TCS: The simulation

Chapter 5: Planning an escape

Post 24:

There was a knock at the door, followed by Moss's urgent voice: "Locke? You awake in there, man?"

Locke hesitated for a split second before sitting upright in bed, feeling no less exhausted than he had been before his nap. The throbbing in his temples returned with a vengeance, and he instinctively rubbed at his forehead, groaning a little. "Yes. I am."

The grumpy survivor wasted zero time barging inside Locke's bedroom, followed by Orchid and an unfamiliar face. The newcomer was a man dressed in a TEK suit with red lights, his helmet removed. He was muscular in stature, clearly fit and seasoned, but most alarming was the scar on his face. Disfiguring his forehead right above his right eyebrow, the man seemed to have endured quite the grisly injury sometime in his past. Upon noticing the scar, Locke felt a slight flicker of sympathy for him.

Before Locke could ask for the man's identity and purpose, Orchid stepped forward. "He can help you, Locke."

"How so?" Locke rasped, barely energized enough to continue sitting upright in bed.

"My name is Carmine," the man introduced himself cordially, approaching Locke's bedside with a polite smile. "I've been told you're suffering from a strange... sickness."

The way Carmine emphasized the word 'sickness' did not sit well with Locke. He wondered if the situation was much more dire than previously anticipated. "What's your story, Carmine?"

"I served the URE long ago when the wars were still ongoing," Carmine stated simply, pulling up a chair to sit on. "So I guess you can say I'm experienced in corruption of this caliber."

The man's words were foreboding, leading Locke to assume this indeed might've been the point of no return. He fell silent, dreading what Carmine would say next.

Carmine gently held Locke's head in his hands, angling it toward the light so he could better observe the hideous growth consuming his face. Locke instantly winced in pain and gritted his teeth when Carmine pressed into the affected flesh with his fingertips, muttering to himself. When Locke looked toward Carmine's own face, he noticed the concern flooding inside of the man's eyes. Perhaps this really was serious.

"What's the diagnosis?" Moss called from the back of the room, resting against the wall with his arms crossed. Orchid was at his side, anxiously watching as Locke was examined.

"Well, it's not exactly comforting to see, especially with how advanced it's become. I don't like the sight of it at all." Carmine's voice was grave. "It's only a matter of time before this swallows up his whole body, and when that happens, the man's a goner."

"Is there anything we can do for him?" Orchid chipped in.

"I'll do my best, but I can't promise anything," Carmine confessed with a small sigh. "At most, I think I can just make sure he's comfortable when it happens..."

Anger spread across Moss's face, and he stomped toward Carmine. "So you're telling me this'll just become a hospice service? You said you could help us out! I'm not fucking burying this guy just yet."

"Settle down, Moss!" Orchid chided gently, holding onto her friend's arm. "He knows what he's doing."

"He's talking about euthanizing him like Locke's a damn dog or something," Moss argued. "We didn't bring him all this way for him to just let Locke die!"

"He won't die." A different voice had joined the conversation: HLN-A. Accompanied by TK, the little holographic companion entered the room. Although she certainly was not thrilled, Locke could tell HLN-A was nowhere near as distressed as before. "We found out what's happening."