“...Jonathan? How’d you get in here?” Pent exclaimed, jerking slightly as the wheels ferrying him screeched to an abrupt stop.

“A nice young nurse by the name of Anna let me in.” The handsome man sitting in Pent’s desk chair by the window smiled, flashing pearly white teeth. “It’s good to see you’re working hard—even on your days off. I missed you, little man.”

Today really was shaping up to be a bizarre one, Pent thought as he shook his head and wheeled himself toward his non-biological older cousin. He hadn’t seen Johnathan in almost two years, so for him to show up like this without notice—something big must have happened.

Worry sprouted in his heart. Pent didn’t have any relatives left on his father’s side and he never spoke with his mother… Jonathan’s family was really all he had left.

“Why the long face?” Jonathan chuckled, adjusting the black frame of his stylish glasses. “Don’t worry, I don’t come bearing any ill tidings.”

“Good… That’s good,” Pent replied a bit absentmindedly. He was still trying to piece together a conceivable reason for the visit. If there wasn’t bad news, what could Jonathan have come all this way for? People rarely ever came to see him just to catch up or check-in.

Jonathan was actually one of few who used to make casual visits to the hospital to see his own father and hang-out with Pent, but he had moved away a few years back when he accepted a new job at a resurging tech and manufacturing company...

“You know, I’m a Contractor now too, Pent,” Jonathan suddenly broke the awkward tension between them.

“That’s… Wait—! What?” Pent’s head shot up, his eyes opening wide. “Physical or Mental?” he blurted out.

Jonathan’s grin stretched even wider, seemingly amused by the reaction. He tapped his forehead lightly. “Mental. A fairly standard ability though as far as I’m aware…” As Jonathan trailed off, he turned his gaze to the desk in the corner of the room.

Following his eyes, Pent watched as an empty coffee mug was lifted from the metal surface by an invisible force, hovering briefly in the empty air.

“Minor Telekinesis.” Pent nodded.

Variations of Telekinesis were indeed fairly widespread among Contractors. Its potential wasn’t highly regarded in the online communities Pent frequented, but even so, it was a power nearly everyone would rejoice to have. Slightly improved memory and calculation speed—the benefits were limited outside of the obvious effect of lifting and maneuvering objects remotely. However, the most important factor was that the negative impact on the body of Telekinesis Contractors was negligible.

When it came to awakening from the Deep Sleep, there was always a price to pay. The more you gained, the more was taken away. A strange ability like Pent’s left his body weak to the point of near collapse, and it only grew worse with each passing year.

Thinking of how little time he likely had left, Pent couldn’t suppress the stirrings of jealousy as he congratulated his cousin, “You’re lucky. That’s a great one, Jonathan.”

Following in the wake of his envy was a fit of simmering anger and dejection. He refocused and realized that no one among his adopted relatives had even bothered to inform him of any of this news... let alone that Jonathan had even fallen ill in the first place.

“Hey. Little Man.” Jonathan brought his face in front of Pent’s. There was no smile warming those brown eyes anymore, only a solemn sincerity that even the best actors like Dr. Jiang couldn’t replicate. “I’m sorry you had to wait until now to hear about this. I had my wife keep it a secret from everyone initially. I figured there was no use having people worry for days on end…” Jonathan sighed as he leaned back in his chair.

“Anyway, I had plans to come and tell you in person because I knew that only you could help me adjust and understand the new feelings I had. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as I’d hoped. And Pent, I actually need to apologize to you again…. because I didn’t come to visit just to show you this.”

Two pairs of eyes locked, each searching deeply on the other’s face for any signs of resentment.

Again, Jonathan was the first to break the stalemate. The man’s shoulders slouched as he scratched his neatly-combed dark hair “Look, Pent, I—”

“It’s alright.” Turning away, Pent waved his hand, cutting his cousin off. He inhaled a long and deep breath as he struggled to suppress the dark storm clouds brewing in his grey irises. “What do you need from me?”

Brow slanting downward, Jonathan adjusted his glasses once again before folding his hands in his lap. “It’s not that I need something from you, Pent. Rather, I’m here to offer you an opportunity.” He frowned as he paused and glanced around the cold, lifeless room. “A chance to get out of this stuffy place for a while—maybe for good.”

Pent’s heart skipped a beat, leaping into his throat. For a moment, he was at a loss for words. But excitement and anticipation quickly cleared the blockage. “W-What do you mean?” he asked hurriedly.

“My company has started a new research project, working closely with the United Nations Council and the various national governments.” Jonathan held up a hand before Pent even had a chance to react. “Now, it's not what you might be thinking. Yes, we’re recruiting Contractors, but the researchers won’t be dissecting them or doing anything like what you may have heard about in the rumors floating around online. You won’t be stuck in another hospital. I can assure you of that.”

Pent frowned, but he gestured for his cousin to continue. In his mind, there were only two reasons government officials went looking for Contractors: to stick needles in them or to recruit them into their private guard.

