were evil when we were about to work yesterday. Were you talking about Bug and his friends?"


    "Uh... not really. Bug is here for petty crime, he''s no bigshot at all, he just thinks he''s important. A lot of guys come here and refuse to leave for some reason. They think running this place will give their lives purpose, or something," explained Vince.


    "Interesting," said Gil as they walked into the spacious cafeteria. The smell of chili highlighted the air. "Why do so many people want to run this place? What''s the appeal?"


    "Well... The higher your status is here, the more perks you get. There''s like a social hierarchy here. Being at the top would make anyone feel special. I want to so I can change this place forever, by bringing justice to the true evil people. I don''t think being sentenced to Energia Tower is true justice because of all the benefits. Also, I think people want to run it, because AquaLux wants to keep as many prisoners as they can to increase their productivity, especially over their rival corporation Skyra," said Vince.


    "Sounds like something AquaLux would do. Making prison fun is the perfect way to keep as many people in prison as possible. I don''t get it because I want to get out of here desperately," said Gil as they lined up to grab a bowl of chili.


    "No kidding. I never want to see this place again, I just wish I could control it before I leave... Doesn''t seem I have it in me though," shrugged Vince.


    "You keep talking about evil people. Who are these people? And how do they act," said Gil while imagining Leo. He looked for him in the cafeteria and did not see him, but he saw Bug, eyeing him like a hawk. He got the impression that Bug wouldn''t approach him that day.


    "I don''t know how to explain it, but there''s people that are rumored to not have hearts. They kill without remorse, it''s all a game to them. Many of these strange people are in this very room," Vince said while glancing at some of the prisoners seated at tables. "It doesn''t seem like they have a purpose in their crimes... It''s like they do it for pure enjoyment."


    Gil felt his heart rate increase, could he have been one of those people? Impossible, as he had no memory of committing such heinous acts. He knew something peculiar happened though. If he did in fact commit the crimes, he would blame himself forever. The thought of that almost made him feel emotional again like the other day. He was afraid to tell Vince that he was suspicious of another side of him.


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    "Do you know any of these people? Is one of them named Leo?" asked Gil.


    "Leo? No, I''m afraid I''ve never heard that name. But see that guy there, the bald guy with a scar by his eye," Vince pointed to a man at a table with several other people, including Bug, Russ, and Tim. "That man simply goes by, Dust. Dust is a convicted mass murderer that constantly talks about his crimes with a smile on his face. It''s rumored that he''s killed another inmate, but the guards don''t do anything about it. He hasn''t killed as many as you are convincted to have killed. I thought someone like him would be the one to give you a hard time and not Bug. Maybe he sent Bug after you."


    "Maybe we should ask him if he did? And maybe also ask him about Leo," said Gil.


    "No way! Are you kidding! That guy''s a menace. If Bug beat you, Dust will kill you. I''m not sure why he hasn''t talked approached you yet, but don''t talk to talk to him! Avoid him like the plague," explained Vince.


    "Fine," said Gil, still glancing at Dust. He wanted to approach him anyway, perhaps he was out of his mind.


    "So what''s the plan now Vince?" Gil asked as they moved forward in the long line.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Well... I know you have about four hundred points, do you want to get out or do you want to be on top of this ''social hierarchy.'' Doesn''t seem like you can pick both right?"


    "I''ve been trying to run this place for awhile now, long before you came here, it''s no walk in the park," said Vince after taking in a huge deep breath. "Guess I''ll have to abandon that. Probably never had a chance with monsters walking around here. Gonna'' try to find a way to earn accelerated points"


    "Accelerated points? How will you earn more?"


    "Going to do a ton of odd jobs around here, perhaps I could get out in less than six months instead of over a year," answered Vince.


    "Less than six months... that''s a big difference!" gleamed Gil. "I really don''t want to live in this place the rest of my life. It would take me over two-hundred years to earn a hundred-thousand points, how quickly do you think I can leave if I earn a ton of accelerated points, plus my daily tasks?"


    Gil still was hoping Barney would find a way to get him out, at that point he doubted he''d ever hear from Barney again.


    "Well, it''s hard to say, but if you''re really dedicated to your tasks you could get out in about twenty years. That''s still better than being here you''re entire life. You''d be thirty-eight, a lot of years to look forward to after that," said Vince.


    "Man twenty years is too long! How about ten years!? You think that''s possible?"


    "Eh, probably. It''s going to take a ton of work though! Never heard of a prisoner with a large sentence like yours leaving this place in ten years, or ever actually. Guess it couldn''t hurt to try," said Vince.


    "Then it''s settled then, we''re both getting out of here. You''ll be out of here in no time; it''ll take awhile for me but I''m definitely getting out of here!" exclaimed Gil.


    "That''s the spirit!" Vince said before giving Gil a fist bump. "I admit I am extremely nervous about being in the real world again, but I''ve got to at least try. It''ll be hard to find a job with my record and I definitely don''t want to sell illegal merchandise again, guess I could always be a garbage man."


    "No problem, we''ll both be garbage men when we get out! Collecting garbage is the next big career move," laughed Gil.


    "If you say so," chuckled Vince.


    "Are you into video games?" asked Gil.


    "Eh kinda, didn''t really have time to play a lot of them. Why?"


    "When I get out ten to twenty years later, we''ll play a few games. Fighting games, sport games, whichever. I mean, I''ll kick your ass in all of them, but let''s do it!" said Gil.


    "Get out of here! I was good at sport games. You wouldn''t stand a chance," chuckled Vince.


    "We''ll see!" said Gil as they finally got to the front of the line.


    "Hey I remember you, what''s up!" Gil said to the prisoner serving the chili.


    "Oh... hi," the prisoner stuttered while pouring chili into a metal bowl.


    "What''s your name? And what are you in here for?" Gil asked the nervous prisoner.


    "Uh- it''s Danny. I was shop lifting," said Danny.


    "Shop lifting! They got you in here for that!? That''s insane," teased Gil. "We''ll trying to earn more points to get out of here. Think we can work in the cafeteria?"


    "Uh, Gil, they say working in the cafeteria is one of the worst optional tasks to complete," said Vince.


    "I bet all of the optional tasks are gonna suck. We''ll have to suffer before we find comfort. Besides... the cafeteria has girls," said Gil.


    "So what! Most of the girls here are just as bad as most of the guys here!"


    "Ah, so you''re nervous to talk to girls," teased Gil.


    "Says who!? I''ve got better game than you by far!" said Vince.


    "Uh guys... your chili," Danny asked inaubily to Gil and Vince."


    "Does that mean you''ve got a girlfriend?" Gil asked


    "Well no, because I keep coming back to this place! If I had more time, I''d imagine I would. Do you have one?" Vince returned.


    "Actually, no," laughed Gil.


    "Just take your chili!" Danny yelled.


    "Sorry."


    "And about working here, just ask a guard to let you apply here," said Daryl.


    Gil and Vince walked to an empty white table to eat their chili. Gil was blown away by the flavor of the chili. It was spicy, yet possessed a hint of sweetness. It almost tasted as good as his chef mother''s chili. Why would AquaLux invest so much energy into making chili that doesn''t taste horrendous? Perhaps what Vince said about AquaLux trying to make prison seem fun was true. It seemed corporations would do anything to increase their productivity, no matter how unethical it could be.


    As they ate, a large chubby man with tanned skin and dark straight hair approached their table.


    "Jorge!? What are you doing back here?" Vince asked.


    "Well... I kinda started selling illegal merchandise again," laughed Jorge.


    "You idiot! You weren''t supposed to come back here!" hissed Vince.


    "Neither were you!" said Jorge, before they both erupted into a fit of laughter.


    "Jorge, this is Gillian Zain. I''m sure you heard of him."


    "Hey there!" said Gil.


    "That''s the kid I saw on the news!" Jorge said before getting uneasy eyes. "What are you doing with a guy like this!? Are you with him because you''re still trying to run this place?"


    "Relax. He says he''s innocent. His conviction is bad, but it''s not near as bad as those monsters here. In fact he doesn''t seem evil at all... a little weird but not evil."


    "Thanks Vince... I think," said Gil.


    "Uh, ok I guess I''ll take your word for it. As long as he''s not like Dust I guess it''s fine," Jorge said before taking a seat at the table.


    Gil titled his head towards Dust''s table while eating a huge spoonful of chili. He wondered just what did he know. If he talked to him, would his fear be fully realized. Despite that possibility, the urge to pick the monster''s brain was overwhelming.

 Chapter 6: Them

    Gil exited the elevator to complete his daily task the next day. He watched Vince walk away in the opposite direction of the gloomy factory; they were assigned different shifts again that day by the prison guards. That day, Gil''s task consisted of manually slotting in the handles of numerous energy blasters. The dissembled energy blasters were on a slow moving conveyor, all Gil needed to accomplish was sliding in the handle. That task was probably easier than removing war robot heads, however he knew that it would become agonizing after eight hours.


    During the first fifteen minute break, Gil tirelessly walked to a table with several cold plastic water bottles rested on it. He grabbed a bottle and gulped down the water like a fish that had been removed from a pond. Six more hours of chaos was going to be difficult.


    He remembered telling Vince that they would work more hours to get out of Energia Tower earlier. He only worked two hours of the numerous hours he''d have to work in order to escape Energia Tower.


    He looked throughout the enormous factory to see if he recognized one of the numerous prisoners around him. He didn''t see Vince anywhere, nor Bug and nor Leo. Leo''s disappearance was like that of a ghost; he started to foolishly wonder if Leo even existed.


    He threw the empty plastic water bowl in the trashcan and saw the chubby man, Jorge in his peripheral.


    "Hey, Jorge right?" Gil asked, trying to remove his boredom.


    "Yeah, and you''re Gillian Zain... You''re not dangerous are you?" freaked Jorge.


    "Only when I''m hungry," smirked Gil. "I''m kidding."


    "Oh great," Jorge said nervously.


    "So..." Gil began while scratching his head. "I remember hearing that you were sent back to Energia Tower for selling illegal merchandise again? Why did you start selling it again if it meant you could be sent to Energia Tower again?"


    Jorge erupted into a loud laughter, some of the other prisoners glanced over to see the strange spectacle.


    Uh... okay," Gil thought.


    "Well Gil, the reason why I kept selling that stuff is because they were calling my name! I can''t ignore something that''s calling my name! Know what I mean?" explained Jorge.


    "Eh, not really," said Gil.


    "I was getting loads of lux coins! I''ve been poor my whole life, selling drugs -eh I mean illegal merchandise changed my life! I was drowning in cash, hell I even considered buying a gold toilet just because I could!" said Jorge enthusiastally.


    "You had enough to buy a gold toilet!? No way!" exclaimed Gil.


    "Eh, that may have been an exaggeration but you get the point. I decided to take the risk; it was going pretty good until I sold to an undercover cop. Now I''ve got a thousand points... I''ll be in this place for a long time this time around. Despite that, I don''t regret anything."


    "Man, sorry to hear that. That''s more points than Vince. We talked about working a bunch of overtime to get out earlier. Will you be joining us?" asked Gil.


    "I remember hearing you guys talk about that at lunch yesterday. I''ll pass. These shifts suck already, working overtime might make someone burnout. Besides, I''m too chubby to work overtime," said Jorge.


    Gil suddenly realized that the air around the room almost felt like it shifted. The New air felt disgusting and horrifying. He checked his surroundings and saw the infamous convicted murderer Dust standing with Bug, Russ, Tim and four other men only about thirty feet away. Dust''s ominous appearance made it obvious that he probably should not be approached, yet he felt a burning desire to do so. Ever since he met Leo, he felt a deep discomfort about the secret knowledge that Leo seemed to possess. He remembered Leo talking about them. Whoever they were, Gil was extremely worried that he was one of them too. He had no memory of that being likely, but it was possible that Leo and Dust were both one of them too. If that was the case, Dust may give him all of the answers he needed... perhaps depending on what Dust would tell him, would determine if he''d aim the knife at his own heart or not.


    "Apparently, that Dust guy is a convicted killer that takes pleasure in the crimes he committed. Perhaps he doesn''t have any emotions like someone else I know," began Gil.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    He stared at Bug and reminisced his hard bowling ball punches. He didn''t want to get hit by sandbags again so it''d probably be best to avoid the group, yet his desire for knowledge beat him.


    "I think I''m going to talk to Dust. I feel like he may have something I''m looking for," said Gil. After he said that, he noticed a huge black roach walking between his feet. He watched the vermin quickly take shelter behind a trashcan.


