In the southern corridor of the hospital, David, returning alone from the library, was wandering aimlessly, muttering to himself:
— Why does it feel like something's off? What exactly is it…?
He tugged at his hair with both hands in turn, trying to jolt his thoughts into clarity, hoping to catch that elusive spark of inspiration.
All day, he'd felt a gnawing sense of wrongness.
But what was it? He couldn't say. The sense that something was amiss, yet being unable to name it, made him deeply uneasy.
— Who's there? Come out!
Just as he was racking his brain for answers, David suddenly sensed someone watching him. He snapped his head to the side, eyes locked onto a shadowy corner.
His sudden movement startled Unit B, who had planned to wait for him to pass before making their move.
According to orders, Unit B was to flank the area quietly. But as soon as they arrived, they found a patient pacing the corridor, talking to himself, yanking at his hair.
The five heavily armed soldiers weren't afraid of a mental patient, of course. But their leader had explicitly ordered them not to use lethal force unless absolutely necessary. If they revealed themselves too soon, the patient might scream and alert the entire facility.
So they decided to wait him out.
It was night, and they wore black combat gear — nearly invisible unless someone looked directly at them. There was no reason they should've been seen.
And yet, they had been.
The squad leader, a Black man, wore a look of utter disbelief.
— What now? one of the soldiers signed.
— Stay put, signed the leader after a quick thought.
He didn't believe they'd truly been spotted.
After all, the man yelling was a lunatic. Surely, he was just acting out some movie scene in his head.
What he didn't realise was that David wasn't having an episode — he had truly sensed them.
As a level five mutant — albeit undeveloped — David's mental acuity far surpassed the norm. If someone stared at him, he knew it.
Unit B's concealment might have fooled the eyes, but David didn't need eyes to find them.
— If you don't come out, I'm calling someone, David said firmly, still staring directly at them.
This time, the Unit B members knew it wasn't a coincidence. He'd locked eyes on their exact position and hadn't looked away.
No madman could be that precise.
— How the hell…? the squad leader muttered, stunned.
— What do we do? asked another.
— Stay here. I'll handle it.
The leader stowed his weapon, pulled off his mask, and walked forward with hands raised in surrender. He smiled warmly.
— Please don't be alarmed, sir. I mean no harm… I'm a new security guard at the hospital. Still learning the layout. Got a bit turned around…
He approached slowly, maintaining his friendly smile.
— Security guard? David frowned.
As he pondered why this guard's uniform didn't match the ones he'd seen before, the man stepped in close.
David's instincts screamed at him — this man was lying.
But he realised it a beat too late.
Suddenly, the imposter lunged, aiming a sharp blow to David's neck.
— Gotcha!
He exhaled in relief — too soon.
His hand stopped mid-air, frozen in place, as if locked by some invisible force.
— What the…?
Before he could react, "David" stretched lazily and cracked his neck.
— Been a while since I got some fresh air… Thanks for that.
He beamed and added:
— Name's Jack Wayne. Adventurer. Pleasure to meet you.
Grinning brightly, he offered a handshake.
But the soldier couldn't move. He could barely blink.
— Oh, right. You're still frozen. My bad.
Jack gave a casual wave, and the man regained movement.
The first thing he did was reach for his weapon.
But before he could grab it, the gun lifted off his belt and floated mid-air, barrel aimed straight at his forehead.
— No, no, no… That won't do. I share this body with the kid, remember? Can't let you mess that up, Jack said.
At his words, the soldier's mind reeled.
Schizophrenia.
He was dealing with a split personality. A powered one.
Panic seized him.
And then Jack's smile faded.
— Since you brought me out to stretch my legs… I'll grant you a quick death.
Pfft.
The silenced gun loaded and fired in one smooth motion, shooting him point blank.
At the same moment, the four other Unit B soldiers were gunned down — by their own weapons.
They had sensed something was wrong, but the moment Jack took over the squad leader, they too had frozen, paralysed and helpless.
They died watching their own guns turn against them, wide-eyed and hopeless.
Jack didn't flinch. No remorse touched his face.
He only muttered, frowning:
— That old man is pushing it. Meddling with the main persona this often…
— I'll have to do something. If he wins, we're all finished.
— But I can't face him alone. I'll need Cindy, Birmingham, the others… Only together do we stand a chance.
— But first… I'll enjoy the outside world a bit longer.
He grinned.
— Yes. Let's do that.