Chương 20: Chapter 19 - The Wall (V)

July 31, 2024 - Melbourne, Australia This was all surreal. Pablo couldn't grasp how the situation had evolved to its current state. He reclined in his gaming chair and turned on the PC. While he was glad his friend had been found, the situation was far from good. Scratch that—it was torture. His friend was being brutally tormented by whatever alien stuff this was. The fact that the government was still withholding an official notice, forcing him to rely on internet rumors, left a bad taste in his mouth.

He typed in his password and logged in. He opened the browser and simply typed: The Tower. He didn't need to scroll down much to find it. After he clicked the link, the screen turned black and presented the typical display. [View Random Climber] [Input Climber's Name] After filling in Alonso's name, he clicked on ' Enter' and there it was, where he had left off before. The trial known as: The Wall. The room was narrow, with two red buttons symmetrically placed on each half of one of the wider walls.

Besides that, all the live feed showed was a metal sword and his friend, Alonso, lying on the floor with his back reclined, facing the wall with the two buttons. He had already gotten used to seeing Alonso in nothing but boxers going around the challenges, as bizarre as it was. He even had that painful recollection of when Alonso completely undressed to wash himself... Damn, poor guy when he comes back and finds out so many people in the world saw him. Pablo couldn't help but chuckle.

But hey, a lot of other climbers were even worse... The internet was not a nice place. Scratch that, the internet was hell. In any case, he concentrated on the display ahead, on the current challenge, the fifth trial of The Tower. Pablo had watched the struggle his friend had gone through, seeing him pace back and forth, indecisive about pressing a button, and walking in circles for a good while.

The truth was, he hadn't checked how this trial was solved, even though a friend had called to tell him that information had just come out about someone who completed it. But… he did not want to know. He wanted to at least share this struggle with Alonso. In a sense, he wanted to discover it through him and him alone. Pablo could see the exhaustion in Alonso's posture, the toll that the previous trials had taken on him.

The black ooze and gray vomit were clear signs of some kind of transformation, something beyond mere physical endurance. He admired Alonso's tenacity, his refusal to give in to despair despite the absurdity of the situation. The trials before had been harsh, incredibly so, but here he was still standing while hundreds of thousands had reportedly failed already. According to not-so-reliable information online, the passing rate up to the current fifth trial was less than 3%. And in that 3% stood his friend.

He couldn't help but admire him for that. He knew his friend would come back if he failed, but even then... for some reason... he wanted him to succeed. To keep pushing. He wanted to see how far he could climb. In any case, he was prepared for Alonso coming back, and measures had been taken near the site where he disappeared, preparing for his return. He was taking turns with Jack, another of Alonso's friends, camping in that area. The authorities had also left rangers and medical staff on standby.

As for him, he was ready to drive there at a moment's notice as soon as he saw Alonso's screen went black. He looked back at the screen and saw Alonso in the same position.

'This is gonna take a while.' He opened a bag of chips he had at hand and started munching while he browsed on his phone for any updates from official sources but found nothing yet. The only good thing so far was that classes were suspended until the official announcement from the government on how the situation would be handled moving forward. He was looking forward to what they would say, as apparently, it would be the first global announcement in recent times directly from the United Nations.

He wouldn't lie—as weird and messed up as the situation was, there was a certain thrill he felt. He wanted to see where this would go. It was certainly interesting, if not bizarre and completely inhuman. One of his friends was getting his mind totally screwed up… well, maybe it wasn't the ideal outcome, but it wasn't that bad, right? As he scrolled through various news apps and social media, Pablo noted the widespread speculation and theories about The Tower.

The global fascination with the trials was growing, with people from all corners of the world sharing their thoughts and fears. The unknown nature of these tests and the fact that they involved ordinary people like Alonso made the whole situation even more captivating.

'These last few years have certainly been insane. First, the global pandemic with COVID, and now we have a mysterious tower teleporting random people inside and putting them through trials while allowing anyone in the world to observe it… it's just, damn.' He put another chip in his mouth, remembering the image of The Tower that had been shared online. It was massive and literally in the middle of an ocean. While some people still said it was all a government conspiracy, he thought that was bullshit.

Humans couldn't do this. He was sure. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. He had done a Master's in Data Science and was currently pursuing a second Master's in Biotechnology, going against all advice given. There, he had become very interested in how humans can become better versions of themselves—mainly more healthy, living longer, and being more fit. He had read a lot of research papers on that, to the point where it had become his life obsession.

So when Alonso's leg regenerated in an instant, he was 100% convinced. The Tower was an alien entity. It was not just him with this thought; it was the most prevalent one online, and as the trials went forward, it just gained more traction. Now the question they all had was whether The Tower was here to elevate humanity or to dominate it. He took a deep breath, focusing back on the screen.

