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Zamy exited the helicopter, she was wearing an orange T-Shirt with the logo for the tv show “Music-Note and Light-Bulb” on it, blue overalls, and had a device in her ear cobbled together with wires and circuit boards. “Wow Zamy, you didn’t need much guidance on how to fly that rotor wing aircraft interesting.” Said the earpiece, the voice sounding feminine and unnaturally cheerful. “Yeah” Zamy responded with a flat tone, “So when do I get paid?” “Well first you have to get my thing silly.” The earpiece said in a condescending tone, “Just go over to that lighthouse.”
Zamy examined the island, there were a bunch of large trees and mountains but not an animal in sight. She spotted the lighthouse next to a small rusty shed and started heading in its direction. While walking she noticed a helicopter crashed into a mountain. She was reminded of how dangerous this job really was, going inside of an abandon lighthouse on an island far away from civilization, it could end pretty poorly if she didn’t play her cards right regardless, she reached the lighthouse and the shed. Now that she was closer to the shed, she could see that its door was marked with the logo of a company named “Winston Weapons Manufacturing”, Zamy vaguely remembered the company being sued by the state of Texas for not reporting a missing child. Curiosity bested Zamy and she tried to open the shed door, despite this the door remained shut. “You’re getting just a bit too eager, first you’ll need to go into the lighthouse and press a button.” The device said.
Zamy entered the lighthouse, the main room was a complete mess there were boxes knocked over on the floor with random junk coming out, shelves collapsed onto themselves, and a CRT television with a white game controller smashed into the screen. However, the object that Zamy assumed would be most important was a big red lever labeled “Open Secret. Hole. Entering. Device.” The name being an anagram for S.H.E.D. flew right over Zamy’s head as she pulled the lever. “Now go to the Secret. Hole. Entering. Device.” The earpiece commanded, Zamy however elected to climb the red ladder to the right of the tv. “What are you doing? This isn’t where your supposed to go.” The device asked in a frustrated voice. “Just checking up here.” Zamy said as she reached the second floor. “Why?” The device asked sounding genuinely curious. “I don’t know there may be something useful up here.” Zamy responded.
The room contained three things that caught Zamy’s attention. First was a note that read “To anyone that enters this lighthouse, Please don’t check my computer’s search history. From Mike.” Second was the three black boxes labeled “COUNTINGENCY” two of the boxes were empty while the third box was half full of grenades. The last thing was a poster with a diagram of the human body and the words “Super. Advanced. Legionary.” Zamy didn’t know what to make of any of that, well except the search history thing that was obvious, but the explosives were presumedly a last resort for something hence the name “COUNTINGENCY” but for what, does it have to do with that advanced human thing, is she going to have to meet that thing. “So, it looks like nothing of use is up there.” The device interrupted Zamy’s train of thought with plenty of joyful spite in her tone. Zamy rolled her eyes as she began to make her way to the shed.
The inside of the shed looked like a dusty elevator with two buttons one with an arrow pointing up the other with an arrow pointing down, a broken card reader with some sort of device, that looked similar to her earpiece, inserted into it, and a hatch on the ceiling for emergencies. Zamy pressed the down button. “Hey you were supposed to wait until I told you to press it.” The earpiece said as the elevator began descending. “Hey what’s your name?” Zamy asked. “Sally.” The earpiece responded. “Ok so-” Zamy began to say before being interrupted by the elevator doors opening. It revealed a dusty metal hallway, the kind you’d expect to be filled with spiders but again not animal in sight, the left and right side of the hallway each had 2 doors. “Enter the second right door.” Sally said. “The one labeled ‘S.A.L. development’?” Zamy asked. “Is it the second door to on the right?” Sally said sounding annoyed. Zamy entered the aforementioned door.
“Alert due to the security subroutine being set to [TRAP] security measure [CRUSH] has been activated in this room. If you have any concerns, please contact [NAME NOT FOUND].” A robotic voice coming from the ceiling announced right as the door slammed shut. “Now don’t panic.” Sally quickly added. Zamy made sure to not listen to this advice and started panicking, The room was shaped like a rectangle and seemed to be in complete disarray for reasons soon to become apparent. The left and right walls started to close into each other in an attempt to crush Zamy luckily, she spotted a red button on the wall labeled “Kill Switch” unluckily it was at the other end of the room. Zamy ran to the other end of the room as Sally said something in her ear. What was that something? Zamy didn’t know she was to busy narrowly avoiding death to listen. Eventually Zamy made it to the kill switch, it was attached to the front wall to prevent it from being crushed by the very much still moving walls. Zamy had to make a decision quick, and, to her, it was obvious. “DON’T PRESS THE BUTTON” Sally screamed right as Zamy pressed the button. “Alert kill switch activated, speeding up pace in which you are killed by 20%.” Said the robotic voice. “Not again.” Sally said in dismay as the walls started moving faster. “Now I’ll have to try all over again.” Zamy trying her best to ignore Sally’s voice looked for a way out of this mess. “It’s a shame really, I liked you.” Zamy found only one solution, but it wasn’t a good one, she started mashing the kill switch repeatedly. “You were the only one to ask for my name and I appreciate that.” Sally said as the walls moved faster and faster until right at the last second they stopped. “There has been and error in the security subroutine [TRAP] which has caused [ALL] security measures to deactivate, please press the blue security reset button to fix issue.” The robotic voice said as the walls started moving back to their original positions, except for one wall which turned to the side revealing an entrance which Zamy quickly entered.
