Anomaly-1004 (1): "Come on, We're Not Dangerous People?"
A man approaches, spouting a line that sounds straight-up dangerous: "Come on, we're not dangerous people?" He's clearly trying to force a gentle smile, but sorry to say, it only makes him look scarier.
A rugged face that looks like it's drowned plenty of people back in the day.
Deep down, I had zero desire to follow this guy anywhere.
But.
Click. Click.
They weren't packing ordinary rifles like the K2C1 I'd seen in the military—nope, these were weird sci-fi guns that looked like they'd shoot lasers. No way I had the guts to resist guys armed like that.
So I obediently raised my hands, showing I had no intention of fighting back.
The moment I threw both hands up, the man visibly relaxed a bit and tucked his cube-shaped device away. He muttered something into his earpiece, then gestured with a hand.
"Follow us."
Flanked on both sides by these scary dudes, I let out heavy sighs as they dragged me along.
There were CCTVs here and there, but these guys smashed every single one without hesitation as we went down.
The way they wrecked them so casually... they had to be National Intelligence Service agents or something.
I didn't fancy snorting seolleongtang up my nose.
Shivering at the thought of soup going in through my nostrils, I soon arrived at the parking lot in front of my apartment.
"Get in." "Here...?"
I stared in bewilderment at the massive container truck parked there, the one he was pointing to.
I'd figured it'd be a black van at worst.
Now they wanted me to climb into that behemoth?
I stood there blankly for a second, then cracked a grin.
Actually, this works for me.
Yeah, even better.
If it'd been a van, I'd probably be sandwiched between these broad-shouldered goons with no escape.
Being hauled in a container sounded way more comfortable than rubbing elbows with those thugs.
Plus, I'd always had a weird itch to ride in one of those trucks someday.
As I followed their directions to the front of the truck, the guy who introduced himself as Bravo-43 muttered into his radio.
"Alpha-stage containment procedure proceeding smoothly. Requesting opening of special containment transport vehicle."
[Alpha-stage containment procedure proceeding smoothly. Requesting opening of special containment transport vehicle.]
The radio crackled, and moments later, the container door on the massive truck slid open smoothly.
And then.
Bam!
With the door fully open, the inside revealed a pristine white space that screamed laboratory.
Packed with gear that looked ridiculously expensive at a glance.
Gotta be careful in here.
That equipment looked way pricier than anything I'd ever be worth.
If I accidentally smashed something and they sent me a bill, I'd be bankrupt.
Couldn't pay that off even slaving away for a hundred years.
"Get in." "Yup."
Careful not to bump any gear, I tiptoed inside the container.
There was a single snow-white bed in the middle.
The blanket looked so fluffy.
Wanna lie down.
Humans naturally crave soft, plush things.
I asked Bravo-43, "Can I lie down here...?"
He flinched a little when I spoke, then nodded.
"Do as you like."
Permission granted. I flopped right onto the bed.
The plush mattress and soft blanket enveloped me.
"Whoa..."
Feeling that silky texture, I could tell this was no cheap bed. I rolled around a bit to test it out.
Warm, soft, comfy.
Heavenly.
Meanwhile, the container door had quietly slid shut without a peep.
Outside, armed men glared straight through at me.
Like I was planning to bolt or something. Geez.
Thud!
Moments later, the door sealed completely.
Huddled under the blanket, I pondered briefly and reached a simple conclusion.
Might as well sleep...
No windows in this container anyway.
Nothing inside gave any hints about where we were headed.
I had no clue where they'd take me, but catching some Z's now and staying sharp when we arrived seemed smarter.
After a moment's hesitation.
Screw it.
I just closed my eyes.
Hoping that when I woke up, everything would go back to normal.
Clang! Clang!
Rough noises echoed from outside the comfy bed.
"Ugh..."
I rubbed my eyes and sat up slowly.
Instinctively reaching for my pocket to check the time on my smartphone, but...
"Ah..."
Right, the men had already taken it.
Annoying...
Depressed and irritated about losing my phone, I tried guessing how long I'd slept.
Tried hard, but no clue.
"Hmm..."
Giving up on figuring out the time, I sat there dazed on the bed.
Vrrr...
The sealed container door began sliding open.
Bright lights poured in.
Looks like we'd arrived indoors.