    "Are you out of your mind!" screamed Jorge. "Dust is a monster! If you''re really innocent, he''ll destroy you! I''ve heard he''s killed other inmates for less," warned Jorge.


    "Well maybe I''ll get beat up again, or maybe they''ll kill me. Let''s find out," said Gil.


    "Beat you up again? Dust beat you before!?" asked Jorge.


    "Well, not Dust but Bug. Can''t you tell? My right eye''s still a little puffy," said Gil.


    "I thought you just had a weird face, didn''t know it was because you were assaulted!" said Jorge.


    "Thanks Jorge... I think," said Gil while mentally facepalming.


    "If Bug beat you up, why on Earth would you think it''s a good idea to approach them?" asked Jorge.


    "Not sure," smirked Gil has he walked towards Dust and his crew.


    "Gil come back!"


    It was already too late, Gil''s feet were already set in motion.


    He didn''t feel any fear while staring at Bug, perhaps the psychopathy was kicking. He wondered if his psychopathy would wear off and make him weep again like a few days ago. He could almost smell incoming violence in the air, so he hoped his strange power would work, just in case.


    Gil looked up at a dimming light bulb. The closer he got to the group, the denser the air seemed to become, yet he continued his walk towards fire.


    Dust and the other people in the group stared at Gil in anticipation, their grimaces greeting him with wonder.


    "Well, if it isn''t the one and only Gillian Zain," the infamous Dust said with an eerie smile. "I''m surprised someone as famous as you approached me."


    "I''m not as famous as you are apparently," said Gil while looking at Dust''s facial scar. "I just wanted to have a quick chat if you don''t mind."


    "Ask away. I really look up to you for the crimes you committed. You''re my idol," said Dust fiercely.


    Bug appeared as if he was sweating bullets, Gil found that to be very odd but continued his questioning nonetheless.


    "Is it true you committed mass murder to be imprisoned here?" asked Gil.


    "You know it''s true! I loved every second of it. I may not have had as many victims as you or other people, but I''m extremely happy with the pain I''ve brought people. My victims'' families are still crying about their deaths, isn''t that hilarious?" laughed Dust.


    "I met a guy named Leo, he implied that there were several people who apparently don''t have any emotions and have committed violent crimes without a care in the world. Do you know Leo, and are you one of those people?"


    Dust erupted into a deep laughter as he put his hand of Bug and Russ''s shoulders, both of them appearing frightful. "Yes... I am one of them. I do know Leo, I''m not quite as esteemed as Leo, but I''m a monster to be wrecken with."


    "I see," said Gil as he took a big gulp. "Am I one of them too?"


    "Leo doesn''t want me to discuss certain things with you at this moment. I''m just amazed you''re even talking to me right now. I''m honored really," said Dust.


    "That''s disappointing," said Gil. "Where is Leo anyway?"


    "The kings that sit atop hills are phantoms," said Dust with his signature creepy smirk.


    "Eh, okay. So do you listen to Leo a lot?" asked Gil.


    "I do. I can''t stand near his greatness, that guy''s on another level. I''ve only murdered ten losers, not even I know how much Leo killed. I bet it''s a massive number," said Dust with joy.


    "If that''s the case, why did you send Bug and his friends to beat me up! Leo was the one who saved me. Doesn''t that sound contradictory?" asked Gil.


    Dust remained mute while cracking his large neck. "I never ordered Bug or anyone else to beat you up... Bug is this true?"


    "Well... I," began Bug. "Russ and Tim were with me too!"


    "Bug!" screamed Russ.


    "Let''s see... you snitched on your partners and you beat up Gillian Zain!?" Dust put his hand on Gil''s shoulder. "Do you know who this guy is!? He''s a legend!"


    "I''m sorry! I didn''t kno-," Dust immediately punched Bug in the mouth, launching him into the hard metal floor. He then repeated stomped on his head.


    "I have to squash the bug!" exclaimed Dust as blood decorated the gloomy vicinity.


    Dust got on his knees by Bug''s twitching bloody body. "Don''t ever put your hands on a legend!" Dust screamed before punching Bug more with a grand smile.


    "Dust... does it feel good to inflict harm on others... Does it make you happy?" Gil said with a stren countenance.


    "It does! Nothing brings me more satisfaction than this!" Dust said before continuing his assault on Bug.


    "Dust... You''re a liar," said Gil.


    Dust stopped beating Bug when he heard those words.


    "The fact that causing harm on others brings you joy means you''re not one of them. Also, you think very highly of Leo; someone who was really one of them wouldn''t be so happy to compare their crimes to someone else''s. You''re an imposter, masquerading as one of them to increase your status. You''re just a criminal that relishes in other people''s agony. You have no sympathy for your victims, but your joy for anarchy gives it all away. The people I''m referring to would not find pleasure in violence, they would simply cause chaos for the hell of it. I''m disappointed Dust," explained Gil.


    Dust and the entire crew were left speechless as Gil calmly walked away from the group. The fear in Dust''s eyes made it apparent to Gil that he would not approach him afterwards or cause him any harm.


    He was hoping that Dust could reveal a lot of crucial information, but he only wasted his time. He he wanted information, he''d have to find Leo again or someone else who was really them.


    He was greatly dissatisfied with the conversation, the knife aimed at his chest would have to wait.

 Chapter 7: The Crow

    After finishing the extremely boring shift, Gil, Vince, and Jorge exited the gigantic elevator to the surface alongside a plethora of other prisoners. Gil and Vince decided to do whatever it took to get out of Energia Tower, which meant completing many bonus tasks to earn more points. Jorge did not want to work more than he was required, so he simply went to his cell and waited for dinner. Vince only needed about four hundred points to be a free man, while Gil needed over a hundred thousand. They signed up to work many extra shifts in order to achieve their goal. That day, they were assigned to work extra in the cafeteria immediately after work, unfortunately, their brilliant plan would soon come crashing down...


    As Gil and Vince walked to the cafeteria with strained eyes, they looked at each other sighing from the boredom.


    "Today''s shift was killer, and now we have to work more to get out early. How long do you think we can keep this up before we crash?" asked Vince.


    "Probably only until tomorrow," joked Gil.


    "Don''t jinx it!" said Vince.


    Gil eyed the impenetrable metal walls as he thought about the incoming shift.


    "I don''t think working in the cafeteria will be that hard. I''m more nervous about working with girls to be honest," laughed Gil.


    "Aw c''mon! You''re still hung out over that!? I told you, some girls here are just as bad as some of the guys here! Don''t get too excited!" lectures Vince.


    "Party pooper," said Gil.


    "I''m just giving you a heads-up!" fussed Vince.


    "Alright fine, I won''t get too excited. Just tell me how to talk to them if I end up having to work with one?" asked Gil.


    "What do you mean?"


    "You know, like give me pointers," said Gil.


    "Well... the key to talking to girls is to talk to them like they''re a regular person... because they are. And remember, we''re not here to make moves on them, we''re here to work so that we can get out of here!" explained Vince.


    "Talk to them like they''re a regular person...," Gil said out loud to himself. "That sounds like great advice, I think I can do that!"


    "Besides, I thought you didn''t have any emotions, why are you getting all giddy about this!?" asked Vince.


    "No idea," said Gil.


    They arrived to the large metal door of the back entrance of the cafeteria''s kitchen. Vince put his cold hand on the handle and eyed Gil with anticipation.


    "Ready for this?" Vince questioned.


    "You know it!"


    After Vince opened the door, they were greeted by a large bright kitchen that possessed about ten black high-tech stoves. They saw an enormous bag of onions on one of the biege counters. They also saw many packages of frozen meat on the counters.


    They only saw five people in the room, three prisoners and two guards. Two of the prisoners were women and the other one was Danny, the man who served chili.


    Two guards walked over to Gil and Vince, one was a short bulky man, while the other was a woman with long straight black hair.


    "Gillian Zain!? What are you doing here?" the female officer asked nervously.


    "I''m here to work for more points of course! So is my friend Vince," answered Gil.


    "I hope you don''t expect to ever get out of here Gillian. With all of the points you have, you''re certainly never getting out of here," laughed the male officer.


    "I''m Officer Diaz," said the female officer. "This is Officer Sprouts, we''re just here to make sure anyone isn''t causing problems?"


    "Does that happen a lot?" asked Gil.


    "Not really, but I need a paycheck. Vincent Rich, I''m assigning you the tasks of washing dishes with Gretchen," Diaz explained.


    "I don''t want to work with him!"


    Gil turned his head to the right to see that the voice came from a very large woman. She appeared to be over six feet tall, he wondered if she could hit as hard as Bug.


    "Just work with him!" Sprouts hissed.


    Gretchen rolled her eyes and continued washing dishes, by the packages of frozen meat. "I don''t want to work with him!"


    "Just go, she doesn''t like working with anyone," Diaz explained.


    "Great," said Vince sarcastically, as he walked over towards Gretchen.


    "Just put the dishes there in the dish washer!" yelled Gretchen.


    "Alright, I''m on it!" hissed Vince.


    "So what should I do?" smiled Gil.


    "Eh... well I don''t know why you even bothered coming, but go chop the onions. Maybe crying while chopping onions will make you think about your actions," said Diaz.


    "But I... don''t know how to chop onions," frowned Gil.


    "Wow, how pathetic. Chloe or Danny, one of you teach Gillian how to chop onions. It appears he can''t perform the basic necessities. If she were here I''d ask her," said Diaz


    "I''d rather not help ma''am," Danny stuttered as he began to chop bacon.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "I''ll help!" Chloe, the red haired woman stated as she walked closer to Gil.


    "Good. There''s somebody we can depend on," cried Diaz.


    "Bet you fifty bucks she''ll be a repeated offender," mocked Sprouts.


    "Hello Gillian!" Chloe said cheerfully as she shook Gil''s hand energetically.


    "Eh... Hi," said Gil as he shook her firm handshake. "You can call me Gil."


    "How about I call you Gilly!?" asked Chloe.


    "Eh, Gil is fine!" said Gil. He began to wonder if Vince''s words were correct.


    "So, you''re going to teach me how to chop onions?" asked Gil. "My mom''s a chef so I never really had to learn," he laughed.


    "Cool, I wanna be a chef. Maybe your mom can teach me a thing or two!" Chloe yelled.


    "Eh, I''ll be sure to let her know," said Gil as he picked up a large chef''s knife that rested in a brown knifes rack. "Ready to get started?"


    "Let''s do this!" Chloe cheered as she grabbed another chef''s knife. She opened the large onion bag and placed a huge yellow onion on a white cutting board.


    "The first step is to cut the onion in half," Chloe said as she quickly cut the onion.


    "Ouch," Chloe said as she grimaced with pain.


    "Officer Diaz, I cut my finger!" shouted Chloe as she held her finger.


    "You cut yourself!? But that was the first step!" shouted Gil. "I thought you could cut onions!"


    "Of course I can cut onions! I just made a mistake," pouted Chloe.


    Some chef she is! Gil thought.


    Gil watched Chloe walk over to the guards to ask for a first aid kit. He noticed that Diaz looked deeply concerned, while Sprouts audibly laughed out loud. It was the kind of laugh where he could tell it was coming from a malicious place. It appeared as if Sprouts hated all of the prisoners at Energia Tower... every single one of them.


    He glanced over at Vince and Gretchen; he almost laughed when he saw Vince washing the dishes like there was no tomorrow. It appeared that Vince was correct in his advice regarding women, Gil just never imagined that the woman he''d meet would be as energetic as Chloe.


    "I''m back!" Chloe said after walking back to Gil with a new bandaged finger.


    "Welcome back! Don''t cut yourself this time!" said Gil.


    "I won''t!" Chloe said as she resumed chopping the onion in a slow manner.


    Each step she gave to cutting onions was extremely slow and unorganized, yet Gil felt it didn''t look too hard by visualing all of the steps. As long as he didn''t cut his finger like Chloe did, he''d be fine. When Chloe finally got to the last step, the diced onions were uneven and were of different sizes.


    "Now you try!" Chloe said as she handed Gil a sturdy onion.


    "Alright here goes," said Gil before he slowly and accurately cut the onion in half. Afterwards he removed the skin and quickly diced one half of the onion. It was a lot easier than he thought, it almost felt natural.


    "Wow, you''re a fast learner!" commented Chloe.


    "Well, I had a good teacher!" cheered Gil.


    "Thanks!"


    Gil stared at Chloe with curious eyes. She didn''t seem to be a violent criminal, he wondered why she was imprisoned in Energia Tower. He put his hand on his chin as he pondered about what she could have done.


    "So... what are you in here for?" asked Gil with curious eyes.


