After enduring a few more fearful stares, I arrived at Facility Theta. The entrance was imposing, but it was clear that it hadn't seen visitors in a long time; the arch was cracked, and moss covered much of its surface. The only way to enter was via a platform positioned on diagonal tracks, like a slide straight to hell.

  Upon reaching the first floor, I see several messy desks, scattered papers, and dusty monitors. As Lotus said, something horrible must have happened here.

  After so much fighting and confusion, this silence does me good; I can finally stop and think a little about what has happened so far.

  To begin with, that tournament left me somewhat deluded about what my life would be like from then on—constant and exciting fights, like in a shounen manga! But ever since I transformed, it's been one conflict after another, whether physical or not.

  Furthermore, I'm surprised that Lotus still cares so much about me. She seemed like she was about to exile me when I said I was going to the tournament. That's just how Lotus is; she is indeed very critical and even cold at times, but she values her connections more than even her own research. Does Kassidy also have a softer side?

  And speaking of which, I hate the fact that I'm attracted to him so much. If it weren't for these awful circuits, he would at least be tolerant of me. But noooo, Aubrey went and became this freak, now half the world wants me dead regardless of what I truly desire.

  …Except for Leona, which I find curious. I even understand why the others support me—Saul and Steel are good fellows, and Kenji is a naive kid. Now, what makes Leona act like this? There's nothing between us besides having fought in the tournament.

  I remember Kassidy letting something about espionage slip before our last fight, which leads me to think that Lucia is actually a spy as well as a leader. She was probably infiltrating the Order's headquarters looking for some kind of information.

  My thoughts were then interrupted by the deafening sound of a steel beam falling. I have to hurry, this place is already in ruins.

  The following floors didn't offer much variation; the few monitors that were still on displayed "no signal" messages, and the concrete walls were covered in cracks and mold. The facility as a whole managed to be in a worse state than that room at the end of the tournament, almost like a cemetery—the air stagnant, the lack of color, and the mystery buried in this place.

  Upon reaching the 11th floor, I found myself in a room resembling a subway tunnel—except ten times larger, so much so that it was impossible to see the end of it, only the light from the red lamps in the distance.

  The wreckage was even greater: broken screens, whole pieces torn from the walls, utensils scattered across the operating tables, and most importantly—containment tubes, like the one from which I was reborn, but these had already turned to splinters, the only parts still standing being their metal bases.

  One of the computers was still operational; a document was open in Notepad that read:

  “March 2nd, 2199, Machina Research R&D Laboratories.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  The creature, a bobbit worm, was successfully 'cogfied' after years of research. It acquired a steely carapace and became a hundred times larger.

  Nicknamed 'Earth-Eater', it destroyed the labs before taking up residence in some dark corner of Facility Theta—hopefully far from here—the team is arranging a new facility for us as soon as possible.”

  ~ Fredrick Sol

  How awful, I really hope I don't have to fight against that anytime soon.

  I went further down, uneasy. This time by the stairs—I can't trust platforms when the building is in this state.

  No floor was as large as that one, but the condition only worsened; cobwebs everywhere, moldy papers, and wet floors. The few computers that still operated displayed records about other animal Cogs; one of them looked like a giant praying mantis.

  Now that I've thought about it a bit more, I bet Lotus sent Saul regardless of what I said; she's insanely worried. Could she be trying to compensate for something, like a loss, just like me?

  I'm starting to run out of ideas. It's either this, or I end up delving too deeply into my psyche, which I really don't want to think about.

  Finally, now on the 17th floor, I find myself in an office. The lack of ventilation gave the air a deathly feel—or maybe it's just the effect of the carbon dioxide. As a Cog, the lack of air isn't lethal, but I still feel its effects. The walls of the desks were all scratched, monitors shattered, and papers torn, as if a blood-thirsty creature had broken out of a prison and devastated the place in a savage fury.

  My legs felt like they weighed a ton; I could only drag myself across the room. I decided to stop and rest a bit at one of the desks—I haven't had a proper, uninterrupted rest in days.

  While I was relaxing with my legs on the table, I ended up glancing at the title of one of the only intact documents, which read: “Hideaki Report #37.” I felt a slight pain in my forehead as I picked up the document, but I was still able to read it:

  "January 25, 2209, Machina Research R&D Laboratories.

  Humanoid Cog #1, Hideaki, has reached highly dangerous threat levels. His spikes have already begun to radiate a magenta color, which goes beyond the predicted red.

  He keeps threatening us, talking about how we're all threats to his own existence, pacing frantically in his room like a terrified spider.

  We need to put him in a stasis lock soon, and lock him up in a maximum-security prison, preferably. This whole thing is starting to scare me, and our director seems to share that feeling.”

  ~ Carmine Tager

  "Miserable vermin, all of them," Hideaki commented, his pain worsening as I folded the paper and put it in my pocket. "I was already more than aware of my situation. EVERYTHING WAS A THREAT!! To me, to them, to those colossal beasts!"

  "Shut up," I sternly replied, "now is not the time."

  “You’re right, I opened my mouth too early. I'll wait until you go down a little further to really open the wound.”

  “Blah blah blah, okay, first-born, go to bed.”

  Hideaki's voice and the pain in my forehead then faded, giving way back to silence and dead air.

  I have to go deeper, even knowing that the worst is yet to come. I want to get out of this obituary soon.