"So, does this mean you know where he is?" Ethan feels excited.
"No, I don't," Marie replies, "but at least we know who took him—it's the government itself. The reason the government knows about this is because his principal and instructors sold him out."
Ethan's blood boils at the revelation. "Why?! They're supposed to protect him! I knew it! I knew they did something to him!"
"Because after the incident with Mourice Lahm, they became afraid that one day he might turn against the government and go rogue. If that happened, it would be very difficult for them to capture him—and even worse, he's studying at the police academy. Imagine if he became a criminal. They want to lock him up somewhere while still making him useful to them," Marie explains.
Ethan runs his hand through his hair and clenches his fist. He's furious at the adults who put Jacques through so much trouble just because they were scared of him.
"When they told me about it, they forced me to sign a document stating that I was willing to give my son away to them," Marie continues, pinching her forehead and shaking her head. "They thought that because he was a foster son and because of my professionalism as an astroanthropologist, I would agree to this experiment."
"Did you sign it?" Ethan's politeness is completely gone. He looks at Marie as if he's ready to do something harsh if she betrays Jacques.
Marie places her hand on Ethan's wrist, hoping to calm him down. "I told them I needed time. But in the meantime, I want to take this to court to free my son. The court said that if Jacques is proven to have a good attitude, there might be a chance for him to be released. Since Mourice isn't dead, it will be easier for me to convince the court. But I'm going to need your help to testify about Jacques in court—to tell them that my son deserves freedom."
"I'll do it! What do I need to do?" Ethan says without a single doubt or hesitation, not even holding back.
"I need you to convince them that he is not dangerous. I know you care so much about him, and I hope your testimony can help Jacques get out of this," Marie nods.
"Yes, of course I'll do it. Just tell me when, and I'll come running to the court!" Ethan promises, again without a single hesitation.
"I'm still arranging and preparing for that right now. It's a little difficult since my son isn't very open about who his friends are, and he's not really active on his messenger, so I can't tell how many friends he actually has…"
"I know some names. And I know there's someone who got expelled from the academy because he was framed by the school. Jacques was the only one who helped him. He's back in his hometown in Merbach now—we could go together if you don't mind," Ethan offers enthusiastically.
"You still need to focus on school. You can give me his address or phone number so I can contact him," Marie says.
"Oh… I don't have his contact information, and honestly… I… don't know his address either…" Ethan starts thinking about whether he could use Mourice's influence to find Bruno's address. But knowing Mourice, he would definitely want something in exchange—something Ethan wouldn't want to give but Mourice would want. A boy like him only treats love as a game: the more he gains, the more valuable he feels.
"But I have the phone number of Jacques's friend who probably has it," Ethan says, pulling out his phone and texting Harvey. The sound of the phone's keyboard being tapped fills the room, and the screen reflects off Ethan's eyeglasses.
"Done. Now we're waiting for his reply," Ethan says, dropping his phone. "But… are you sure the court will side with you? I mean, it's the government involved—they wouldn't want to lose their experimental subject. And also, bringing this up to the court is like challenging them."
"Exactly what I want. If I bring this to court, I will let the public know how the government plans to use an underage kid as their experimental subject. If I'm lucky, people will side with me because the public is very protective toward minors, right?" Marie looks very sure her plan will work.
"But what if the government uses the same argument that got Jacques sent to the lab? The whole 'he's a dangerous psychopath, we're just preventing a future criminal' line?" Ethan argues.
"That's why I need you to testify. You are his closest friend," Marie says, her eyes burning with determination. Ethan knows she won't back down until Jacques is released.
"What if… you've already tried your best, and my testimony isn't enough? Because you know… there's this guy named Charles. And according to my investigation, he was Jacques's—" Ethan stops talking. He almost reveals something dangerous.
"Go on," Marie prompts, waiting.
But Ethan remains silent. He presses his lips together, knowing that revealing this would expose Jacques's sexuality—something Jacques might want to keep secret.
