The 4th Subject

Chapter 29: The "Break"

A lot happened during that conversation. Yes, conversation. A conversation with Deb, to be specific. She connected a lot of dots and gave us a lot of missing information. And she told us who the fifth subject is.

~*~

"Oh, I'm so stupid." Matt said, burying his head in his hands.

"What?" Sam asked.

Matthew motioned to the camera.

"Oh," I whispered.

"It's you."

Our viewers. They were the fifth subject. They solved clues and helped us out when no one else could. We never realized how important they were until it was spelled out for us.

"Matt," I said, "can you ask Deb about me? Ask her why I'm a part of this? Or even, how I'm a part of this?"

The click of the keys sent waves of nervousness through my brain. What would her answer be? Would it be anything we expected? Perhaps something none of us ever thought of. Anxiety ate away at my mind as Matt clicked enter.

"The "how" is more easily explained." Deb's electronic voice spoke. "As I'm sure you all have figured out, Syntec did have a few locations across the country. While most closed very soon after they were built, our Florida location was the last outside of California to be shut down. I made sure of that."

"So, she knew the importance of the Florida location." Matt muttered.

"She made sure of it?" I said, puzzled. "This all happened before I was born. How could she have known about me?"

"I mean, there was a document predicting my birth," Sam stated, "maybe she predicted yours, too."

"How? How could she predict our births?"

Deb started back up.

"The "why" is...complicated. There are so many layers to that question, I'm afraid answering one will cause the rest to unravel. Sarah, I know you are seeking your greater purpose here, and I promise you have one. But there are things I simply cannot tell you. Not yet, at least. Answers will be revealed in time, I assure you. Just keep being yourself."

"Being myself? That's her advice?" I said snarkily.

"Trust me, that will make sense further down the road. But please, communicate with your team. I cannot stress this enough. It is imperative that you are all on the same page."

I sighed. "Tell her I said ok, but I still have so many questions."

"I promise you will get answers eventually. Stay strong, Subject 4."

~*~

She told us so much. She explained that the reason we were Project 863 was because we were the only ones bringing Syphus's evil plans to light. Through the help of Subject 5—our viewers—we were not only solving more mysteries, we were putting the darkness of Syntec on blast for the world to see. And now, she needed our help.

The serum was scattered about the valley. A lot of it. 6,200 milliliters to be exact. And Deb needed us to find it all. Which, as you can imagine, would take us a very long time.

~*~

"Y24?" Matt said. "Is that the year 2024?"

"Three more years?" Sam asked incredulously.

"We're in the beginning of this year, that's basically four more years." I said, staring in shock at the screen.

"Is she serious?" Woods asked.

"I don't think she can make jokes."

"Come on, Sarah," Matt mumbled sarcastically, "it's funny. Imagine spending four more years here."

"My 18th birthday, high school graduation, first two years of college. All on the opposite side of the country. Hilarious, Matt."

"Well, what's to say we can't take a break?" Matt said.

"I'm not sure that's how that works." I replied.

"Why not? We've been in these bases for years before we stumbled onto this project. What if we just...stop finding stuff?"

"It would be nice to take a break, mentally prepare for the next four years and all." Sam said, readjusting herself in her seat.

"Yeah, I agree, we need some time to just not have to deal with all of this," Woods said, running his fingers through his hair.

"Sarah?" Matt said.

"I will always be down for a break," I replied.

"Ok, then. I'll let Deb know, we'll take the summer off, Sarah, you can go back home and spend some time with your family and friends. Because I have no idea when you'll be able to see them next."

I sighed. Woods and Sam placed hands on my shoulders, but I felt little reassurance. And——to no one's surprise——our break didn't start exactly how we wanted it to.