16. Zeno
ZENO
When Zeno wakes up, his eyes are closed.
When Zeno opens his eyes, his eyes are still closed.
Well, that can’t be right, can it?
He goes to rub his face with his hands but they don’t move, tied up behind his back.
What is this?
The last thing he remembers is eating in the dining hall. He woke up that morning to Alexander frantically waltzing through his morning routine. They ate breakfast in silence, stress tightening around them like a vise because of—
The Trials!
But this is meant to be the team Trial. How can it be a ‘team Trial’ if it’s so dark he can’t see his team, for Forms’ sake?
“Auxiliaries,” a robotic female voice booms over some kind of receiver in his ear, “welcome to the first Trial.
“Most of you find yourselves in the dark. You can see nothing except—” click “—your mirror image.”
His vision is overtaken by what must be his own shadow, shining white.
“Your Cohort Leader is outside of this simulation. They have access to the location of every member of their team and a bird’s-eye view of the cavern you find yourselves in.
Their mission is to bring you to the light beyond the cave.
Your mission is to let them. If your Cohort Leader does not guide half the group out of the cave, they are disqualified.
If you do not make it out of the cave, you are disqualified.
“Fifty minutes is allotted to this task. Once the time is up, there will be consequences far steeper than mere disqualification for those still in the caves. May the Forms grant you wisdom in Justice.”
Another click echoes in the headset and the beeping of a new line opening follows.
Then he hears, “Is everyone alright?”
Zeno almost wants to ask whether Lazarus is alright, given his shaking voice, but he instead joins the chorus of ‘Yes’es from everyone else connected via the headsets.
A loud inhale is all the warning they get before Lazarus takes off at a mile a minute.
“Kallias,” he says, “answer a few questions for me. All I have are your locations and a map of the maze you’re in right now, and I need a lay of the land.”
“Go for it,” Kallias responds.
Smart, using Kallias for initial information; he’s the only person who’s observant and calm enough to be fully aware of their situation.
“Okay. Does your shadow change when it’s on the floor versus on a wall?”
“Yes.”
“So you can tell when you’re about to hit a wall, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Can you move freely?”
“Hands are immobile, but otherwise, yes.”
“Turn around and put your back on the wall.”
A brief pause follows, then Kallias says, “Done.”
“Now walk forward and count your steps until you see your shadow on the wall opposite you.”
There’s a light sound of shuffling. Then Kallias responds, “Twenty steps.”
“Stay there,” Lazarus instructs. “Alright, everyone. Twenty steps is going to be the metric from here for walking. So if I say one, you walk twenty steps. Two, you walk approximately forty, and so on. And if your shadow appears to be changing surfaces, you’ve probably reached a wall and you should make your next turn. ”
Another round of assent reverberates in Zeno’s ears.
Zeno is pleasantly surprised by Lazarus’ composure. After stumbling upon his panic attack before their second cohort meeting, Zeno expected to be completely left in the dark for this challenge, but Lazarus is stepping up.
“Kallias, if I give you a long list of instructions will you be able to remember them?” Lazarus asks.
“Yes,” Kallias’ voice shoots back with no hesitation.
“Okay. Left, two. Right, six. Right, two. Left, one…” Lazarus continues until he reaches about twenty different directions. “Let me know if you need help. And go as fast as you can. I want to know what happens when we get someone to the end.”
“You got it, boss,” Kallias responds, his sarcasm either unregistered or ignored. Lazarus takes another deep breath, then continues.
“From here on I’m giving everyone five instructions at a time. Each instruction will start with a turn, followed by a step count. In the spirit of fairness I’ll go in alphabetical order and repeat the cycle every time I get to the end.”
Shit.
Alphabetical order has never been particularly kind to Zeno.
“Alexander, you’re first.”
“Listening.”
And off Lazarus goes again, speaking so fast Zeno’s sure he’ll pass out from a lack of oxygen. He gives instruction after instruction, everyone confirming receipt until he gets to… “Zeno.”
“Here.”
“Forward, five. Left, two. Right, three. Right, one. Left, one half. Then stop.”
Zeno nods frantically to himself, already on the move, before remembering that Lazarus can’t see him.
“Got it.”
“Good. Alexander back to you. Have you made it to the end of my initial instructions?”
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“Great, let’s then go for—”
“Lazarus,” Kallias interrupts. “I think I’m at a door. Should I go through?”
Zeno can faintly hear Alexander sigh dreamily at Kallias’ voice in the group call.
“Yes, that’s an exit. Go for it,” Lazarus replies.
Zeno hears the sound of a handle clicking, then the blaring voice shreds his eardrums again. “Congratulations, one member of your team has successfully exited the cave. They are welcome to re-enter to help others if they so choose.”
