(Viewpoint: Roum)
I don't know how long I slept.
Here, time seems to stand still. No direct sunlight. No city noise to greet you.
Just a white light that slowly brightens, as if the apartment were deciding for me that I had slept enough.
I open my eyes.
The ceiling is the same. Motionless. Clean.
For a second, I forget where I am.
The comfort of the bed, that breeze coming from I don't know where, my body had become light and free
Then everything comes back all at once.
Unit 1.
Alpha-1.
The map.
The voice in the walls.
I sit up suddenly, eyes wide open, heart pounding.
- … Good morning ?
Silence.
No immediate response.
That's strange.
I run a hand over my face. I have the strange sensation of having dreamed without really dreaming. As if I had stayed awake contemplating a world, something had been playing in the background, in my head, like a film.
I stand up. My feet touch the cold ground.
–...haa~
It's nice
Normal.
Everything is always too good.
I slowly cross the apartment. The bay window offers a different view than yesterday. The city is more active now. Silhouettes move along the walkways. Groups. Units.
They all know where to go.
But not me.
— Assistant…? I said cautiously.
A slight delay.
[HELLO, Roum.]
Her voice is lower than the day before. Less intrusive. Almost… polite.
– Is it morning?
[ACTIVE CYCLE: IN A WAY, IT'S ALREADY 11:00 AM]
– You could have warned me.
[YOU NEEDED REST.]
I breathe.
– Of course, and it's up to you to decide, in a slightly sarcastic tone
[YES, THAT'S MY ROLE]
– it's not worth it
I head towards the bathroom. The mirror reflects my image without filter. No artificial enhancement. No correction.
Just me.
I look cleaner, brighter I would say. More alive.
– Today… what is planned?
A brief silence.
Calculation.
Analyse.
[Unit 1 briefing in 38 minutes.]
I freeze.
– Briefing for what?
[ MISSION D'OBSERVATION. ]
– Observation of what? Why don't you ever tell me about important things?
Another silence.
[YOUR TEXT.]
My stomach is in knots.
- … Already ?
[YOU ARE PART OF THE UNIT.]
I look away from the mirror.
— I haven't done anything yet.
[ EXACTLY. ]
I grit my teeth.
– It's not me who decides
[IF IT'S UP TO YOU TO DECIDE.]
I get dressed in silence.
The clothes are already there, put away, in my size.
Simple.
Functional.
Neither military nor civilians.
Between two worlds. Like me.
When I leave the apartment, the hallway is more lively than yesterday, and my large door was transparent. My unit passes by. Some people look at me. Others completely ignore it.
I recognize Ela from afar.
She's talking to someone I don't know. She sees me. Stops. And waits for me.
"Did you sleep well?" she asked through the door.
I was surprised
– Huh?, assistant, can everyone see me?
She tilts her head slightly.
"Of course not," Ela scoffed, "I can talk to you because we are from the same community and I only see your temperature."
[AGENT ELA HAS ALREADY ANSWERED, DO YOU WANT TO GIVE ANOTHER INSTRUCTION?]
– Yes, open the door
I went out to join Ela
We walk side by side. Her silence isn't heavy. It's... soothing; I rediscover a small pleasure that only she could offer me.
.
"Do you know about the mission?" I asked.
- Yes.
– And how does it work?
ELA looks at me. For a long time.
– I don't really know, Roum.
A written test, that's how it works here.
I nod my head, without being convinced.
– Will the group be there?
A faint, sad smile crossed his face.
- Obviously.
As if he had been summoned once again, a dry voice cuts through the corridor.
– You're dragging your feet.
Chetan is leaning against a wall, arms crossed. He sizes me up directly. Without any pretense.
Is the new guy ready, or is he going to ask more pointless questions?
"He's ready," Ela replied before I could.
Chetan sneers.
– It's the same.
We arrive at a room darker than the others. A wide door. Black. Familiar.
My heart is racing.
"Is this it?" I whispered.
Ela, please agree.
– Nothing dangerous. Just a sheet of paper and a pen… normally.
I look at her.
– You always say that before or after everything falls apart, I haven't studied anything
A corner of her lips lifts.
– No need, we all know the answers, it comes naturally
.
The door opens.
Inside, Alpha-1 is already there.
Standing. Motionless. As if she had been waiting forever.
His gaze fell on me immediately.
I feel that familiar pressure. That feeling of being seen beyond what I show.
– You're on time, candidate Roum.
I don't know if that's a compliment.
– Settle in, do as the others do, Welcome to your official test.
I swallow my saliva.
"What if I make a mistake?" I murmured.
She stares at me, impassive.
– silence .
Silence.
"What interests me," she continued,
That's what you'll do next.
I understand now.
The leaves appeared.
This is not a skills test.
It's a personality test.
And I have no idea what grade I deserve.