Beta Test
Copyright© 2026 by AlexNikolas
Chapter 3
Laboratory Complex “What happened here?” Tom asked.
“Water,” came a barely audible reply.
It seemed she wouldn’t be able to help him. And he couldn’t do much to help her, either. He was still terribly thirsty, and there was nothing to drink.
He began searching the tables and cabinets. Nothing useful. A metal cabinet against the wall was locked.
Tom licked his dry lips and turned toward the exit. I need to search the other rooms. He walked past a privacy screen, pushed open a half-open door, and peered into the dark hallway.
It was almost completely dark. Only a little light came through a window on the left, revealing the pale outline of a door.
He decided to head that way. To his right, there was nothing but total darkness, with only a faint gray patch barely visible in the distance.
Tom moved along the wall, feeling the floor with his foot before each step. He was too weak and didn’t want to fall. A fall in his condition could have serious consequences.
He turned the handle and pushed the door open.
It swung open easily, revealing a black void.
He would have to find his way by touch. He felt around for a light switch, found it, and flicked it several times.
Nothing happened.
He took a cautious step forward, keeping his left hand against the wall.
I’m moving through this place like a maze. Carefully feeling his way forward, he bumped his hip against an obstacle and reached out to examine it.
It was a bathroom sink.
Hope rising, he found the faucet and turned it all the way.
Nothing.
He tried the other faucet with the same result.
Tom cursed and moved on.
Another sink, then a third. Both were just as useless. Soon, his foot touched a wall, and he turned to follow it. Three steps later, he bumped into a wooden partition with a small door.
He had no doubt now that he was in a restroom. Shivering from the cold, he decided to return to the hallway when a thought suddenly struck him. There must be water in the toilet tanks. The idea of drinking from a toilet made him grimace with disgust, but thirst pushed him forward.
He entered a stall, found the toilet with his foot, located the tank lid, and pushed it aside. A loud clang broke the silence.
Tom reached inside and felt cool liquid. He pulled out his fingers, smelled them, and tasted a drop. The smell and taste seemed normal. His stomach clenched. His body needed water.
He scooped up some water and lapped it from his palm like a dog. Then he scooped up another handful.
When he began to feel a little better and his mind cleared, he remembered the empty soda can in the laboratory.
Tom hurried back, ignoring the groans coming from the sarcophagus. He found the can and returned to the restroom.
He filled it to the brim and drank greedily, feeling his strength return with every swallow.
Tom leaned against the partition and stood still, enjoying the relief.
What now? The answer seemed obvious: survive until morning and wait for help. His main enemies now were hunger and cold. He could endure the hunger, but he had to do something about the cold. There had to be some clothing in the laboratory. And there was the girl, too. He could use her body heat.
He filled the can with water and headed back to the laboratory.
The girl drank eagerly, but he gave her water carefully to keep her from choking. When she had finished drinking, she asked: “What happened? Who are you? Why is it dark?”
Tom gave a sad smile. Just as he’d expected, he wouldn’t get any useful information from her.
He placed the empty can on the table and answered: “I don’t know myself. I woke up in a capsule just like yours half an hour ago. The lights won’t turn on. There’s nobody around. I called for help, but no one answered. My name is Tom.”
“Help me get out of here,” the girl pleaded, trying to sit up before falling back again.
He took her hands and pulled.
His strength still hadn’t fully returned, and he trembled with the effort of pulling her out. His heart pounded like crazy, and he struggled to catch his breath. But finally, she was standing on her feet.
“Thank you,” the stranger whispered, holding onto him with one hand and the sarcophagus with the other. “My name is Tris. Is there any more water?”
“I’ll get some,” he promised. “In the meantime, try to find some clothes. It’s getting colder.”
She nodded, then shook her head.
“My legs won’t hold me up. I’ll try later.”
When Tom returned, he found the girl shivering. She wrapped her arms around herself and bent forward, resting her chest on her knees. Her teeth were chattering.
“Drink,” he said, holding out the water.
The cold was getting into his bones, too. He had to find a way to keep warm or start a fire. There was plenty of paper and wood around, but he hadn’t found any matches or a lighter yet.
He searched the room, examining everything he had pulled out of the tables. The result was disappointing. He had nothing to start a fire with.
There was a sheet on the narrow bed in the corner of the room. It was the only thing that might help keep them from freezing. Apart from the girl herself.
“Come here,” he called to Tris. “We’ll cover ourselves with the sheet. Otherwise, we’ll freeze.”
She came over and sat beside him.
He draped the fabric over them and pressed himself tightly against the girl’s body. She put her arms around him in return. Her body was still trembling, but he could already feel her warmth.
“We just need to make it until morning. Something must have gone wrong, but help will definitely come in the morning,” he told her, desperately trying to believe his own words.
She said nothing. The only response was her heavy breathing.
He thought about the events of the past few days, trying to find some logic in what had happened. His thoughts grew confused. One moment he was slipping into unconsciousness, the next he was coming back to his senses, shivering from the cold.
When the sky began to brighten, hope flared up again. Help would arrive soon.
## Tom Rain’s Apartment
Tom woke up early. He couldn’t lie in bed while his clone sank deeper and deeper into the game. He had to see this!
Tom put on a warm bathrobe, drank a coffee with cream, and settled onto the couch.
As soon as he put on the helmet, it came to life, and an image appeared before him.
The clone was sitting on the narrow bed, holding the girl close under a sheet.