“Wakey wakey…” Chimes a feminine, sing-songy voice.

Something tilts my chin up as I stir awake, giggles echoing in front of me. As my vision focuses, I begin to get a grasp of my current predicament. Standing over me is a woman with pale skin, unnaturally wide eyes which are bright yellow and spiralled, with hair that is short, fluffy, and split dyed in the Ministry’s signature black and yellow. She wears the same uniform as the other Advocates, though like Trisha and Daniel, she has an embroidered title on the breast of her lab coat- Mary Taylor: Head of The Giggler.

Why does my head feel so… heavy?

The woman cocks her head, giggling to herself as if amused by something.

“There we go… That’s it, 693… Good…” She lets go of my chin, my head falling forward with a quick, jerky motion and startling me into full consciousness. It’s almost as if someone attached a heavy weight to my face.

“Wh… What the fuck…?” I groan , shakily putting my hands up to my face. The sensation of cold metal hits my fingertips as they drift across what should be my face. Immediately, I begin to hyperventilate, making desperate attempts to pull off what I believe is a metal mask; I try the front of it, the sides, and even the straps which meet together at the back of my head.

“Ah ah ah, there’s no need to rip off the mask… Not that you’re going to be able to , anyway…” Mary pauses to laugh to herself. “It is there for a reason, you know.” She grabs my wrists, pulling them away from my face.

“What the bloody hell is this?!” My voice is muffled through the mask as I shout.

“What rests on your pretty little face is the most… effective of the Ministry’s technology… We call it The Giggler.” Mary laughs again, giddy with an intoxicated excitement. 

My gaze shifts downward; I see a clear, long, ribbed tube leading from the gas mask to a module on the wall behind me.

“Normally, we use the… lighter masks, but… I heard that you’ve been quite the challenge… So to ensure your compliance, I brought out my favourite gadget, just for you, heeheehee~!”

“Y-You’re fucking looney…! ”

Mary steps back, letting go of my wrists before bursting into a fit of hysterical laughter. She catches her breath and regains her composure, wiping a tear away and bending down to get a closer look at me. As she cocks her head and rests her hands on her thighs, I notice the same, deep smile scars that distinguished the Head Advocates from the others. What's different about Mary, however, is that there are permanent dark tear streaks running down her face from the dark circles under her eyes; as if she was in a constant state of laugh-crying.

“Looney…? Hahaha~ Looney, looney, looney… That’s quite the humorous thing to say, darling.” She chuckles, repeating the word as if tasting it on her lips. “I am not… looney. I am simply… joyful, hehee~”

Despite the weakness in my body from the sedative, I use whatever strength I have left in me to push myself away from her with my feet until my back hits the wall. I make another attempt at prying the mask off of my face; once again to no avail.

“You’re quite the subject, 693… Your hilarious attempts to escape make me laugh.” She giggles before continuing, “I already told you that there’s no use… SW04 is bolted shut . It cannot be taken off without the direct assistance of my team…”

“…Fuck you.” I mutter through gritted teeth.

“What colourful vocabulary… Not to worry, though … You’ll be a model patient soon enough.”

Her words cause me to shudder and dig my nails into my thighs. I shoot her a glare as she begins walking towards what looks to be some sort of observation window.

“You’re MAD-! ”

Mary pauses and turns around, her eerie grin somehow getting wider.

“This…” She lets out a wheezy chuckle, “…Is going to be… so much fun. ” The door slams with a thud, her muffled hysterical laughter echoing in the observation room.

“NO-!” Mustering the strength to stand up and rush to the door, I shout and pound on the door. “G-GET BACK OUT HERE, YOU PSYCHO BITCH-!”

HISSSSSSSS…

Magenta coloured gas begins to flow through the ribbed tube connected to the module on the wall. After taking the biggest breath of oxygen possible, the gas begins to fill the mask. I take a few cautious steps back, trying to conserve what little air my lungs can hold.

Shit…

The deranged Advocate wipes more tears from her face before cocking her head to the side again in amusement. She presses a button on what I assume is a control panel, a crackling sound coming from a speaker on the wall near one of the CCTV cameras.

“Just relax and give in, 693… Holding your breath will only last you so long…”

I shake my head in rebellion, shooting another glare to the observation window as I clench my fists. Mary puts her elbows on the counter, resting her chin in her hands as she watches. The pressure in my chest begins to get unbearably tight, the feeling of lightheadedness creeping up on me.