    "How about you take a guess," Chloe said before thrusting her head towards Gil. Gil almost thought she was going to headbutt him.


    "Um... Let''s see. You seem kind of innocent, so I doubt it''s something too crazy. Are you here for stealing?" asked Gil.


    "Well, I have stolen a lot in the past, but that''s not why I''m here! I''m here for first degree assault and attempted murder," answered Chloe.


    "You!? First degree assault and attempted murder? No way!" freaked Gil as he dropped his knife on the hard tiled floor.


    "I''m serious! People were bullying me back then and I kinda overreacted," said Chloe as she picked up Gil''s knife to hand back to him.


    "You think!?" said Gil. "But, sorry people were bullying you. Not that it justifies attempted murder or anything, but I feel bad for you."


    "I want to do things differently when I get out," Chloe bleakly smiled. "I have about five thousand points left of the total seven thousand I was given.


    "I have about five thousand points left of the total seven thousand I was given. I''ll definitely be out of here soon. No more crimes for me!" said Chloe.


    "I wish you luck with that! When my friend Vince and I get released, we''re going to become garbage men. We''ve already got everything fingered out. You should join us!" said Gil.


    "Getting hired as a chef with my criminal record will probably be hard, so your plan sounds like a good idea," laughed Chloe. "You seem nicer than I expected you to be. You''ve done something worse than I have afterall."


    "Don''t worry, I''m innocent," said Gil.


    As Gil resumed cutting onions, the door suddenly opened. He turned to see who entered the kitchen; it strangely felt as if burning ice entered the room.


    "You''re late Darcy! What''s wrong with you? If you''re going to be late to extra tasks, why bother even showing up!" barked Diaz.


    "I''m sorry ma''am, there were issues during my main task and I had to stay longer to fix it," Darcy said with a bland, unnerved expression.


    "How pitiful, what are you good for?" laughed Sprout.


    Darcy looked at him with the same bland expression before looking towards Gil and Chloe.


    "Chloe, go clean up the storage room! Darcy go chop onions," commanded Diaz.


    "Hey roomy! Glad you made it!" Chloe said to Darcy as she ran to her.


    "Darcy, this is my new friend Gil, Gil this is my cellmate Darcy. We''re best buds!" explained Chloe.


    "Nice to meet you," said Gil as he studied Darcy. Her long black hair was silky like that of a crow''s feathers, and her skin appeared to be as smooth as maple syrup. She was extremely beautiful, yet it seemed like her mellow face was only capable of making one bored expression.


    "...Do I know you?" asked Darcy after a brief pause.


    "Eh, well... I think I saw you one day through the cafeteria," said Gil. He sort of regretted saying that, hopefully she wouldn''t think of him as some sort of stalker.


    "Maybe that''s it then," Darcy said while eyeing the chopped onions.


    "Or maybe you saw me on the holoscreens. Apparently I''m famous," said Gil.


    "I don''t watch television," said Darcy with piercing eyes.


    "Wow, so you have no idea who I am?" Gil asked with relief.


    "No," Darcy said plainly.


    "Darcy don''t you know!? He''s Gillian Zain! He''s guilty of-," began Chloe.


    "Don''t tell me what he''s guilty of," Darcy interrupted. "I don''t want to know. Maybe he''s a good person, or maybe he''s not. I want to see for myself."


    "Eh, sorry about that! I''m going to go do some cleaning now. Have fun you guys!" Chloe said before prancing to the small storage room.


    "Hey thanks for what you said back there," said Gil as he grabbed another onion. "Many people label me by what I''ve been accused of doing. You''re the first one who didn''t, so thanks."


    "No problem," said Darcy as she quickly began chopping onions. "I think it''s better for all of us to not discuss our crimes with eachtother."


    "Guess that means I can''t ask you what you did then huh?" asked Gil as he stared into her iridescent eyes.


    "Nope," Darcy slightly chuckled before throwing several chopped onions into a large gray container.


    Gil continued to chop the onions as he wondered what crime Darcy could have committed. He was wrong about Chloe, so he felt he''d be wrong about Darcy too. Still, he respected her choice of no disclosure, though he really wanted to know.


    He watched her onion cutting skills, her technique was immepecable. If anyone were to be a chef, it should be her and not Chloe. He tried to increase his speed in cutting the onions to match hers, but he was unsuccessful.


    All Gil did was make himself cry from cutting the root of the onions. He put his sleeve to his teary eyes and desperately waited for the pain to dissipate. He then looked around the room and met eyes with Officer Sprout who was laughing at him as if he were an insignificant worm.


    He saw Vince and Gretchen talking - or arguing, it was hard to tell which one they were doing. He saw Chloe walk out of the storage room with a large bag of trash. Working in the kitchen didn''t seem too bad, he wondered why some people said it was terrifying. So far, he met great people and chopped onions, what additional tasks could be better?


    "How many onions do we need anyway?" Gil asked Darcy after several minutes.


    "Probably not much more. We should be almost done," said Darcy.


    "Great, I''m tired of getting teary eyed," Gil laughed.


    He organized his scrambled thoughts to find a great way to continue the conversation.


    "By the way, your cellmate is a little...," began Gil.


    "A little energetic?" Darcy completed.


    "Yes!" giggled Gil. "I wasn''t sure if I should have matched her energy or not."


    "She''s pretty hyperactive, but I like her. Better than most people here I''d say," said Darcy with the same mellow countenance.


    "I totally agree, I''ve met some pretty weird people here. My cellmate Vince and I are working to get out of here so that we can become the greatest trash collectors of all time. Chloe might join us too, you should join us," joked Gil.


    "No, that won''t be necessary," said Darcy.


    "Aw, why is that? Is it because you don''t want to be a garbage collector?" asked Gil.


    "No it''s not that," chuckled Darcy.


    "No worries, if you ever change your mind, let me know," snickered Gil.


    Darcy glanced at Gil with shrouded eyes as she picked up the large metal container of diced onions. "Not a chance... I''ll be staying here... forever.

 Chapter 8: Chains of Labor

    Smoke slowly rose into the dark mellow dawn sky. It was as if the tremendous clouds were purposely blocking the sun from showing it''s hopeful face. If the sun wasn''t present in the skies, all hope would be lost.


    The smoke was deriving from a large cigar; the man smoking it was seated on a red cushioned chair on a spacious outdoor balcony. The balcony was on the top floor of a high end apartment. The man was dressed in a white and gold robe.


    The man arose from his soft seat and moped towards the edge of the balcony to glance at the uncanny sky. He put his cold hands on the glass rails. The bleak clouds seemed to have matched his pessimistic mood. He looked down at all of the peasants below; it was hard to see them from his high view but he could still make them out. They were probably all heading to their daily jobs, a life of mediocrity was something he was glad he didn''t have.


    Suddenly, in a fit of rage, the man fiercely threw the cigar over the balcony, totally disregarding the fact that it could have hit a pedestrian.


    "Everything okay Mr. Lux?" a maid asked with a soft voice after opening the glass door of the huge balcony.


    "Yes, everything''s fine, why wouldn''t I be okay?" Arthur Lux said while staring at the maid with redshot eyes. "Go get my smartphone, It''s time I finally call Watson."


    "Yes sir!" The housekeeper said as she quickly dropped the brown broom she was carrying.


    Trillionaire CEO, Arthur Lux was the heart of the AquaLux corporation. Watson Prince was the COO, essentially, the second in command. He had been chatting with Watson the previous night about the incoming potential threat, the stress from that terrifying discussion made him run away in fear.


    Arthur hated being CEO of the AquaLux corporation, however his immense love for money only urged him to continue working.


    The housekeeper suddenly ran back with his gold plated phone, he was taken aback when he saw he had ten missed calls from Watson and five missed calls from his CFO Lilith Rivera. He called Watson; Watson immediately picked up the phone.


    "Arthur, where the hell you are! Didn''t I tell you we had another meeting last night!?" fussed Watson through the phone.


    "I forgot," lied Arthur.


    "Forgot!? Are you serious? We don''t have time for games when we''re in a crisis," said Watson.


    "What difference does it make if I''m at the meeting or not!? You said yourself that I''m a horrible CEO so why would it matter! I call you guys when I want to, not when you want to," explained Arthur as he walked back into his luxurious condo.


    The air carried a hint of luxury; the opulent marble floors, reflected the soft glow of crystal chandeliers that hung from the lofty ceilings. An artful display of magnificent sculptures adorned the walls, each piece an emblem of refined taste and timeless beauty. An exquisite grand piano was rested near the back of the room.


    After a brief silence Watson spoke again. "You''re just a spoiled brat Arthur! Our citizens are at risk and you''re acting like a hormonal teenager!"


    "If you called me to yell just go!" yelled Arthur, his voice echoing off the luminous walls.


    Watson took a deep breath before resuming his statement. "Look, I''m sorry if I came off like a jerk, I''m just really worried about this whole thing. I mean Skyra invading Maritopia... seriously. Millions of our employees are depending on you right now."


    Arthur sighed as he looked at a picture on the wall of his late father, Adam Lux. He wondered how his father would handle the complicated situation that he was forced to deal with now. Adam was a perfect leader due to his charisma, tenacity, and wisdom - he''d know how to handle the impending chaos. Arthur wished immorality was possible so that he wouldn''t have so much stress in his life.


    Adam Lux was the true founder of AquaLux, founded in 2032. Originally a tech startup, AquaLux exploded in popularity with their unique holoscreen operating systems. It was like a standard television, but better quality, and more evident, as a seventy inch holoscreen could fit in one''s pocket. A seventy inch television screen cannot accomplish that. The tech appealed to the masses and, therefore Adam Lux began to invest in other industries, finding critical success there too. Adam ruled AquaLux with an iron fist.


    Eventually, AquaLux generated so much wealth that they started buying nations. This began the era of corporations buying nations. In time, other corporations gained power and also began buying nations. No corporation was ever able to catch up to AquaLux''s superiority except the mysterious Skyra. For years, AquaLux and Skyra went back and forth buying nations and landmasses until there wasn''t any more left. This invent was known as the non-combat war called The Corporate War. The war was essentially a stalemate and all was fine until AquaLux spy droins detected Skyra building numerous weaponry, including warbots, tanks, firearms, and otherworldly weapons of mass destruction.


    When AquaLux learned of this, they too began to build equipment for war. They quickly realized that their productivity wasn''t as fast as Skyra''s, as Skyra had a larger population. If they forced people to work, their economy could potentially be at risk of losing power, so Adam Lux himself thought of the brilliant plan of building labor prisons to increase productivity without damaging the economy. AquaLux began to sentence people to prison more quickly, and even sabotaged their own communities to bring more people into labor prisons. They did this by implementing drugs into impoverished communities to keep them entangled with crime. They also promoted an image in the media to make it seem like living a life of crime was commendable. Over the course of decades, this increased the attendance of labor prisons by a landslide. These labor prisons were known as, Energia Tower, Spiritus Tower, Tempus Tower, and Conatus Tower. They were spread out over the landmasses AquaLux owned.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Both corporations were making advanced weaponry in their own way for more than fifty years. AquaLux was unaware of other horrifying preparations Skyra was making, and vise versa. All of this is technically an extension of the Corporate War, however the average citizen was unaware of that. The everyday man or woman didn''t even know that AquaLux and Skyra were making millions of weapons per year. Now it finally seemed this fifty year cold war was coming to an end when Skyra invaded Maritopia the other day. Maritopia was an AquaLux owned region.


    Arthur wanted to just forget all about Maritopia. It was just a small peninsula, was going to war over it really worth it? The impending war could cost the lives of millions. They were able to keep the masses ignorant of the invasion, but how far would that last? Watson, Lilith, and other high ranking AquaLux employees wanted to immediately send troops to Maritopia. As long as they weren''t invading comfy Novaria, the region he currently lived in, he was fine.


    "Have you agreed to give us authorization to send troops to Maritopia?" asked Watson


    "Watson," Arthur said softly as he continued to look at the picture of his father. "I''ve decided to send a warning to Skyra to not advance further than Maritopia. If they do, we''ll show them everything we''ve got."


    "Arthur! We talked about this! If we don''t take back Maritopia now, Skyra will think they can take more land too. They are testing the waters right now, they want to see how we respond," said Watson.


    "That''s what we''re going to do!" screamed Arthur. "In the meantime, we need to increase our supply just in case. We failed to meet our equipment quota the last few months due to many people getting out of the labor prisons. We need more prisoners! Double, no triple all of the prisoners'' sentences. Not a single one of them will be getting out anytime soon. This will be a new law," he explained.