Times were uncertain, and thus, the ruling class was always seeking more control.

Jonathan exhaled a pent-up breath, evidently relieved he hadn’t been refused outright. The man gathered himself, clearing his throat before he launched into his spiel, “A long while back—before the first wave of the Deep Sleep and the natural disasters began 13 years ago—a branch of Pinnacle was working on building an immersive virtual reality game. It was ultimately shelved, but just last year, members of the UN reached out to us to revive the project, seeking to alter it for military and law enforcement training.”

The downward curve of Pent’s lips deepened, causing Jonathan to hasten his speech, “The dangers threatening the population aren’t what they once were. Members of the police and the army now have to deal with criminal Contractors wielding bizarre abilities, and on top of all of that, there are rapidly mutating animals that threaten the population in more rural areas... They eventually decided a virtual environment was the best way to simulate both of those menaces without great risk.”

“I see…” Pent nodded slowly. “And now they want Contractors to participate. But why…? They already have a database detailing most people’s abilities...”

“It’s for consulting purposes, primarily,” Jonathan answered. “They want to get Contractors into the game and get feedback on how the ability simulations feel—how true to life they are.”

Pent could feel the expectation in his cousin’s look, but towards this opportunity, he was already highly skeptical. “Jon, you know my ability well enough. It’s got no potential in combat. I’m definitely not a good fit for this... program.”

More than anything, this seemed like just another scheme designed by the Council to keep the Devils in their sights. Pent was sure that the benefits they offered would be lavish. They had to be or most Contractors wouldn’t budge. But all that meant little to him. Money couldn’t fix his body, nor could it give him the sense of purpose he sought before his death.

He was tired of being a tool for others. As impossible as it may be, Pent just wanted to escape to somewhere where no one knew who he was… what he was. Somewhere where no one looked at him with any preconceived bias.

Pent had only ever wanted to prove his mother—and others like her—wrong. He was more than just some bearer of ill-fortune…

“Pent…! Hey, Pent!” Jonathan’s call snapped him back to reality. “Don’t be so quick to dismiss the idea. The organizers of this project are open to any and all who are willing to participate.”

Smiling wryly, Pent maneuvered himself toward the large, floor-to-ceiling windows. “I don’t know about this, Jon,” he remarked softly. “This—This program… it smells fishy.”

Jonathan turned his chair around, positioning himself beside Pent’s wheelchair. For a while, the two of them simply gazed at the surrounding buildings and the sky beyond. Wisps of clouds were beginning to gather, sweeping across the blue horizon like a flurry of fallen leaves drifting down a stream.

“I don’t want to ask you to trust me… because I know I’m not deserving of it, but… This is an opportunity I firmly believe you shouldn’t miss, Pent. You’re right to think that there’s more to this than meets the eye; however, the truth is something beyond imagination. It’s an unprecedented opportunity waiting for us… A chance to rediscover ourselves and explore the limits of our abilities...”

Pent didn’t respond, but his heart shivered.

“I’ll be participating in a future round of these trials myself. Though, I hope you’ll join me before that, Pent.” Jonathan’s knees groaned in protest as he stood up. “I’ve left an information packet on your desk. There’s no contract, nothing for you to sign right now… just take a look. I’ve got a few more recruitment visits to make in Weyland, so just give me a call before the week is out if you’re interested and we can arrange the rest then.”

“O-Okay,” Pent croaked. His voice was hoarse and his throat dry. He didn’t know why, but he felt a strange sense of loss overwhelmed him as he heard the door click shut behind Jonathan.

He’d been living alone in this ward for almost a decade, and many times, he’d acknowledged how empty his existence felt inside this place… Pent thought he’d already worked through the worst of it, but that feeling just now had nearly sunk him back into the abyss of self-loathing he’d struggled so hard to escape from once.

