A Trap

He took a step back. There was no animosity in Dr. Vega's voice, but her words had put Dane on high alert. His heart raced, his palms grew clammy, and his mind scrambled for answers. He glanced over his shoulder at the corridor he'd just walked through. Maybe he could—

"You could try running away," Dr. Vega interrupted, her tone almost playful, as though she'd read his mind. "But I must warn you—no one who enters this building has ever left the same."

Dane froze. A cold chill crawled up his spine as her words sank in. "A trap," he realized. His gaze darted to the hallway, then back to Dr. Vega. She didn't move to block his way, but something about the way she stood—a calm, collected stillness—kept him rooted in place.

"Am I supposed to just accept that?" His voice cracked slightly, betraying the calm facade he tried to maintain.

Dr. Vega raised an eyebrow. "No. I don't expect you to accept anything. I expect you to choose."

"Choose what?" Dane asked warily.

Her smile widened, but it didn't reach her piercing green eyes. "Whether you live or die, of course."

The words hung in the air like an executioner's blade. Dane wanted to laugh, to dismiss her statement as a bad joke, but the intensity in her gaze made his throat tighten.

"What does that mean?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Dr. Vega tilted her head. "It means the job you're about to take on is dangerous. It's not for the faint of heart or the indecisive. But it's also an opportunity—one that very few people ever receive."

Dane hesitated. The fear gnawing at his gut clashed with an unexpected flicker of curiosity. "Opportunity for what?"

"To make a difference," she said simply. "To see the truth. To stand at the edge of reality and decide its fate."

Dane's pulse thundered in his ears. This wasn't what he'd expected when he walked through the doors of the C.I.R.S. building. He wasn't sure what he'd expected, but it certainly wasn't this cryptic ultimatum.

He squared his shoulders, trying to summon whatever courage he had left. "And if I say no?"

Dr. Vega's smile didn't falter, but it sharpened, like the edge of a blade. "Then you'll leave, no questions asked. The world will remain exactly as it is—for you, at least."

Dane's stomach twisted at the subtle threat in her words. "And for everyone else?"

She tilted her head slightly, a motion as calculated as it was unnerving. "For them? Let's just say ignorance is a luxury often bought with someone else's sacrifice."

Dane swallowed hard. Her words, though calm, felt like a vice tightening around his chest. The corridor behind him loomed like a lifeline—one that felt impossibly distant despite being a few steps away.

"You talk like this is the only choice I have," he said, his voice steadier than he expected.

"Not the only choice," Dr. Vega corrected, her tone as smooth as glass. "Just the only one that matters."

Her answer hit him like a cold splash of water. Dane's mind raced, weighing the risks against the growing pull of curiosity. If he left now, life would return to normal—or at least as normal as it could be in a world of living furniture and chess-playing refrigerators. But walking away felt… wrong. Incomplete.

"Fine," he said at last, the word slipping out before he'd fully committed to it. "But I need to know more." 

Dr. Vega smiled and began to walk toward one of the staircases. "Good. Let's see if you're ready to face the truth."