14- Denied

GUSTAVE IS COMING TO THE INSTALLATION

BE ADVISED

GUSTAVE IS COMING TO THE INSTALLATION

a text is sent to everyone in the installation, all experiments and tests are stopped immediately and everyone is called to the entrance of the facility.

Alan and I are currently walking towards the "reunion"

-are you sure everyone fits inside of the hall?

-hall? oh we are not going to the hall you come by, that is for employees, Gustave wouldn't ever come by that place, we're going to the center of the facility. the entrance for council members.

-but they still come via portal right?

- yes, that guy works directly for them, the installation kinda just... borrows him.

- oh... so he is THAT important...

- yeah he kinda is a big deal, there are some theories about him being a hitman for the government

-oh

- you seem worried, don't worry they won't send someone like him if you don't give them a reason for.

- do you think he is vengeful?

- not really... I think? I don't know him well so I couldn't tell you.

-we've talked before, we are not in good terms.

- you really have an ability to make friends don't you?

-oh shut up

we both get going in our path with little laughter in the way, this could almost cure all the tension in the air.

almost.

as we approach the site I can see about 150 scientist and facility personal gathered around the middle of a big room, almost resembling the heights of a house of opera, around the middle stands a platform barely standing taller than the floor, most likely the platform were the queen of the place will drop off.

a purple light blinds us all as it deflects in the extremely white walls.

a woman appears from the portal, her appearance is weird, she resembles being 60 but her face looks extremely young, could almost be mistaken to be in her 20's, she has an ancient look, her dress almost resembling victorian era.

as she fully exists the portal while looking straight up, everyone in the building bows to her, including Alan, it takes me time to realize what am I supposed to do so, for a moment, I am the only one standing in the whole auditorium, my clunkiness makes me blush and do the bow incorrectly but at the end of the day I'm finally able to lay on the ground as everyone else.

-stand up.

everyone rushes to stand up at the same time, almost resembling a well trained army.

Alan rushes to the center to face her, she doesn't look his way any moment.

-g-good morning madame gustave. as always it's a pleasure to see you around. please enjoy your stay!.

- I am not here to enjoy anything, I want to see her.

-of course just let me-

-NOW

-o-oh ok, right this way.

she didn't scream or anything, but the way she said that really gave the impression that she was about to kill someone, and that was the only time he saw Alan, and it was a murderer stare right to his eyes. he was deeply scared.

and so was I.

he walked with her on the hall to the way were faraday is, I rushed to pick up with their pace as I was several meters behind them.

I tried to avoid any kind of contact at all times, even reserved some space between them and I.

I could hear mumbling and voices I could not make sense of since I was so far away my ears couldn't pick up their voices clearly.

after a couple of minutes of talking between them, madame suddenly stopped and Alan followed next, she turned around and put her eyes into mine, a deep stare once again, but this time looking even more angrier than before.

-why are you following us?

-o-oh i-i-i

I froze in place and I felt a knot in my throat, I was about to cry.

-ma-madame Gustave this is Cecile, the one doctor we hired for faraday.

-why aren't you working.

-o-oh I was but-

- get back to WORK

- S-S-SURELY MADAME GUSTAVE!

I ran for my life, I didn't even mind the tears of fear falling from my cheeks. my only thought was the urge to get back to the room and hide, but mostly just wanting to warn faraday about what was coming to her.

once I opened the door to the control room I tried to calm myself down to no avail. a familiar light comes from the window to my side.

-miss Cecile are you alright? a-are you crying?.

-i-im ok don't worry i-.... faraday do you know who Gustave is?

I said with a broken voice and clearing the tears from my eyes.

-oh y-yeah I know her she comes from time to time.

-what does she do to you?

I asked expecting the worse, expecting a cry for help.

-s-she usually just asks me stuff or makes me do some lightnings for her, usually to something she brought with her

-a-and that is all?

-yes she doesn't do much, she even avoids speaking to me as much as possible, I think she hates me.

-oh thank God...

I mutter to myself, a sound so dim most wouldn't even call it speaking.

-why are you asking miss Cecile? di-did she do something bad to you?!

she asked, deeply worried, almost launching herself to the window as if expecting to get out of her just to go and punch her in the face.

god I wish she could.

-n-no, but she is coming, please just... don't do something to piss her off.

-i won't, I promise, please don't worry miss Cecile.

-i-im trying to...

I realize my face is a mess at this moment in a rush of sense. I try to hide if from the worried girl.

-miss cecile.

- ...

I look at her.

-please don't cry, I get sad when you cry.

that phrase almost makes me break up in tears. my fear is matched now by the sadness it causes me to worry faraday at this point. I want to just hide and never get out.

-i-im sorry.

before I could say anything else the door opens behind me.

I turn around and I put my back as stiff as I can.

Alan is alongside the witch.

-you already know this but this is the control room, we... tried to modify it for our new member right here.

he points at me with his hand.

modify... I need to talk to her about the materials I need and the instruments too.

-you

-?!

- why are you crying?

-i am deeply sorry, it was just a rush of-

-your tears scream weakness, you are clearly not suited for this task.

-e-excuse me b-

-aa far as I know there has been absolutely no progress towards your investigation, we have been giving you time doctor, we trusted that with your capabilities a single day was going to be enough to accomplish such a mundane task, but after all this time all I see is nothing. pure waste of time. this is not a playground for your mind doctor, do your job and stop messing around.

I- I.... this ....

-excuse me but I can't work with nothing, my powers are a gift, at least that is how I see them, but I can't go just risking my life dealing with materials that I don't know if they will work or not, there are NO materials around here in the first place, and even worse I can't just know how faraday works by just guessing

here, this is a list of all the materials and instruments I could use in this investigation, I assure you that I will do my best once I have the resources available.

I stood my ground, I ignored the unnecessary attacks and just went for what she asked for, productivity, one I can't match on my own, my confidence was extremely high, as I was giving my speech Alan was standing behind Gustave waving his hand around his neck, signaling me to stop what I was doing, but I ignored him for my own good.

I extended my arm with the paper on my fingertips, signaling Gustave to pick up the paper.

-no

-what do you mean no I can't just-

-Umbra.

she says that word and a portal next to her opens with my house as the objective.

-leave.

WHAT?!

-HOLD ON BUT I NEE-

-LEAVE!!

I hold anger and the desperation inside, I walk inside the portal, before I even have the chance to even turn around to say anything the portal closes and I'm left alone, in. the dark of my room.

I can't take it anymore, I just let myself fall in the floor, I let my emotions go.

i.... i ....

faraday....