《The Unwilling Game Tester》Chapter 2
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"Mrs. Smith, we're here."
She sharply like someone kicked her. It took a second for her to realize where they were. She apologized and started composing herself.
"I've been circling around the facility, but I can't find the entrance." He pointed at the high walls.
"Okay." She opened the side window. And looked down. "Do you see those vertical marks down there."
He opened the window beside him to have a better view.
"Ah... yes. Got it." He said a little bit ashamed. "I thought there are..." He dragged his sentence trying to find the word.
"Manned Gate?" She supplied to him.
"Yes. Manned Gate." He confirmed as he drive towards the marks. "I wasn't expecting an automatic gate in this part."
"It's understandable." She smiled wistfully. "When my daughter and I first went in here, we also don't know what to do. We had to call the hotline." She chuckled.
He smiled at her story as he maneuvered towards the wall.
As soon as the car stopped before hitting the wall, a small device came out from the wall. A green scanner took a searched their car.
IDENTITY SEARCHED AND CONFIRMED
A portion of the wall went background and slowly revealed a building inside.
He thought something was not right with the Facility. It was built quite far from the Technological Hub in the City of Zuickerbro where the premier Researchers were at.
Maybe, the competition was tough? He thought to himself.
Mrs. Smith had taken the lead and approached the receptionist.
"I'm Dara Smith." She informed the dark haired receptionist. "I have scheduled a visit for Sara Smith."
"Welcome Mrs. Smith. Please give me a moment as we search our database." The receptionist replied to her. The eyes looked lifeless for a moment and resumed to life a second later.
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"Thank you for waiting. We've confirmed your visit. Please proceed to room #204 ." The receptionist told them. "A facility nurse will lead the way for your convenience."
He looked behind him and saw a male in immaculate white uniform. It had an unnerving perfect smile fixed on its perfect face. He looked around and saw no one else besides them.
A nurse robot. He thought looking at the wrinkle free uniform. His gaze went to the its shining arms which like it has been bathe in lotion for days. Too silky smooth.
"I'm Jack. Please let me guide you." The nurse robot informed them while its hands extended towards a hallway.
The nurse stopped at the with a door number #204 and opened it. He sense Mrs. Smith reluctance. He waited for her to be ready.
"Let's go in." She beckoned after a while.
Her shoulders stiffened. Her attention at the table across them. It was their confirmation that her daughter was still in the Research Facility. It was their small confirmation that it was a doing of a prankster.
Mrs. Smith stifled a soft cry.
He inspected at the body. It had been perfectly preserved for being here for two months already. It hadn't been dissected yet. There were no incision marks on the middle of the body. He tried to move around the body to look for any indications.
An unnatural bumps on the hair follicles made him stop to look more closely. He looked at the robotic nurse.
"May we have a report on what had been done?"
"I'm sorry but it's confidential. The Facility has an agreement with the lead researcher and had been approved by the kin.. I'm sorry." The robotic nurse replied with a professional smile at him. "But I assure you that the body has been well taken care of."
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"Can we inspect the body?" He asked the Nurse.
"Yes... By the family of course."
He was no family. But, he was sure the robot doesn't know that. He raised his hand and proceed to the hair part of the body.
It was fast. He didn't see it well. Now, he was facing the nurse robot.
"I said by the family." The robot warned him. He felt no air coming from its mouth while it spoken those words. It's eyes were now quickly becoming bloodshot red. A red light coming from the eye scanned his face. "Searching for criminal history. No History. Searching for Low I.Q. Database. Not found. Searching for Mentally Challenged Database. Not found."
Definitely a robot.
The nurse robot eyes resumed to green color. "You are in capacity to heed instructions. A Visitor, a sane one at that, must play by the rules set by the Facility. Please don't do it again. Or you'll be thrown out."
"Okay. You may your arms out of me now." He . "This is very creepy." He pertains to how the robot kept him from moving. It's arms were around his body. It's legs are like snakes coiled each of his legs. "Unless, you like me."
The robot gave a visibly confused look, but let him go nonetheless.
Detective Nova looked at Mrs. Smith.
"Can you check this part of the hair of your daughter?" He pointed at the parted hair with white thin spots.
She looked at him and went near the body. No questions asked. She gently felt the part he pointed out and stopped.
"There is something." She gently touch the hair of her daughter revealing a white line from the near her hairline to end of her nape. "There's something in here."
"It looks like laser scars." He remarked. "Minimally done."
They have taken her brain it seems. Something amiss. There was no indication of any brain related condition that has been revealed by Ms. Smith. Maybe, was it for a dissection?
"Why get her brain?" He asked further.
"I can't divulge any information as it might risk the research." The robotic nurse replied promptly.
"We did have a contract Detective." Mrs. Smith said regretfully. "My daughter agreed to it herself. So, I have no right to rescind it myself."
She might've signed a contract clause about it. He reasoned to himself. Moreover, that's already invasion of privacy. Client-wise. She asked me to find the legitimacy of the call, not to pry.
But it doesn't mean I can't find in other ways. He had a good idea where to start.
Now, they confirmed that the body was indeed inside the Facility. It could be mean that the call was a prank. Though, the thing that was bothering him was that the prankster didn't get any money from the call. Other than that scaring his client.
He needed to know the pranksters operating method that might lead to his clients' safety.
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"I'm sorry if I had to drag you in here, Detective. I can't shake the feeling the call was real. She felt so real. I know her voice. She doesn't call me Mummy. It was always Dara."
"I understand, Mrs. Smith."
"Please find my daughter's prankster." Mrs. Smith pleaded as they were on the way to the car. "My daughter believed in technology. Please don't let the thing she loved destroy what she had believed in this world, Detective."
She opened her purse.
"Please have this." She gave him her watch. "It has the log."
"Don't worry, Mrs. Smith. I'll find the prankster." He promised her.
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