CHAPTER SIXTEEN: The Partition Protocol
The Upper Chamber – 5 Minutes After the Labyrinth
The stairwell ended in a sealed door with no handle. A camera above it rotated once, locked onto their faces, and a hiss of air sucked through the wall.
A new screen lit up.
> TRIAL CARD: 10♦ – "PARTITION PROTOCOL"
Players: 5
Objective: Complete the Network Loop
Rules:
– Players will be divided into three roles: Coordinator, Operators, and Anchor.
– The Coordinator sees the full puzzle.
– Operators control pieces of the puzzle—but cannot see the full board.
– The Anchor must remain in isolation and trigger the final solution.
– Communication is limited to 90-second intervals, three times.
– If any operator makes a critical error, the loop resets.
– The Anchor may choose to exit early to end the game—but only alone.
Victory Condition: Network successfully completed and final trigger activated.
Failure Conditions: Three resets, timeout, or Anchor's premature exit.
Time Limit: 17:00
The screen blinked again.
> "You have 90 seconds to assign roles."
A grid appeared.
Five slots. One must be Anchor. One Coordinator. Three Operators.
---
Role Selection – 90 Seconds Remaining
Noah stepped forward. "I'll coordinate. I'm good with top-down logic."
"I'll operate," Reina said. "I follow instruction well."
Eliah added, "Same. Give me something to control."
Tayo nodded. "Make that three."
That left Dylan.
The screen blinked:
> Dylan: Assigned role – Anchor
Voluntary confirmation required.
"Anchor cannot leave isolation until the puzzle is complete—or unless they abort the trial early."
He hesitated.
"Of course," he muttered. "Put me in the box."
He pressed his hand to the scanner. The wall opened. A dark capsule slid out.
Dylan stepped inside.
It hissed shut.
---
Phase One – Separation
Noah was led to a platform of screens: a full digital network of pulsing nodes, cables, and locked junctions. It looked like a neural circuit diagram crossed with a subway map.
Three blinking nodes—marked REINA, ELIAH, TAYO—sat at different junctions.
Each controlled a segment of the network.
Only Noah could see the full pattern. The Operators had no visual—just controls to rotate, align, or charge nodes based on Noah's instructions.
The Anchor, Dylan, was sealed inside a circular chamber with a single lever. No screen. No timer. Just a message glowing in red:
> "You may exit. But you will exit alone.
Pulling the lever terminates the trial."
---
Phase Two – Puzzle Activation
Time Remaining: 15:42
Noah pressed the first COMM button.
> Communication Round 1 – 90 seconds
"Reina," Noah called. "You're in Zone 1. You need to rotate your node to face north, then power it."
Reina confirmed. "Done."
"Eliah—you're on Zone 3. You're connected to Reina. Align your circuit to output. Don't activate yet."
"Tayo—Zone 5. Your node is misaligned and hot. You'll trigger a reset if you touch it now. Wait for me to say when."
"Got it," Tayo muttered.
Comm ended.
---
Phase Three – Critical Moves
Tension mounted.
Noah watched as Reina's node lit up. Then Eliah's.
Tayo's glowed faint orange. Still unstable.
He rerouted power to it. Stabilized it.
> ✅ Puzzle Progress: 62%
Second COMM phase initiated.
> Communication Round 2 – 90 seconds
"Eliah, activate your node now. That'll open Dylan's chamber—but it won't end the game."
"Tayo," Noah continued, "power your node before Reina reboots hers. You've got a five-second overlap. If you miss it, we reset."
Timer: 06:51
Reina asked, "What happens if we fail?"
"We lose time. One more reset and Dylan might get impatient."
Inside the Anchor chamber, Dylan's lever pulsed red again.
> You may end the game now. Exit alone. No penalty—except abandonment.
He stared at it.
Didn't move.
---
Phase Four – Final Decision
The last junction aligned.
All nodes pulsed green.
Noah took a breath. "We're ready."
The screen lit up in Dylan's chamber.
> "Pull the lever now to complete the circuit."
"Or leave. Alone. Your choice."
---
The Anchor's Choice
Dylan looked at the lever.
Then at the door opposite him. Unlocked.
He didn't know what waited beyond it.
Freedom?
Or separation?
He grinned faintly. "They think I'd run."
He pulled the lever.
The lights flared.
A siren sounded once.
> ✅ TRIAL COMPLETE
All players passed.
Coordination score: 88%
Psychological test: Anchor Loyalty – PASSED
---
Post-Game – Regroup
The doors opened one by one.
They found Dylan leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets.
"I stayed," he said simply.
Noah gave him a nod. "Didn't think you'd bail."
Reina smiled. "Honestly, I wasn't sure."
Dylan shrugged. "I like being unpredictable."
The corridor ahead blinked green.
But Reina looked back at the room behind them. The screen still glowed.
It had recorded everything—communication delays, hesitation, vocal tremors.
"They're not just testing logic," she said.
"They're watching how we fall apart."