CW: One mention of drugs.
"Have you ever had that sensation of being so invested in a story that you feel as though you're a part of it? It makes a nice escape from reality, but we must always reach a conclusion at some point. But… what if that wasn't the case?
After their last mission, Jayden Park and Rachel May had been reassigned to Level 190. The patrol-officer notices something out of place against the right wall of one of the hallways: a single table with a blue book atop it.
"Odd… Do you have any ideas on what this is doing here?" Jayden asks his expedition partner. She shakes her head in response.
"I mean, this is a school. Someone probably just left it there. Looks like a nice read, too. Can I take it?" Rachel asks, approaching the object.
"You probably shouldn't take things that you don't know you can trust. But I can let you read it for a moment, I suppose." Jayden answers.
The girl kneels down at the table and opens the book, seeing the pages warp and phase through each other unnaturally. She flicks through a few pages, but the book always appears to be open exactly in the middle. "Huh… Well, I've seen weirder." She dismisses the strangeness.
Jayden leans against the opposite wall while he waits for his colleague to finish. This isn't really something he's interested in right now, but he could spare a few minutes. He glances up at the ceiling and around the room, seeing if anything had changed. It hadn't, of course, but he has nothing better to do. But out of the corner of his eye, he sees her vanish without a sound.
"Wha- Rachel? RACHEL! He yells, running toward the table. The book had done something to her. He picks it up, seeing the weird physics of the pages. "An anomalous book… Right, I think I know just who to ask about this. Hopefully we can figure out what it did to her."
He grabs the hardback, reaches inside his coat and runs his finger across the reusable emergency tag that would teleport him to Level 906. In an instant, he appears in Blanche's office.
When he arrives, he looks around and notices something strange: Blanche isn't there. She must be out helping someone else, he thought. He sits down on one of the comfortable chairs and waits — still panicking, but less so now.
"God, I really hope she can help with this." Jayden prays, leaning forward in the chair to try easing the pressure. "I suppose I could look at this book a little while I'm at it…" He sets the book down on the table and opens it, before abruptly catching himself. "Wait, what am I doing!? I can't get Rachel out if I'm also sent to who-knows-where."
As he shuts the book again, he sees Blanche manifest in the room from nothing. She sits down at the opposite end of the table, facing him. "Is this one of my books you found, dear?" She asks.
"I think so, but… my coworker Rachel read this book, and it made her disappear. I almost had the same happen to me just now."
Blanche picks up the book and looks at the binder, then inside the pages. Her expression doesn't show recognition. "I… don't believe this is from the archives, actually. If what you say about it is true, however, I would be more than willing to look into it." She offers.
"That's interesting… I think that would be good, yeah. But if you haven't seen this kind of book before, would you be able to bring Rachel back?"
"I'll help as best I can to find her, do not worry about that. I will need time to uncover the secrets of this book, however." She explains.
"Thank you, I appreciate it. I should probably be going now, though. I have a lot of work to do." Jayden stands up again, walking to the door. Blanche converts it into a portal to Level 4, letting the M.E.G. agent report the situation to his base, before sending the strange book to one of the quieter sections of the library for the time being.
M.E.G. Researcher Mike Jones looks over all of the papers scattered across his desk, and through the files on his computer. So much pointless work. He looks up at the door as if expecting someone to enter, but nobody did. Everything had been the same for almost a year now; the same monotonous tasks, over and over again.
Mike had had enough. It isn't his designated break time — that would come in a few hours — but he decides he needs one anyway. He wouldn't conform to the same cycle any longer.
He looks through some of the papers and finds the one he needs, sending himself away to Level 906. He collapses forward onto the table when he arrives, resting his head in his arms. "Ugh, I'm so tired of dealing with this job…" He mutters, forgetting Blanche is in the same room. The woman approaches him and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Is everything alright, dear? You've been coming here quite often recently." She asks with audible concern.
Mike lifts his head briefly, but doesn't bother with keeping it up. "Everything is just so repetitive. You'd think being a researcher would mean I get to do plenty of fun stuff, but it's all just boring paperwork. Most of it doesn't even get used for anything. And because it takes so much less physical effort than something like exploring or scavenging, I get hardly any time for myself. I'm not even supposed to be here right now."
"I see… A very difficult situation." She ponders over her options for a moment. "I'm sure they'll understand if you take a break for a moment. Do you want anything to eat?"
"Thanks, but I'll pass. I haven't been feeling hungry at all. I'd rather have something to read, though."
"Any particular themes or subjects you're interested in?" She asks, searching through her consciousness in preparation to choose something.
"Not really a subject, but…" From somewhere he doesn't know, an idea comes to his mind. "I want something infinite. Something I can always read, and it would always have new content to escape to."
Blanche blinks twice before coming back into focus, surprised at the odd request. "But an infinite book cannot be finished. It has no conclusion, no satisfying end."
Mike throws his arms out in frustration and stands up. "I don't know if you'll understand… I'm too stressed with everything, I need a distraction that I know will always provide."
"Mike, I don't think that's healt-"
"Blanche, please. I'm going to lose my mind if I can't find something to refresh it, I need this!"
