"Let's go."
"Yeah...okay."
Jeb's uneasiness grew exponentially as he moved his legs.
The long corridor seemed to never end in Jeb's eyes. They had walked over for a while but it looked like they hadn't even reached the middle.
How much long?
He grunted quietly not letting his frustration show. He didn't want to burden Jessica further.
Then,
Jessica stopped abruptly.
Amy and Jeb walked 3-4 steps before realizing that Jessica wasn't with them.
"What happened?"
Jeb called out while resting his hands on his hips. He sighed and walked towards her, Amy following closely behind him.
Jessica didn't utter a word. Her stance changed slightly as she exhaled slowly. The tattoo etched on her glowed faintly on her palm.
She mumbled something under her breath. Before the siblings could say anything,
The world distorted violently.
The blues became bluer and the reds became redder. As if reality had warped around. Amy clutched her head in a panic as she wobbled around.
###
"Are you okay?"
A faint but similar voice rung out in Jeb's ears as it became clearer and clearer.
It was Jessica.
She sat beside him, her expression calm and serious like the deep sea, as if she had never experienced what had just happened now.
"How are you so calm? The world just-"
"It was me."
"What?"
"For now, get up."
Jessica stood up as she stretched her arms producing a low grunt.
What Jeb saw shocked him to his core.
There was no endless corridor or dim blue light flickering overhead.
It was instead replaced by LED lights of the same and cold hue lined on the ceiling, bathing the hallway.
He was just walking across the passage but now he had somehow landed here.
As confusion washed over him, he looked for Amy and found her lying on the opposite side of him.
Amy twitched a little as she slowly woke up.
"What happened...?"
She groaned as she tried to get up.
Jessica glanced at Amy as she gestured for Jeb to help her up.
"We need to go fast."
Jeb slowly helped her up, wrapping her shoulders around his neck as they advanced forward.
After a few steps-
They stood face to face with a gate, a futuristic one at that. The door slightly towered over them. The door appeared strong enough to withstand any attack.
A sensory device came on to view as Jessica put her palm forward, spreading her fingers as the device seemed to scan her tattoo.
Whoosh!
The door started to slide as heaps of smoke rose through the crevice.
Cold air rushed past Jeb as he stepped inside.
"Woah."
Amy gasped in amazement as she covered her mouth.
Bright white lights illuminated a large lobby as transparent glass windows allowed a partial view of what was happening inside.
Scientists and technicians moved from room to room, their white coats swaying even if there was no wind. Some carried tablets, others carrying a metal cart full of equipment.
Machines hummed in the background.
Inside one room, long sealed tubes containing a red liquid were connected to a large chamber. Data constantly displayed on the monitors as the scientists adjusted and punched some buttons.
Amy pressed on to a glass window.
Inside, specimens of strange creatures were put in containers as they were constantly injected with serum.
Jeb's eyes slowly wandered around, scanning every room.
As they walked down the lobby there were more rooms.
One housed robotic arms carefully assembling parts of a mechanized suit.
Another was full of computers showing footage of every nook of the place.
Jeb swallowed hard.
This wasn't a simple office.
It was an entire facility.
"Stay close."
Jessica walked confidently as if she had been here many times.
She clasped Amy's arms, going in further and further inside the facility. Jeb followed behind them.
The place was like a maze, new corridors connected through the wide lobby. One wrong turn and it could trap someone in the endless amount of rooms and hallways.
They walked beside a room.
A small and glowing shard was suspended in the center of a magnetic frame.
Every few seconds, the shard glowed brighter as scientists rushed to make a reading.
"Here we are."
A sign named Invasion Witness Recorder was hung on the door. There was no traffic of technicians around the area.
There was a girl spinning a pen while she leaned her chin against her hands. She stared at the pen, her eyes full of boredom.
Jessica knocked at the door three times before the girl noticed. She jerked herself forward as she hurried herself to open the door. She looked embarassed by her actions.
"I am so sorry!! So sorry!!"
"Here is the witness."
She pointed towards Jeb as the girl gave a nervous giggle.
"Alright please sit down here."
She gestured for Jeb to sit down as she went outside.
This place is huge... It's like a labyrinth.
So I have become an witness to the disaster.
Jeb heart overcame with a sensation of fear as his heartrate increased. The not so fond memories resurfaced again.
The door opened giving a creaking sound. The girl had came back with some paperwork as a man followed closely behind.
"Let's start"
The man glanced at him giving him a pitiful look as he sat down near a computer.
"First, I would like your name."
"Jeb. Jeb Aurifaber"
"Age?"
"17"
The man typed relentlessy on the keyboard not missing a single detail.
"Parents name?"
"Matthew Aurifaber."
"And your mother?"
"Luna Aurifaber."
Jeb hands started fidgeting as fragments of his mother flashed in his mind.
The splinter of wood stabbed through her heart as her lifeless and cold body slumped in the ground.
Her welcoming smile and cheerful demeanor had become his strength. He joked around her, played with her and shared his dreams with her.
But now, All that came on to his mind was the scene of blood coming out of her mouth as bruises and rashes became visible on her hands.
These were the recollections that he wanted to forget badly.
"Your sister's name?"
"Amy Aurifaber"
"Her age?"
"She is 9 years old. Just turned this year."
Jeb said while he turned around looking at Amy.
Jessica stood leaning against the door patiently Waiting as she tapped her feet on the floor.
"Alright thanks Jeb, now I would like you to share everything that you saw."
Jeb clenched his fists tightly as his jaw tightened.