The Sleepwalker

Part Three: 5

The Warden

"Its powers are growing," Warden said, looking at the four cellblock Overseers who sat at the five-sided pentagon table. "Look at these charts!" He pointed to the board behind him, where a few X-Ray photos sat.

Each looked normal enough, except for the purple blobs that sat in key areas like the ribcage and brain cavity.

"What is that?" Pilgrim (Overseer of Cellblock A) asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"This is the divergence known as the Sleepwalker. Scans show that more purple spreads every day. Not to mention the host's clothes get covered in black mold every few hours or so."

"Okay, but what is it made of ?" Pilgrim asked again, "What is its molecular composition?"

"Uhh... Sticky? It seems to be organic but has the consistency of ink."

"Have we done any tests on it?" Invoke (Overseer of Cellblock C) put in, twirling her pen in thought.

"That's one of the reasons I brought you all here. The Society's Codex Act states that no inhumane tests or acts should be done to a divergence, correct?"

"Unless," Sickle (Overseer of Cellblock D) said, "the divergence needs to be studied or a Director or High Council allows it and voids the Codex. What are you asking?"

"I am going to put it to vote. Should we test it, make sure it isn't a danger?"

Four hands shot into the air, two of which were Sickle's.

Warden furrowed his brow. "For or against it?"

"Against," Sickle said. "We should contact a Director."

Warden turned to Vindicator (Overseer of Cellblock B), who had crossed his arms instead of putting them up. "What do you think?"

"I think we should figure out what's going on and study it." Said Vindicator animatedly. "Even if we have to take it apart, limb from limb."

Warden didn't respond for two reasons, one, he didn't have a response, and two, he was kind of afraid of Vindicator, as with any rational person, so not arguing with the Overseer was sometimes the best option.

"Absolutely not!" Sickle burst out, slamming his fist down on the table. "I may not be Overseer of the Dark Chamber, but I know we shouldn't inhumanely test on divergences!"

"Sickle, that's quite enough," said the Warden to calm down the Overseer. "Whatever we do, it won't be brash. But something to note... Agent Hazard told the Polybius machine about the Sleepwalker."

Invoke's pen stopped twirling. Pilgrim looked up from his research PDA. Even Sickle and Vindicator stopped glaring at each other long enough to stare at Warden.

"So the Polybius machine can talk?" Sickle asked.

"No, it was more of a one-sided conversation. Though we know Polybius is capable of all sorts of psychological trickery." Said the Warden, "Polybius could even know about the Only Incident."

"This isn't good," Invoke said, biting her lip. "We need to increase security on both Polybius and Sleepwalker."

Warden rubbed his neck slowly. "Well... I had a quick talk with Hazard earlier, in her holding cell."

The Overseers listened intently.

"I have an idea, a crazy one."

"Thought you said we wouldn't be doing anything brash," Sickle said.

"Before I explain myself," Warden ignored Sickle, "I think it'd be best for you to watch the security footage." He turned to an Agent in armor who stood off to the side and waved at the screen behind them.

The X-ray photos were replaced with a view of Agent Hazard in her cell, with the red-coated Warden right outside.
"Why were you calling the Polybius machine 'Master'?" Warden simply said. Hazard seemed about ready to cry.
"I was pretending to follow its rules!"

"For what purpose?"

"To understand it! It said something about the Sleepwalker divergence's power growing, I needed to learn more."

Warden raised his eyebrow above his monocle. "Why didn't you document these things?"

"Well, I thought the Polybius machine was lying, of course! You have to believe me, I'm no traitor!" Hazard placed both palms on the glass separating her from the Warden, who took a step back from the Agent.
"Provide proof and I'll believe you. What exactly did the Polybius divergence tell you?"

"It told me that it made a link with the Sleepwalker! A mental one! He put the Sleepwalker to sleep!"

Warden's eyebrow hiked up higher on his forehead. "You called the machine a 'he'."

"He, it, she, all the same innit?"

"Not the way you said it. Why did he put the Sleepwalker to sleep? And what did that do?"

"He - it - put the Sleepwalker into a sort of trance... one could even say he temporarily killed it."

The video was silent for a while as Warden obviously thought about this newfound information. The real Warden, the one who stood off to the side as the video played, cleared his throat to somehow make the silence less so.

"So... the Polybius machine stopped the Sleepwalker's powers from strengthening?" Warden said from the recording, "why?"

Hazard pursed her lips. "It... didn't say."

