The Steamlands

Chapter 4: The Mission

"Amanda, I think you're ready. Speaking of ready, it's time for a midnight snack. Come with me to the cafeteria. It's right across the hallway" He happily said as he took his last notes down.

I didn't think I had it in me to eat at the moment. All I wanted to do was throw up but I followed along. The cafeteria was full with people. I was surprised at how many people worked the night shift. Everyone was wearing lab coats. My guess was, they were all scientists working in their own fields to create deadly weapons to test on other people. I grabbed an apple and settled down on a table, trying to take in what I had done.

"So I heard you're new here" A blonde man sat next to me.

"Uh... yes" I said looking, looking down with a worried look on my face. I had a lump in my throat I just couldn't get rid of.

"So I guess you know what goes on here then" That's the line that finally broke me.

"How could you just kill people in such horrendous ways?"

"Oh don't tell me you're having second thoughts! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT DECIDED TO COME HERE. You'll get accustomed to this place whether you want to or not" He asserted with a huge smirk on his face.

"Eh hem, sorry for the loudness. I just had to make myself clear. I remember, my first day here was tough too. There were so many things I didn't understand, but with time, they grew on me, and now, I'm one of the most successful chemists in this facility"

"Chemist? What do you do here?"

"I create different acids that melt all forms of organic material. That's how we get rid of the corpses in here"

"How could he just say it like that!" I pondered, then I responded.

"How long did it take you to settle in here?" I asked him, trying to seem normal but the truth was, I was distraught, confused even.

"Only a few days... the entry was intense, but you soon begin to open your eyes to the truth and just like that, you become a member of the community".

"Easy like that huh" I thought.

"These people are nuts" I whispered to myself.

The bell then rang, ending lunch time. The cafeteria cleared in an instant. Dr. Truman then came to me. I followed him back inside, except that on our way, we took a detour.

"Here's where your office is going to be" He finally said as we arrived to the back of the hallway, into a dark office.

"The rest of your blueprints are already downloaded onto that computer so you could continue to modify them. If you need any ideas or any help, you know I'm always here to assist you" He said giving me a tender look.

He then smiled at me and then left the room. I dropped on the chair next to my desk and opened the files where my designs were. There they were; the machine that tested how much heat and radiation one could take. I called that one The Intensity Compressor. The machine that takes place in a freezer and has nozzles that periodically sprays water to the victim and measures the temperature, time, and amount of water needed for the person to freeze. I called this machine the Gelid Statue. The machines that tested how much pain a person could endure when the pain was inserted through small teeth injecting in the spine. I called that one, The Harrow, and etc. They were all machines I had spent the time designing, never knowing how that would affect my future. I guess it's too late for that. Still, that makes me think, how did ECLIPSE find out about my side-projects? Did the government infiltrate my computer? I guess nothing is ever truly a secret. And now I'm forced to live here for the rest of my life, having to bear with so much death and madness. That leaves me only two choices, stay with my hands crossed and succumb to the deadly ways of this facility or stick around long enough to find a way to destroy it from the inside. I guess I know what the obvious answer is. I'm not going to be a coward. I have to be strong, for this world. As much as the world seems so peaceful at the moment, The Steamlands have been plaguing it for the past few decades. So much was sacrificed to create the world we live in. But then again, was it worth it? So many innocent lives were saved in change of other lives, lives of people who committed atrocious acts. It's only been a while since the beginning of this utopia, which means The Steamlands were only formed sometime before that, in order to "fix" all of the problems. The Steamlands probably started out as an honest and secure city, but due to the perfectness of nowadays, people were left craving more and that need, eventually corrupted this place, letting it become a nest for everyone with a dark mind. Each year, The Steamlands becomes more and more corrupt, demanding anyone with any trace of darkness in their mind to continue its functioning. I suppose everyone who has ever gotten in here was swayed by the chance to make their dreams come true and never realized how wrong they were and how much damage they caused others. I'm the only one who can change The Steamlands back to how they should be. In knowledge of all of this, I continued to look at my designs. I felt disgusted but I knew I had to continue in order to fool everyone for sometime. Besides, it would take awhile for the machines to actually be developed. In the meantime, however I would have to make my way to the top, to change the ways things are done around here. As much as I hate it, there will be sacrifices, but they will not be in vain. The people sacrificed will be less than the people that will be saved in the future, once this is all over. I know I'll have to sacrifice myself as well and once this place is discovered, I'll probably go down with it, but I'll be more than happy to do that than let this continue. Atleast, now I had a mission, and I was going to stick to it all the way to the end. I just hope, I can keep my sanity intact in the meantime. I doubt anyone going through the trauma I experienced today would be okay after that. I don't know how long I'll be able to bare with all of this. I just know I have to endure for as long as I can, for as long as that may be, and make these changes to The Steamlands, a reality.