Étude of Humanity

Chapter Sixteen

The MAME Syndicate.

The founders named it that way because they were fond of arcade machines, hence its former acronym Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. Just like how the Apple Lisa later stood for Local Integrated System Architecture, the MAME in MAME Syndicate now stands for Multi-Arsenal Matrix Enterprise. Cheesy, aye? It was first called MAME, but the people who named it never intended to make it into an acronym.

How did Sayre know all of this? Well, I know everything.

What Sayre can't fully process is the thought into how it was named MAME. Was it really the original name just spelled with capital letters, a homage to arcade machines, or simply an abstract analogy to the functionality of MAME? This is something that they know but I don't.

One clever tidbit is that if you include the word Syndicate when abbreviating MAME, it becomes MAMES. It could really be a clever analogy to multiple arcades in one, but Sayre can't really pinpoint in my head why exactly.

Anywho, Mr. Killer obviously escorted me out of the car and into the syndicate. Even before reaching the entrance, it has this lush greenery of plains in this huge lot that really just made the surrounding Nevadan desert night and day. That is followed by the grandeurs of these tall, luxurious, and futuristic skyscrapers that just makes you wonder in the middle of the desert. And finally, these fences are tall, you wouldn't even bother try to trepass.

And of course, very tight security.

Something avant-garde in the middle of a desert raises a lot of questions.

The sight of all of this also raises a lot of knowledge waiting to be unraveled in my head, but Sayre wouldn't spoil the entire thing just yet—I mean it's just like telling the whole story without the characters.

"Where are we going? What's going to happen to me next?"

"Hm? You're going to meet boss!" He looked like he was about to say some more, but paused. "Well, you already know. Saves me some time explaining. As for what's gonna happen to you... It's part of the deal."

"Part of the deal? Oh right..."

Right.

Mr. Killer right now is like one of your friends that has nothing more to say after knowing that you wept over your dead pet. Maybe the knowledge within Sayre is just waiting to be unraveled, yet it's already there waiting to be opened like a present.

That said, we walked further into the tallest and front-most skyscraper with him casually entering with his keycard of some sorts. Inside was just as stellar as it was on the outside, until he led us into a rather uncanny hallway; charcoal-colored walls, checkered tiles, dimly lit. Occasionally, some people who are like wearing lab coats would pass by.

Until we arrived at a door that looked superior than the rest.

"A'ight, seems like this it it," Mr. Killer stretched out his arms then looked down at me, "Seems like I'll leave it to you then."

To which I looked to the side and stretched out my arm beckoning. "B-but wait," is what I was about to say, but Mr. Killer already walked away deep into the perilous stretch of hallway. Crying out loud isn't also an option because why would a youthful cutie like me end up in a place like this?

Sayre gulped before facing back to this double door carved in wood, which looked grandeur than probably any other door in this hallway—possibly even the entire facility. There wasn't no sign at all that says this is where "boss" is, but judging that he's on top of the hierarchy and the look of the door alone is enough to justify that this is their room.