    "Interesting," said Watson in a calmer demeanor. "I never imagined that you''d consider that. Then again, they are useless criminals so I could careless."


    "We have a lot of troops already, however we should get more. Shall we implement the draft, even though we''re not actually fighting yet? I wanted to implement it for a brutal battle at Maritopia," Watson continued.


    "No, a draft will make the citizens too suspicious. Instead, we''re going to create another new law that would make it mandatory for every citizen, twenty-five or younger, to serve at least two years in the military. This will make them suspicious too, but not as suspicious as a draft. We have to make them think that everything is going okay. We could even take people from the prison towers too, but for now it''s best they stay increasing our productivity," Arthur said.


    "Let me make one thing clear, I still think you''re a passive idiot, but I like this. Yesterday, you weren''t remotely mentally stable enough to give these responses. Sounds like you''ve got your dad in you after all," said Watson.


    "Go to hell Watson," said Arthur as he hung up the call.


    He''d probably have many more important meetings scheduled with his colleagues, but he chose to forsake all of that and climb into his gigantic bed, in an attempt to hide from his responsibilities. He wondered if he made the right choices, but at the same time he didn''t care. He was too stressed about the matter to care, though in actuality his worried mind couldn''t stop caring. The softness of the elegant white sheets failed to calm him down.


    Arthur took a deep breath as he closed his stressed eyes. "Dear God, this world may be ending soon."


    ***


    "I think this plan of ours is turning out great!" Gil said as he lied in his bed that morning. "You''ll be out in no time!"


    "I guess you''re right," said Vince as he eyed the metal ceiling blanklessly. "In about six months, I''ll be back in the real world. How can I be sure that I won''t come back here again?"


    They had several extra shifts scheduled, with the cafeteria, and other extra tasks as well. Gil knew that if Vince completed all of that, he''d be out for good.


    "Hey c''mon, you won''t end up back here! None of us will!" Gil said as he immediately sat on his small bed. "Not Jorge, not Chloe, not me, and definitely not you."


    "Is your optimism unrealistic?" Vince said while facing Gil. "I can tell that you''ve grown up in a little stable neighborhood, I for one grew up in the slums. After I get out of here, back to the slums I''ll go. It''s so hard to get out, it''s like a weird curse that just can''t be broken. All that sadness from being there... that anger, might make me do risky activities for money again. Then it''s back to Energia Tower I go."


    Gil launched himself back on his bed upon hearing the words he didn''t know how to reply to.


    "I''m sorry you feel that way. Maybe it''s unrealistic to be optimistic when you''re going through hell, but I think sometimes life requires us to be that way if we''re going to make it. Even if you end up back here, try to do everything in your power to not come back. Maybe there''s a ninety-nine percent chance that you''ll be back here, even so, try not to. The one percent is still possible."


    Vince chuckled as he slowly rose to his feet to get ready for the daily shift. "Maybe you''re right Gil... maybe you''re right."


    "Are you sure you don''t have any emotions? Are you really a psychopath?" Vince asked with curious eyes as he walked towards the bathroom.


    "What do you mean?" asked Gil.


    "Well... you seem so, empathetic. Nobody without emotions can be as empathetic as you. Perhaps your psychiatrist made a mistake," Vince said by the bathroom door.


    "Vince, I''m acting like how I want to feel, not that I actually feel anything... or who knows, maybe you''re right," smirked Gil.


    The two prisoners finished getting ready for their daily task and walked into the cafeteria to grab a few slices of toast. There they met up with Jorge in the midst of a sea of prisoners. It felt like an ordinary morning, however it was far from normal. None of the prisoners were ready for the bombshell they were about to hear, not even a man without emotions.


    Warden Officer Daryl Bowman walked into the cafeteria with nearly twenty armed guards. Gil felt it was strange to so many armed guards in a prison. Did they plan on executing them? Or was it for a precaution of some sort.


    "Everyone, AquaLux has just passed a new law as early as this morning. It is with immense pleasure to inform all of you that all of your sentences have now been tripled. The shifts have also been extended to be twelve hours long. This is effective immediately,"Daryl announced with a thunderous voice.


    The cafeteria quickly became full of angry groans and weeping. The  prisoners that were scheduled to leave that day now we''re cursed to work longer.


    Gil stared at Vince''s defeated expression and Jorge''s tear filled face. He then stared at his shaking hands, was it really ethical for AquaLux.


    "We... we had a plan," Gil blanklessly said to himself while watching the other prisoners be corrected by the endless guards.


    "We had a plan," he said to himself again as he saw a prisoner angrily yell at a security guard before getting brutally hit in the face by a black baton. After that impact, none of the frightened prisoners dared to cause havoc.


    Gil gritted his teeth as he looked at Officer Daryl Bowman and the other officers laugh at the saddened prisoners. Perhaps Vince was correct about him having emotions because he never felt such rage in his entire life.

 Chapter 9: Malicious Schemes

    Officer Barney Pierce slowly walked towards a large brown, two-story house in the AquaLux region of Novaria, in the pouring rain around afternoon. He was not on duty, and despite his casual attire, his task ahead could have been one of his most important.


    "Ready for this Barney?" Off duty officer James Davis asked Barney, with optimistic eyes.


    Barney listened to the sound of the hopeless rain beat the soft pavement, as he faced his friend James. "Yeah, let''s do this."


    Barney tasked himself with discovering the mysterious identity of certain individuals. He couldn''t let AquaLux know what he was doing for his vacation days, as the company had a tendency to hide information from it''s citizens/employees. So far, his leads told him that there existed certain people who appeared to lack proper emotions and would often lash out in extreme violence in various circumstances. It seemed all of the suspects were relatively young. Barney codenamed these horrifying individuals, fakers. They could behave as normal members of society and then turn around and destroy everything. He was interviewing the parents of people who he suspected to be fakers.


    "This will be the third family, if this goes well we''ll have all the info we need," James smiled, before Barney rang the door bell.


    After receiving no answer for about three minutes, Barney rang the doorbell again... Still no response.


    "Do you think anybody''s home?" James asked.


    "Of course somebody''s home, they''re just giving us the silent treatment," smirked Barney before banging the door with hard fist, three times.


    "What do you want!?" a fierce male voice said through the door.


    "We''re here to talk to you in regards to your son, Gillian Zain. Do you have a minute?" asked Barney.


    "No we don''t! We don''t want to give an interview! Leave now!" the voice said with solid intensity.


    "Don''t worry sir, we''re not affiliated with AquaLux," Barney said calmly.


    "You''re not? What do you want then?" the voice said with a more relaxed tone.


    "Well, let''s just say that we''re potentially trying to save lives... possibly thousands," said Barney, as thunde Mr began to gently erupt in the background.


    After a brief pause, the door opened and revealed a stocky man with large glasses, messy hair, and a messy beard. It obviously looked like the man had been dealing with stress.


    "Felix Zain?" asked Barney sternly.


    "Yes, thats me, are you really not working with AquaLux?" asked Felix.


    "Well, every resident of any owned region of AquaLux is working with AquaLux when you think about it," said Barney. "The business we''re conducting now is something that AquaLux could have us executed over."


    "Executed? It''s that serious?" asked Felix, his fear written all over his large face. "If I talk with you guys now, won''t that put us at risk of execution too?"


    "I assure you sir, you have nothing to fear. AauaLux is unaware of our visit. We want to help you," said Barney.


    "Okay, come in," Felix said as he flung his door open.


    Felix led them to a large brown table set on a large red rug with gold patterns. Barney was especially impressed by the crystal chandelier that rested above their heads. At the table sat Felix''s wife, Celeste Zain.


    "I have to say, your house is beautiful. Definitely the finest home we''ve been to, what are your professions?" James asked, trying to rid the air of the tense atmosphere.


    "Well... my wife here is a chef at a renowned restaurant, and I''m a Holoscreen Engineer," quivered Felix.


    "That''s awesome, what restaurant is-."


    "James... we did not come here to talk about restaurants. Our business is much more important," said Barney.


    "Sorry Barney," said James scratching his head.


    "Now," Barney began as he turned on his holo tablet. "All I want to do today is ask you both a few questions of your son, Gillian Zain. When did you adopt him?"


    "Eight years ago," Celeste answered nervously. Judging by her unkept crown, it seemed the stress of the situation also greatly affected her.


    "Where did you adopt him from?" Barney asked as he began to take notes with his tablet.


    "Uh, well...," Felix started.


    "We adopted him from a facility near AquaLux''s capital. It was called Water-playfield, it''s less than a mile away from the capital," Celeste finished.


    "Thanks honey," said Felix as he caressed the shoulder of his anxious wife.


    "I see... That appears to be a real place," said Barney after a minute pause. James then handed Barney his tablet. "I can see the proof of adoption certificate, as well as a photo. This definitely appears to be Gillian Zain. Why did you decide to adopt a kid in your thirties? Most people usually adopt someone way younger than ten years of age," he continued.


    "What do you mean why we decided to adopt him!? What kind of question is that!?" Celeste barked.


    "Honey, calm down," said Felix.


    "It''s just... Felix and I have always wanted children, but I am unable to bare them. We did plan on adopting a baby, however when we went to Water-playfield, he was very energetic and asked us to play with him. I couldn''t say no to that; next thing I know we adopted him," explained Celeste.


    "I see," said Barney, not even looking up from his tablet. "You didn''t think he was too old? Why only adopt one child? Most people adopt more than one."


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    "We planned to adopt more after Gil finished his career test. And he wasn''t too old at all! He''s our son and we love him no matter what," Celeste said while trying to hold in tears.


    "Has Gillian ever behaved violently before?" asked Barney while turning to James to see him also taking notes.


    "Nope never! He''s always been super sweet, so I don''t know why he did those awful things!" Celeste said.


    "He was the nicest kid ever," said Felix.


    "Our records here say that he was diagnosed as a psychopath. It appears he''s had numerous counseling sessions as well. How can a psychopath be nice? Aren''t they supposed to all be criminals?" asked Barney.


    "Look buddy, I thought you said you were trying to help us!" Felix said aggressively. "What''s with these stupid questions!?"


    James flinched when he noticed Felix''s aggression, but Barney didn''t flinch a bit.


    "I am trying to help you," said Barney calmly. "I just have to make sure I''ve got my hypothesis correct. Please answer."


    "Eh, well yes, he was diagnosed with psychopathy. He had trouble feeling emotions, so he learned to act like how we wanted him to act. Of course, we never forced him to do anything. He just... did it," said Felix.


    "He still was always nice despite all of that!" said Celeste.


    "Interesting, so Gillian was a psychopath that always behaved nicely for some reason. The records say that on that fateful day three weeks ago, Gillian Zain went to a local coffee shop that was in an outlet mall. The surveillance footage shows him studying before the chaos that claimed several lives came to pass. We believe the same as the judge, that Gillian is in fact the one who caused the carnage, however he appears to not have memory of that occuring. We think that he is one of dozens of dangerous people who we refer to as fakers. Fakers are psychopaths that seem to cause destruction for no apparent reason. However, after talking with you both briefly, I believe he also could be something entirely different!"


    "Oh my God, is all of this true?" Celeste asked with eyes of hopeful disbelief.


    "What other fakers do you know?" Felix asked.


    "Well, we can''t tell you now, as we don''t want to compromise our secret investigation," began James. "But we do think some of are in Energia Tower with Gillian."


    "Did Gil really tell you that he had no memory of the crimes occurring? We haven''t even been allowed to chat with him since this happened," said Celeste.


    "Yes, it''s possible he''s a faker or something else entirely," said Barney before rising to his feet. "If we can prove that he wasn''t in control of himself, then we should be able to get him out of Energia Tower. Despite that, I must admit that proving Gil''s innocence is at the bottom of my list; if he''s a faker then he''s a ticking time bomb that will cause further chaos. I''m trying to stop all fakers, naturally I''d want them to all stay in prison, however Gil is different from the rest of them because it seems he doesn''t remember committing the acts at all. Because of that, he could potentially be the key to ending the incoming dangers over the horizon."


    ***


    "Still can''t believe they''re making us stay were. This must be illegal," Jorge complained to Gil and Vince.


    They were all sitting in front of the recreational room before their nightly curfew. The rec room contained an indoor basketball court, a few defeated prisoners were inside playing. They could see inside the room through a large sturdy window.


    Gil was strangely reserved the remainder of that day. Earlier that morning, they learned that they''d all have their points tripled, putting Gil at a whooping point total of three hundred thousand. With points that had, there was no way he''d ever see the sun again... No matter what.


