by Alan Bard
I was likely to have a similar block of text above my head. We had passed another stage, but we were still just a bunch of noobs. I wondered how long it’d take me to reach Zeke’s level.
What exactly was a “recruit”? If that was level zero, what were the other levels? Thinking about it, I remembered Green and his stats. He was a Corporal, Zeke was a Sergeant. Were all levels named after military ranks? I doubted that they’d tell us more about any of this, so I’d have to wait to meet other players and try to pry information out of them.
***
The next morning, Rio, Eli, and I were able to stand up, looking like zombies, holding on to the wall or the headboards. Jelena was still lying around like a corpse.
From the speakers came the robotic voice we had already heard before.
“I welcome you, units! We are glad that you were able to remain in the project! You have passed the Rite of Passage, and your neural network has been activated in full. Now you are ready to embark on the great path that will lead you to the third and the most difficult rite―the Rite of Ascent. Your time in the Base is over; it is time to enter the Arena. Follow the guide. Good luck!”
Eli winced and yelled, “Hey, you crazy bastards! What are you talking about?! We can barely stand! What the hell is this Arena?!”
The door opened, and a mecha-dragon flew in, hovered in the middle of the room, looked at us, and flew out.
Rio was blinking so much I thought he had something stuck in his eye.
“Are we supposed to follow that thing?”
Eli offered Jelena his hand. Accepting it, she stood up—fear of death had overcome her apathy. Unlike us, she didn’t look shaken, so she went first. Rio and I leaned on each other and hobbled down the hallway after her. After a couple of steps, a sharp pain shot through my head, and my body stiffened up...
For some reason, I knew what was going to happen so I lay down before I had a seizure.
Glimpses of memories entered my consciousness... They flared and died out... I was being dragged down a corridor. Then there was a cabin of a car or a helicopter. Jelena’s worried face over mine... And then, darkness.
I came to myself in a grassy clearing. On the right was a mountain range, on the left, wooded hills, and above us was the blue sky, filled with smoke in the shape of a gigantic column.
Rio leaned over me.
“How are you doing, buddy?”
I was lying on the ground. My head was empty.
“Fine, I guess.”
I struggled up and looked around. Eli was lying next to me, not ill, just resting. Jelena was looking at me anxiously.
“They said something about an Arena. Where are we now?” I asked.
“They unloaded us here,” Eli explained. “They didn’t tell us anything.”
I searched my pockets and looked at my teammates. This time they hadn’t even given us knives or water.
We have to find our own food? But how?
Suddenly we heard a rustle and saw a girl emerge from behind the trees.
Name: Victoria
Age: 19
Status: Sergeant
Cohort: [Dominant]
Specialization: Mage, Psionicist
The girl had straight brown hair that reached to her slender waist, green eyes, and was dressed in a baggy camouflage outfit. There was a faint glow on her chest—did the system highlight it? It was probably thanks to the Research Mode that I could see it. She looked at us as if she was examining us. A moment later, the mask of indifference was gone, and she took a step forward with a sullen look.
“Shit! As always, I get the freaks. Get up and follow me!” She snapped her fingers and turned around.
Such rudeness made us freeze and exchange glances.
“Are you deaf? Let’s go! I’m your leader, so obey or die.”
Chapter 13
DOMINANT
Thirty-three days before the Invasion
Eli straightened his bent back, squared his shoulders, and looked up at the girl.
“Why the fuck should we listen to you?” His eyes were bloodshot, like those of an enraged bull. He did kind of look like a bull: big and muscular, with a bulging forehead and a thick neck. But instead of deadly hooves, he had big fists.
“The leader’s word is law.” Victoria looked at him scornfully. “You’re a nobody here. You either follow orders or you die. Be a good soldier and we’ll get along. Maybe. Do anything else and you’ll be in a lot of pain. A lot of pain... You might even end up dead.”
She’s talking with a deep note of sadness in her voice. That’s funny, Alpha said maliciously.
