The Controller

The lights dim. You get up and test the door, it is locked. You head back to your bed and lie down. You lie there with your hands crossed on your chest staring at the plain white ceiling crisscrossed by tracks for the robotic arms. You lay there a long time, unable to sleep. It must be close to midnight when you hear your door go 'click', a red light turns on and shines directly into your face.

You sit up and look around confused. Was something wrong? It was completely silent. Getting up you head toward the door, you find it unlocked. Opening it you peer out into the hallway. All quiet and empty, nothing was stirring.

Just then you see a part of the wall across the hall slide open, a passageway leads beyond it. You remember distinctly that on the way in that section of wall had been perfectly smooth and innocuous. This was a hidden door, you never would have known it was there had it not opened just now.

Quietly you creep across the hall and enter the passage. The secret door closes behind you with a swoosh-click. As the door closes lights flicker to life along the tops of the walls. The walls here are a dark grey, not the plain white of the rest of the facility. You hear a voice say. "Welcome Controller."

Looks like you had won the Controller lottery. That sets your mind at ease a little bit. You head down the hall and through the door. The room beyond is completely empty except for a large desk in the middle of the room. A keyboard, mouse, and three large monitors sit upon it. There is also a keycard similar but not identical to the one you saw the man in black had. You approach the desk and study the card, it was just plain grey plastic, you slip it into your pocket. One wall of the room was a slightly tinted glass looking into the meeting room you had seen, this was the other side of the mirror. The heavy metal door into that room was to your left.

There were two other doors leading out of the room. Peeking through one you see a bedroom, much nicer than the one for the residents, with attached bathroom and bath. Through the other door was a private kitchen and lounge area. You had everything you needed to stay the month in here away from the others. As with the hall the entire Controller's area was colored dark grey.

Heading back to the main room you sit down at the computer. The three screens flash to life. You begin looking through the programs and files. There were files on the residents, a special note to the Controller, a program that seemed to control almost every aspect of the facility from water to light levels to what was on TV, you had control of the robotic arms, and there was the monitoring program which gave you vital stats on the inhabitants. Finally you had access to various cameras all throughout the facility, you hadn't even noticed them when you had looked around. Hidden cameras obviously. You could see the rest of the group in their different rooms, most were sleeping though a couple were either sitting or up pacing. You couldn't really see them clearly in the dim light.

You open the special note to the Controller.

You have been chosen to be the Controller. Do not relinquish this authority to another. You will be singled out by the others because of your authority, for your own safety do not allow the others into the grey areas. Your keycard will allow you through any door in the facility except for the exit. For expedited results we have included a low dosage of an inhibition retarding **** into the water supply, you may experience a lightheaded feeling on the first day. Do not panic, this will pass. In the interests of science do what comes natural. There will be no legal ramifications or punishments related to what happens in the facility during this month.

You scroll down further but that is all the document says. You look it over again. "For my own safety?" You wonder aloud. What did the scientists know that you didn't? Would the others try to gain control from you, even though you were just one of them chosen randomly? Probably better to stay in here if I can. You think.

Then another part stands out. There was an "inhibition retarding ****" in the water, for "expedited results". That just didn't sound good at all.

You sit there staring at the various files and programs. The files concerning your fellow residents stand out as being the most interesting. Curiosity gets the better of you and you begin to open their files.