Sequel: Escape the Madness ›
Status: Completed ^-^
Method to the Madness
Too Late to Back Out
Surprise came when Mouse arrived in short order after 0074 had left the room. However, with the conversation with my Selva, I was restless as ever and I didn’t want to be here any longer than I had to. I would much prefer to go get my ‘Guardian-ness’ back and train or something. At least, that’s what my body and mind both scream I do. So I decide to ask Mouse about it.
She looks at me, almost reproachfully at the question. “You’re in the infirmary for a reason, Elias,” she says simply as she goes about performing tasks without looking at me. I’m not quite sure how I feel about this change from how she used to act around me. It makes me wonder…is everyone in this place bipolar? Am I? Shaking my head, I blame it on the Madness.
Now wait a minute- Madness? How could I have possibly known that? Practically groaning to myself, especially with the slight pain which begins to spike in my head, I keep my thoughts to myself and away from Mouse until the time when she leaves. After a few minutes with her being gone, I get out of the bed and sneak over to the door, peering out of the doorway both ways to make sure that there won’t be anyone to intercept me. With that decided, I head down the hallway in the aim of finding a specific Selva.
Due to my incredible luck though, Oliver soon falls into step beside me, his stride more loping and almost careless as he raises an eyebrow at me with an easy smile on his face. “Sneaking out of the infirmary? I never knew you to be a rule breaker, Elias,” he says, adopting a chastising tone almost like a mother hen, but I roll my eyes and continue on.
“Yeah, well from what I know so far, which is next to nothing, you didn’t know me before I lost my memory anyway, so it looks like we’re both learning,” I retort, sliding a warning glance over to him. “Don’t try to stop me either; it was a big enough pain waiting for Mouse to finally leave,” I say as I round a corner, hoping like hell I’m going in the right direction.
Oliver keeps up easily, giving a small shake of his head. “I’m your ‘Guide’ remember?” he teases me, which causes me to glare at him again. “I would never try to stop you; just let me know where you’re going, and I’ll get you there.” As I pause in front of a cavernous door that I know I’ve been in before, I slide a glance over to him.
“You’re a bit late. I’m here,” I say, leaving him to go in, figuring she must be in there. As I see her bent over some papers, I nearly sigh in relief and clear my throat so she’ll look up. “I need to talk with you,” I say to the Selva, Crimson.
She looks up at me with surprise lining her expression before flattening it out into a carefully neutral look as she seems to assess me. “Well then, what is it Elias? From what I last heard, you’re supposed to be in the infirmary.” She raises her eyebrows, challenging me…
And I accept it with ease. “Yes, well, I’ve recovered, despite what Mouse says,” I say without missing a beat, waving it off. “I heal quickly, it seems. Consider this your update, but anyway, there is something I do need to talk with you about. I’m about to restart my training so I can be a good Guardian, but that’s not it either. I want you to give 0074 and me a mission on Earth,” I say, completely serious.
However, she regards me as if I’ve just asked permission to put a stake in her heart. Once realizing that I’m completely serious, a loud laughter fills the room, and I patiently wait for it to die down. “Why, Elias, I can probably think of ten good reasons why I shouldn’t do such a thing. First of all, you’re back to level one on training. Two, you and 0074 both appear to be somewhat unstable at the moment. Three, no Selva leaves until we believe she is capable enough to receive her ‘name.’ And those are just the big three.” She waves me off. “Come back when you meet those requirements.”
I am not going to take ‘no’ for an answer, and I slam my hands down on her desk without a thought, surprising us both, but bull on anyway. Too late to back out now. “You may consider me back to level one on training, but I can fight just as well as when I lost my memory; Oliver and Forest both will argue for me there,” I say, barely able to pull my Mentor’s name from my memory. “I’m starting to get my memory back too, and 0074 and I are on good terms with each other. Neither of us are mentally, emotionally, nor physically unstable. As for your third requirement-” here I got out on a limb. “Give her a name, then. If you don’t assign this mission to us, I’m sure I can convince her to go out on it with me anyway. Both of us have something on earth we lost, and I plan on getting it back.”
Oh, God, what am I talking about? I don’t even know why I’m demanding the mission or saying any of this. I just know I’m sick of all the mystery and cloak-and-dagger crap, and it’s driven me to this. I’m basically acting on auto-pilot, and it feels as if my mind has left me, especially with all that I’m saying. I can’t even make heads from tails myself- how do I expect Crimson to be able to? I’m just screwed…that’s it. She’s going to call the Selva from The Tribes to come and get me; I’ll be the first Guardian in recorded history to have fallen to Madness.