"Charles Baxter, you mean?" Marie raises her eyebrows. "I heard he was his ex-boyfriend."
"Where did you hear that?" Ethan adjusts his eyeglasses.
Marie shrugs. "His instructor knows."
"Oh… so you already know…?"
Marie nods. "I know. I'm just waiting for him to confess it to me. Until then, I pretend I don't know."
"Oh…" Ethan looks sideways, wondering if it's really safe to admit that Jacques is gay. "…Okay… What I'm trying to say is, Charles doesn't seem to have a positive opinion of Jacques."
Ethan paused.
"It seems like he's holding some anger toward Jacques. The first time I met him, he was saying things about Jacques that weren't true. He would lie about Jacques, and the people who want to keep Jacques in the clone lab would encourage and protect him to stick with this narrative. So… I don't think I'm enough," Ethan shook his head pessimistically.
For a few seconds, neither of them said anything.
But they know they don't have any other option to save Jacques except by relying on the court and justice, hoping that fate is on their side.
***
Meanwhile, in the clone lab…
"Feeling bored?" Sigma's holographic screen popped up, greeting Jacques, who was walking in circles around the room that contained nothing but a bed and a toilet.
"Yeah, I mean, what else can I do here? You won't even give me a laptop or let me walk around the neighborhood," Jacques pointed out, his tone dripping with boredom.
"Aww, I'm so sorry about that, Jacques. You know I'm just an agent—I need permission to do anything. And remember, you killed your own colleague, which makes it hard for me to give you any freedom, even just to walk in the base's garden," Sigma said, sounding regretful.
Jacques exhaled and folded his arms. He did feel guilty about what happened to Maurice, but did Sigma really have to keep reminding him? It pissed him off.
"Now, to cure your boredom, I've got something for you to test," Sigma said, pressing a button.
Suddenly, a hole opened in the middle of the floor, and a podium rose from it, holding a futuristik designed device that looked like goggles.
"Is that… VR goggles?" Jacques squinted at it. "I thought we were doing some universe-saving stuff here. What do you want me to do with this instead of sending me to join the military?"
"Yes, we'll get there. But you know how bureaucrats work—they always delay things. Until we get news from them, I want to give you some entertainment. A simulation game. How does that sound?" Sigma's voice was cheerful.
Jacques shrugged. "I'm not a fan of simulation games, but… it can't hurt to try."
"Good. Now grab the VR goggles and put them on your head."
Jacques walked to the middle of the room and picked up the VR goggles. As soon as he put them on, his surroundings shifted. He was standing in a cozy home.
"Wow," Jacques whispered, wide-eyed. "This… is so real."
There was a dining table in front of him, with a basket of fruit on top. Jacques reached out—and in reality, a table materialized with an actual basket of fruit. When he grabbed an apple, he realized he was holding a real object. Jacques pulled off the VR goggles and stared at the apple in disbelief.
"Where did this come from?"
"I told you—it's all real. This is a new VR game. My part-time job. I love making games, you know?" Sigma chuckled.
Jacques put the VR goggles back on and took a bite of the apple, laughing. "This isn't a game."
"It is a game. But the kind where you can live in it while physically staying in one place," Sigma explained.
"It's not going to work," Jacques said skeptically. "What if I go outside the door and explore the world? If this is man-made, it has to have a limit."
Jacques reached for the door in the simulation. Light washed over him as the door opened, exposing a lively street. People were walking, cars were driving by, and the sounds of city life filled the air.
"No way!" Jacques pulled off the VR goggles and realized that the floor beneath him was actually a flexible treadmill, allowing him to move without actually going anywhere. "Okay… that makes sense."
"Jacques, you're one of the beta testers. I'll leave you to explore for a day. Tomorrow, I'll ask you what you think about my game," Sigma instructed.
"Any specific task or mission?" Jacques asked.
"No, just do what you like. You can kill the NPCs too, if you want—just like in that game." Sigma laughed.
Jacques grinned, already imagining the chaos he could unleash in a sandbox game like this.