And soon.
Bang!
Door fully open, greeted by three times as many armed men as before.
All wearing bizarre gas masks that looked super uncomfortable to breathe in.
These guys have it rough.
"Anomaly-1004. Get out."
"..."
The guy panted heavily as he spoke.
Part of me wanted to play dumb and make him repeat himself, just to wear him out more.
But I'm not that sadistic.
So I quietly got up from the bed and descended from the container slowly.
Waiting below was what seemed like my personal cart.
Looked just like one you'd push around a supermarket.
Except loaded with all sorts of special gadgets.
Sensors blinking and beeping, bright red talismans dangling like dried pollack in the sun.
"..."
A bit creepy, but I climbed on obediently.
The moment I sat on the cart floor.
"...!"
I was impressed.
This cart.
Super comfy!
Regular supermarket carts hurt your butt if you sit on them.
But this one? No idea how, but the floor felt like a sofa—plush as hell.
This is ride-worthy.
Satisfied with the comfy ride, I sat still as one of the guys started pushing the cart.
Screech!
Every 50 meters or so, a barrier wall popped up.
Each time, the man went through complicated authentication procedures to open them one by one.
After passing about ten such barriers?
[Level 1 Containment Zone]
I stopped in front of a door labeled Level 1 Containment Zone.
Level 1, huh.
No idea what criteria they used, but the security didn't seem that intense.
Guess they didn't classify me as dangerous.
Maybe because I cooperated nicely?
Craning my neck to look around, rooms started appearing.
Each sealed behind thick steel doors.
Some had armed guards posted out front.
And next to each door, plaques like [Anomaly-012].
Wonder if mine'll say 1004.
As I speculated, the cart halted in front of one door.
And right next to it, as expected: [Anomaly-1004].
[Anomaly-1004]
The man who'd brought me whispered in a voice creepy enough to raise goosebumps, utterly robotic.
"Go inside."
Guess it was time to part with this cart I'd already grown attached to.
Take care, cart buddy.
I gave it a quick mental farewell and hopped off.
Click.
The second I landed, guns trained right on me.
By now, they had to know I wasn't resisting.
So paranoid.
Still, to avoid provoking them, I stood still obediently.
-Vrrr
The heavy steel door slid open smoothly.
Inside was painted wall-to-wall white—like you'd go nuts just sitting there.
Dozens of CCTVs dangled from the ceiling, and in true minimalist style, not a single object in sight.
The container interior looked cozier by comparison.
They got money—could've spruced it up a bit.
Grumbling inwardly, I stepped inside.
The men visibly relaxed as I complied without fuss.
Since I was such a good girl, maybe they'd toss in some tasty food.
Like strawberry pistachio butter frappe.
"Whew..."
I plopped down on the floor.
The warm surface gently heated my butt.
They'd thought of people after all—heat was on.
This I like.
If the floor'd been cold, I'd be pissed.
I hate the cold.
"Yawwn..."
No bed or blanket, but the warm floor made me drowsy.
Body changed, and now I sleep a ton, it seems.
Dozing off with yawns.
-Ruff!
"Huh?"
Sudden weird noise.
"What was that?"
I jumped up, looking around frantically, but nothing seemed off.
"Just my imagination?"
Settling back down.
-Ruff! Grrr! Rruff! Rruff!
There it was again, clearer this time.
A dog barking.
"They've got a dog here too?"
Didn't think much at first.
Figured it'd stop eventually.
But time passed.
The clock they'd belatedly stuck in here ticked past midnight.
And still.
-Woof! Grrr! Arf!
The barking didn't quit.
Now I got why the dog was locked up.
This wasn't just any dog—it was a psycho dog.
I headed to the wall where the noise came from, to protest the pup.
Pasted myself right against it.
"Huh...?"
Something on the other side.
A dark, musty energy.
The kind that instinctively pissed me off.
"Hmm..."
No clue why, but I knew exactly what to do with it on instinct.
Closed my eyes, felt it out.
-Grip.
Grabbed it tight in my hand and yanked hard.
-Yelp!
A weak whimper from the dog, just once.
-Whine...
The frantic barking stopped dead, silence fell.
"Phew..."
Satisfied with my newly quiet neighbor, I lay back down.
Now I could finally sleep easy.