Blanche sees the desperation in Mike's eyes. She knows this likely isn't the best choice, but she feels too much pity for him to deny it outright. "Well… yes, I do happen to have something like that. But… I really must warn you: if you spend too long reading, the book may send you to a destination I have not yet tracked. So, are you truly sure?"
"Yes… Thank you, yes, I'm sure…" Mike agrees, the tension in his voice lifting slightly.
"Very well, then. Through the door you will find section 3.3 recurring. What you seek is inside."
Before Blanche finishes her sentence, Mike is already on the other side of the door.
M.E.G. agent Hal Eastwood knocks on the door to Blanche's office. A researcher had gone missing here in a strange occurance, with no word back from him or the library staff. The door clicks and swings open without anyone touching the handle. "Come in and take a seat, dear." She invites him in.
Hal sets down his bag beside the chair and sits on it sideways, opening the zipper and searching through his papers.
"Is this something important, perchance? You seem concerned." Blanche asks, easily reading his expression.
"Yeah. One, moment, I… there, found it!" Hal takes a few of the papers out and spreads them across the table. "So, did you meet researcher Mike Jones?"
"Yes, I have. He seemed very mentally strained when he arrived. Why do you ask?"
"Well, it says here that he disappeared not long after coming to this library. We've had no contact back from him. It's strange… People don't usually go missing here. You didn't do anything to him, right?"
"Ah, right." Blanche pauses, tapping her fingers on the desk. "He went to section 3.3 recurring. I… really don't think you should look for him."
Hal raises an eyebrow, confused about why Blanche is suddenly acting suspiciously. "Why not? What happened? Is he safe?"
"Well, he is, but… I really don't think a human should handle the responsibility of finding him." She answers.
Hal continues pushing for an answer. "It's my job to know. I really want to believe you, but I also want to keep you noted as trustworthy on our records."
"Listen, this is… a very precarious situation. Are you certain you can handle it?"
"Even if not, I have to find out. We want minimal casualties, after all."
Blanche sighs, before standing. "Very well, then. But for your safety, I must go with you."
"Whatever it takes."
Blanche leads the way to section 3.3 recurring, shifting the library around to make the walk faster. The area is defined by two bookshelves in the place of walls that stretch higher than the eye can see. A single table and chair is nestled between the towers. Hal looks around as the woman calls one of the books from its resting place, noticing something missing. "So, you said Mike was here… Where is he?"
Blanche sets the book down on the table and settles into the armchair before answering. "Well, I can really only inform you, not show you. He's in here." She points to the book. "I may be able to release him, but in case his situation is irreversible, I must request you not read the contents."
Hal wanders up and down the hallway as Blanche searches through the book. Trying to stave off boredom, he takes another one of the hardbacks and opens it. It's in a language he can't read, but seems to be a repeating pattern. That's to be expected, I guess. He sets the book back where he found it, pacing up and down the room again.
When he passes Blanche, he blinks and returns back to focus, realising the owner of the library still hasn't found his coworker yet. "So, how long is this gonna take?"
"You must be patient, dear. I haven't had to deal with this kind of situation before." Blanche answers, still scanning the pages of the book. "Oh! Here he is! The story says he's living in the year 468913 A.R.O, working as a shipyard manager."
Despite her earlier warnings, Hal peers over Blanche's shoulder and reads the paragraph she's looking at. He reads through the paragraph she's checking, finding the story quite enjoyable. Compared to his current situation, working as a low-ranking personnel for a group he hardly knows about in a universe where danger is everywhere, the setting seems like a much better place. He finds Mike working in an office behind a metal door. He's organising blueprints, financing information, and other documents. "Huh. Interesting."
Blanche closes the book and looks around the room to find the agent, seeing him nowhere. "Hal, dear, where have you wandered off to?" She asks, projecting her voice to a few of the nearby rooms. "I found your friend."
Hearing no answer, she gets up and begins to search for him. The book closes itself and returns to its previous spot, sealing away its new contents forever.
IOTSPTS:
5
Object Number:Class:
39
"" ConcordArea of Effect: Object Classification System
Unique.
RarityFrequency
Detrimental towards safety.
UsefulnessDuration
Level 906.
LocationIntensity
For safety reasons, the location nor the title of the book shall be provided by this article.
Object 39 is an infinite book located within the Cygnus Archive. According to Blanche, it details the life of every person in a never-ending universe. However, only she is able to see the entire contents of the book safely due to her anomalous nature. While one can glance at or read a few words of the book, becoming too invested is a grave mistake.
Invariably, the stories contained within Object 39 have been described as "wondrous" and "fantastical", even with only a few lines read. Object 39's ability to appeal to any reader makes it only more a hazard.
Any humans searching for those lost to the book will inevitably meet the same fate while searching the endless pages. For this reason, any disappearances within Level 906 are to be left for Blanche to handle.
Currently, research to find a link between the effects of Object 39 and Doodletrapping is ongoing. Blanche's attempts to write or draw exits to the level have only been partially successful. She has reported that the characters of the story do take notice of them, but appear to consciously avoid them.
Until a way to reverse the effects of Object 39 is discovered, further information is forbidden. Search for Object 39 at your own risk.
It would be like a life-ruining drug. A free, never-ending ticket to bliss. It would distract you forever with things that cause feelings of amazement and wonder, but prevent you from seeing reality in a positive light ever again."
- Gerald Norman, 2003.