"You are... M..."
Silas tried to utter the name, his eyes widening with the shock of discovery, but the Supervisor's voice cut him off with decisive coldness.
"Knowing who I am or not won't help you."
The Supervisor straightened his posture and looked at his deputy, "Ben," with a meaningful glance.
"See, Ben? He hides nothing. Even when he saw his girl lose consciousness in front of him, he didn't back down or offer a deal. If he were hiding a secret after all that happened to him, I would have praised his foolish dedication."
Silas ignored the psychological analysis and crawled with difficulty toward Elyra lying on the ground.
"What did you do to her? Is she okay? Please... don't hurt her..." he pleaded, his voice trembling.
The Supervisor removed the iron mask from Elyra's face, holding it in his hand as he inspected the valve.
"Don't worry... exactly what will happen to you now happened to her. It is a blessing, not a curse."
He leaned toward Silas, shadows dancing around his raven mask.
"And now... say goodbye to your memories, to pain, and to fear. When you wake up after this, we will welcome you as one of us... a blank new page."
He clamped the mask firmly onto Silas's face and opened the valve wide.
Cold blue gas rushed into Silas's nose and mouth. He tried to hold his breath, to resist, to close his throat, but his exhausted body failed him. His limbs thrashed on the stone floor for seconds, his eyes tearing from the pressure.
'I can't... hold my breath... anymore...'
GAAAAASP!
He inhaled sharply, filling his lungs with the gas. It tasted sweet and loathsome at the same time.
The world around him faded, and he drowned in blackness.
The Supervisor stood up, dusting off his hands as if he had finished a routine job.
"Take care of them, Ben, before they wake up. Prepare them for 'reorientation'."
Then he turned slowly toward the corner, where the young worker was kneeling, trembling silently and looking at his fallen comrades.
"And now... who is left here? Ah, Number Three-Three-Three... I want to have a little private chat with you."
Inside the factory, the situation returned to an eerily calm and routine state, as if the noise of battle and the ship's intrusion had never happened.
Machines turned, and steam rose.
In one of the side corridors, two workers in ghost uniforms were walking quickly toward one of the rear exits.
"Hey, Twenty-Eight..." one of them whispered anxiously,
"How are we going to find the ship outside? You know the fog is very thick , and it's pitch black... we won't see our hands in front of our faces."
The other, who bore the number 28 on his shoulder, replied sharply:
"These are the Supervisor's orders! Stop whining and let's execute the mission. We must find that cursed ship before it gets away."
The first worker (Number 84) stopped and said:
"Yes, I know that. But Twenty-Eight, we are heading now to the hidden door in the side wall. The path from there is rugged, and it will take us a lot of time to reach the other side of the island. The ship escaped from the main gate; logic says we should start from there."
Twenty-Eight stopped and looked at his colleague impatiently:
"Eighty-Four, do you think I didn't see that? What do you want us to do? Open the main gate and walk out? You know that is forbidden without a direct order, and the guards won't allow us."
Eighty-Four thought for a moment, then said slyly:
"Didn't he ask us to find it as quickly as possible? The guards know we are on a special mission. We won't open it fully... just a small part enough for us to pass. No one will notice, and we'll be back quickly before the Supervisor finds out."
In front of the massive gate from the outside.
It was pitch black, and the situation was suspiciously quiet.
The screaming ghosts that guarded the place had disappeared, perhaps because they needed recharging, or because the system was in sleep mode.
Kim, the homeless man Elyra had scolded, stood pressed against the rocky wall a safe distance from the gate, watching with a trembling heart.
'What do I do now?' he said to himself, rubbing his hands from the cold.
'If I approach the gate, those strange creatures will appear and scream... and maybe attack me this time. I don't even know what lies behind it... but I have no choice. My daughter needs more than a loaf of bread...'
Suddenly, while he was staring blankly at the gate, he heard the sound of heavy metallic creaking.
He froze in place.