Really?
A mocking laugh was the only answer. I scratched my head, trying to make sense of the situation.
Victoria had obviously been here for a long time. It’d be nice to establish a friendly relationship with her, at least so that we could find out what the Arena was and whether we were going to be gladiators in it.
“Go to hell!” Eli hissed.
Victoria grinned.
“Insolent, are we? All right.”
Eli kept turning her against us. Rio switched his gaze between us and Victoria, not knowing what to expect.
“Look, we’ve been shit out of luck,” I said. “And here you are, a harsh Valkyrie flying over us, picking at our dying bodies. To be honest, we don’t understand shit. So, please fill us in, leader. What exactly is the Arena?”
“Yeah, it’d be nice to know something for a change,” Eli said.
“Look, soldier, you’d be wise not to ask unnecessary questions,” she said in a flat tone. “I know what I’m doing, just follow my orders.”
Nostrils flaring, Eli still couldn’t accept being bossed around.
“Why?!”
“Why? Because this is your fate. Your lives depend on me, isn’t that clear? As I’ve said, I’m your leader. God, I hate newcomers! Listen, if you have half a brain in your head, you’ll follow me; the idiots can do whatever they want. Just don’t annoy me; I’ll beat the shit out of you.”
She turned and walked away, swaying her hips.
Victoria hated noobs, and I hated arrogant bitches. The four of us remained still, watching her leave. I was wondering about the consequences of disobeying her. There definitely would be some, but for some reason, I felt that we’d be fine. I didn’t want to surrender, not again. There was a feeling that if I agreed to follow someone one more time, it’d be the end of me—I’d become a slave for good. I glanced at the others; they seemed to share my opinion.
Aren’t you forgetting something? She has fucking superpowers...
Acting on its own, my body took a few steps forward. I remembered Zeke—was it really possible that everyone here had such abilities?
A mental impact has been recorded!
The impact force exceeds your resistance by 35%.
Rio walked past me, following Victoria. He could still control the upper part of his body. He was waving his arms as if trying to hold on to the air.
“What’s happening? I don’t want to move!” he shouted as he managed to grab a tree and hug its trunk.
Eli and Jelena stood with their arms around each other. For a second, I wondered if Victoria could subdue us all.
And then my mind became empty. It took everything that I had in me to try and overcome this power of hers. My head started to ache, and the pain was getting worse with every second, as if the power was being controlled by a toggle switch. My thoughts were getting blurry, but I refused to give up. Rio was banging his head against the tree, but he didn’t let go of the trunk. Eli was on the ground, swaying and shaking his head, his eyes glistening. Jelena was motionless for a while and then she staggered after Victoria, who had disappeared between the thorn bushes.
“Shit!” Eli roared, scratching the ground.
Dizzy... jus’ a-whirlin’ dizzy...
The slightest movement caused severe pain; flickers of light danced before my eyes. Rio’s wailing reached me and I wished that I’d faint
, but that wasn’t a part of Victoria’s plan. She needed us to obey, and we’d squirm until either our heads exploded or she stopped her mental torture. Given how the players were treated here, if we died, no one would be upset...
Shit! My head! It was pounding harder; I couldn’t even think straight. I wanted some help, but I seemed to have become either deaf or the voices were silent.
“Ah, screw it. Shit! Shit!” Rio yelled and took off—our mama’s boy couldn’t stand the pain anymore.
To be honest, I, too, was ready to do anything to stop the torture. I gritted my teeth and thought, What’s the point of resisting? I need to survive, go back, kill Archie. Why am I not more morally flexible?
As if reading my mind, the pain receded and my vision cleared up slightly. I took a step toward the bushes into which Victoria had disappeared.
“Let’s go,” I said to Eli.
I expected him to say something dramatic. Something like how it was better to die on your feet than to live on your knees. But there was a relief on his sweaty face, although his eyes seemed sad. He struggled to get up and staggered after me.
