***
Evanford felt something hard sticking into his throat. He wanted to move away, but realized he couldn't. Metal semicirle was clasping his neck to the back of the chair Kevin was sitting on. He felt shackles holding his forearms, waist, legs, wrists and ankles. His left hand was fixed palm up, so firmly that he couldn't even move it. His right hand had more freedom, its fingers lying on a small keyset with numbers from 0 to 9 and enter and cancel buttons.
Kevin glanced around. Room was similar to those he was passing by earlier – a door and a dim window. As far as he could see, it was empty. Gloomy twilight was surrounding him, distinct light sources disappeared again. Well, at least the annoying lamp doesn't blink any more. Everything about his situation was terrible, but right now the most irritating was stray hair that fell onto his eyes, tickling his face. He tried to blow it off, jerked his head a few times, trying to shake it off – to no avail.
“Is this an electric chair after all, or are you just having a seizure?” Gelia entered his field of vision. She was wearing a very short white coat with a low neckline.
“Where am I?” Kevin asked coldly.
“In a medical institution,” the girl declared solemnly. “Don't you see how I'm dressed?” Gold slowly ran her left hand over her body and pointed her gunhand at Evanford. “I hope you're a big boy, and aren't afraid of needles any more.”
“I still feel quite negative about them, especially in a place like that,” he said through his teeth.
“Then you might prefer to take a shot at solving this,” Gold smiled.
An equation appeared on the wall before them, drawn with some fluorescent chalk. Though not too complicated by itself, it was quite long. With a pencil and a piece of paper, he would've solved it within a couple of minutes, but now he obviously has to keep everything in his head.
“I know what you're thinking,” Gelia said in a sweetly venomous voice. “Yes, it's not a calculator under your fingers, those buttons are for entering the final solution. And make it quick, while you still have something to press them with,” the moment she said it, something started buzzing, and a manipulator with squeaky joints descended from the ceiling. It had a 10-santimeter long rusty needle on its end – the sting was turning around, as if looking for a prey. It pointed at Kevin's left hand and started approaching. Evanfort felt his pulse becoming more rapid. It seemed like the only thing keeping his heart from jumping out is the metal squeezing his chest.
Blood was pumping in his temples, his left hand was straining in futile attempts to get away from the needle's path. Numbers were jumping before his eyes. Kevin read the equation a few times, trying to make something out of the shining carousel of digits. Self-preservation alarm was screaming so loud that it muffled the voice of intellect. Evanford tried to concentrate. Judging by those buttons, the answer must be an integer, and not negative. His first sketchy calculations returned something like twenty-three. Rusty needle was half a meter away from Kevin's arm, but it already seemed to be piercing right through his brain. Clenching his teeth even harder, he entered “23” and pressed the submit button. The equation on the wall flashed red, manipulator buzzed menacingly and made a thrusting move with the needle, but in a couple of seconds everything went back to what it used to be.
“Are you nervous?” Gelia winked. “You should be grateful that this is a test for newbies. First attempt is free, and you don't even have to control your heartbeat... You're practically having fun! Can I have fun with you?” she asked, landing on his lap.
“Gelia. Leave,” Kevin said stonily.
“But I'm not interfering with anything,” the girl softly ran her hand over his face, swiping the strands of hair. “I'm not obscuring the equation... I won't even be an eyesore!” she pressed her gunhand to Evanford chest and drew a question sign. She slid down to the floor and poked his navel, marking the dot. “I'm used to worms, and size doesn't matter!” Gold pronounced cheerfully, trying to undo the button on his pants with her left hand.
Young man took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, as if he was trying to cool down the boiling brains. Everything, even time itself, was working against him. Kevin tried to detach his mind from the body that he almost didn't feel anyway, from all the burdening fears. There were only the equation and his intellect that was processing it. Soon, an answer appeared before his eyes – clear, definite, integral, positive. Evanford entered “21”.
Shackles unlocked immediately. Realizing that nothing holds him any more, Kevin harshly pushed Gelia away and jumped up, barely avoiding running his hand into an approaching needle.
“Are you fleeing? The fun just begins,” Gold purred, curving on the floor seductively. Ignoring her, Evanford rushed to the exit. “And you won't get away from this fun!” Gelia shouted before he slammed the door. Once in the corridor, Kevin heard someone saying:
“She's right.”
Young man turned around and raised his eyebrows in surprise:
“Uncle Henry? Is that really you?”
“I'm not your uncle...” professor Evanford replied quietly. He was leaning against the wall, staring blankly at the door before him, deep in his thoughts. “You've always been a smart boy, and I wanted to believe that you'll succeed in this game. Though I'm ashamed to say that I had little hope that anyone will... But you've escaped many dangers and progressed very far! A few more right steps, and everything will resolve in your favor. If this happens, I will also return to the real world, for I do have where to return to. I was even afraid of it, but realized that I want to return after all. To turn over a new leaf, as silly as it may sound. But, when we will meet again there, you will hate me. Maybe right now you think you're incapable of emotions like that, but you will hate and detest me. There are things you don't know about me – I recalled them just recently myself. I can't say if this information will help you. But I simply must relieve myself from this burden,” he finally looked Kevin in the eye.