First things fist.
"I must order what I have to do."
I took a place on the company's roof, making sure that no one would eventually interrupt me while I was in the thinking process at least.
My tablet was in my hands, and I was about to write my notes on it before remembering what kind of company the one I worked in and started to write in my notebook instead.
"The system."
It was the main issue, so I put various cycles around it.
Why?
I need new items, I have to know things about 'the ring' that was a reward from the previous mission, and I have to know how to enter the two Vessels as well.
"And now— how to make it visible again?"
I took a deep breath then wrote down 'gems' on the paper.
The system itself told me that the lack of power was why I couldn't see it.
But it showed up in that Vessel, how?
Did the Vessels themselves have some kind of power?
"Why didn't it show up when I was in that Vessel?" In the Festival Vessel it was nowhere to be seen.
This was a good question, now I have to have the answers…
The gems were a big deal, so finding a manual first would be great option.
"And all my gems are in the room—"
I inhaled, feeling exhausted even before starting anything… and with a look to my watch, I knew that it was about two so I grabbed my things to leave.
This time, in the crowded elevator, I saw the very familiar face that I needed to see— one was so drained of life to the point that it made him look like a zombie more than a human being.
Even his short black hair was so messed up.
"Bad day?"
"Crazy day." Silas answered, his hands rubbing his forehead. "We have another two to do."
He was about to get out on his floor so I decided to follow him. "Isn't it usually this way? How many did you enter today?"
"four, and going too often doesn't make things easier, even if all of them were C or D Vessels."
"Right."
He stopped, then looked at me as if he rethought it all. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm from team E, don't you remember?"
"So?"
"I can go wherever I want."
His reaction to my statement made me feel the gratitude more. My team was the best team out there, and nothing could make me think otherwise.
"But it is your leaving time?"
"Right." I cleared my throat then asked. "Do you have any manuals or files about how to use the gems?"
"..."
"...?"
"Are you kidding?"
"No, why?"
"How could anyone be here if he doesn't know that simple information?"
"So?"
"Remind me again, why do you work here?"
"Because they forced me to?"
He exhaled, and seemed too tired to explain anything.
"Okay, after finishing my work, I'll explain it to you. You can leave now."
"What are those two Vessels you are entering today?"
He looked aside, making sure no one was there to listen. "Are you planning to join? You know that that is exactly what they want you to do. It will make them have something against you, or worse."
"No, I'm just asking. Team A's leader already gave me the opportunity."
"Okay. It is not a secret or something." He took out his phone then after a minute continued. "The Night Car Vessel, and the Festival—" "The Festival?!"
My feelings were all over the place when I heard that name.
"What's up with this reaction?"
"Silas."
"What?"
"I need a paper."
"Paper?" He was confused for seconds before his expression changed as he understood what I meant. "How did you know?"
"I just know."
"Don't make yourself more suspicious, Nathan. This is something you can't face its consequences."
"Can you do it or not?"
"Really?"
"This is a very serious issue." I emphasized. "Can you do it or not?"
"I can, I can, but why?"
"Great. I'll wait for you to bring it, then I'll tell you."
I was about to go, but somehow I remembered something, so I called him again.
"Silas…"
"What?" He seemed to say 'what kind of crazy things you need now' but kept it to himself.
"Do you have a manual for the Festival Vessel?"
As I remembered, this one wasn't something I've read about. That's why I faced that unpleasant experience.
"No. We are the first team to enter, since the company managed to get it recently."
Agh—
"I can't describe how bad I feel about this company anymore."
The goosebumps that ran through my body were too bad this time.
"Okay, aside from what those wretched people try to do. As a compensation for what you'll do for me, I'll tell you how to get out of that Vessel."
"Oh? How could you know?"
"I have the worst luck ever, that's why." I dropped my voice in the end, making sure to consider everything I could remember. "Take something that completely blocks out external noise and wear it all the time, then just look for a map on a wall or something. The map will guide you to a place where you could find new papers. Read your paper and wait without going back to the Festival. You will be out after couples of minutes."
"That was very detailed."
"Just don't make the company notice that it's something you knew from someone else."
"I'm not that stupid. Plus— the important thing is the gems we get out of it, not what we actually do there… just the researchers care about those things."
"That's better." With a look at the window, I remembered that I was wearing my glasses, so I took them off and turned to leave. "Tell me if something happened, I'll wait for what I asked for."
With a wave, I left. Ten minutes later, I was sitting on the floor of my room, looking at all the gems I have with such focused eyes before giving up.
What looking at them would do, after all?
I have three from The Forest Vessel, three from The Forest House, three more from The Old Company, and one from The Festival. Ten in total, nothing else.
"Now, how to use it."
I tried to look for that in the company's network but I found nothing. The word 'gem' itself was nowhere to be seen.
"As if it is a highly secured topic…"
Should I try to hack it?
"I may find something— no,no,no. That will make my life harder."
So what?
Think Nathan, think…
I leaned back until I was lying on the floor… the white ceiling was so clean, not giving me anything to switch my attention to.
For ten minutes after, I was looking at nothing, thinking about nothing, fortunately, I didn't fall asleep…
"Silas will bring the paper in less than three hours."
I had to find a way to return my system before that Festival started—
Wait…
The Festival!
Suddenly the words I read before getting out from the Vessel hunted me.
"The notebook, the notebook…" I reached quickly for it and started to write what I remembered.
[Do you want your system back?
What about looking into your hand to see?
Your mothers last words?
Do you want to know why you end up in these situations over and over again without warning?
Consolation advice and answering questions: street 1, 3rd alley.]
It was exactly written like this, even if the order was pretty a mess.
"Look into your hand to see."
I looked at my hands but there's nothing. Not a single thing.
I looked again, making sure if there was any differences or new cuts but there was nothing either.
"this maybe a lie…"
I frowned, read that again, then a simple word made me stop, unable to think about it properly…
"Into?"
Not to, into?
How could anyone look into his hand? And why hand is a singular when it supposed to be plural? It looked as if I knew which hand without hints…
I inhaled, my eyes drifted to the company's watch in the floor,
Seeing it made me think of the old watch we found at the old company. The one that needed a gem to work, and its work was typically to show a 'system'...
What kind of thoughts I had after that?
That I may have something to do with the gems my self, or anything that related to the Vessels…
More hints, I remembered hearing something else—
"But the full and complete version of it isn't a watch at all!"
The words that the vampire from the ethics told me suddenly kicked in.
My blood ran colder with every passing second… the wole room seemed colder and I wished, absurdly, to return to ignorance.
If the thing that supposed to show the system wasn't anything I wear or have, then the only possible way was that I have the thing, in me.
Ha—
Look into your hand…
That's something I would never appreciate discovering.