Little by little, the pain and indifference melted away. There was only weakness left after the struggle with the alien force and its owner who had gotten into my mind. Victoria was waiting for us, leaned against the trunk of a tree that looked like a thuja. Beside her was Jelena, looking like a marionette whose strings had stopped being pulled, though remaining in the firm grasp of the puppeteer. The expression on Victoria’s face was cold and indifferent.
“May I sit down, ice queen?” Eli glared at her.
If looks could kill, there would’ve been one more corpse today. Victoria looked down at him.
“You may not, boy. You stand. Everyone else, do as you like.”
Looking at her, we continued to stand out of solidarity. She was right next to me, within reach... My gut was telling me to punch her, but I restrained myself, wondering if I really could knock her out before I lost control over myself again.
“I don’t give a shit about you.” Eli spat at her feet and sat down.
His face immediately contorted in pain, and he let out a groan. He tried to pretend that everything was all right, although it was obvious how hard this was for him. He was being a stubborn fool. A red stain was spreading across his shirt, and I realized that blood was running from his nose and falling onto it. I knew I had to help him out.
“Man, it’s not fair that we’re all standing here, and that you’re the only one sitting.”
I sounded silly to myself, but I couldn’t think of anything better. Eli was grateful for letting him save face. He smeared blood over his cheeks and stood up, looking around like a lost child.
“Hate and curse me all you want,” Victoria said, as if pronouncing our sentence. “Your task is to survive in the Arena, my task is to win. Frankly, I can’t do it alone. As for you, you’ll have to find a cohort anyway. Believe me, I’m not the worst leader on this island, and my advice is to accept that you’ve been handed over to me.”
What a manipulative bitch. Who recruits a team like that? We already hate her, and we see that she likes to humiliate us. The only way we’ll obey her is through her mental control.
Just chill, we need to figure out what’s happening, a voice said.
“Vicky, tell us—”
“That’s Victoria to you!” she hissed, furious as a rattlesnake ready to strike. “Even my mother did not call me Vicky! Vic-to-ri-a!”
With every syllable she spat in my face, my head ached more and more. She gave the impression of a cutthroat bitch, ready to throw a punch at me. I shrugged slightly, wincing at the pain I felt at the back of my neck.
“Okay, Victoria. So what do we do next? And, most importantly—why are we doing this? Explain it to us, please. When subordinates understand the goal, they tend to work better.”
“Subordinates? You’re just scum. Pieces of trash. I’m taking a risk by getting involved with you!” She was still furious.
“I was deceived!” Rio said indignantly. “I’m not a criminal!”
“Really?” Victoria raised an eyebrow in malicious mockery. “Don’t try to lie to me, Shorty. Tell me how you were deceived.”
Rio’s eyes bulged. Gasping for air, he seemed to start his story against his will.
“Few people know how cruel my mother was... I don’t blame her, her life was difficult. She was forty when she had me. I was an only child, and I used to get sick a lot as a kid.”
“Don’t tell me your life story. Get to the point already...”
“She died after appointing my guardians and instructing them to make me superhuman. They were told I’d go to a private school where I’d be trained. They even paid money for it!”
Our commander burst out laughing. But when my eyes met hers, the curious light in them made me feel uncomfortable.
“Ha-ha! That’s funny, I mean, they almost told you the truth. You’ll indeed become superhuman, but not for long. Most of us die in the Arena. Also...” She paused. Either it was my imagination, or Rio’s story had upset her.
If only you had her abilities in court! You wouldn’t have been sentenced, a voice whispered.
“What do we need to do here?” I asked.
“Develop your abilities and win in the Arena.”
“What is this Arena?” I continued. “What are the rules? Is it like the Coliseum?”
“Have you ever heard about Battle Royale? It’s every man for himself, but with the opportunity to form teams, that is, cohorts. The one who came up with all these names was clearly a fan of the Roman Empire, Lost, and computer games. Anyway, we develop, survive, and fight. That’s it!”
