Greg

Greg woke up on that day like any other day. For as long as he could remember, he had always woken to find himself in the Chamber. Wait, scratch that, he remembered. He had some vague memories of being a child, but nothing more.

A sensible soul, Greg had always been dumbfounded as to exactly why he lived in the Chamber in the first place, while he still had some ideas, theories as to his purpose there. He had no one to share it with, though. Instead, he spent most of his time, when he was physically preoccupied, pondering these ideas in his head. While Greg was not very smart (evident as to why he hadn't completely discovered his purpose), he was intelligent enough to reason his way through his environment's true nature, as well as any problems he'd face.

For example, Greg made his observations about where he had spent most of his life. The large place he had called home had very interesting traits about it. First off, it was surrounded by four clear walls (which he learned of the hard way) that displayed images of the Watchers through them. Those four walls concealed him and the strange "cushions" beneath him from ever leaving the confines of the Chamber. He had supposed it was for his own safety, which was correct to an extent.

The Watchers were, as he had assumed and correctly believed, a highly intelligent species that would often observe him through those transparent barriers. There were three that most definitely existed, and some others that would come to observe him. Out of the three, two of them were elders, and the last one was an apprentice of some sort, Greg theorized. The apprentice Watcher would often take visual and auditory observations, despite the difference in size and language.

Each of the Watchers, as he had seen, used Claws, giant mechanical objects with very unique tools on them. He could have imagined them as tentacles, if he had known what tentacles were. The Claws were used for controlling important functions of the Chamber, as he was capable of observing through the walls.

Other than the walls, the Chamber included a pair of nutrition vendors, a set of items for his personal entertainment, and a giant elliptical machine. The machine was built to run continuously based on Greg's speed, and with that, he could sprint for hours and never have to stop. Over the time Greg had lived in the Chamber, there wasn't one day he felt inclined not to. He was always ready to exercise. Being ready for anything.

So, when Greg woke up that morning, he went about his time as he had everyday.

The first thing he did was... well, you know.

There wasn't really any defined place for Greg to handle his business, so he usually did so on the "cushions". None of the Watchers were concerned, and whenever he dealt with his business, one of the specific Watchers used their Claw to retrieve what was there. As some type of added protection, the Claw was using some silky white material to keep the Claw from touching it. Doing so might break the Claws, he thought.

So then, he received his fluids and supplements from the nutrition vendors and went to the elliptical, but not before something caught Greg's eye beyond the barrier. He was familiar with the sight: flashing neon lights. He couldn't understand them due to weak eyesight, yet he always presumed that it was some representation visually of his status. He stepped onto the elliptical machine and started. He looked back and noticed one Watcher there, viewing his data. Another conversed with the Watcher and left. Was it today?

When Greg first arrived in the Chamber, he had no clue why. Over the course of time that he was there, he had conceptualized various theories, until he chose one that made the most sense:

The main purpose of his arrival was to train to complete a dangerous, unpredictable, yet exciting task. The Watchers placed him in the Chamber so they could effectively create something to perform the task. Thus, he was provided with limitless nutrients and time. He had supposed that the Watchers, who carefully observed the data in the lights, could determine when he was ready to go.

He had also observed the various, colorful mazes he had been sent through. Some days, without warning, a Claw would take Greg to the puzzles, testing his cognitive skills. As he'd continue to solve them, he'd continue to prepare for the day he faced the unimaginable, the day he'd become victorious.

But that day would never come. Every day that he would wait for that chance, he'd only get older. He eventually passed away, still wishing he'd complete the ultimate task. Greg's body would eventually be removed from the Chamber.


Natalie, a nine-year old girl, arrived in the living room, greeting her father. She gave him a big hug. He sat in a recliner, watching the news on TV. He hadn't had the chance to tell her yet.

She ran over past her father, excited that she could spend a whole day with-

She stopped.

She looked in the cadge, but did not see anything. Her mother walked over to her father. When Natalie looked back, they both looked at her with gloomy, upset eyes.

"Where's Greg?"