    "Sure it''s illegal, but AquaLux can do whatever they want. Never trust big corporations. Especially ones that own half the world," Vince said while turning towards Jorge with enraged eyes.


    "I really want to get out of here... yeah know I was probably going to end up here again, but still!" complained Jorge.


    Vince put his hands on his chin as he eyed the lame blankless white tile. "Not me... I had everything planned out this time. I was going to get out in about six months... become a garbageman, stop selling things I shouldn''t, get out of the slums, find a nice girl, get married, have a ton of kids, relax... Now it seems like my plan is unachievable. I don''t why they tripled all of our points, but if they did it easily before, they could do it again," Vince said while trying to hold in tears.


    "Woah, don''t cry Vince! We''ll get out of here one day!" Jorge said.


    "Shut the hell up! I''m not crying!" Vince fussed before turning towards Gil.


    "Whatever you say!"


    "How you holding up Gil? You''ve been pretty silent today, that''s kinda odd for a big mouth like you," said Vince.


    Gil was eyeing the ceiling, almost not listening to Vince and Jorge at all. His hopeless thoughts were eating him from the inside out.


    "This morning... when the warden told us that we''d be here longer, I felt angry. They all laughed at us like it was some kind of game, like we weren''t human. I couldn''t believe I was so mad, that anger seemed justified. But now... I feel nothing. All of that anger is gone, it''s like a shadow of the past. When I think of the warden now, I don''t feel mad... I just feel... nothing," Gil explained quietly.


    "That''s what you''re upset about?" Vince questioned with a puzzled expression.


    "Aw, c''mon Gil, it''s not that bad. Not having emotions is better than crying all day. Bet you don''t get depressed," said Jorge.


    "You don''t get it!" yelled Gil. "I''ve lived my whole life feeling this... nothingless. It''s better to feel something than to feel nothing!"


    Vince and Jorge stared at Gil in astonishment.


    After a brief pause, Vince spoke again in an attempt to lift the melancholy atmosphere . "Gil... I don''t think you feel nothing, because you''re upset now. We''re all upset about this, your reaction is valid."


    "Yeah, whatever you say," grimaced Gil. "Apparently, sometimes I get temporary emotional outbursts. My feelings will be gone a few moments later."


    "Gillian Zain?" a mysterious voice called out to the trio from behind.


    "Yes?" Gil questioned, as he turned towards a female guard he never saw before.


    "I have matters to discuss with you," the guard said.


    "Okay, let''s hear it," said Gil.


    "-In private," the guard said sternly.


    "Eh, okay. I''ll guess I''ll follow you someplace else," said Gil.


    "Be careful Gil!" Jorge shouted as Gil walked down the hall with the mysterious guard.


    She led him near a storage closet, where nobody else was present.


    "Eh, I don''t want people to start thinking things!" freaked Gil.


    "I''m only here to discuss with you about Barney''s case," the guard said.


    "Barney''s case!? did he find a way to get me out of here!?" asked Gil.


    "My name is Jennifer Plain. I''m a correctional officer here, but I also work for Officer Barney Pierce. He hasn''t found a way for you to get out yet; I''ve just been told to tell you something else."


    "What is it?" asked Gil.


    "He wants to tell you that you could potentially be in danger here. There exists certain people who lack emotions and have a tendency to cause violence. These people have been codenamed fakers. He says that if there is anyone you suspect of being a faker, to stay far away from them," Jennifer stated.


    "I already figured out these people exist here. There''s two people I believe to be these fakers, but I could be wrong. I don''t believe I''m a target though, I mean why would I be?" Gil questioned.


    "Officer Pierce believes you could be a target simply because you''re different than them," said Jennifer.


    "Different? How so?" Gil asked with a pit of relief brewing in his stomach.


    "You claim to have no memory of the crimes occurring, unless you''re a good liar, that makes you different. Barney believes you committed those crimes," explained Jennifer.


    "I didn''t commit anything! It had to be someone else. You guys think that just because I''m a psychopath and lash out when someone tries to cause me harm makes me a monster? Where''s your evidence?" Gil said with his entire body quivering.


    "I''m... sorry. It''s been a rough day," frowned Gil.


    "It''s okay. I was just under the impression you didn''t have any emotions," said Jennifer.


    "Well, I don''t. It''s just temporary emotional outbursts," said Gil.


    "Okay. Barney just wanted to say to be cautious of fakers and to inform you of their existence. It seems we didn''t need to tell you since you''re a smart kid. He also wanted to tell you that your parents said they, ''love you.'' Though they''re unable to contact you here, they wanted you to know that," said Jennifer.


    Gil smiled his thought


    s away and stared at Jennifer with newfound determination.


    "Thanks for telling me that. If you can, tell them I love them too... I''ve got the feeling I''ll be seeing them again soon."

 Chapter 10.1: Symphony of the Mop (Part 1)

    The next day, Gil lied helplessly in bed as he stared at the metal impenetrable wall at the other side of his bed.


    He didn''t feel emotional like he felt the other day, but he definitely had an overwhelming urge to get out of Energia Tower. He placed his bleak hand on the metal wall, as he closed his eyes. Just how was it possible to ever get out?


    Gil, like Vince and many other prisoners were going to skip their mandatory tasks but the guards went to every cell and strangely forced the prisoners to work. The ones that refused, disappeared. Gil''s shift was twelve hours long, four hours longer than it usually was. He just got back from the brutality, only about an hour ago. He had to assemble firearms, warbots, tanks, and other peculiar equipment. The breaks were also shortened considerbly. It was so bizarre to do so much in one day; why did AquaLux require them to make so much equipment for war? It was all a mystery that rattled Gil with uneasiness.


    He placed his heavy pillow on top of his head, as he weighed his options. He was debating about what he could do in such a hopeless situation. Living in Energia Tower forever sounded like a living nightmare, escaping was basically impossible, and putting faith in Barney''s ability to prove his innocence was impractical. Living in Energia Tower throughout his days would be a lot safer than an escape attempt. The security in the tower was phenomenal, but hypothetically, if he managed to secure an exit, he''d likely be executed if he were caught. So then the choice was simple, stay in Energia Tower, working like a slave, or escape to either live in peace or die trying. Which one of these choices was more appealing?


    Gil looked at the enormous holoscreen clock on the top of the room and slowly rose to his feet. It was eight in the evening, he had a bonus tasks scheduled that he was going to attend if the warden didn''t drop the bombshell of potentially staying there forever. Perhaps doing the bonus tasks would help him think about his next move. If he was really crazy enough for an escape attempt, it''d be nice to see if any weaknesses in security existed.


    He rose to his sore feet and walked towards the unlocked sturdy door to get out (doors were only locked during curfew). He eyed a small pack of crackers who was given from before and then put it in his pocket. If he got hungry, they could help a lot.


    "Gonna do my bonus task to clear my mind," Gil said to Vince, who was moping in his head.


    "Alright, good luck man," said Vince with despair latched to his voice.


    Gil opened the cold door and walked towards the storage closet on the floor right above him. That was where he was told to go for the bonus task. His instructions were to simply mop all of the floors over night, he wouldn''t have to go back inside his cell for curfew, but the police presence on him would probably increase.


    Gil opened the storage closet door and was astonished when he saw Darcy in there already.


    "Oh, hey Gil. What are you doing here?" Darcy oddly flinched.


    "Well, I figured I complete a bonus task for some ''fresh air.'' How about you?" he asked.


    "I can relate," Darcy said with her usual stultified countenance. "I''m here because I''m usually always one of the people who mops the floors at night."


    "Wow, you do mandatory shifts, make chili, and mop floors!? I''m surprised you''re not tired!" Gil said.


    "Well it''s like you said, doing bonus tasks helps you get ''fresh air.''" said Darcy.


    "Hm, I guess. It''s strange that you don''t ever want to leave here, though you''re doing bonus tasks," said Gil suspiciously.


    "Yeah... I guess it is strange," said Darcy as she turned away from Gil to continue putting soapy water into a large yellow container. "You know how to mop right?"


    "Of course!" remarked Gil. "Are we seriously mopping every floor here!?"


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    "Not every floor, just about half," answered Darcy. "


    "It''d usually be more than two people mopping, but after the announcement, not many people want to do bonus tasks. I''ts why I was so shocked to see you," said Darcy as she dragged the heavy.


    "I''m still blown away by the announcement. Chloe was really excited to get out earlier. How''s she holding up?" asked Gil as he picked up a huge mop with a metal handle.


    "Not too good," Darcy said sternly as she began to drain the water on the mop. "She''s been crying in our cell all day. Do you feel bad for her?" she asked strongly with crystalized eyes.


    Gil looked back into her ghostly eyes without flinching. "I do feel bad. My question is, do you feel bad for her?"


    "I do," said Darcy as she put the mop on the floor. "How about you mop left and I mop right. Since this building is a circle, we''ll eventually meet back here by the bucket. Don''t think we''ll need another bucket."


    "Sounds good, I''ll see you there!"


    Gil began to mop the floor with gusto, erasing the endless footprints in the process. He never imagined that Energia Tower was a circle, what an awesome discovery. As he continued mopping, he browsed over the scenary. He glanced at the sturdy metal walls on the inside of the hall. If he were to actually escape, would he only need to find a way to break that wall all the way to the bottom? Then again, the several guards standing at their posts in the hallway wouldn''t make that easy. The hall had several doors in it, each door was metal and contained a cell. Each door seemed to be roughly six feet from eachtother; it appeared at least one guard was guarding about two doors each. If there were about twenty cells on that floor, then there was about ten guards in total. It''d be impossible to break that wall and slip to the bottom of the floor, not only that but it''d be impossible to break the wall and jump down it anyway. If he found a way to break the inner metal wall without any of the ten guards noticing, he would fall to his death if he jumped to the bottom, or he''d just fall to the next floor below. Such a hassle escaping seemed to be.


    Perhaps there was another way. If each cell contained two prisoners, that would mean there''d be forty prisoners in total per floor. Forty bodies is way more than ten guards! If he could find a way to free all of the prisoners, they would not be able to contain the outburst with only ten guards! Then again, they probably had some sort of weapons that would either stun or kill them all.


    He came across a large glass door in the inner wall, it almost seemed out of place. He looked through the door and saw that it was a security room that had several holoscreens viewing different sections of the floor. He could see many stationed guards on the cameras, as well as Darcy mopping. The room seemed to only have footage of every section of the floor. Thank God they didn''t have cameras in the cell''s, or perhaps they did someplace else. He couldn''t see any cameras at all, however holoscreen cams were extremely hard to spot.


    He saw one guard in the security room, he made eye contact with the guard when the guard l looked up. Gil waved at the guard, and shockingly, the guard waved back. Gil almost chuckled as he continued mopping, he definitely didn''t expect the guard to wave back.


    Gil briefly stopped mopping after analyzing his galloping thoughts. Just what was he doing? He hadn''t even decided if he was going to launch an escape attempt or not. Why was he burdening himself with such ambitious thoughts? If he did plan an escape and planned it with his friends, he could have all of them executed. They would all possibly be released in less than ten years, unless AquaLux planned something else horrible. It would be unfair to them to have them risk their entire lives for his own selfish reasons. If he was going to escape, it''d have to be in a way that didn''t put anyone''s life in danger but his own - as he didn''t care if he lived or died. He kept mopping as he tried to tell himself to stop thinking of ways to escape the tower.


    At the end of the circle, he finally saw Darcy in his peripheral. He saw that a guard was talking to her, with a sinister smile on his face. He walked closer to see what was happening.


    "You missed a spot," the guard laughed as he stomped his messy boot print on a spot Darcy just mopped.


    Darcy turned the mop back over and mopped over the spot.


    "Now over here!" the guard said while making another huge dirty footprint. "I''ll let the warden know you don''t want to clean if you don''t clean it!"


    Darcy complied with an unchanged expression and wiped the footprints away once again.


    "What are you doing!" Gil yelled at the guard. "Can''t you see she''s suffered enough? She''s already a prisoner in this hellhole, what more will having her wipe your footprints do!?"


    The guard looked at Gil with fear, yet also with anger. "They don''t pay me enough for this job," he said as he briefly walked away.


    "You okay?" Gil asked Darcy.


    "Yeah, I''m fine. Guards here are always rude to us, so I''m used to it. Why did you defend me?" Darcy asked while aiming her sights on Gil.


    "Well, it was the right thing to do. That guy was a jerk," said Gil.


    "I see," Darcy said plainly. "How did it make you feel to defend me?"


    Gil knew the purpose of Darcy''s weird questions. "It felt good. How did it feel to be defended by me?"


    "...It felt good too," she said before putting the mop back


    into the yellow bucket.


