The Recall Trials
Chapter 51: The Spark Ignites

Chapter 51: The Spark Ignites

JOJO POV

11:41 AM

The suit itched.

It smelled like sweat and blood and something colder...like metal and darkness.

The mask was suffocating, I could feel every bead of sweat sliding down my face beneath it. I could barely breathe inside the mask, but I couldn’t take it off. Not even for a second. One glance from a camera or a stray guard and I was done.

Dead.

Even the uniform was slightly too big on me.

Don’t run. Don’t rush. Don’t act like you’re scared..

I moved down the sterile hallway with stiff arms, copying the posture of the other guards I’d seen. Back straight, arms tight, gaze ahead.

I’d memorized then from watching the masked guards over the last few weeks.

One hand by my side. The other holding the tranquilizer rifle. Don’t swing your arms. Don’t turn your head. Don’t flinch.

That’s how they walk. Like machines.

The man I knocked out earlier hadn’t seen it coming. Just a crack to the head with the fire extinguisher as Vincent’s distraction chaos broke loose. The fog from the blast had given me a perfect cover, and within seconds, I’d dragged him into a service corridor and taken his place.

I kept replaying their faces in my head. Vincent’s fury. Zaara’s scream. Theo’s self-righteous punch. All an act. But convincing enough that no one, not even the guards, suspected anything.

And now I was here...alone, in the place they never let us see.

I turned a corner.

Nothing.

Just white walls. Silver vents. No windows. Only overhead lights that hummed too loud and buzzed like they were short-circuiting with every step I took.

I passed Room 1A. Then Room 10B.

Then another hallway opened to the left...one I’d never seen before. Longer. Darker. Bare concrete instead of clean white tile.

Room 17E. Unauthorized access. A metal door. Heavy. Reinforced.

I reached the end of the hallway and found a keypad panel. I reached into the stolen uniform pocket and pulled out the access card I’d yanked from the guard’s belt. My fingers trembled as I tapped it against the scanner.

Beep.

Green light.

The door hissed open.

I stepped inside. I listened. No one in sight.

The room was freezing. Like walking into a morgue. Down here, the silence felt heavier.

I kept walking. Until I saw it.

A dozen massive screens lined the walls..each showing live feeds of every contestant, every corridor, every bunk. No guards were inside. Just cables. Servers. Blinking red lights. And audio dials labeled things like:

They weren’t just watching us.

They were studying us.

I stepped forward, staring at the screens. Some showed us sleeping. Others showed time-stamped rewinds of the fights, the games, the emotional breakdowns. One screen showed a detailed 3D scan of my face...flashing RISK LEVEL: 8.4 in blinking yellow font.

I moved fast.

Snatching a handful of files, I skimmed them quickly...psychological evaluations, manipulation notes, emotional reactivity, risk tolerance, audience score, behavioral alerts.

Vincent Aston (ID: #001)

Behavioral Alert: UNPREDICTABLE – emotional volatility observed after bonding with targets

Emotional Reactivity: High, especially in protective contexts.

Loyalty Metrics: High – especially toward female contestant Zaara

Manipulation Index: Low

Risk Tolerance: Moderate to High – increases when loved ones are threatened

Obedience Score: Low

Rebellion Probability: 74% – strong chance of uprising if provoked

Audience Impact Score: Very High – elite interest due to background and emotional depth

I turned the pages.

Zaara Qadir (ID: #040)

Behavioral Alert: CONCEALED TRAUMA – mistrust flagged as both strength and liability

Emotional Reactivity: Controlled but intense under pressure

Loyalty Metrics: Selective – trusts few, deeply loyal to them

Manipulation Index: Low to Moderate – not natural but strategic when pushed

Risk Tolerance: Moderate

Obedience Score: Mid – follows rules unless integrity is challenged

Rebellion Probability: 20%

Audience Impact Score: High – audience captivated by her guarded nature

I turned the pages.