The gate... was moving.
A small crack opened in the gigantic gate, enough for two people to pass, and faint yellow light spilled from inside the factory, slicing through the dark fog outside.
Two workers wearing white uniforms and masks came out, whispering quickly.
"We should find the ship and return quickly..."
"We lied to the gate officials; if they discover we don't have an exit permit, we'll become fuel."
The other laughed softly:
"I told them 'The Supervisor ordered us to exit the gate to find the ship'... I didn't know you were good at lying, Twenty-Eight."
The two workers exchanged words as they moved away into the fog,
Unaware of something hiding in the shadow of a rock right next to the gate.
It was just a small, still shadow, watching silently.
Kim watched the two men as they exited.
Their appearance wasn't clear from a distance due to the fog, but he saw the clean uniforms and strong stature.
He couldn't believe his eyes.
He was about to call out to them, but he stopped, placing his hand over his mouth. He didn't want to be hasty.
'Do people live there? The food must come from there... Should I ask them for help? Or...'
He looked at the slightly ajar crack in the gate.
'This is my chance... it might not come again. I must do something.'
"Can anyone hear me?! Get me out of this disgusting place! Where am I?!"
Silas woke up slowly, his head throbbing with terrible pain, to the sound of a familiar scream.
He opened his eyes with difficulty. His vision was blurred.
The chamber was lit by a single candle, and there were no guards in the place.
Elyra was standing at the thick wooden door, screaming and pounding it violently with her fist,
While the young worker (333) was still sleeping in the corner.
"Elyra..."
Silas got up quickly, staggering toward her.
He noticed his wounds had been bandaged professionally, but he felt sharp pain when he stood on his injured leg.
"Elyra... are you okay?"
He took a step forward, and heard the sound of crunching glass under his foot.
He looked down to find his round glasses shattered on the floor.
Elyra turned toward him quickly, her eyes shining with ferocity and caution.
"Who are you?" she said with deadly coldness.
Silas froze.
'No... not now...'
He patted his pockets quickly, then remembered suddenly.
The Anchor Log wasn't with him in the first place. He had left it on the ship.
"What are you muttering, stranger?" Elyra approached him threateningly.
"Stay away from me or I'll break your nose."
Silas stepped back, raising his hands in peace.
He completely forgot about the gas mask and the Supervisor for a moment,
Thinking what happened to her was the usual "Curse."
Elyra kicked the door with a powerful blow that shook the room,
And the sound of the impact echoed in the narrow chamber.
The young worker woke up suddenly, holding his head and groaning.
Silas approached him, extending a hand to help him up.
The young man looked at his hand, then at his face, with empty eyes.
"Where am I..."
Silas withdrew his hand slowly.
He looked at Elyra, then at the young man.
'No one here knows me...'
Memories flooded his mind like a torrent.
The blue gas.
The Supervisor's words.
"Say goodbye to your memories."
He touched his head.
'But... why didn't anything happen to me? I remember everything!'
Before the silence was complete, the door opened.
A short man in a ghostly white uniform entered, followed by a group of workers carrying food trays.
It was Ben, the Deputy Supervisor, wearing a friendly and extremely fake smile.
"What is this noise?" he said in a soft voice.
"It seems our new friends have awakened."
"Where are we? And what are we doing here?"
The young man shouted, and Elyra stepped back into a combat stance.
Ben raised his hands soothingly:
"Yes, I know, I know... it seems you don't remember anything and feel a headache. This is very normal after the accident you were involved in."
He approached them like a caring father:
"Don't be afraid... we are on your side. You are safe here. We saved you from the outside.
So follow me, we will serve you food and talk to explain everything."
As soon as Ben finished speaking, Silas realized the terrifying truth.
They had been brainwashed.
And now they believe they are "blank pages."
Silas realized he held a single, dangerous trump card:
He was the only one who knew the truth, but he had to play the role of the amnesiac to survive...
And to save them all from the inside.