My brain was trying to sort all this out.
We don’t have sufficient info to draw any conclusions, Alpha said in a tired voice.
Well, there’s a lot of little gaps that need to be explored, Beta said, voice alive with curiosity.
At this point, the distant roll of drums mingled with the slight rustling of the leaves. The conjunction of the sounds caused the still atmosphere to vibrate around me. The sound grew louder, then it stopped. After a while, it came from the direction of the rocks. We could hear the sound echoing and rolling down the mountains. Victoria got nervous, constantly looking around, and quickened her pace; we could barely keep up with her. Our cutthroat bitch turned into a cornered animal.
Is it just me or is she really scared? I asked, but no one answered me.
She was kind of twitchy—at first it seemed like she was a girl of steel, ruthless and cold, but now it seemed like she was broken, as if she knew that she was doomed.
“What’s that sound?” Rio asked. He was nervous, twisting his head and glancing over his shoulder.
“The breath of death,” Victoria said with hatred, not turning around.
“Uh, what does that mean?” Rio asked.
“The song of the shaman, the chief gravedigger of the Alliance. Most likely, you’ll die at his hands.”
A shaman, shit! Well, this doesn’t bode well, I thought.
My imagination conjured up a black mass, a voodoo ritual—such music was hardly used for good deeds. Fortunately, the song was slowly dying away; only in my head, the drum was still pounding.
Maybe her enemy is our friend? I mean, we should give it a thought, Beta suggested.
Victoria turned around and slowly said, “And now you should join my cohort. Accept the invitation!”
A text appeared before my eyes.
Sergeant [Victoria] invites you into the [Dominant] cohort.
The leader has the right to give orders.
Eli was already on edge, and that... That was the last straw.
“Should we?!”
“Yes, you idiot! I’m a freaking mage and you’re a nobody. You’re not even fighters yet! Lousy recruits! Your Core hasn’t even built up a shell yet, so what can you do against me, with my constantly energized Contour?”
“Core?” Rio asked, extremely
intrigued. “Contour? What are you talking about?”
She stared at us with disdain.
“That’s just it. Most of you will never even see your Core or Contour, never feel it, and certainly never gain access to it. You’ll be stuck, and the deeper understanding of what’s happening to your bodies will remain unknown to you.”
Eli swore under his breath. I gave him a look which meant that he needed to get his shit together, and he seemed to understand me.
“What if we say no?” I asked in a harsh voice.
“You still don’t get it. You do not have a choice. It was a lie. You’re MY property! They gave you to me! Whether you like it or not, you’ll be under my command. It’s just that, uh, some features will depend on whether you do it voluntarily or not.”
“What does that mean?” Eli asked.
“Geez, you’re dumb as a lamppost. Okay, let me explain. If you join voluntarily, you’ll just be following orders. If not—” She looked at him with contempt, making him back away a little. I was willing to bet that he remembered the recent pain. She then glanced at me, as if looking for my support. Did she think that I was the leader?
It won’t be hard to make a deal with a spoiled girl, Alpha commented. The question is whether it’s worth it. What can we gain from this?
Just being next to her is dangerous. It’s not like jail. We can lose ourselves. She can put our mind in a cage, Beta said. I suggest we try to punch her and knock her out. Mages, mentalists, psychics—we either kill them or we lose. There’s no negotiating with those who have a superiority complex.
Putting all our eggs in one basket—for some reason, I was sure that I wouldn’t get a second chance—is not how I do things.
“What’ll happen to us if we win?” I asked calmly, though I still wasn’t sure what I should do. “If we help you win, can we expect freedom?”
“You can count on me to be more lenient with you. Yes...” She nodded. “More lenient. If we win, I’ll let you go and do what you please!”
There was something in her voice that made me think that she wasn’t lying.
I mentally touched the message and felt my entire body tingle.
[Nick], you have joined the [Dominant] cohort.
