Static Reflections: Book 1 of The Mortal Guard Series

Chapter 10 - Nick: The Institute

Chapter 10 - Nick - "The Institute"

As Nick and Regis stepped out of the portal, they were greeted by a gargantuan gray structure with lines upon lines of windows, towering over them rather menacingly. "This is . . . the Institute?" Nick asked Regis, rubbing his hands together nervously. He felt like he needed another cigarette already.

"Yes, it is!" Regis responded, scribbling away on his clipboard. "And your home for what will feel like a long time."

The hyena raised a brow. "Feel?"

"Time works differently in this dimension."

"Huh?"

"Two months in here will be nothing out in Prostasia," Regis explained, turning to an otter that was standing at the door. Nick swallowed at the sight, the image of the well-kept Boris crossing his mind. They approached, and Regis smiled. "Hello. This is Nicholas Flynn. He's chosen to be a part of the Creature Hunting Sect. He's rather curious and sociable. Maybe put him with some other animals?"

Nick stepped forward. "Other animals?"

"It's like a dorm of sorts."

"I don't want to be with anyone."

"You . . . don't?"

"I just want to focus," Nick said. He looked at the otter. "I can speak for myself. What he said is right. I wanna be in the Creature Hunting Sect, but please put me in a room alone."

The otter nodded. "That will be arranged, Mr. Flynn. Follow me, please."

Regis turned around and nodded at the hyena. He went back into the portal before Nick could say any final words to him. Guess he really meant there'd be no time to talk here.

The otter waved again. "Coming?"

Nick jolted out of his thoughts and caught up with her. "Yeah, sorry."

As was the norm lately, Nick was led down hall after hall, and up a few stairs, almost to the top of the building, it seemed. After going down another long dark-blue carpeted hallway, they came across a door. The female otter gestured to it. "This is your room while you're at the Institute. There's a Digital Ocean Surfer for you in there. It works like a normal computer, but if you have any questions, there are instructions in the nightstand drawer."

Nick scratched the back of his neck. "Um . . . so . . . I can start my courses tomorrow? Already?"

"That's right. It's all self-paced, and once you've finished, you'll meet your Mentor and begin physical training."

Nick nodded. "Uh, thanks. And if I'm hungry?"

"There's a device next to the door. It has the same kind of screen as a Hephaestus Bot. You can get food to your room or other help that way. There's a bathroom in there, so you won't need to worry about that. Your IID will be dropped off tomorrow."

"IID? Like an ID card?"

"Specifically for the Institute, yes." The otter pulled out her own card and tapped it against the black scanner next to the door, a resounding click emanating from it. The female pushed it open. "You can go inside."

Nick waved to her and walked in. The otter shut the door behind her, and the sound of her footsteps receding told Nick she left. He had a good look around.

The room was rather bare, which seemed to be the Mortal Guard style at this point. The bare minimum needed, at best. There was no television or any form of entertainment in sight, besides maybe the laptop-looking object on the coffee table in front of the gray couch. In the back left corner of the room was a bed with plain white sheets that were neat and tidy as if no one had ever used them. A single white door leading to presumably the bathroom was on the right side of the room, toward the back. The floor was a rather plain beige carpet that he was sure would feel pleasant beneath his feet.

Deciding to test this theory, he slipped his shoes and socks off for the first time in days, smiling at the soft and cool feeling below. Knowing he hadn't showered for a few days, he lifted his arm to test how bad it was. His head reared back, and he immediately headed into the bathroom after setting the black box and phone down. Did Regis seriously have to deal with him like this the entire tour? He felt sorry for the feline.

The hyena turned on the water, hot just like he liked it, happy with how quickly the water heated it up and with how hot it got. The bathroom itself was like something he'd see in what they called the Mortal Realm. He figured it was to keep the familiar close to home like with the shops.

Nick stripped down bare and looked in the mirror as the fog encroached from the edges. Mind check. You're standing in a bathroom in another dimension where time works differently, and you're gonna learn how to be a creature hunter. Are you insane? Maybe. But this is what's happening right now. Best to just go with it. For Boris.

Nick pulled back the curtain and stepped in, moving back under the hot water and letting it run down his fur, matting it down and making his mane flat. He ran his hands across his cheeks and past his ears, down the back of his head. His ears popped back up into place. Nick did this a few times.

If only they knew where I was. Nick returned to his head again, grabbing the fur shampoo sitting on the side of the white tile shower wall. It reminded him of home. If that was the point, then it worked. What would they say? Would they be worried? Happy for me for some reason? Tyler would. I wonder what he's doing? I miss him. I wonder what my Double's up to? Is he living my life? Is he eating my candy? Do my parents love him now?

The hyena lathered the shampoo all over his body, making sure he was fully clean. And no one knows I'm gone. The real me. He felt his eyes stinging again. He had never been emotional like this, but he couldn't quite process the idea that a clone had replaced him indefinitely, all because Boris had come to him when he needed help.

Nick looked down at his feet and just stood for a long time, letting the water fall against him, enjoying the sound of it hitting the pearl-colored tub. Once he was over standing there, he turned off the water and got out, quickly drying off, opening the wooden cabinets, and finding multiple pairs of blue pajamas, taking out one and slipping them on.

Leaving the bathroom, Nick grabbed the phone and then crawled into bed, sighing at how soft it was against his back. He tapped the bottom button on the device, and a whole process of setup began. He got through it rather quickly, instilling all of the necessary information. After he gained access to the home screen, he realized there were many different apps that he had no idea how to use.

He opened them one by one, finding a database on creatures but being too afraid to open it. There was also a database on members, which he strayed away from for now. He discovered that you could, indeed, create contacts on this device, and there was even a messaging app with emojis. The Mortal Guard certainly was a strange organization. What was missing from the phone was an app store, of course, a web browser, and worst of all . . .

"No music app?!" Nick sat up, truly being disturbed by this turn of events. He was a musical artist with a talent for writing songs, and the passion for lyricism dripped from his hand onto the paper, but without any music to inspire him, it was going to be tough. It would be tricky anyway without it to comfort him in hard times. Even now, he found himself desperately wanting to blast one of his playlists.

The hyena groaned and vowed to find some way to get music in there. He set the phone down and looked at the ceiling, going back over everything that had happened for the millionth time. He yawned, the total weight of how tired he was hitting him, and, knowing he began his courses the next day, turned on his side and hummed until he drifted to sleep.