Beyblade: Restraints

The thought of freedom

I had a dream.

I dreamt of my family, my sister, my mother, my father and me.

I was eating meal with them.

I was having a good time.

I don't remember their faces.

      I woke up, and opened my eyes to a dull room, I hear a soft beeping. Infront of me was a glowing white screen, the walls were grey behind it. Something was heavy on my head, I look up to see wires. Five wires, two metal ones, a red one, a blue one, a yellow one. I stare, I feel numb, the air blows from the ventilation, removing the silence from the room.

Then I hear a beep, I look in front of me towards the sound.

"Good morning [The 0th blader]"

       A robotic cat greeted me, it looked simple, it was a white square and two triangles, it had pink lines as eyes and inner ears. 

"You have been asleep for...."

It showed a calculation screen.

"[7 years], since you were [9 YEARS OLD]! Happy [16th] birthday!" it plays a familiar song.

       I stare at the cat, "7 years..?" I repeat, I feel like I have spoken for the first time. "Yes!" the cat repeats, "My name is Mass.io, I am an android who monitors your condition," The cat continues. I look around the room again, I read the screen in front of me.

[PROJECT ATTACHMENT.]

{PHASE 1: Complete}

{PHASE 2: Begin}

{PHASE 3: Pending...}

>_____

        The text was black, plain and boring. "Project...Attachment..?" I whisper, the cat starts buffering, before it beeps again, "Yes, [7 years] ago, you were [voluntarily] put into an experiment to boost your skills at the sport, beyblading!" the cat jumps with no body, "Beyblading..?" I ask, I don't remember anything about that. The cat looks shocked, it buffers again before responding, "The [BRAIN DEVELOPMENT] chemical must have made you forget," the cat zooms closer.

"Beyblading, it is a professional sport including "beys" which are specialized tops to participate in," The cat explains.

        I do not listen further, instead I look at my arms. I see my hair under my wrists, I can't see it's colour properly, it's dim. My hands have multiple needles in them, they are connected to a huge tank of liquid, it's silver. My other arm is in the same state, I count the needles. I count 20, they don't hurt, they aren't old. I look above me and see a lot of odd contraptions, they look like they're for hygiene, then I realize how clean my body feels.

The cat beeps again.

       It finished its explaining, I do not care. "What do I do now?" I face the cat, my throat feels clearer now, "If you're ready, please sit up!" It instructs. I do so, my head feels heavy, my joints are stiff, I feel numb. Then, I feel a liquid rush through my arms, and I can feel again. My legs feel the cold from the platform below me, my torso can feel the light cloth on me, my arms can feel the needles. And finally, I sit up.

       When I finally do, I feel the weight against my head release, the needles from my wrists remove themselves. It gives a gust of air making a noise before the green thing on my head and the needles recoil. I look at my body, I'm wearing a silky white night gown, it's comfortable. Then the cat beeps again.

I look over, it is in front of two big doors.

       I walk over to it, taking my first steps, I hold on to the platform I slept on. My feet shake, the ground is cold, its plain white and slippery. I manage to stand on two feet, it feels odd. I take my time walking over to the cat, looking around once more, I look at a digital clock.

9:30am.

January 1st.

That's what Mass.io says my birthday is.

      I remembered the cat's name, "What are we doing, Mass.io?" I try using the cat's name, "We shall test the experiment," Mass.io turns towards the door, it has a simple design, a vine connecting the two handles.

      Mass.io opened the door, it led towards a dim room with a giant circle, it's very quiet. "This is a bey stadium!" Mass.io said, a whirring sound suddenly came from the floor, then appeared a robot across from me. It was plain and grey, "That will be your opponent!" Mass.io said, I turned my head toward the cat, it was hovering above a table. I walked towards the metal table, it had a odd looking toy on top of it.

The toy glowed.

      I narrowed my eyes towards it, "This is a bey," Mass.io explained, "It's yours, you called it [EQUITY] in the past," I slowly picked it up, it didn't look like much. It just had a gold balanced scale on it, with a dark blue curved cross behind it, and a green gem in the middle. I looked under it, and it had little gold parts, and an odd green shimmer to it. "Yours is a [BALANCE] Bey, the opponent has a balance bey," Mass.io said suddenly.

"Remember to change attack and defense modes when needed!" Mass.io said, before I was put into battle.

    I slightly recall the types, and how to play. The robot gets in an odd position, it has a very odd device in it's hands; it suddenly spoke.

"3"

"2"

"1"

"Let it rip!"

The robot pulled a string and the bey spun across the stadium.

I put Equity gently onto the stadium.

      Then, time slows down before the other bey hits Equity. A voice rings into my head, "Spin" and so it does. As soon as the thought entered my mind, Equity shot across the stadium, and my feet start to hurt, like it was scraping across a coarse surface. Equity bounced everywhere before it hit the other bey.

Then the bey broke.

      "Equity wins with a burst finish!" Mass.io jumps into the air, "{FIRST TEST: [SUCCESS!] LOADING....}" Mass.io buffers again. I look at Equity, the gem in the middle reflects a figure of someone. "Congratulations! Now, you may exit the building!" Mass.io says, I turn to it immediately. I wanted to go outside.

Mass.io then hovers over another table.

       I approach it, a nice looking traditional dress is there. I pick it up, it's a hanfu, the sleeves are flowy and purple, the chest piece is a de-saturated yellow with an indigo flower on it, the belt piece is yellow, and the skirt is long, and the same colour as the sleeves.

      I wear it over my night gown, Mass.io provides a mirror, I stare at myself. I'm illuminated by Mass.io's light attached to the mirror. I have light brown hair, it has a single braid pinned to the opposite side of my head to form a loop, and I look pale, my eyes are a dull greenish grey.

"Are you ready to head out?" Mass.io asks me.

     I nod, following Mass.io down a corridor towards another set of huge metal doors. I place my hand on the door, then my forehead. I close my eyes, I then feel Mass.io attach itself to my wrist. I look down, the cat is gone, there is only a wristband. I turn to wave goodbye to this facility one last time.

I open the door, the sunlight greets my eyes.

And so do people.

     I close my eyes, the sun is bright. I step outside, I see awe-struck people. A small boy approaches me, "What's your name weird lady?"

I pause, I don't remember.

I open my mouth anyways.

"Mei."