The Art of Failing Mad Science

Chapter 6: A Girl and Her Cat in Tunnels Full of Absolutely Nothing

She called us up by last name in alphabetical order. The first round
stepped up to their doors, new bands secured to their arms with blinking green lights visible on each. After they disappeared into their respective tunnel openings, Margret called up three more. Agnes was fourth, her last name being Arvantis. I tried to look encouraging as she stepped up. She didn't look nervous, but more determined. I tried to take comfort from that as she disappeared down the middle tunnel. I was the tenth name called. Finbow.

Eleven and the girly girl stepped up with me to receive our bands. Margret placed the cold, metal screen on the back of my wrist. The band itself attached magnetically and tightened to fit perfectly. It would turn if I needed it too, but not while I was swinging my arm. The fabric was heavy, as if it were fine chain mail instead of cloth. Overall it wasn't uncomfortable, though it would take some getting used to.

Because I was first to get my band, I also got first pick on which tunnel to go down. I decided to follow Agnes's lead and go down the middle tunnel. Maybe I could get a room near hers.

"You three can go!" Margret called to us. In an attempt to disperse my nervousness I broke into a run. The tunnel had a split just after the entrance. Trying to recall Agnes's path, I turned right.

Something occurred to me just then. If we had entered from the north than gone to the south side, I should have been facing south until I turned right, which would be west. But we had flown in on the airship from the south. Judging by the size of the hub and the distance of the elevators and stairs from the dock, the hub should be just inside the solid ground behind the overhang. This meant that the dorms...

Were in the overhang?

That thought made me slow down and lighten my footsteps quickly. 

These people really are mad aren't they?

I tried to stay calm.

I wonder how close to the cliff they go...

I wondered if I would be able to sleep tonight.

Maybe they even have some with windows!

Windows would be nice...

We should look for them!

We?

I! I should look for them!

That seemed like a nice idea. Fear forgotten, I began trotting again. I needed to go south as much as possible to find a room close to the cliffs. I also figured that if they had windows they might not move too much. That, I really wanted.

I took a left as soon as I found one to return myself facing south again. A little further down the path it split. I could continue forward down a flight of stairs or turn left again. I chose to descend in order to keep my current course. The act was then proven futile as the path only went east to west at the base of the stairs. I chose east, left, to center myself a little better. When I turned a corner to the south again, I spotted a flashing light on the wall. My access band responded with a flash of its own. I walked over to find a pin-sized light bulb embedded in the wall. After further observation I realized it was in the center of a stone door perfectly blended into the wall. I wondered how many doors I had passed without noticing. I waved me band in front of the light and the door opened. I didn't step through, but just peered inside.

The room was dimly lit and musty. There were artificial windows on the walls but they were off, showing nothing but black glass. A queen sized bed was backed up against the far wall. There was a large desk, a dresser, and a nightstand all made of dark wood. The room looked a bit gloomy at the moment, but with a little sprucing up I was sure it would feel like home.

My thoughts were interrupted by a subtle rumble in the floor. To my shock and terror, the entire hall and tunnel began to rotate. I could hear grinding gears above and below be, and the scrape of stone on stone was prominent. I noticed the stone previously not exposed was smooth from years of erosion. After rotating 180 degrees, the room shuttered to a stop.

Down the hall to my right, now north, another student was standing with her hands braced against a wall. She was tall and extremely thin, with long brown hair a similar color to mine. I was willing to guess that area had just finished moving as well. I called out to her.

"Hey I found a room but I don't like it. You want it?" She nodded eagerly and a jogged over.

"Thanks! I've been searching for ages! I can't wait to get out of this maze and get some lunch!" I felt only a little guilty about giving her a room that probably rotated frequently. I gave her a quick farewell and headed down the south path again. I wondered if it was foolish to give up the room. I might be stuck here longer than the girl I had given up it to. 

Too late now, keep looking.

I took turn after turn, running, jogging, trotting, and eventually walking. No wonder they had given us so much time to find a dorm, this was taking forever. I descended another staircase bout 30 minutes after entering the maze. I hoped it wouldn't take to long to get out of the maze. Twice more I had to stop and brace myself as the room I was in began to move. Once I encountered a dead end that opened up as the next hall slid into view. I had yet to find another door, but glanced other students down long hallways. They were never there long enough for me to get their attention or see who they were. 

I had let Pammon out a short time after encountering the first room. He never strayed too far from me, so I wasn't too worried. Now, though, he was mewing up at me. I suspected he was tired and stored him back in his carrier. He purred gently and fell asleep in seconds.

I reached another dead end not long after that. Groaning in frustration, I started to turn around when I notice the seam of the wall was solid. This block must not have rotated. I inspected the wall closer and found there was another hidden door, but with no light. Curious, I pushed against it. The stone gave way with a gravely scrape and I found myself standing in front of a cozy area with couches and televisions. There were lit torches on all walls burning endlessly, and the rugs on the floor were of a warm color. It appeared I had found a secret lounge area. I walked in and looked around. In either direction there were more tunnels. No room in sight. I decided to forgo the opportunity to take a seat and explore the tunnel to the left. The tunnel forked again at the end. Looking left revealed a staircase up to another hidden door. Looking right, a blinking light was visible at the very end. With a flood of joy and relief, I sprinted to the door and waved my band in front of the light.

The door swung open soundlessly, showering me with grit and dust from years of not being used. Inside there was a king sized loft bed, a vanity, a desk, and quite a few tables, chairs, and shelves made out of a light-colored material I didn't recognize. A couch was visible underneath the massive loft. The south wall appeared to be covered by a heavy, maroon curtain. To the right a bathroom door was visible. To the left was another door leading to unknown places. Despite having so many contents, the room was very spacious. I liked this much better than the last room I had seen. The moment I walked through the entrance my access band beeped and flashed to life.

"Nona Finbow is now a resident of room 8276." Scrolled across the screen before a main menu came up. From it, I could choose to register friends, invite them to my dorm, or get directions to various locations around campus from my current area. I decided to explore my room later and get back up to the group for lunch. I wondered how many had already found dorms of their own. Using my band, I selected the first layer dorm entrances and asked for directions. It showed a twisting path through the ever-shifting maze. It was much shorter than the one I had used to get down here. I left my new room and began following its instructions. The door boomed closed behind me the moment I departed.

While walking down a particularly long hallway, I decided to explore my band's interface a little more. I found a student directory after a little sifting, and filtered it by students in my year. I sent a friend request to Agnes and found one already waiting for me from Clarice, Serena, and Margret. Margret probably had to friend all of us in case we needed help. I accepted all three requests. Instantly, a message appeared from Margret instructing me to return to her location. I let her know I was already heading back.

I really want some lunch

Yeah, me too.