Looking at the piece of paper given to me, a lot of thoughts swirled in my mind. Questions were the first ones to pop up, yet were met with unanswered thoughts.
Truly, it feels overstimulating, if that's the right word. Or perhaps it's overwhelming? It doesn't matter since both can convey what I was feeling right now.
"What is this?" I looked back at the woman who had knowledge and answers for the questions in my mind. "You work for the government?"
It was nice to know that my initial theory was right — oddly enough — but knowing that it was real still sent shivers down my spine. If the ones who truly did kidnap me were the officials, then...
"What... What do you want — no, what does the government want with a normal guy like me?"
From the way she spoke earlier, she — no, they seem to have an idea of my situation.
An anomaly?
Perhaps they were referring to my transmigration.
...or perhaps not.
Whichever it was, it didn't change the fact that they still went after me and wanted me to do something for them.
She took her sweet moment of silence, her deep black eyes looking directly at me — almost piercing through me — in pure silence, with that same sterile smile plastered on her face.
Then, as if she finally had enough of her observation, she spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
"I don't think this is the right environment for us to converse, don't you think so?"
"Come, follow me."
Then, she turned around and snapped her fingers without looking back at me.
And without uttering another word, she started walking out of the room. She didn't even bother to lock the room and left it open — openly inviting me to follow her.
Still puzzled by all that was happening, I hesitantly looked outside.
'Should I follow her...?'
...why was I even asking that question? Of course I should.
There was nothing to do in this small confinement room, nor is there any way for me to escape here other than that door.
Well, if escaping was an option, that is. If what that paper said was true, then I'm pretty sure there would be a lot of security in here.
It also didn't seem like they'd just willingly let me go, to be honest. From how she spoke, it seems like they put a lot of importance in people like me who have experienced an 'anomaly.'
And so, without any other option, I released a strained sigh.
"...I feel like a shounen protagonist getting recruited in a faction right now..."
That's usually how this goes, right?
The typical cliché, I mean.
With my mind partially made up, I picked up my feet and left the confinement room I was in.
I set foot out of the door, and, upon looking around the cold hallway illuminated by fluorescent lights, I followed behind the woman I just spoke to.
I did my best to have a minimum of ten meters between us — just for caution, really, if I wasn't being overly cautious enough.
The hallway stretched long and quiet, sterile in that unnerving, and bureaucratic way. The walls were a shade of matte gray, trimmed with dull silver paneling that buzzed faintly with electricity. Every few meters, a security camera stared at me like an unblinking eye, silently watching.
The silence between me and that lady was deafening.
The only things echoing through the corridor were the rhythmic taps of her heels and the soft patter of my own cautious footsteps behind.
As we turned a corner, meanwhile, I noticed a large pane of reinforced glass spanning an entire wall. My eyes naturally drifted toward it.
Outside was a cityscape.
Not just any city, either — it looked like my city. The one from this world, of course. Steel towers climbed toward the pale morning sky, softened by a slight overcast. High-speed trams cut through elevated rails, and smaller autonomous vehicles buzzed along the lower roads like worker bees in a mechanical hive.
People moved on the sidewalks below — some in suits, some in streetwear, all unaware of what was happening several floors above them.
'So we weren't underground...' I thought, taking a step closer to the glass.
We were in a tall building, likely disguised and classified.
Nothing about this place screamed "secret government facility," but I suppose that was the point.
It struck me that this wasn't some creepy hidden lab in the desert or a bunker buried beneath a mountain. No, this was within the city, within reach and hidden in plain sight.
And for some reason, that made it feel more surreal — no, real.
"What's really gonna happen to me..." I muttered under my breath with a wry expression.
With a worried thought circling in my head, I picked up my feet and followed the lady once more.
After a few more minutes of silent walking and me occasionally checking if I was still being followed by a camera, which I was, I turned my eyes back to the lady ahead of me.
I hadn't really looked at her closely since we left the room, but now that I'm observing her...
Her movements were composed. Not robotic, but fluid in that unnerving way people have when they know too much and have seen too much to be surprised anymore. Her ponytail barely bounced with each step, her coat trailing behind like a draping cape.
I quickened my pace slightly, just enough to close the distance without getting too close. After a moment of hesitation, I spoke.
"So… can I at least know who you are?"
She didn't respond right away.
"And maybe where we are?" I added, fishing for some scrap of clarity.
Still no answer.
I thought she'd ignore me entirely — but then she spoke calmly, and vaguely.
"We're where we need to be. That's all you need to know for now."
...that certainly answered some questions. As if.
A moment of silence passed between us. Then, she added, "You can refer to me as Roosevelt."
I blinked.
'Roosevelt?' That name struck me a bit, enough to knock me out of my thought process.
It sounded... official. Historic, even. Well, presidential if I'm going by my previous life's memories.
Whichever it was, it was certainly a name that left an impression.
But I didn't say anything.
I just nodded slightly, more to myself than to her, and kept walking.
Eventually, after a few more turns and one more security checkpoint that scanned her with a casual beep and me with a full-body light bath, we arrived at a tall, metal door.
Without a word, she placed her hand on a sensor and it blinked green.
With a soft hiss, the door slid open to reveal what looked like an office.
Clean, modern, and decorated with minimalist furniture. There were two chairs, one desk, and a strange glass sculpture on a shelf that looked like it was supposed to be either decorative or ominous — maybe both.
She stepped in first.
I paused right outside.
Noticing my idleness, she stopped and turned to me. Then, with professional mannerism, she spoke softly, "Come on in, Mr. Cecil."
...Should I, really?
I was being ushered into a room that might as well have been a cage with better furniture. A prettier prison with chairs instead of shackles. And for what? Some vague promise of answers? An offer wrapped in riddles?
I didn't even know what kind of game they were playing. Or if I was even a player. Maybe I was just a piece. Or worse — a wild card they couldn't afford to leave unchecked.
Still… given everything so far, it's not like I had a better option. Declining wasn't on the menu.
Was this my fate, then?
Is this where I'm supposed to go?
The answer didn't matter.
This world — this place — wasn't mine to begin with. It never was. I was an outsider from the very start. Dropped in, no warning, no manual, and no way out.
Perhaps to them, I was that 'anomaly.'
But to me, they were the same.
My mind swirled again with thoughts I couldn't place — fear, anger, helplessness — but none of them were productive.
I quietly clenched my fists.
"...I'm coming in."
The words tasted bitter in my mouth, but I stepped forward anyway. One foot in front of the other, as if that would make it feel more like my decision.
What was I even contemplating about? Resistance?
That's rich.
What could I even do? I had no power. No influence. Neither did I had weapons, leverage, or even allies. Just a sharp tongue, a pair of fists, and a thousand unspoken questions.
And yet, despite this helplessness I had...
I will never bend.
I don't care who they are. The government, some kind of secret organization, a corporation, or whatever combination of the three this was — I would not become their puppet for them to play with.
Even if I had to play their game, I'd do it my way.
If I had to lie, smile, nod, cooperate — so be it. I'll cooperate.
For now.
But it would be on my terms. Not because I trust them, nor because I believe them.
But because I want to survive.
And if I'm going to survive in this world, I need to know what I'm up against.
Because I will never submit to this idea of fate.
I stepped into the office.
The door slid shut behind me with a soft click.
And just like that, the real conversation began.