    "Ready for the next floor?" Darcy asked.


    "Let''s do it!"

 Chapter 10.2: Symphony of the Mop (Part 2)

    Gil took the yellow bucket and carried it down one level to the forty-ninth floor through the elevator alongside Darcy. Two security guards also placed themselves in the tiny elevator with them. Gil was perflexed by the size difference in that elevator compared to the elevator he took daily to the basement level for his mandatory tasks. Perhaps it was a maintenance elevator that prisoners weren''t usually allowed to take; it''s small frame intrigued him.


    Gil and Darcy exited the elevator and stuck to the same routine they had during the previous floor. All they had to do was mop the floors in the circular hallway until they met again; tedious but still completely manageable. They wet the mops in soapy and proceeded to their task.


    As Gil mopped that floor, he noticed the layout was exactly the same as the floor above. When he got to the security room, he basically saw the same site. A security guard watching the screen of every part of the entire floor. When Gil made eye contact with that security guard, he waved. Unfortunately, that security did not wave back like the previous one did.


    After several minutes of vicious mopping, Gil finally found himself making his way back to Darcy. Gil smirked when they saw each other again; he was insanely shocked to see her smirk back at him, as he assumed she wasn''t capable of making another facial expression. It was pleasant to see her not wearing her usual blank expression.


    They re-entered the maintenance elevator, before changing the water in the bucket. On the forty-eighth floor, the routine was the same. Same layouts, number of cells, number of guards, and same security room. Who knew that Energia Tower was structured so repetitively. It was ironic compared to the repetitive nature of complete boring daily tasks.


    After they finished the fortieth floor, Gil turned to Darcy to ask her questions about break time.


    "Do we get a break? My feet are killing me," said Gil.


    "Not really, we usually just keep mopping until all of the floors are clean," answered Darcy.


    "Aw man," frowned Gil. "I''ll at least ask. The least they can say is no!"


    "Hey, can we get a break! We''ve been scrubbing away for about two hours!" Gil complained loudly to the nearest security guard.


    "A break!? Why do you need a break for!?" the guard answered rudely.


    "There''s only two scrubbing the hallways tonight, as most people refused to complete this bonus task. Maybe with ten bodies we need a break, but we need to refuel. If we keep going at this pace, we''ll surely die before we get to the twentieth floor," explained Gil.


    "Eh, fine. Follow me to the cafeteria," said the guard.


    "Nice work Gil," said Darcy to Gil.


    He was hoping to see her smile again when she said that, but she didn''t. He was simply greeted by ice cold eyes.


    The guard escorted the prisoners to the cafeteria. They were the only two prisoners seated in the entire room, all they had with them were water bottles. Two security guards were by the doors of the room, eyeing them like hungry eagles.


    "Don''t rest too hard, you freaks got a lot of work to do!" one of the guards shouted.


    At that moment, it was like the tip of an iceberg fell in Gil''s mind. He was sick of the guards, sick of the cells, sick of the labor shifts, and sick of the boring cafeteria he was in. He still considered himself innocent as well; the fact that an innocent man like him had been forced to suffer in those conditions was baffling.


    He looked at the ceiling of the the colossal cafeteria. Could I really escape out of here?


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    He looked at Darcy and debated with himself if he should tell her his crazy plan or not, but he chose not to. It''d probably be better not to tell her at all, so he thought of another topic of conversation.


    "Never knew I could hate mopping so much. And you do this every night?" Gil asked after taking a huge gulp of water.


    "Yeah, but you get used to it," said Darcy. "It feels good to have a break though."


    "How does the break make you feel?" asked Gil, in an attempt to analyze her answer.


    "What are you talking about? I already said it made me feel good," teased Darcy, commenting on the awkwardness.


    "No, I mean like how does it make you feel emotionally? Like does it make you happy, sad, angry, or do you feel nothing at all?" Gil asked again after laughing.


    "Oh... well it makes me happy," said Darcy, her answer coming after brief silence. "How about you?"


    "...Happy," said Gil as he drank more of his ice cold drink.


    "By the way Darcy," began Gil. "I''ve been very curious about this for awhile now. Since I''ve been here, I''ve only seen about five women, you, Chloe, Gretchen, and a couple of guards. I guess I wanted to ask is where are the female prisoners?"


    "Well, they keep us separately for obvious reasons. There are a lot of us here, and we''re suffering like you guys are. We''re jailed in floors thirty-three through fifty and the guys and jailed in floors two through thirty-two, with this cafeteria being on floor thirty-one," said Darcy.


    "But I never see you guys during the basement shifts?" Gil asked.


    "The basement is huge, I believe they set us apart there too," said Darcy.


    "If they''re so concerned about separating genders, why are we together now then?" Gil asked once again.


    "I don''t know Gil, I don''t know everything," Darcy lightly laughed.


    "Sorry," chuckled Gil. "It just seems like they should have just built separate men and women prisons."


    "You''re probably right."


    Gil watched the security guards talk with each other rather loudly. They didn''t say how long their break would be, Gil was hoping they''d let them off the hook entirely.


    "I was hoping they had something to eat here, but it seems like they don''t. I didn''t eat dinner because I was completing another bonus task. I''ll try to hold out until the morning," said Darcy.


    "Well, it wouldn''t be great if you faint or anything, so here you go," Gil said while taking a small pack of crackers out of his pocket.


    "Thanks," smiled Darcy. "What will you eat? Didn''t you take these for yourself?"


    "Uh... You can have it," Gil said quickly turning away from her, captivated by her surprised smile. "Besides, I ate dinner, I think you need it more."


    "Thanks again."


    Gil listened to the sound of the cracker package opening, as he looked at the talkative guards again. He felt bad that Darcy hadn''t eaten a lot. He felt it was strange to work overtime, and then complete two bonus tasks right after.


    "Do you always do a lot of bonus tasks?" asked Gil while glancing back at Darcy.


    "Yes, I do them daily. Like I said, it helps take your mind off things," explained Darcy.


    "Yet, you want to be here forever?"


    "Yes, I do," said Darcy.


    "Take care of yourself Darcy. I don''t know you too well, but it sounds like you''re working too hard," sighed Gil.


    "Don''t worry, I''m fine," Darcy said without a hint of aggression. "I''ve worked harder before."


    "You say that, but I... I don''t know you too well, but I feel kinda bad for you. I don''t know why you work so hard, maybe it''s connected to why you don''t want to tell me your conviction. Perhaps you''ve done something really bad to stay here so long, or maybe you''ve been framed like I have. Just take it easy," said Gil.


    He suspected to see anger in her eyes, as people often grow furious when it came to things like that, but when he stared into her eyes, he saw... nothing. Not a hint of anger nor a hint of sadness.


    "Thanks Gil. Really thanks," she said with emotionless eyes.


    "Eh, no problem. Sorry if I intruded on your life too much. After all, we''re still basically strangers."


    "No worries."


    Gil stared at the guards again, still engaged in a conversation. He hoped they wouldn''t hear what he had to say next, but then again, part of him could care less if they did.


    "I''ve met a lot of cool people since I''ve been here. I fear for all of them because I want them all to get out of here. I''m terrfied that AquaLux will find a way to keep them here for as long as possible... I''ve been thinking of escaping here. I don''t think anything in this world is impenetrable. Could you us? Better yet, come with us?"


    Gil couldn''t believe he spilled out his thoughts to her. Had he really set his mind completely on escaping?


    He watched as his words made Darcy drop the crackers on the floor in disbelief. Perhaps that was the only proper reaction he saw her make.


    Escaping was very unlikely, yet there he was talking like he had it all planned out. He hadn''t told Vince or Jorge anything about his new plans, why''d he make it sound like he had an entire crew helping him?


    He stared at the clueless guards once more, one of them stared at Gil with intensity before turning around to the other guards.


    Perhaps it''d be best not to get any of his friends involved, or perhaps they''d


    thank him heavily if he did. One thing was for certain now though... he''d find a way to burst out of Energia Tower.

 Chapter 11: The End

    Gil slowly opened the door to his cell while the guards behind him watched him with beating eyes. He tried to sneak to his bed without waking Vince, though he desperately wanted to tell him about his brand new plan.


    He wasn''t entirely sure if he was serious about escaping Energia Tower, until he had a chat with Darcy. Everything clicked in his head when he realized he had empathy for her, and everyone else he met. He wanted Vince to get out and change his life around, Jorge to never go back to his crimes, Chloe to succeed in her dreams of the culinary arts, and Darcy to... be happy. Though Darcy refused to invest herself in an escape attempt, he still was completely willing to go through with one. He''d hate himself forever if his selfish actions caused harm to his friends, but he''d thought that''d be best for everyone.


    Funny enough, Gil even wanted real criminals like Bug and Dust to get out of Energia Tower... well it was too late for Dust, considering he was a chronic murderer, but Bug could have a second chance. Though Bug almost pounded his face in, he bore no ill will towards him. Besides, Dust gave him an even greater beating.


    "Dude, where have you been? It''s three in the morning," Vince''s curious voice said to Gil as he tiptoed to his own bed.


    "Didn''t mean to wake you," said Gil.


    "It''s fine, I was already awake." His tired eyes made Gil know he was lying.


    "Well... I was mopping all of the floors here with Darcy," said Gil.


    "Darcy? You mean that hot girl that was in the kitchen that day?" asked Vince.


    "Eh, yeah her. We talked about a lot of things. She''s always doing bonus shifts, and for whatever reason, she doesn''t want to leave this place," Gil explained.


    "Really? She loves hell that much?" Vince chuckled. "But I think I know the reason."


    "What''s the reason?" asked Gil.


    Vince sat on his bed and stretched his tired arms. "The reason she doesn''t want to leave this place is because she probably did something really bad and feels guilty about it. Why else would she always be doing bonus tasks without wanting to leave? Sounds like a straight up psycho if you ask me."


    Gil smirked as he tried to dress himself in disbelief. "I thought about that myself, so I''ve been suspicious of her. The more I talk with her, the more I feel like that''s not the case."


    He suddenly re-envionsed her emotionless face. "Well... I could be wrong, but I really want to be right," Gil ended.


    "Stay away from this Darcy woman Gil. She''s bad news! Don''t work bonus shifts with her again," lectured Vince.


    "Well, Darcy''s not even what I wanted to discuss with you... I''m thinking about escaping here. Leaving once and for all," explained Gil.


    "Are you nuts? Nobody leaves Energia Tower! If you get caught you''ll die!" Vince fussed. "Where would you even start with that? Seems like they''re always watching us."


    "There''s a way out. I''m sure of it. After mopping this place, I think I''ve got the entire layout down. I want you to help me, but I want you to be aware of the risks if we get caught," said Gil.


    "What''s the first step in your ''master plan,''" said Vince sarcastically.


    "Well, the first step is to solidify my  image of the layout I saw while mopping. Every floor looks exactly the same, except the cafeteria. They all have a security room for each floor. If we can just take over one of those, we''d have a shot," said Gil.


    "How are you planning on taking over one of those rooms? The cameras or another guard will see you," said Vince.


    "I don''t know. I''m mopping again tonight, so I''m hoping to find more weaknesses then," said Gil.


    "Mopping with Darcy right!? She shouldn''t be trusted. I know she''s pretty and all, but the pretty ones in places like this are the most dangerous! It''s not a good idea," lectured Vince.


    "I told her about this already, but she refused to join. She''s not in on this, I''m scoping everything out for myself so far. Maybe she''ll change her mind, and I''m hoping you will too. If not I understand."


    "Sorry Gil... I''m not helping. I know you want to get out since you''re basically sentenced for life here, but I just can''t. If I''m caught, I''ll be executed or receive even more points. Maybe you should accept the fact that you''ll be here forever," explained Vince.


    Gil grinned as he eyed Vince with determination. "Sorry Vince, but I can''t accept that miserable reality. I''m alright with dying if they catch me; that''s a far better death than giving up and refusing to do mandatory tasks."


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    "Man you''re really something," said Vince as he climbed back into his white sheets. "I''m sorry I can''t help, I just... don''t want to die."


    "I understand Vince," said Gil as he eyed his bruised white sneakers.


    ***


    "Arthur Lux... it''s a pleasure to chat once again," General Titus Caldwell said as he eyed Arthur Lux''s large video chat holoscreen.


    Arthur Lux looked at the general''s video chat holoscreen with a humongous pit of fear. The large screen did not contrast well with his messy condo.


    "You seem surprised sir, you should have already been notified about what happened," said Titus.


    Arthur was too stunned to speak, he was like a ghost without a tongue. Just what could he say after receiving such horrendous news a couple of hours ago.