'What are you going to do now?' he mused as he saw Alonso stand up again. He then saw him muttering some words, but the feed had no audio.

"Shit!" he remembered the app that had become popular just for this. He grabbed his phone, opened the app, and focused its camera on the computer's large monitor. The app zoomed in on Alonso's mouth, and words began to appear at the bottom of the display.

"... beyond the wall." And that was it. Alonso talked no more and, with a frown on his face, moved slowly closer to the left button. Pablo sighed, regretting not setting up the app from the beginning. He had only installed it today, and it had slipped his mind again. Like most things nowadays, it used AI and tracked mouth motions even under lower-quality videos, translating them back to text based on the movement.

It worked surprisingly well and, as expected, had become a global hit in less than 24 hours due to the events in The Tower being audioless.

'Well, nothing to it,' he muttered, positioning his phone so its camera pointed at the display. Once the setup was complete, he relaxed back into his chair and watched to see what his friend would do next. As Alonso moved closer to the left button, he felt a surge of anticipation. Was this the moment? Was he finally going to press it? The silence was deafening, broken only by the occasional crunch of a chip as Pablo continued to snack, his eyes never leaving the monitor.

But then Alonso's hand didn't reach for the button but… the wall? He watched as Alonso moved closer, pressing his forehead against the wall. He stayed there for several seconds, completely still.

"What are you up to?" Pablo wondered aloud. Suddenly, Alonso jerked back quickly. From this angle, Pablo couldn't see his expression clearly, but Alonso looked... shocked? Had he seen something beyond the wall? His friend then slowly regained his composure and reached for the wall again, pressing his head against it. It was weird. If the objective was to listen to what was happening on the other side, why not press his ear against it instead? Well, he would know soon… he hoped.

If it was something like The Quiet Room, then he might have to refer to the web and find out through the interviews of the Returnees to understand what truly happened. The seconds ticked by slowly. Alonso remained with his forehead pressed against the wall, seemingly in deep concentration. Pablo could only speculate about what was going through his friend's mind. Was he sensing something? Or was his mind absorbed into some dream state or some weird phenomenon like that?

He noticed that, not before his bag of chips was empty, Alonso finally moved his forehead back from the wall. He looked slightly confused as he gazed at the other side of the wall where the other button was. He then proceeded to walk there and repeat the same process. However, he stayed there for a shorter amount of time. And then… he walked to the middle between the buttons and did the same. And then back to the left and the right and the left.

"What the…" Pablo muttered, unable to make sense of what was happening. Was there perhaps a puzzle or something beyond the wall or in the wall itself? In any case, he saw Alonso's face changing. He was looking more… confident? Or perhaps… enlightened? It was so much so that at this moment, as he moved his head back from the left button, a smile could be seen on his face. He then moved his mouth, and Pablo absent-mindedly stared at it until he remembered the app. He went back to it and noticed what Alonso had said.

"Mind emitting waves… truly. But… how much voltage do I have up there to emit such perceptive electromagnetic waves… and how come I sense them back?" Pablo stared at the app, seriously considering if it was truly working well. He frowned as he thought about it.

'I mean, we use electricity in our brains, but the voltage is way too low, making any EM wave emitted imperceptible. For the mind to reach a point where it can send and receive EM waves, it would have to be fundamentally re-engineered at both the cellular and structural levels.' Pablo's scientific side came to life as he started considering the requirements and implications.

'First, neurons would need enhanced myelin sheaths to increase the speed and efficiency of electrical signal transmission, reducing signal loss. Synapses would require specialized proteins capable of converting electrical impulses into EM signals and vice versa.'

'Glial cells would need to support increased energy demands, possibly through enhanced mitochondrial function to supply the necessary ATP. Structurally, neural networks would need to optimize for EM signal propagation, perhaps evolving to include more conductive elements in brain tissues.'

'The brain would also need to develop structures capable of generating and detecting EM fields at specific frequencies, possibly through the evolution of biomagnetic materials or crystals acting as natural antennas. Sensory receptors specifically tuned to electromagnetic frequencies would be essential, converting EM signals into neural impulses.'

'Lastly, there would need to be specialized brain regions dedicated to processing these EM signals, with increased neuronal density and connectivity to handle the additional processing requirements.' Pablo sat back, marveling at the thought. The implications were staggering. The natural evolutionary steps required seemed almost beyond reach. Yet, if The Tower was facilitating such a transformation, it suggested a sophistication in evolutionary pressure far beyond what humanity currently understood. It was …

it was exciting.