He knew he might not have the heart to do so a second time.

~~~

In the evening, another knock sounded on Pent’s door. It was Maisie again—Dr. Jiang’s favored lackey.

“Pent?”

He didn’t respond. He was still sitting by the window, watching the lights of the city flicker on and spread their brilliance. The bright colors and large, flashing screens somehow brought more life to the streets than any number of pedestrians did throughout the day.

“Pent!” she called out again, louder this time. “Pent!”

“Yes… What is it?”

He gave in. There was no avoiding it. Maisie was the type of person who wouldn't leave until she got an answer. She had a sort of unshakeable persistence rooted in her bones. The woman’s nonexistent empathy and lack of understanding toward social cues made Pent seriously question whether she was a Contractor with a physical ability who had just never registered anywhere.

“Dr. Jiang wants to see you in his office.”

Pent sighed. The inquest had come sooner than he anticipated.

Distracted by Jonathan’s visit, he hadn’t properly prepared an excuse. Though, it's not like he thought anything he would say mattered all that much. Dr. Jiang was likely just looking to vent—another man hurrying to offload his guilt.

“All right, give me a moment.” Pent took a deep breath and steeled himself to face the impending tirade. Today—no matter what—he wouldn’t back down. With his mind steeled, he wheeled toward the door.

They ventured back into the main building, and Maisie ushered him to the nearest elevator. The slab of cold metal slid open before she entered and punched the button that would take them to the building’s highest floor. Pent closed his eyes and listened to each crisp ding echoing through the box as they ascended.

The fluorescent panels in the ceiling flickered with uncertainty as the elevator rattled, but there was one light in the space that maintained its resolve. A spark of grim determination flashed through Pent’s eyes when they reopened.

When they reached their destination, he shot ahead of Maisie, heading full-speed toward Dr. Jiang’s office at the end of the hall.

“Pent, slow down!” Startled, the nurse rushed after him.

Thanks to her long legs she managed to outpace his wheelchair, but he showed no signs of stopping as she placed herself in his path. Maisie yelped and hopped out of the way as he pushed the machine to its limit.

“What’s all the commotion?” Dr. Jiang huffed as his door swung open. The anger coloring his face darkened into a scarlet rage as he identified the culprit. “Penthus! What has gotten into you today?”

Pent jerked to a stop in front of the man and glared up at him. His mind was already firm, so he paid no heed to decorum. “Doctor, I know my bedside manner was inappropriate today, so just say what you have to say and let's get this over with.”

“Penthus…” Dr. Jiang growled. “Why don’t you step into my office so we can discuss this like adults.” The man glanced nervously toward a few of the other doors lining the walls as beads of sweat condensed on his scalp.

“Dr. Jiang, I’ve told you many times that I don’t like being called Penthus. If you have no respect for me or my wishes, why should I reciprocate?”

“Fine, Pent.” he growled, propping the door wide with his shoulder. “Please, come in.”

Maisie watched the exchange with an absent look on her face. She was wholly ignored, left standing alone in the hall as the heavy oak door slammed shut behind Dr. Jiang and Pent.

“Pent. You better check that attitude of yours,” Dr. Jiang hissed a warning as he stepped around the wheelchair. The scowl he wore as he sat down behind his desk stretched his skin thin. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

Pent ignored the question and laid his plans bare in an even tone, “Dr. Jiang, I plan on leaving the hospital.”

“Ha!” Dr. Jiang snorted. The older man chuckled softly for a few seconds before bursting into a sudden and uproarious fit of laughter. “Leave?” The doctor heaved between strained breaths. “You want to leave? If I recall correctly… the last time you tried to do that—no one came to pick you up.”

Pent bit his lower lip as he held down an instinctual retort. Dr. Jiang always knew how to strike him where it hurt the most. In the past, this would have been more than enough for Pent to lash out, but not today... He wouldn’t give this piece of waste that satisfaction.

“Where do you plan to go? What do you plan to do?” Dr. Jiang continued in a fit of near hysteria. “You have nothing aside from your ability!”

“...That is not your concern.”

Dr. Jiang’s sadistic smile froze, his voice growing severe. “Maybe not. But what is my concern are the complaints we’ve been receiving from families visiting the hospital. People are making claims that you’ve been secretly harming patients while monitoring them bedside. These concerns… We have to take them very seriously. I’m preparing to submit a report to the board. Don’t you think that if you suddenly run off, it’ll appear very suspicious?”

Pent had to spend another few moments steadying his breathing before he could reply. It was difficult to suppress the urge to engage—to fight back—but an argument would lead nowhere.

“Good luck with that,” He said simply, torquing his joystick in order to spin himself around. “Now, if you’re finished with your blustering and empty threats, I’ll be leaving.”

“Penthus!” Dr. Jian shot up from his seat, gripping the edge of his desk with such force that his knuckles grew white. “I have connections in the Weyland branch of Heaven’s Reprisal… One of their templars owes me a favor…”

“Dr. Jiang.” Pent stopped his rotation half-way and faced the man. “Your Lifeflame is looking awfully pale and yellowish these days. I’m even starting to see hints of potential dark spots forming. You may want to start paying more attention to yourself and your health. Otherwise… you may not be long for this world.”

With that, Pent exited the room, a mellow satisfaction washed away the pent-up frustration in his chest as he made his way back to the elevator. The smile on his face didn’t leave him until he got back to his room and picked up his phone from his nightstand.

It was time for a change. It was time to be a little bold for once.

Rolling over to his desk, Pent scrolled through his limited contacts. When his thumb finally landed on Jonathan’s name, he pressed down while flicking open the file his cousin had left for him with his other hand.

[Pent?] came a voice through the receiver.

“Hey, Jon. Sorry to call you late, but I’ve thought a lot about your offer and… I want to learn more.”

[That’s great! If you’ve got no plans, I can send some people to pick you up tomorrow afternoon. I’ve planned a group briefing with a few of the other candidates.]

“Yeah, that works for me.”

[Awesome, I’ll text you the details in the morning. I’m looking forward to seeing you, Pent.]

“Me too. See you then…”