(Viewpoint: Roum)
The light focuses on the armchair, as if the rest of the room were disappearing.
The rounded walls vibrate slightly, as if they were waiting for something, or as if they were holding their breath like me.
A figure appears.
She is tall, too tall, and her dark cloak trails on the ground like a shadow; he wore a large hat that prevented me from seeing his face.
Ela said :
— Breathe, it's just entertainment. You can shout, no one will hear you
I'm not answering.
Because the chair… the straps…
This is not "entertainment".
Not for me.
The figure approaches, and the air becomes heavy, heavier than the falling black dust in the pit.
I covered my mouth
— Ladies and Gentlemen…
Her voice glides through the room like a blade.
— Welcome to the MAGIC show, all your reality becomes doubt, certainty. A single word.
Ela applauded with shouts of encouragement, as if it were normal.
I remain motionless, unable to make a single sound, staring at her.
A woman is brought in by two silver robots.
She seems conscious.
Her eyes dart around, like someone looking for an exit she knows doesn't exist.
They will…
I can't finish my sentence.
Ela replies before I even finish:
— Yes, they're going to cut it in two. That's the show.
She says it with a lightness that makes me want to leave immediately.
The woman is tied up by the straps.
His breathing became ragged, audible, almost amplified by the echo.
The presenter passes a transparent blade just above his chest.
— Nooo… I murmured involuntarily.
Ela looks at me out of the corner of her eye.
— You can scream, it's your first time. My first time, I even fainted because it was so real, even though it was just a classic show that plays at the beginning of every film.
Classic?
Is that what you call "classic"?
The blade descends slowly.
It's calculated.
That's cruel.
I could see his chair move aside
And the entire room remained silent, as if savoring the moment and finding it perfectly normal.
A sharp, clicky sound, like a metallic clanging, crosses the room.
I startle and stifle my scream.
I admit it.
That noise.
This anguish, imprinted somewhere within me ever since…
From there, that sound was like someone was opening a zipper.
The blade passed through the body.
And suddenly, the woman disintegrates into shards of light.
No blood.
Not a sound.
The man in the large hat stepped forward after the murder and pulled on his cloak and hat.
You're cheating on me.
This is the woman who was just cut up
Ela, for her part, almost snickers:
— Did you see your face? It looked like you thought she was really dead.
I remain silent.
My heart is beating too fast.
The room erupts in applause.
Sincere applause.
They are truly happy.
I swallowed with difficulty.
— Was it just an illusion?
— Of course… Just today
- Today ?
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
A finger touches my cheek.
She.
— Relax, Roum. It's just a joke, you're too tense.
I step back slightly, instinctively.
– You make jokes in very poor taste; if someone hears you, you could be in serious trouble
She smiled.
– That's impossible, they're not in our communication network
– Huh?! You're playing a joke on me again
"No, it's true, that's why the city is always silent despite the crowds of people. You can't hear or speak to someone who isn't in your community. We can see each other but not communicate. I CAN EVEN SHOUT AND NO ONE CAN HEAR ME!" Ela screamed, throwing both arms in the air.
– I understand better now, but how do we follow what the cutting woman is saying?
This is considered a public space, so we can hear her, and she can only receive our applause. You'll understand better when you get your card.
The light is changing.
The armchair disappears.
Another figure emerges from behind a curtain of smoke.
Larger.
Darker.
And a message appears across the entire circular wall:
SCREENING CANCELLED PRIORITY PROTOCOL ACTIVATED ALPHA 1 REQUESTS UNIT 1
I feel Ela freeze.
— … it's us, she murmurs.
I'm stuck.
I don't understand anything.
For what ?
Why now?
The room emptied suddenly as if an invisible emergency was driving us out.
Chetan rushes up, furious.
— What have you done now?!
Ela replied to him in a cold tone:
- Nothing.
He almost choked with rage.
Beta 1 calmed me down.
— Rome?
Ela places her hand on my chest.
— Breathe. This isn't the first time we've had an emergency meeting.
She leads me outside.
The door opens automatically.
And the four of us walk down a white corridor.
Three white.
It was as if the void itself was swallowing us up; it was oppressive.
"Why does she want us?" I finally said.
Ela slowed down.
— Maybe she chose a card for you.
The map?
— And if I refuse?
She stops abruptly.
— Why? Would you refuse?
Her voice had lost all its sweetness.
She looks me straight in the eyes.
— Never do that, Roum. Never.
Her pupils trembled for a moment.
As if she were afraid.
She.
The girl's emotion was one of sadness.
Fear.
So I must be terrified.
A black door opens.
An empty room.
Except for one silhouette in the center.
Back turned.
Alpha 1.
I feel my legs getting heavy, why am I afraid in his presence
Ela murmurs, almost inaudibly:
— Only.
I'm stepping forward.
The door closes behind me, cutting me off from the group.
And Alpha 1's voice drifts into the room.
— I hope you enjoyed the visit, Roum.