The Facility (Chapter 12) (Patreon)

Chapter 12 = The Simulation

“What’d you say?” You asked The Creator. “Did you say... simulation?” As you spoke the word, a pit in your gut told you that you already knew what you were being told was the truth. Except for the robot, the world around you was starting to waver; lean and twist in unnatural ways like trees caught in heavy winds. Even the ground beneath you was changing and glitching.

“Yes challenger, you heard me right. You are in a simulation. You might recall feeling a little... strange when you first walked inside?”

The Creator was right! You recalled the woozy feeling that overcame you when you first got here, and the way your vision had immediately blurred. Had you... passed out?

“You’re inside my simulation now, hosted by our very own. SONAD!” Over the speakers you heard a stereotypical “audience cheering” sound as the word SONAD was spoken.

“You can’t be serious.” You yell out at the disembodied voice. “A simulation? Full simulation? That’s next level technology. There’s no way.”

“Oh? You doubt me challenger? Very well, I’ll prove it to you.”

Suddenly the entire world flashes out of existence. You let out a gasped shock as you look around. You’re in an empty world, nothing but darkness. Then, it’s bright! And you realize that your shoes are sinking into sand on a beach. Then you’re in the jungle! Then you’re on the moon! Somehow breathing normally as you look down at the Earth from space. Before you could say a single word, your whole vision flashed before you one last time and you found yourself back in the factory!

It had all been fake, a vision, part of the simulation. You could feel your heart pounding and your face flush a little as you tried to find words to describe what just happened. “Enough proof for you?” The Creator asked over the speakers, chuckling to itself. “Now... Nurture? Discipline?” The Creator said, in a commanding tone. The two heads reacted to the words as if they were names. Nurture and Discipline.

“Yes Boss?” They answered back in unison.

“Please explain what will happen for the challenger. And when you two are ready, we’ll get started.”

“Okay boss!” They said, again in unison. Both heads turned away from the direction of the hidden speaker and looked back down at you. Nurture had a smile on her face while Discipline looked menacing. Discipline spoke first,

“Alright challenger, here’s what going to happen. You’re now trapped in the simulation and it’s our job to make sure you stay here.”

“Oh don’t scare the dear.” Nurture said, interrupting the other head. “Discipline makes it sound so dramatic dear. We just want what’s best for you. You don’t wanna be an adult. Not really. Just give into it, and it will all feel so much better.”

You were a little shocked by the amount of information the two of them were giving you. You did your best to shake it off and asked a question about the challenge, and the only thing you cared about.

“So how do I win?” You ask, trying to shake off your shock and focusing on what matters. The two SONAD heads glanced at each other and Discipline rolled his eyes.

“You don’t.” He answered with what you could only imagine was a smirk on his robotic digital face. “This is our simulation. There is no getting out of it.”

Nurture performed the digital equivalent of rolling her eyes on her TV screen before smiling at you. “The point of our game is to find your way out of the simulation. And to not give into it.” You were unsure exactly what she meant by ‘give in to it’. Nurture continued to speak, “Trust me, after a little bit of nurturing you’ll realize how much better it is that discipline. You won’t want to behave like a naughty little baby anymore. Before you know it, you’ll be our sweet little angel.”

“If you were to resist the temptation and find your way out of the simulation though, you’d win.” Discipline added sourly before ‘The Creator’ came back over the loudspeaker:

“The simulation may change at any moment, so if you want to win, don’t be jarred by any sudden transformations. To the environment... or even yourself.” You could feel yourself gulp with nerves, but you think you understood what they were asking you to do. It was a task where the main goal was to resist temptation and escape. You could manage that... right?

You sure hoped so. Otherwise you’d spend the rest of your days getting bottle-fed and your diaper changed by these crazy robotical twins.

“Okay,” You said. “I think I understand. I’m ready.”

Immediately any vision you had of the factory that you were standing in faded away until only SONAD and you were standing in an infinity of white emptiness. All four of SONAD’s hands waved at you and the faces smiled at you in their own sincere or sinister ways.

“See you soon.” Both heads said in unison before SONAD itself faded away, leaving you alone in the emptiness. You looked around... there was nothing for as far as you could see. Just empty. You took a few steps forward, realizing that your footsteps were making no sound whatsoever. Shaking off your nerves, you reminded yourself once again that you were trapped inside of a simulation. Anything could happened here, you needed to prepare yourself.

“Challenger,” The Creator’s voice said. “Are you ready to begin?”

With a deep breath, you answered, “Bring it on.”

“Very well, the challenge shall begin in 3...2...1...Start!”

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This story was written by Zander Chesney
You can find more of his content here :
https://zanderchesneyoriginals.tumblr.com/