The screen went dark as the Warden took up his place at the head of the pentagon table once more. "It's undeniable. She or the Polybius machine knew about the Sleepwalker's growing power, and that isn't info we tend to share to a research Agent like her." He laid his palms on the table and gave each Overseer quite a serious look, just because he knew his next words might come out as if it were a joke.

"I think we should put the Sleepwalker and Polybius machine together."

Utter silence. Until Sickle gave a small chuckle.

"You can't possibly be serious," said the Overseer, shaking his head.

Warden frowned. "I thought the face I made cleared that up..."

"You wish to put two extremely deadly divergences together," Invoke put in, "in one cell?"

"Let me remind you that one of those divergences almost escaped, and was the only one to ever do so." Sickle said before Invoke was even finished.

"Sounds like they'd kill each other," Vindicator crossed his arms. "It'd be cool to watch."

Warden put up a hand right as Sickle began to argue with Vindicator about equality and cruelty. Vindicator was always arguing with Sickle. Warranted, Vindicator spent most of his time in Cellblock B, where animate, not-thinking divergences were. They included, but were not limited to, the Bloody Axe, Teddy the Bear, and other creatures that do not think yet move. Most have one thought: Bloodshed.

"We will use the Expanse," Warden shouted over Sickle and Vindicator, "if we build a cell with a divider... hex, will you two just stop for one moment?!"

The bickering Overseers turned to him, Sickle sat back down, and Vindicator unfolded his arms. To which Warden sighed out of exasperation.

"Where was I...?"

"You said you wanted to use the Expanse," Invoke reminded him.

"Ah, yes, the Expanse. We will build two cells, a divider in between made of strengthened glass. It'll take longer, but we can make it slide upward if the Polybius machine doesn't link through the glass. Am I clear?"

"Crystal," Pilgrim said, and the other Overseers murmured in agreement.

"We'll chain both divergences down, and have turrets aimed at each one." Warden pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not taking any chances."

Vindicator let out a mirthless chuckle. "You mess up again, you'll be replaced."

"Thanks for the encouragement, Vin." Warden looked around the table once more, seeing the stony looks on the others' faces. They knew the risks, they knew who they had lost back in the Only Incident, and they knew that they couldn't let the Sleepwalker escape again.

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't worry about this sudden surge of Sleepwalker's power. I'm legitimately worried, and –"

Pilgrim suddenly stood and placed his robotic arm across his chest. "I trust you."

Invoke was next. "As do I, Warden."

Vindicator took his time getting up, making sure to frown the whole time. "Yeah, Warden, sure, I completely put all my trust in you."

Sickle put both hands on the table before pushing himself up and putting his hand over his chest like the others, but he didn't say a word.

Warden knew that Sickle disliked the idea, but he knew for sure after he ended the meetings and all the Overseers had left... but Sickle hung back. He made sure that the room was empty before approaching the Warden.

"Before you say anything," Warden said unequivocally, "remember that the Only Incident ended with the loss of over fifty lives."

Sickle poked the Warden's chest in triumph. "Ha! That's exactly my point. We need to be extremely careful with Polybius and–"

"The Sleepwalker? Of course we will, but if it's a choice between protecting my Agents or a divergence it'll be quite an easy choice."

"We should make sure it doesn't come to that, because the Sleepwalker is still a man, just an unlucky one." Sickle huffed.

"Tell that to Agent Gaunt. Or Revolve. How about Psy? She was torn in two, and we never found the bottom half."

"Deaths that could have been avoided had we retreated and left the creature alone!"

"And let them run rampant on earth?"

Sickle smouldered. Warden had never seen him this angry, and he knew something was wrong.

"Did... something happen? To a divergence?" Warden asked cautiously.

The fire in the Overseer's eyes died down a bit at Warden's comforting tone. "Katnip lost her tail in a scuffle with Agent Jinx... at least five feet of it."

"Will she pull through?"

Sickle slowly shook his head to the side. "She... lost too much blood."

Warden didn't say anything, neither did Sickle. They just stood at the head of the pentagon table, black screen behind them, mounted to the wall. Warden felt as if he should say something, or even place his hand on the distressed Overseer's shoulder, but he didn't. It got awkward fast.

Warden eventually cleared his throat. "Well, I should get going... I've got to get the Expanse workers up and aware of the plan."

Sickle nodded before pushing his glasses up further on his nose.

"Sickle, listen, there's a reason we call it the Only Incident right? I'm not worried about this thing going wrong, trust me, everything will work out just fine."