I did as requested, and she approached me with the pouch.
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to attach these sensors to a few areas of your body.”
“Oh. Okay. What does this test involve, exactly?”
She chuckled, spearing me with a semi-disapproving look. “It wouldn’t be much of a test if I told you.” She retrieved one of the pads and pressed it just above my right temple, then did the same to my left. The pads were self-adhesive and I felt them stick instantly to my skin.
“So, you can’t give me any idea at all,” I said, frowning.
She pulled out two more pads and stuck them to the insides of my wrists. “Correct, and in any case, it’s not required. All youneed to do is stand here and react.” She stuck two more pads to the sides of my neck. “I’ll be in the adjoining room and will come in once the process is complete. Would you mind unzipping your shirt a bit? I need to get one more on your chest.”
I unzipped it a little, letting her press a final pad above my breast, right near my heart. And then she stepped back, giving me a once over. “Right,” she said, smacking her lips together in a contented smile. “We’re done.”
“Okay,” I replied, forcing strength into my voice. I really wasn’t comfortable with the idea of going into this completely blind, but it seemed I’d have to bite the bullet. Ihadto win Anna’s help.
She closed the suitcase and picked it up along with my food bag. “I’ll keep this safe for you in the meantime,” she said with a wink. “Also, let me take your backpack. And if you have your phone on your person, hand that over to me too.”
I did as instructed, and she carried the items out of the room.
She returned half a minute later to collect the chair. “You won’t be needing this either,” she explained, grabbing the back of it and hauling it toward the door. She stopped just at the threshold and cast one last glance at me. “Alright, then. You okay?”
I nodded, once again fighting off the uneasiness roiling in my gut.
“Okay. Just react and follow your instincts,” she reiterated. “That’s all you need to know. I’ll be in the next room, as I said. See you in a bit.”
With that, she disappeared through the door, pulling it shut behind her.
I felt the urge to immediately go and check if it was locked again but managed to refrain. This was supposed to be a test,and I guessed there had to be cameras in here or something else that allowed her to monitor me. Rushing to the door before the test even began would look seriously weird. Not the stuff outreach staff would be made of.
So, I remained rooted to my spot in the center of the room and tried to focus my attention on a long wall panel directly ahead of me.
The silence stretched out. For one minute, then two, then three. I shifted on my feet, my hands fidgeting. The sound of my own breathing seemed to grow louder with each minute that passed. I wished Anna would hurry up. What was taking so long?
When I glanced down at my ring to see eight minutes had passed, I seriously considered walking to the door and asking her for an estimated starting time.
But then there was a loud click and the white lighting went dim. It faded out and a dull reddish haze replaced it, emanating from the holes in the walls and the ceiling.
I wet my lips, trying to restore some of the moisture to my mouth. Gazing around the darkened chamber, I didn’t like the change of lighting. I didn’t like that it was so dim, and I didn’t like that it was red. It made the place more eerie.
Silence reigned once more, twisting my nerves tighter, and then a robotic male voice echoed down from somewhere above me.
“Activating in 3, 2, 1…”
My entire body bucked as the metal panel beneath my feet detached from the rest of the floor and shot upward. I lost balance, landing hard on my back. A gasp escaped my throat at the sight of the incoming ceiling. The panel picked up speed. It was too late to jump off.
Adrenaline shot through me and my reflexeskicked in. My hands and feet jerked upward, like a bug who had been flipped on its back.
I hit the ceiling, my arms and legs shuddering from the impact.
Yet, they did not snap and collapse into my body as I had expected them to. Instead, they held, their strength enough to stall the platform. I could feel it still pushing upward, testing my strength, but it was not unyielding. It was giving me a chance.
My muscles strained, perspiration breaking out on my forehead as I continued to resist the pressure, and then after what felt like five minutes but was probably much less, the platform stopped pressing. It gave in, and there was a soft hiss of machinery as it lowered, relieving me of the pressure.
My arms and legs collapsed, my heart thundering in my chest as I gasped, trying to catch my breath. When the panel returned to ground level and slotted back in with the rest of the floor, I rolled off it and tried to stand. I barely could. My knees shook badly, my muscles still jittery.
But that didn’t matter, because barely three seconds later, the panel I had just stepped onto vanished beneath me.
I plummeted. Cold water engulfed me.