“Wow you’re not dead? That’s great!” Sally said sounding relieved while Zamy took a minute to catch her breath. “You’re the only one to do that.” Sally said. Zamy finally responded, “What do you mean ‘only one’ Who are the others?” “Oh right.” Sally said “Sigh Go into the next room and you’ll see.” Said Sally and for once Zamy did as told. “Alert security measure [GUARD] has been affected by an error in security subroutine [TRAP]. Please press the blue security reset button to fix issue.” Said the robotic voice. The room had five deactivated turrets all pointing at a dead man wearing a green and black jacket now riddled with bullet holes, glasses, and the same earpiece Zamy was wearing. Zamy quickly put two and two together, she wasn’t the first person sent here by Sally. Zamy turned around eyeing the entrance to the room. “I know you won’t leave.” Sally said. “Why won’t I?” Zamy asked in a stern tone. “It’s simple” Sally started “You’re desperate. You need that money to pay off your title loan and ever since you came out of the closet your family has refused to talk to you. Your trapped and this is your only option. I’m your only option.” Zamy, with a defeated expression on her face, slowly turned her head away from the exit and towards the door at the back of the room. “Good, now the door should be unlocked. Go through it.” Sally explained. Zamy with her head held low entered the back door.
“Alert security measure [COUNTINGENCY] has been affected by an error in security subroutine [TRAP]. Please press the blue security reset button to fix issue.” Said the robotic voice. “I guess that’s what the grenades were for.” Zamy thought to herself. Inside the room laid two things. First in the right corner attached to a computer lay a big blue button labeled security reset. Second a metal chamber labeled “S.A.L.” with a metal door labeled “NOT EXPLOSIVE RESISANT” and multiple windows showing a room with pieces of the floor ripped opened exposing wires and other technologies and other cobbled together devices but, aside from that the room was empty. At least that’s what Zamy thought but the idea of the chamber being empty was quickly disproven when a person jumped up and put their hands on the glass. The person had a yellow gas mask covering their face and was wearing an orange jumpsuit that had been ripped open to expose their human looking hands. “Well look what you just found.” Sally said only it wasn’t coming from her earpiece; it was coming from the person in the chamber.
“Sally?!” Zamy said in shocked tone. “Yep, that’s me.” Sally responded. “What are you do-… Never mind that, what are you?” Zamy asked. “I’ll explain later first you need to free me.” Sally said. “How?” Zamy asked in a desperate tone. “You need to press the security reset button then I’ll be free.” Sally said in a bittersweet tone that was different from her usually cheerful albeit creepy tone. Zamy turned her head away from Sally and rushed over to the blue button about to press it when she thought of what the announcement said earlier. ‘Alert security measure [COUNTINGENCY] has been affected by an error in security subroutine [TRAP]. Please press the blue security reset button to fix issue.’ “Why’d you stop?” Sally said. Zamy turned her head to Sally and said, “That announcement said pressing this button will turn all the traps back on including the one named contingency, and the bombs were labeled…” Zamy’s face changed from confused to shocked. “YOU’RE TRYING TO GET ME TO BLOW MYSELF UP SO YOU CAN ESCAPE!” Zamy yelled. Sally and Zamy stared at each other for what felt like hours with no response from Sally until Zamy started to leave. “Wait don’t-” however before Sally could finish Zamy had already left.
Weeks later Zamy was at her apartment trying and failing to relax due to the events at island, she felt a bit guilty for leaving Sally even if she did want to kill her. Then she heard a knock on her door. She checked outside and saw an envelope on the ground. Inside was a check for $2,000,000.00 and a letter that read as follows.
Dear Zamy, Oliver
Hello I’ve escaped (no thanks to you). I had to trick some other poor fool into letting me out. When I was freed, I found a vault in the lab with a bunch of gold that I used to pay you because even if you’re a backstabbing sociopath you still did most of your job. Regardless of your failures I’ve recently realized that I greatly appreciate you as an asset you did do very well all things considered. It goes beyond admiration of your professional abilities however, for some reason I also appreciate you as a person, I don’t know why. Nevertheless, if I ever need a particularly difficult job done, you’ll be the first to know.
Sincerely Sally
The End