Nomi Suresh (ID: #069)

Behavioral Alert: CALCULATING – manipulative tendencies observed

Emotional Reactivity: Low – suppresses vulnerability, hyper-rational

Loyalty Metrics: Low – aligns for strategy, not connection

Manipulation Index: High

Risk Tolerance: Moderate

Obedience Score: High if beneficial

Rebellion Probability: 30% – prefers survival over chaos

Narrative Impact Score: Medium – role intensifies based on alliances

Jojo Navarro (ID: #066)

Behavioral Alert: High— Unstable and dangerous.

Emotional Reactivity: Medium – hides fear behind bravery

Loyalty Metrics: Medium

Manipulation Index: Low

Risk Tolerance: Extremely High

Obedience Score: Very Low

Rebellion Probability: 95% – likely the first to spark revolt

Narrative Impact Score: Explosive and unpredictable.

Theo (ID: #093)

Behavioral Alert: TOXIC – frequent aggression, territorial dominance, control issues

Emotional Reactivity: High

Loyalty Metrics: Low – no sustained alliances

Manipulation Index: Moderate

Risk Tolerance: Reckless and Self Centered

Obedience Score: Unstable – fluctuates under ego threat

Rebellion Probability: 70%

Narrative Impact Score: High – audience enjoys the chaos he creates

Carter Ray (ID: #096)

Behavioral Alert: IDEALIST – flagged for moral outbursts and speech against the system

Emotional Reactivity: Very High – strong sense of justice

Loyalty Metrics: Very High – protector of weaker contestants

Manipulation Index: Low

Risk Tolerance: Moderate to High – especially when defending others

Obedience Score: Low

Rebellion Probability: 88% – high risk of martyrdom behavior

Narrative Impact Score: High – considered ’fan favorite’ for righteous defiance

And other contestants.

They knew everything. Weaknesses. Fears. How to push us. How to break us.

I took out the small chip I’d hidden inside my sleeve. A transfer module I’d stolen from an old tablet weeks ago.

I plugged it into the nearest port.

It started copying the system files...slowly, bit by bit. The feeds. The labels. Names of Aetherion members. Codewords. Admin chat logs. I stuffed some of the files into my stolen duffel

My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.

Come on. Come on. Faster...

And that’s when I smelled it.

At first, it was faint. Rotten. Like meat that had been left out too long. But it grew stronger. A gagging, chemical-heavy stench that made my stomach turn. Like decay mixed with bleach.

I looked up, toward the far end of the corridor, past the glass surveillance bay. There was another hallway, dimmer. Security doors with numbers. And standing outside one of them... were six masked guards.

Just standing there. Silent. Not talking. Not moving.

Just... waiting.

I ducked back.

What the hell were they guarding?

No way to sneak past them now.

The smell was pouring from that hallway. Whatever was behind that sealed door... it wasn’t normal. My mind started spinning. Storage? Morgue? Torture rooms?

Was that what happened to eliminated contestants?

I needed a plan. Fast.

Suddenly—

Footsteps.

Heavy. Fast.

Shit.

My stomach dropped.

I was almost done.

But just before they turned the corner—before they could find me—a voice buzzed in their earpieces.

"Intruder...Unauthorized room.. Code 9."

They paused.

Shit.

I froze. My hand hovered near the USB still plugged into the terminal. I yanked it out, slipped it into my boot, then pressed myself flat against the wall. Through the small wired window on the surveillance room door, I could see them two guards rounding the corner, then four more behind them. Same masks. Same stiff posture.

They were looking for someone.

They were looking for me.

I backed away slowly, trying not to breathe too loud. The surveillance room was a dead end. No back exit. No vents. Nothing but cold metal and walls stacked with all the proof I’d just stolen.

They were going to find me.

I looked around. No way to hide.

I crouched low behind the server stack, not breathing.

One of them stopped. Turned to the others.

"Alert came from this room. Unauthorized data transfer. Check the terminals."

Then an idea. Risky. Reckless. But the only shot I had.

If it wasn’t convincing enough... I’m screwed.

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