ACT 6

"Sounds of blades....Heartbeats......."Come on, I can't lose you now. We're almost there. I saved you once, I can't lose you again. Please, stay with me."M was seeing some hallucinations, hearing voices. But then darkness fell again. Endless void, silence.There was a light in the darkness. Not too far away...Within the lights, it seemed like someone was standing. A female figure. Details obscured by the radiance of the light."In the light, a goddess?"(Boze sees 'someone within lights and radiance,' thus thinking they're dying and seeing a divine entity. Refers to her as a goddess due to feminine features.)"Everyone must come here. The seeds of Šamaš must be destroyed. YOU ARE MY CREATION. Destroy the seeds of Šamaš! Mother loves you and trusts you."Boze tried to open his eyes but was met with intense light, blinding him instantly. He didn't know how long his eyes had been closed, how long he had been unconscious.Struggling, he squinted to look around. His head was throbbing. Trying to move his hands, he realized they were bound. Continuing to look around, he found himself on an operating bed. Nearby was a large table cluttered with medical supplies. Scalpels, empty syringes, and plenty of blood. Opposite was a cupboard filled with bottles, likely a medicine cabinet. Next to the cupboard was a small armchair. The room was gray with green walls.As his head began to spin again and the surroundings darkened, he realized he was likely fainting once more. Although he didn't enjoy fainting, the feeling of lightness, aside from alcohol, was a relief.With the creak of an iron door, he came back to some semblance of consciousness. The man from the vehicle he had seen entered. He approached Boze to check on him, examining the bandaged area on his ribs. Boze noticed his chest was wrapped in bandages. After a few grumbles, the man opened his bag, pulling out a bottle of liquid (likely alcohol for disinfecting) and bandages. "I'll refresh your bandages; they've become bloody again. I also need to use this." (He showed the bottle he had taken from the bag). Boze nodded lightly in agreement."Ah! I forgot to untie your hands. I'm sorry for tying them. You've been in the simulation for a long time. People are usually a bit aggressive when they first wake up."Added Boze. His voice was barely audible. "Soldiers, technological shuttles and vehicles, now simulations, huh?"The stranger smiled slightly and added, "We'll talk about everything. But for now, you need to rest. It was difficult to find you and even harder to bring you back to life. You've exhausted yourself. Just rest for now."He cut the ropes on Boze's wrists and gently rubbed them. There were marks from thick ropes on Boze's wrists. Then, slowly, he began to remove the bandages. Underneath Boze's left lower ribs were multiple puncture wounds. The remaining parts were filled with cuts. "You lost quite a bit of blood, so it's normal to feel a bit dizzy. I'll clean up some and rebandage your wounds." (He gently shook the bottle in his hand). Boze felt a sharp pain as the stranger opened the disinfectant bottle and poured it."Aw! I thought I'd feel a slight pain."The stranger smiled slightly. "We've dealt with bigger things. Those are nothing compared to that."Once the stranger finished wrapping, he pulled a chair in front of Boze and lit his pipe, taking a few breaths."First of all, I need to ask if you remember me.""Right now, I don't know anything. All I know is that everything seems like nonsense. Seriously, everything that happened today. Who's chasing us, who are you, where are we, all these vehicles, buildings... What year is it?""Okay, okay. It's normal for all this to seem confusing, for you not to make sense of what's happening. For now, let me introduce myself. My name is Babka."(Boze gave Babka a look of "how is that possible?")."You'll understand everything. But let's take it slow."Babka continued. "I run the Metropolitan Police Department. Recently, a unit called 'Cotacs,' which is now more of a state than a state, but anyway, a special operations unit, started taking people with names mentioned in certain cases to their headquarters. The problem is, after they take these people, no one sees them again. Recently, some 'curious' journalists found the body of a person taken by the Cotacs for investigation at the grave of someone named 'Deusa Silveira.' Maybe you remember that name...""That's my...""Yes, yes, I'll explain everything. For now, just focus on the events. It's hard to digest details all at once, trust me. And of course, before this gets leaked to the media, journalists who got involved were eliminated.""How do you know?""Well, the thing is, I wasn't supposed to know either. But... I've been looking for you for a long time, and suddenly, after years, your name popped up. Despite being told to forget this situation and you, I still investigated. And here we are...""Look, Babka, I really don't understand. I wake up suddenly in a place filled with things I've never seen before, in a place I don't know. The special army is chasing me for a reason I don't know. Suddenly, someone shows up and saves me. I don't understand...? And I don't even know if you're one of them.""If I were one of them, you would have died by now. I wouldn't have pulled you out of that wreckage and brought you here to remove all the bullets inside you.""Wreckage? What wreckage? I just remember a light and a big thing. I don't remember anything else.""Well, these are like tank-like vehicles that protect the borders of the fields we're in. I mentioned we were approaching the exit because of this. But you don't know; it's okay. I promise I'll explain everything to you slowly. There's a lot I don't know either. Just know for now that I love you very much and have been looking for you for a long time.""Okay, I don't know, friend. Everything is just too complicated.""I know. I understand what you're feeling. But staying here longer is very dangerous. We're not near the field, but we're not far away either. I'll explain everything I know; we just need to leave now."