    "Oh, well it''s just a lot to take in," Arthur said nervously.


    "Our COO, Watson Prince says you haven''t left your condo in weeks, if this is too much for you feel free to give your position to Watson," Titus said.


    "No!" Arthur fussed. "My father left this corporation for me and I''m the only one who can lead it!"


    "Well then focus, we don''t have time for nonsense. Now that Skyra has fully taken over Maritopia, it appears they are advancing towards the Seavale region as we speak. Their militia is enormous, it''s only a matter of time before they reach our capital here in Novaria. All attempts of negotiations have failed, it seems Skyra is dead set on eliminating AquaLux once and for all," explained Titus.


    I don''t understand, why is Skyra so determined to erase our company? What about the other smaller companies?" Arthur thought. Why is Skyra ruining my life!


    "Well... Can we try to negotiate again?" said Arthur. The last thing he wanted was to engage in a full scale war with Skyra. There was no way they could create a larger militia than Skyra.


    "Are you listening Arthur!" another angry general said in the background.


    The voice was from General Ceres Kemp, and while General Caldwell was the general of the entire military, Ceres was the boldest.


    "We just need your authorization! Quit being a crybaby and help your company! You are pathetic and should have never been leading this corporation!" Ceres said fiercely.


    Arthur was so stunned by the rude speech that he almost forgot how to make coherent words. He couldn''t see Ceres, but he knew that Ceres could see him.


    Firing esteemed generals in the military at that time would be a colossal mistake, so he had no choice but to fully acknowledge Skyra.


    "Calm down Kemp, he''s not going to authorize anything if you talk like that," said Titus.


    "You want authorization!? Then take it! I declare war on Skyra, deploy as many troops as possible! Get the troops from anywhere! Keep them away from me! Don''t let them get to Novaria!" Arthur fussed, saliva shooting around the room like a sprinkler. He then arruptly shut down the video conference in tears.


    He felt so pathetic, but what else could he do? His entire livelihood was at bay. Skyra was determined to end the cold war and finally start a war that would claim possibly millions of lives. What was the purpose? The worse thing about the situation to him was that now, the public would know that life is not safe anymore.


    "Would you like some tea to calm down sir?" his housekeeper Kaitlyn said to him.


    Though Arthur never married anyone, Kaitlyn was the closest thing he had to a wife. If it wasn''t for her, he felt he would have offed himself long before Skyra invaded AquaLux. He was not in any sort of relationship with the housekeeper, however he was very pleased to have her around.


    Momentarily, Kaitlyn handed Arthur a  steaming mug of chamomile tea. While the tea usually calmed him down, Arthur knew that it would not be successful that time.


    "It''ll be okay sir," said Kaitlyn, in an attempt to calm the quivering CEO down.


    "How can you say that!? Our generals are about to enter a bloody battlefield!" cried Arthur as he took a sip of his tea. He then quickly wiped his eyes with a nearby handkerchief, he hated when people saw him cry.


    "They''ll win sir! Generals Caldwell and Kemp have had successful campaigns against previous corporations. Skyra hasn''t fought a war in years, we have the advantage," said Kaitlyn.


    Arthur took a sigh of relief before letting himself be re-drowned in despair once again. "The war''s not the main thing I''m worried about Kaitlyn, it''s those awful superweapons. If AquaLux or Skyra uses their superweapons, all of us will not live."


    ***


    Gil and Vince were finally stationed together for their long and brutal twelve hours shift. Their job was to assemble weapons once again. As Gil glanced at the weapons, he wondered if they could be his ticket out of the prison... Then again, that was unlikely since ammunition did not exist in Energia Tower.


    He glanced at Vince repeatedly put the guns together with a hopeless expression. He hated seeing his friend with such a face, if only their original plan of working to get out of the prison succeeded. Maybe it would have worked if AquaLux didn''t change the rules and increase everyone''s points and increased the hours of operation.


    "Attention prisoners, it''s your Warden here," Officer Daryl Bowman said with a thunderous voice into an intercom of the large factory.


    "I must inform you that the day of fate has finally arrived. Skyra has taken control of the Maritopia region... as a result, AquaLux has now officially declared war on Skyra. This war will decide our future, if we lose we all perish! As a result, points are temporary halted and are unable to be earned during these perilous times. I know it''s not fair, but everyone must work during times of war. We will also have a prisoner draft, where about half of you all will be sent to the battle in the front lines in Seavale. Civilians who are not prisoners like you will also be working in other factories, and will also be getting drafted. They won''t be on the Frontline though... it pays to be a delinquent. Let''s all hope our corporation comes out ontop," Daryl said before shutting down the intercom.


    Gil and Vince looked at each other with radiating bones. Was it the end times? Never in Gil''s wildest dreams did he think he''d live to see the day where ArthurLux and Skyra would finally go to war with one another.


    It was a tale as old of time, both corporations threatened each other with war and superweapons any chance they could get. This cold war lasted for more than fifty years, why was it ending now?


    He then looked at other prisoners'', many were weeping and begging to call their parents. The chaos became so disruptive, that some of the guards started tazing the saddened prisoners, their faces laughing with glee as they did it.


    Gil knew that by judging by Vince''s new countenance that he was absolutely on board with his future escape plan. It was like intuition.

 Chapter 12: Disregard

    The work environment resembled an upheaved mess in the tenebrous depths of the factory basement. Gil assumed that the rowdy behavior of the prisoners would calm down after the first one was tased, but instead, it only seemed to fuel their rebellious spirits.


    "I''m not going to war!" an angry voice yelled at in the distance.


    The inmates took their frustration out on the work equipment, hurling unknown objects across the factory, some of which appeared to be hazardous. Gil observed the chaos, his awe growing as he witnessed a rowdy prisoner getting tased right in front of him.


    "This is bad," said Gil, his eyes baffled by the chaos brewing before him.


    "Let''s get out of here!" panicked Vince.


    "No, if we try to leave we''ll be tazed too. Let''s find some cover for now," said Gil calmly.


    "Uh... sure," said Vince, taken aback by Gil''s change in demeanor.


    Gil jolted his head towards at the entrance of the elevator and saw the warden, Officer Daryl Bowman enter the facility alongside several other guards. He never saw the warden in the underground factory before, perhaps he got word about the riot unfolding. Daryl''s presence did not calm the prisoners down at all.


    "Gil... If you still want to escape, I want you to know I''m in now! This riot is the perfect time for us to escape. Let''s go!" Vince said.


    "I don''t think this is the best time to escape at all," said Gil with vultured eyes. "We''ll try something else later, just watch."


    "Eh, sure."


    As the guards continued to taze the misbehaving prisoners, their laughter adding to the chaotic atmosphere, Gil observed a mysterious signal from Bowman. It seemed to be a command for the guards to back off, leaving the prisoners unattended. The warden''s blank expression and peculiar stance could not be a good sign.


    Officer Bowman!" a rowdy prisoner shouted, menacingly approaching the warden with a few others following suit. "I want you to know that you and AquaLux no longer have control over us! We won''t go to war for this company, and we won''t be imprisoned here forever!"


    Bowman stood unfazed, rooted to the ground like a tall statue, as the angry prisoners closed in on him.


    "We''re getting out of here!" the prisoner exclaimed, challenging Bowman face-to-face.


    Suddenly and without warning, Daryl swiftly drew a small revolver and shot the defiant prisoner in the chest. The single shot echoed through the factory, shattering the commotion into a haunting silence. Daryl appeared to not be phased in the slightest, he didn''t even look at the prisoner whom he had slain.


    "So, you all think this is a game do you?" the warden said calmly as he put his gun back in it''s holster. He then slowly began to pace around in the factory with menacing eyes."Let me ask you this... do you think you can rid yourself free of AquaLux? All of you are slaves to the corporation, your life is meaningless now. Going to war or staying here making weapons is now your destiny. If you don''t want to accept that, please come now and I''ll kill you too," Bowman said without a hint of compassion.


    Gil couldn''t believe the cold-heartedness and complete disregard for human life. Bowman appeared as if killing a man was another day in the park, clearly he was already adept at that. Maybe he killed the man so easily because he regarded the man as a mere prisoner and not a man. He felt an urge to confront Bowman, but that''d be foolish and meaningless. He wasn''t afraid of Bowman, however he was desperate to escape the tower. The worse part of the whole ordeal was that Daryl likely wouldn''t receive any sort of consequence. As far as AquaLux was concerned, Daryl just disposed of a piece of insignificant trash.


    He glanced at Vince, his face cold, quivering with unreal fear. The other prisoners had similar countenances, not a single one of them appeared to be calm. Even the guards appeared terrified. He assumed they were all heartless, considering how poorly they usually treated prisoners, but judging by their fear riddled eyes they too had hearts. Visualizing everyone in the room just made Gil remember how abnormal he was for not succumbing to fear.


    "I take it we won''t have any other issues," the deep voiced warden said as he eyed the horrified prisoners. "Use deadly force if they act up again," he said to the guards before taking his leave.


    "What a scary guy," whispered Vince.


    "Tell me about it."


    The prisoners stared at the corpse of the prisoner that raged out against Daryl. Because of his justified anger, he was killed -- a barbaric act. He watched as many prisoners walked over to the body in disarray.


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    One prisoner, the one who Gil assumed to be the murdered man''s cellmate, was weeping on the floor by the body until guards came and forcibly dragged him away. Their disregard for his grief was not surprisingly in the slightest.


    Not long afterwards, paramedics arrived with several guards and carried the deceased man on a stretcher. Gil overheard the paramedics say that they''d take the man to the roof to be airlifted to a hospital but Gil knew that was pointless. Judging by the long winded CPR performed, resuscitation was impossible for the inmate... he was gone.


    "Still want to stay here?" Gil asked Vince as they watched the paramedics leave.


    "Didn''t I say that I was in now!?" fussed Vince. "The warden''s a maniac and I''m not going to fight in a war I don''t care about! Maybe we''d die trying but we have to do something."


    "Glad to hear you want to leave!" cheered Gil.


    "What''s the plan?" asked Vince.


    "Like I said, I want to finalize the layout the next time I mop. So far, I''m thinking if it''s possible to take over one of the floor''s security rooms since every floor as at least one," said Gil.


    "Man... I hope this works. If not, we''re gonna end up just like that inmate we saw."


    "Stop talking now! Get back to work!" A furious guard said right in front of Vince''s face, which made Vince cringe and continue his task.


    The guards were now going around forcing people to work while threatening to bring Daryl back into the room. Gil found it almost humorous how they used a demon like Daryl as a scare tactic.


    Gil and Vince eventually finished their long twelve hour shift and entered the colossal elevator with dozens of disjointed prisoners. Darting to the elevator almost felt like they had to force his way through a concert. After a quiet few minutes of despair, the elevator stopped at Gil and Vince walked out of it at their appropriate stop.


    Gil mentally jotted down the location of the master elevator he just exited. It was in the middle of the tower, the circular hallways wrapped around it. The doors to the elevator were only seen from one side of the hallway. The information would serve useful in the possible escape attempt.


    As Gil and Vince entered their dorm, Gil watched the oblivious guards who did not know what they were planning. No matter what, he had to break free from the tower.


    "If you''re going to survey the layout again, what should I survey?" Vince quickly asked, his tone low in order not to alert any potential guards.


    "Well... Maybe you can sign up for a bonus task that involves surveying the top floor. I heard that''s where they took the person who was shot," said Gil.


    "Man, poor guy. He just wanted to go home and he probably died because he talked back to the warden... Still can''t believe it," sighed Vince. "That''ll be us too if we screw this up!"


    "True... so you know what that means?"


    "It means we don''t screw up!"


    ***


    After resting in their cells from the brutal shift, Gil and Vince re-entered the elevator to go to the cafeteria. As they got to the melancholy lunchroom, Gil saw an ominous figure that he almost forgot existed -- Leo. He was laughing loudly with a few other prisoners as if he didn''t have a care in the world. How could those prisoners appear so joyous when absolutely nobody is able to leave Energia Tower now? Were there more important matters at hand to them? Was resting on top of the social hierarchy really that important? It all didn''t make sense.


    There''d be no point in discussing anything with Leo now, his only goal was to escape Energia Tower no matter the cost. Then again, if Leo was at the top of hierarchy, infiltrating it may be to his advantage. Then again, a large chunk of him was still horrified to speak with Leo. After all, he was likely a faker.