THUD-!

She slams a fist against the observation window, startling me enough to gasp for air; the sweet-smelling gas invading my lungs as that eerie hissing sound becomes more prominent.

“Looks like you need more gas… Cheer up, won’t you?” She requests, turning a dial on the control panel with a grin.

“Shit, shit, shit-!” I stammer, stumbling backwards. The weight of the mask pulls me down, though I quickly cushion the back of my head with my hands before it can hit the tiles. A grunt escapes me when I hit the floor, a painful sensation stinging my knuckles. “Y-You’re fucking deranged-! All of you-!”

“Deranged, you say?” Hysterical laughter crackles over the intercom, mocking me as I struggle for air. “Join us, and you’ll feel so much… better. You need joy…”

Whatever this shit is, I need to take in as little of it as I possibly can.

Inhale…

The gas burns as it makes its way down my windpipes.

Hold it…

The room starts to spin, distorting in my vision as dizziness creeps up on me.

Exhale.

I grip at my gown, tugging it from my chest in dizzying, agonising pain.

It doesn’t take long for the gas’ effects to get to me; I cough and sputter as I frantically try to pull the mask off again. Taking shaky steps forward, the room continues to spin, causing me to collapse forwards onto the floor.

I’m not going to let them win…

I shakily drag my body across the cold tile with my arms, pulling my weight to the best of my ability as my chest burns and tightens every second. Mary struggles to catch her breath as she laughs hysterically in amusement, her cackles fueling my desperation.

“Oh 693, you’re just too much-! ” She taunts through hysterical laughter, gasping for breath herself as she wipes another tear from her eyes.

“Gh… S-Stop…”

A violent cough causes a warm, metallic-tasting liquid to burn through my oesophagus. I gasp for air, pulling myself up with the edge of the observation window as I choke on what I can only assume is my own blood . 

I refuse to be brainwashed, dammit-!

With a swift, jerky motion, I slam the metal mask into the observation window. Mary is stunned into silence for a moment, her eyes widening at the sight. It doesn’t take long for another one of her laughing fits to start again as I slam the metal mask against the window a few more times, eventually making a successful crack in the window.

“Ahah… Hah… Ah… Ehehe… Heh…” Mary’s laughing dies down, her eyes narrowing slightly with confusion. “…693?”

A warm liquid drips from a crack in the mask and hits my foot. I feel so woozy that I can’t muster up a word; so I shakily reach for where the blood is dripping from, getting a little on my fingers and smearing it on the window. My knees buckle beneath me and I fall hard to the ground, my vision fading as my body weakens from my violent coughing fit.

.

.

.

“693! Can you hear me-?”

My eyes flutter open, The familiar voice and silhouette of the Smiler greeting me as I regain consciousness. It pries the mask open with its claws, the metal squeaking as it’s broken apart. As the rooms’ cold, antiseptic air fills my lungs, I swiftly sit upright and gasp for air. Crimson blood splatters on the tiles as I cough it up, the strong metallic taste making me nauseous.

“Mary-! Get 693’s inhaler, now!” The Smiler demands, holding me steady as I hack up my lungs, its tail swinging violently against the floor. Mary nods and rushes out of the room as it grumbles to itself in frustration.

A few moments later, Mary swiftly runs into the room and tosses my inhaler to The Smiler. It holds the mouthpiece up to my lips, blood staining it as I take large puffs of the mist inside.

“Easy, easy… Take deep breaths.”

As it lowers the inhaler, my airways open and my breathing returns back to normal, though the feeling of lightheadedness remains. My body slumps forward with weakness, my head hitting The Smiler’s chest. I want to get as far away from it as possible, but I have no strength to push myself away. A few other Advocates approach, demanding for me to ‘get off the boss,’ though The Smiler lets out a loud hiss, wrapping its arms around me and pulling me closer in a protective manner.

“Back off! Do not get any closer to the patient!” It warns, its expression hardening. The Advocates hold their hands up and take a few steps back at its command, clearly intimidated by its presence. The Smiler turns its attention back to me, gently cupping its hands around my face. “Are you alright, 693–”

Its breath hitches in its throat, pausing as its eyes widen with shock and disbelief.