"Well...I certainly didn't expect to be back here so soon..."
Benson sighed, shaking his head as a pair of men carried out the body bag.
"H-how could something like this happen..."
Emi whimpered with her hands on her head.
After Xander had cried out and fallen to the floor, everybody else in the building quickly came running, only to burn the horrific image of Tanner's mauled body and face into their mind.
"Nobody has ever died in this building...in the Maze, but...never here..."
Muttered Wilbur, pacing back and forth.
Eden was sat beside Emi, gently rubbing her back.
"Well, who did it then?"
Kalmin asked firmly.
"What?"
Benson frowned.
"Come on, there's spycam's all over this place and you creeps watch them all the time, you should have solid evidence from the camera in the kitchen. Clearly, someone's switch went rogue last night and that person doesn't want to admit it."
"See, that's the weird part..." Benson said, rubbing the back of his neck, "...for the first time, all the cameras suddenly cut out for a moment. Just a moment. On the footage, kitchen's empty. It all goes black, then there's the body. Bout an hour later, Ward walks in. And we've thoroughly searched the place, there's zero evidence that anybody here did it."
"What, are you trying to say he did it himself?"
Eden frowned.
"Kid, did you see the body? The boy couldn't have done that to himself if he wanted to. No, I agree with Windsor. It was clearly a switch. But nobody in here is able to shut down our cameras. At least, not that we know of..."
"Well, when we switch, we remember what happened, right?" Kalmin said, "Even if it takes some time to come to us, by now, whoever did it should be aware they have. So just speak up now and let's get this over with."
"Right again, Windsor." Nodded Benson, "However, there is one of you who not only has been reported to not remember what happened during their switch, but also is currently unaware of their abilities."
Suddenly, Xander felt every pair of eyes that fell upon him and was immediately overwhelmed with anxiety.
Was it him?
But even the first time he switched, he could remember parts. He didn't remember even waking up that night, aside from when he found the body.
Plus, there was no blood on his hands or clothes.
Though, there wasn't on anyone else's either...
Emi looked around, noticing where the others were staring.
"...what? No, are you guys crazy? Of course it wasn't, Xander! He wouldn't do something like this!"
"But his switch might. I'm not saying he's to blame, not at all. It's just that, let's be frank, he's the only option that actually makes sense here."
Said Kalmin, bluntly.
"No, he...I-I did it! It was my switch, you don't need to blame him!"
"Stop trying to cover for the boy, Emilia." Benson frowned, "We know your switch by now, she wouldn't leave a body like that. No, there was more to it. This feels like...a message. Like they were trying to prove a point."
"I don't want to point any fingers..." Wilbur began, "But...let's say it was Xander, what happens then?"
"Well, we haven't had a situation like this before." Benson thought, "There was no test, no permission given to fight...but if it was a switch, I suppose the kid couldn't really be blamed for it..."