    When they got to the front of the lunch line, Gil looked through the windows to the kitchen to see if he''d see Darcy. Sure enough, he saw her with a broom in hand. She clearly didn''t see him. He wondered if he would ever help with the future escape plan. He did not see Chloe in the kitchen, perhaps she too was overwhelmed by the terrible events that transpired.


    "Did you see what happened Jorge?" Vince asked Jorge when he and Gil met up with him at a lunch table with food.


    "I didn''t see anything because I was in another side of the factory. Everyone''s been talking about what the warden did though. This is crazy," explained Jorge, his usual humor now replaced with bleakness.


    "The craziest thing is nobody will do anything about what just happened. The warden gets to keep his job while we''re not allowed to leave here," said Gil plainly as he eyed Leo''s happy table.


    "Do you guys think the world''s really about to end? Skyra is apparently trying to annihilate the capital," said Jorge.


    Gil silently gasped when he realized he forgot to consider the world outside of the tower. Perhaps escaping the tower would be meaningless, as they''d be escaping to a warzone. Then again, maybe they could get to the corporation called Grappa. According to what they were told, Grappa wasn''t involved in the war. It was a much smaller company than AquaLux or Skyra but it could make a stellar home.


    For many decades, the world was told that dawn would never occur again when AquaLux and Skyra went to war. With their powerful otherworldly utilities and other objects of war, they had the power to decimate the entire world a thousand times over. If things were to escalate to that level, the escape plan would be a waste of time. Still, he wanted to do something. Maybe the world wouldn''t end, maybe it''d only be heavily damaged. Maybe he could escape with a few inmates, find his parents, take cover in Grappa and hope for the best. That option was much more appealing than accepting his fate as an inmate.


    "Who knows man. If either of them start using super weapons, we''re history," said Vince. "All I know is we got to get out of here. I don''t want to get drafted. Gil and I are going to plan an escape."


    "For real!" Jorge yelled as he rose from his seat.


    "Keep your voice down you idiot! Nobody can know what we''re talking about!" fussed Vince.


    "Eh, sorry," apologized Jorge.


    "The plan''s really disorganized right now, but we''re working on it. Right Gil?" asked Vince.


    "You know, I was going to take my career test before I came here. I really wanted to be a game developer, or any developer for that matter. I have no idea how we''re going to get out of here but I''ll put this logical brain to good use," chuckled Gil, his laughter catching Vince and Jorge off guard.


    He was reminded of his loose screw when he realized he was strangely excited about the new challenge. Bursting out of the prison would be no easy feat, but like he told himself before... nothing was impenetrable.

 Chapter 13: The Making of a Man

    Barney accelerated in his police cruiser at dawn, weaving through the streets with his partner, James, riding shotgun. Under the cover of night, they transformed into underground detectives, delving into illegal truths that lurked beneath the surface. By day, they assumed the roles of ordinary policemen, concealing their covert investigations. While becoming an ordinary detective would have been a commendable career move, Barney''s pursuit of the mysteries surrounding AquaLux and Skyra preoccupied his mind. The War of the End had ignited, and the consequences were uncertain.


    Regrettably, the advent of the war left Barney with limited time to indulge in his secret investigation. All he could do was speculate about the sudden appearance of fakers and what their presence truly meant. As his police cruiser came to an unwelcomed halt in a long line of vehicles on the highway, Barney joined the queue, contemplating whether these individuals were attempting to escape to another corporation in order to evade another draft. The war''s announcement had permeated AquaLux with universal tension, and wherever Barney ventured, he was met with anxious silence, a natural response to news of impending calamity.


    Their orders were to patrol the perimeter around Energia Tower, as many prisoners were slated to be drafted into the war. They were also nearby to help vehicles escort the numerous weapons constructed at Energia Tower. None of the prisoners were drafted in the first draft, however in the event of another draft, they''d likely be shipped out to Maritopia for battle as well. It seemed AquaLux wanted the prisoners constructing as much weapons as possible for now.


    "Great! More traffic," fussed James, his face printed with worry.


    Barney remained silent, gazing out of the window at the myriad of skyscrapers in the distance. The city of Oceanica, lay adjacent to the highway where they were stationed. Oceanica served as the capital of the Novaria region, as well as the entirety of AquaLux. Normally a serene coastal city, it now lay in disarray. If superweapons were deployed in the war, it would likely spell humanity''s downfall.


    "Do you think we''ll be drafted?" asked James.


    Barney took a deep breath, redirecting his attention to the congested traffic. "The first wave of drafts have already taken place, since we''re cops, we''ll likely be drafted in the near future if the war continues... which it will." Nearly a hundred thousand troops were deployed in Maritopia to keep Skyra from advancing. Much of those troops were already in the military prior to the war announcement; if the war persisted civilians would also have to get their hands dirty.


    "How do you know it will!?" asked James.


    "Because, James, whenever you light a match, the smoke must go somewhere when it''s extinguished," Barney explained cryptically.


    "Uh... I don''t get it," said James.


    "Forget it," scrawled Barney as the traffic slowly moved. "You know James, we probably don''t have much longer. A superweapon could drop anytime now and destroy all of us. We should cherish these times."


    "Aw c''mon! There''s no way we''ll die soon! Nobody''s gonna'' use a superweapon, Skyra wants more land, not destruction!"


    "Maybe you''re right," said Barney.


    Suddenly, a deafening explosion rocked the heart of Oceanica. The shockwave rippled through the air; Barney and James knew the blast had occurred nearby.


    "This way!" Barney shouted, swiftly abandoning his vehicle and dashing towards the rising plumes of smoke. Many pedestrians also abandoned their cars, fleeing in the opposite direction.


    "Where are you going!" James shouted as he jumped out of the cruiser.


    Barney paid no heed to James'' protests, pushing past horrified civilians as he sprinted towards the epicenter of the explosion. Judging by the fact that he was still alive, it couldn''t have been a superweapon. Had the war finally reached Novaria? Was Maritopia overtaken by Skyra? It was an abrupt turn of events, and surely he would have received some prior warning if Novaria were under attack. Puzzlement mingled with his growing fear as he drew closer to the scene.


    "If this is Skyra, let''s go back! Let the military deal with it!" James pleaded.


    Barney again, ignored James, rushing past the wreckage-strewn streets. Emergency sirens wailed in his ears, heightening his sense of apprehension. Barney hurried past disheveled individuals, drawing nearer to the source of the chaos. Eventually, he reached the origin of the explosion¡ªthe Aqua Bank headquarters, the largest financial institution in AquaLux. The devastation was immense, with a gaping hole in the building''s facade and debris strewn in teardrop patterns. He paused, studying the smoldering bank with a perplexed expression. Should he venture into the hazardous environment? Inhaling the smoke would undoubtedly harm his lungs. He couldn''t help but wonder why he had such a bad feeling. Was it merely the explosion, or was it something more ominous?


    "Is anyone in there!" Barney called out in front of the burning building. James caught up with him, panting heavily.


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    After hearing faint cries, he suddenly jotled into the building. Stepping into the building riddled him with agonizing anxiety... it was like something was telling him not to go inside.


    "Anybody!?" He yelled again before erupting into a fit of coughing.


    "Right here," a weak voice said.


    Barney peered into the ruined lobby, its once pristine beige tiles now obscured by debris. Broken equipment littered the floor. His eyes landed on an elderly man in a suit, trapped beneath a massive pillar and covered in rubble. Time was of the essence; the smoke grew increasingly toxic.


    "James, help me get this pillar off this man!"


    James rushed over, and together they promptly lifted the pillar off of the man.


    "Get him to safety! I''m going to look for the culprit," Barney said to James. Judging by the scenery, the culprit probably died in the explosion.


    After James walked away with the elderly man, Barney heard ghostly footsteps emanating deeper within the building. Each slow footfall quickened his heartbeat.


    "Someone there? Do you need help!?" shouted Barney, coughing all the more.


    A figure emerged from the haze, gradually revealing a young man with pale skin and medium-length black hair. The unsettling smile on his face and his measured footsteps suggested he didn''t require assistance.


    "Who are you!? Did you cause this explosion!? griped Barney, placing his hand on his holster."


    "Yes, I''m the one who caused this," the young man said with horrifying eyes. "It''s beautiful, wouldn''t you say."


    Barney widened his dry eyes as he swiftly drew his pistol. The young man in front of him was a faker, no doubt about it.


    "Why did you bomb the bank?" coughed Barney, as he listened to the emergency sirens get closer and closer.


    "Why did I bomb the bank? Well, I was ordered to. I was supposed to wait longer, but I couldn''t resist. This destruction, satisfies me. How many people do you think I killed," the strange man said with a grin. His harrowing demeanor was absolutely daunting.


    Rage began to fill up Barney like an old vase. "Why did you do this! Who ordered you!?" His hand was shaking rapidly as he pointed the gun at the man.


    "What do you mean by why did I do it? I already told you, I did it to satisfy myself. Skyra ordered me to do this, hopefully they won''t be mad at me for satisfying this wonderful urge to soon," the man said while staring into Barney''s scared eyes without a hint of emotion.


    That likely means that Skyra is responsible for the fakers! Barney thought. Afterwards, he remained mute, continuing to point his pistol at the man. He wanted to shoot, but the horror almost made him paralyzed. He shouldn''t be afraid to take the life of a monster, yet there he was, quivering like gelatin.


    "Nothing delights me more than seeing the fear on all of your faces. I love it," the man said, now smiling even more maniacally. "The look on your face is priceless. Does my demeanor terrify you?"


    "Enough! I''m sending you straight to hell!" Barney yelled, still angry at himself for not being able to shoot.


    "That''s okay... I''d rather send myself to hell. Won''t you join me?" The man slowly lifted his shirt, revealing a multitude of bombs strapped to his torso. "Perhaps Skyra won''t be too displeased with me for acting before the designated time." He charged toward Barney, his expression emotionless.


    Barney instantly shot his weapon, hitting the man in the torso, however the man kept sprinting after him. He shot three more times, but his nervousness made him miss all of his shots. Panic then gripped him, and he dropped his weapon, sprinting away from the approaching threat. His only thought was to escape and alert everyone of Skyra''s responsibility for the fakers'' deadly activities. Yet, the terrifying reality was that AquaLux likely already knew. Perhaps his newfound knowledge would make little difference in the grand scheme of things


    The faker man smiled and pulled out a switch from his pocket, upon clicking it, another enormous explosion greeted the air. Every wall collapsed as the entire building came tumbling down.


    "Barney!" James shouted from outside.


    ***


    "The warden killed an inmate?" a guard named Hue exclaimed, sitting across from Officer Charles at a table in Energia Tower''s expansive cafeteria. They occupied the space during the hours when inmates were barred from entry.


    "Of course, I''m not sure why you''re so surprised, he always kills inmates," said Charles as he casually took a sip of his coffee.


    "And they don''t do anything about it!?"


    "Of course not, why would anyone care about him killing animals," said Charles.


    "Animals? They''re not animals... they''re people!" said Hue with a somber mood.


    "We literally have convicted mass murderers housed here, you think they''re people too?" asked Charles. Young guards like Hue irritated him the most.


    "Well... yeah! Maybe something happened in their lives that led them down a dark path. Surely, nobody is born evil," said Hue.


    "Oh you naive little kid, don''t you get it? It doesn''t matter if something made those people evil or not, the reality is that they''re still evil."


    "Maybe it does matter!" Hue began. "It''s been clearly documented that people who have gone through trauma are more likely to engage in violent acts than people who have not."


    "So what are you saying? That people shouldn''t be held accountable for doing evil acts just because they had trauma!? We all have trauma, not all of us kill someone over it!" fussed Charles.


    "That''s not what I''m saying," Hue clarified. "I simply believe the warden and everyone else here should show a little more compassion to all the prisoners¡ªevery one of them¡ªregardless of their crimes. We don''t know their stories, especially those who committed violent acts."


    "So what, you think there''s people who commit crimes due to specific trauma? We''ve been over this already! There''s no excuse for being evil," said Charles angrily.


    Hue tilted his head down. "I just don''t like hearing about what the warden did to an inmate," he said after a brief pause. "Even if the victim was evil, it''s just... not right."


    "Well you don''t get to dictate what''s right and what''s not right."


    "I wonder what kind of trauma happened to the inmates," said Hue, lifting his head in disappointment.


    "You sound like my friend Barney, he believed in some sort of super people, who commit violent crimes, but he had no evidence to support that! He said those people likely went through some sort of trauma," scuffed Charles.


    "That''s interesting, do you think he could have been telling the truth?" asked Hue.


    "I doubt it, he was just a naive idiot like you," said Charles.


    Charles took a large sip of his coffee mug. I wonder what Barney''s been up to anyway.