Divided We Fall

Chapter 2

(Art is by me. If you want to check it out in more detail it's on my insta DreamRealmReality and Tumblr DRRealitySlenderverse)

A familiar, sterile white ceiling with too bright fluorescent lighting came into focus as Tim opened his eyes while the sound of monitors beeped in his ears. He felt stiff as he sat up, his back sore from the feeling of Jay's knife stabbing into it. For a simulation, it felt way too real at times.

"Sorry about that." Jay spoke up, already standing up next to his own bed and turning off the equipment he'd been hooked up to. "Fastest way to end the game at that point..."

He grunted in response and pulled off the electrodes stuck to his body before turning off the machines they were connected to. Standing, Tim glanced around the rest of the room in search of the others. Seeing no one, he assumed they were waiting in the other room for him and Jay to wake up and join them.

"Come on, let's go find the others." He was sure the higher ups would want to speak to them together about their results. "Hmm... probably won't be great. We've had better... Wonder if they regret putting me in charge instead of Alex this time."

These simulations between missions were meant to keep their skills sharp and teach them how to solve any new situations that might show up. It was also a way for the higher ups to evaluate the best ranks to put each of them at, mostly who would be first and second in command during the mission. However after this round he felt like they'd been more of a disappointment than anything.

Jay seemed to notice the look on his face because the man gave him an encouraging smile. "Come on, I'm sure it won't be as bad as we think."

"Yeah, it'll be worse." He huffed, pausing to allow the door to open before continuing out of the room.

"What do you think this upcoming mission is anyway?" Jay changed the subject as he walked next to him down the brightly lit hallway. "From all the fuss it sounds a lot more interesting than just another supply run."

"Guess we'll find out soon enough." He didn't really care what the mission would be. No matter what, they'd still be trapped together on a ship the entire time. Sure usually nothing went wrong- at least not to the extent they experienced in the simulations- but there wasn't exactly much to do on their down time. Card games made up a good deal of their entertainment, maybe some gossip here or there, but otherwise everything was so monotonous.

A chair slid across the floor with a light scraping sound as they walked into the lobby. Jessica hurried over to them. "You guys okay?"

He picked up on the worry in her voice immediately. In fact Tim was starting to pick up on the tension in the room now that he paid attention. Brian met his gaze from where he sat, relief and fear in his eyes. Glancing over at Alex, he saw a similar expression worn on his face. He noted quickly that Seth and Sarah were strangely missing. It wouldn't have been odd if they'd still be in the simulation, but he and Jay had been the last ones in the room. Their expressions weren't bringing him any comfort either.

"Yeah, of course we are." Jay answered, looking around at everyone quizzically. "What's going on?"

Footsteps walked into the room behind them before anyone could answer. Tim looked over his shoulder to find their boss and one of his assistants standing in the doorway. The tall man's face was hidden by his visor as always, though he could still feel the stern stare burning into him as he waited for them to quiet down. It didn't take long. Something about him, really most of the higher ups, just gave off a commanding vibe that suggested you shouldn't disobey.

There was a moment of silence as Tim and Jay settled into chairs before their boss finally spoke. "We had some technology issues during the simulations. As you may have noticed, two of your crewmates are missing... I'm sorry to inform you that due to the problems we experienced they are... no longer with us."