Brilliant Man/Vir Clarissimus (Latin)

Chapter 13 "My Way is to Begin with the Beginning" - Lord Byron

Ozwald filed into the Pyridoxine lobby, experiencing a mix of feelings as a crowd of individuals surrounded his front. He momentarily caught their digital dissonance, as if the synchronized pack was coded in prior to his entrance. Either way, he tore through the lot, pausing at the front desk.

Behind the counter was a sleek, black-suited man; his deceitful smirk instantly reminded Ozwald his college-dissident identity: It was the Pyridoxine concierge, only, this was years before the attack of 'What goes up, must come down.' Two chills ran up his spine: one when recalling his first day experience in Merphin and the second from when, only two years from several days ago, Zed had unleashed the greatest destruction to humankind.

"How may I help you.. Mr. Wiz?" the concierge said, a laugh splitting the order in his expression.

Ozwald blew past him, more excited to commence his exploration of the familiar, lobby grounds. On the ground was a tall, elaborate collage depicting the Mona Lisa made with packaged tin, aluminum, and recycled chronium. The place was also a glass house, storing almost every breed and species of genetically perfected Earth plants and animals. Following the helpful lead of his infinitely-regenerating red carpet, Ozwald greeted monkeys, tweeting birds, cryopreserved sperm, and even a downsized elephant named Taffy, his carpet leading the way and disappearing behind him with every new step.

Concluding his brief intermission, Ozwald walked to the elevator triumvirate, selecting an already open one. The softly-glowing interior was adorned in slick, gold lines which cut through the smooth, quartz floor. Waiting inside this shimmering cocoon was a handsome, shaggy-haired man in the red, Pyridoxine elevator man suit, smart shoes, and small baton. Caught in his observing, Ozwald failed to notice the elevator man tapping his watch, being greeted, instead, with their biting look.

"Wait," Ozwald hissed, bitterly rolling his eyes. He took out his right hand from his pocket, then sunk it into the fact-o-gram machine. It was baptized in hot, blue radiation from all the scanning. An external speaker buzzed, prompting him to recite, "Ozwald Bowens. Five-time Hawkings Award winner and Artifici-Flavorist for the Jupitorian Society."

The man inside the elevator nodded, his frown creaking into a small smile. Ozwald watched his damp, porcelain hair and how it steamed under the artificial lights. Then he yanked down a gold lever hung overhead which triggered the web of bronze guard to quickly slide into its burrow under the smooth quartz floor.

Ozwald took this as cue and briskly stepped inside.

Kaleidoscope lights were drawn from the floor, painting the circumference of these elevator walls in flamboyant rainbow while thick stripes of porcelain broke off the dome ceiling, racing to the carpeted floor below. Every corner of this space was amplified in the soft, emerald glow shelling out from the film of darkness as the kaleidoscope receded.

"Which room are we going to?" Ozwald asked the man. Neither had he noticed both his pin illustrating a chant for the Saturnite Chargers nor the little dots and freckles which rested along his blond, sun-beat face.

This appearance spelt trouble to him.

"You got them dream trials, right?" he smirked.

Ozwald nodded.

"Then... Ozzy, right. Best you stop asking questions from here on. You've reached the second chapter of your story: ..Elevation!"

~

"Alright, Ozwald, rules here are pretty simple, so you shouldn't have a hard time following me," began the elevator man. "First, any attempts made to flee the elevator or override your dream state will serve you double the injury. Not only are you bound to our conscience-scanning brainchild, Perfection 2, but within two minutes of the attempt, our machine will enter your mind then release a synthetic chemical that will throw off your neurotransmitter balance and destroy you." The elevator man grinned as horror sunk Ozwald's expression. He continued by saying, "So Zed recommends keeping up with his rules, that way you won't need any punishment."