To my great surprise though, she gives a tight smile at my little ‘speech’, not quite laughing again but coming as close to it as I suspect she can as she sits up in her seat, regarding me with a sort of newfound respect. “Okay then, Elias. You’ll have your mission then. On your way out, please bring 0074 in so that I may tell her the news.”
She looks at me, almost reproachfully at the question. “You’re in the infirmary for a reason, Elias,” she says simply as she goes about performing tasks without looking at me. I’m not quite sure how I feel about this change from how she used to act around me. It makes me wonder…is everyone in this place bipolar? Am I? Shaking my head, I blame it on the Madness.
Now wait a minute- Madness? How could I have possibly known that? Practically groaning to myself, especially with the slight pain which begins to spike in my head, I keep my thoughts to myself and away from Mouse until the time when she leaves. After a few minutes with her being gone, I get out of the bed and sneak over to the door, peering out of the doorway both ways to make sure that there won’t be anyone to intercept me. With that decided, I head down the hallway in the aim of finding a specific Selva.
Due to my incredible luck though, Oliver soon falls into step beside me, his stride more loping and almost careless as he raises an eyebrow at me with an easy smile on his face. “Sneaking out of the infirmary? I never knew you to be a rule breaker, Elias,” he says, adopting a chastising tone almost like a mother hen, but I roll my eyes and continue on.
“Yeah, well from what I know so far, which is next to nothing, you didn’t know me before I lost my memory anyway, so it looks like we’re both learning,” I retort, sliding a warning glance over to him. “Don’t try to stop me either; it was a big enough pain waiting for Mouse to finally leave,” I say as I round a corner, hoping like hell I’m going in the right direction.
Oliver keeps up easily, giving a small shake of his head. “I’m your ‘Guide’ remember?” he teases me, which causes me to glare at him again. “I would never try to stop you; just let me know where you’re going, and I’ll get you there.” As I pause in front of a cavernous door that I know I’ve been in before, I slide a glance over to him.
“You’re a bit late. I’m here,” I say, leaving him to go in, figuring she must be in there. As I see her bent over some papers, I nearly sigh in relief and clear my throat so she’ll look up. “I need to talk with you,” I say to the Selva, Crimson.
She looks up at me with surprise lining her expression before flattening it out into a carefully neutral look as she seems to assess me. “Well then, what is it Elias? From what I last heard, you’re supposed to be in the infirmary.” She raises her eyebrows, challenging me…
And I accept it with ease. “Yes, well, I’ve recovered, despite what Mouse says,” I say without missing a beat, waving it off. “I heal quickly, it seems. Consider this your update, but anyway, there is something I do need to talk with you about. I’m about to restart my training so I can be a good Guardian, but that’s not it either. I want you to give 0074 and me a mission on Earth,” I say, completely serious.
However, she regards me as if I’ve just asked permission to put a stake in her heart. Once realizing that I’m completely serious, a loud laughter fills the room, and I patiently wait for it to die down. “Why, Elias, I can probably think of ten good reasons why I shouldn’t do such a thing. First of all, you’re back to level one on training. Two, you and 0074 both appear to be somewhat unstable at the moment. Three, no Selva leaves until we believe she is capable enough to receive her ‘name.’ And those are just the big three.” She waves me off. “Come back when you meet those requirements.”
I am not going to take ‘no’ for an answer, and I slam my hands down on her desk without a thought, surprising us both, but bull on anyway. Too late to back out now. “You may consider me back to level one on training, but I can fight just as well as when I lost my memory; Oliver and Forest both will argue for me there,” I say, barely able to pull my Mentor’s name from my memory. “I’m starting to get my memory back too, and 0074 and I are on good terms with each other. Neither of us are mentally, emotionally, nor physically unstable. As for your third requirement-” here I got out on a limb. “Give her a name, then. If you don’t assign this mission to us, I’m sure I can convince her to go out on it with me anyway. Both of us have something on earth we lost, and I plan on getting it back.”
Oh, God, what am I talking about? I don’t even know why I’m demanding the mission or saying any of this. I just know I’m sick of all the mystery and cloak-and-dagger crap, and it’s driven me to this. I’m basically acting on auto-pilot, and it feels as if my mind has left me, especially with all that I’m saying. I can’t even make heads from tails myself- how do I expect Crimson to be able to? I’m just screwed…that’s it. She’s going to call the Selva from The Tribes to come and get me; I’ll be the first Guardian in recorded history to have fallen to Madness.
To my great surprise though, she gives a tight smile at my little ‘speech’, not quite laughing again but coming as close to it as I suspect she can as she sits up in her seat, regarding me with a sort of newfound respect. “Okay then, Elias. You’ll have your mission then. On your way out, please bring 0074 in so that I may tell her the news.”