Before anyone else can say a word, Lazarus barks, “Kallias, don’t go back.”
Kleitos butts in immediately. “Are you serious? He’s the fastest out of all of us. Why wouldn’t he come help?”
“Don’t you remember the allegory, Kleitos?” Lazarus responds. “If he goes back in, he’ll be blind. Meaning that I’ll probably lose access to him over comms. Then what’s he going to do for you?”
“So we’re not even going to try it?” Kleitos asks.
“It’s a waste of time and the risk is too high.”
“What risk? I mean, it’s—”
“Do you want to shut up, or should Lazarus let you find your own way out?” Kallias asks, threatening even in his usual monotone.
Kleitos sputters over the line, and Alexander adds, “I think you could make it, Kleitos. A true lone wolf, you are. And if you don’t… Well, we won’t miss you that much.”
Kleitos’ disgruntled mumbling intensifies to full yelling and Lazarus cuts him off. “Shut up, all of you! No one is making it out unless you listen to me. Kleitos, if you argue one more time, you’re on your own.”
“Fine.”
“Great. Alexander, starting again with you. Left, three. Right, two…”
They get into the groove again and two rounds of the alphabet go by without issues other than Kleitos tripping over several rocks.
Then Lazarus begins a new strategy. “Alexander, you and Kleitos are about to bump into each other. I want you to turn right and Kleitos, you turn left, but don’t walk forward.
Stand back to back. From now on, all instructions for Alexander apply to Kleitos too.
” Lazarus hesitates, then says, “Kleitos, hold Alexander’s hand. ”
The response is instant. “Are you kidding me?”
“Aww,” Alexander coos, “are you too nervous to hold my hand?”
“Do it, Kleitos,” Lazarus says, exasperated and angry at the same time.
“Forms, fine,” Kleitos yells.
Zeno hears a frustrated sigh before Alexander says, laughing, “You know, Kleitos, I really am flattered. I had no idea you felt this way for me.”
“Screw you,” Kleitos barks back.
“I mean, the clamminess of your hands is just so attractive. If my wrists weren’t tied up I’d ravish you this very moment.”
Zeno laughs along with everyone else while Kleitos rambles incoherent insults and curses. Only Alexander could make them all smile on the most stressful day of their lives.
Then a voice comes over the comms and sets everything back into high gear.
“Auxiliaries, you have fifteen minutes left.”
Oh, Forms.
“No one panic,” Lazarus’ panicked voice announces. “Most of you are very close to an exit.”
As more and more people find pairs or leave the cave, it becomes clear that ‘most of you’ is not ‘all of you’, and Zeno is starting to think that he is the exception.
The minutes pass quickly.
“Congratulations, fifteen members of your team have successfully exited the cave. They are welcome to re-enter to help others if they so choose.”
Lazarus says, “Eudoxos and company, just walk straight until you feel a handle. That’s the exit.”
“I feel it,” Eudoxia responds apprehensively. “I’m going to open it.”
“Congratulations, eighteen members of your team have successfully exited the cave. They are welcome to re-enter to help others if they so choose.”
“Eighteen?” Zeno says without thinking. “So I’m the only one left?”
His frantic voice can’t be helping Lazarus’ nerves, but everyone else is gone and he hasn’t been paired with someone and there’s not a lot of time left on the clock! What if Lazarus thinks he wants to be the Educator and has guided him in circles to keep him from leaving?
Zeno should have told him—all he wants is to be like his dad. He doesn’t need to be the Educator, he just wants to be on the Council. Maybe if Lazarus knew that—
Lazarus’ voice breaks through. “Don’t worry, Zeno. You have time and you don’t have far to go.”
Zeno’s fear subsides at the honesty in Lazarus’ voice. Of course Lazarus isn’t setting him up to fail. He might be scarily motivated to succeed in the Trials, but he’s too honorable to be underhanded.
“Just walk forward and I’m going to guide you in real time.”
“Okay.”
“Left, now,” Lazarus says as Zeno fast-walks through the caves. “Right. Sharp left. And, stop.”
Zeno stops.
“Feel in front of you. Is there a handle there?”
Zeno turns and reaches with his hands, still tied behind his back, and lets out a sigh of relief.
“Yeah, I feel it. I’m going to open it,” he says. But right as he starts to push down, a locking noise echoes off the cavern walls.
“Uh, Lazarus? What was that?”
There’s no noise in the comms but labored breathing.
“Lazarus?”
“Oh, Forms, Zeno.”
That can’t be good.
“What’s wrong?”
“They’ve locked all the doors except one.”
The female voice returns, overwhelmingly loud. “Auxiliaries, you have two minutes left.”
“What?!”
“Forms—”
“How far am I from the door?”