The Rites: Ethos Society Part One

by Chloe Gunter

  Everyone broke apart, going to their respective mats stationed around the gym as I walked towards Reed, my nerves unsettled. While he may have been my mountain man and best friend one minute, I knew for a fact that he could easily kill me in more ways than I could count. Not that I thought he would, it’s just that I knew it was going to take a hell of a lot to get the upper hand on him and to impress him. He stood in front of me, not saying a word as the tension between us grew.

  "Let's do this mountain man, and don't you dare go easy on me."

  "I would never do you that disservice," Reed said solemnly, moving onto the mat as we began to circle each other.

  He had at least a hundred pounds and almost a foot on me. To even have a chance at taking him down, not only would I have to be fast, but I would have to play it smart, using his weight against him. An idea began to form in my mind, slightly risky, but it may have been the only shot I would have.

  Reed patiently stood ready across from me, making no move to begin the ultimate dance we were about to unleash. Steeling my nerves, I lunged towards him, striking out with my right hand. He easily batted it out of the way before coming back to position and shaking his head.

  "Stop thinking, you're telegraphing your moves. Come at me DeWitt. Show me what you've got."

  I attacked, holding nothing back. Every strike I made, Reed was there, performing a counter move. He had yet to attack, instead, he was making me do all the work and leaving me to be the one to break a sweat. I didn't want to put in motion the idea I had, mainly because it made me feel like a conniving bitch, but I wasn't going to get the upper hand any other way and I didn't want to go down without a fight.

  "Are you just going to block me all day, mountain man?" I taunted. "I thought you said not to hold anything back? I think it’s only fair if you show me the full extent of what you can do."

  Reed cocked an eyebrow at me and I put my hand out, palm up, and motioned for him to come and get me.

  He was direct in his movements and surprisingly swift. He breached my zone and pulled a punch to my ribs, I knew he was still holding back, but fuck, that had hurt. I made sure to not let him see my flinch upon impact, and drove my knee up hard into his chest. Not the smartest move admittedly, as it was like hitting a solid ass wall.

  I just needed to take a few more hits before I could turn the tables. I hung on for the next five minutes, trying my best to counter him. I saw his hips switch to the side and I knew he was about to try and sweep me off my feet, and not in the romantic kind of way. I readied myself, prepared to fall in the perfect way. Sure enough his leg swept mine, and I went down. Hard.

  "Fuck!" I cursed, infusing my voice with pain as I kept my body angled away from him, cradling my arm to my chest.

  I heard him quickly come behind me, leaning down to place a hand on my shoulder, checking to see if I was alright. I grasped his arm quickly with both hands, and used his momentum and weight to flip him on his back before I quickly straddled him, keeping his arm in a vice.

  His eyes sparked and I held my breath, revelling in every emotion that ran across his face: relief, surprise, and at last mirth. I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he wasn't mad at me and released his arm.

  "Well, aren't you full of surprises," he said with a laugh.

  Our bubble was broken when we realized we had drawn a crowd, no doubt at my wail of 'pain' or the thud of Reed hitting the mat. Noticing that my thighs were still wrapped around his torso, I quickly moved to a standing position before turning to Reed and offering him a hand. He graciously took it, while turning to address the onlookers.

  "And that, agents, is what I meant about using every advantage available to you."

  "And then, she laid my ass out," Reed laughed, "after I, being the upstanding gentleman that I am, went to make sure she was alright."

  "Dear Charlotte, you're a little spitfire aren't you," Ramsey said mockingly. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you." He looked at Reed with unmistakable lust in his eyes.

  "And that's my cue to go to bed boys. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," I said jokingly as I moved to take my dishes and put them in the dishwasher.

  "And what wouldn't you do, Char?" Reed wiggled his eyebrows at me. "Do you have diagrams? Maybe some of you and Gavin reenacting them?"

  "Only in your dreams, mountain man."

  "Before you retire to your bedroom Charlotte, we were wondering if you wanted to go to Veritas tomorrow? It should be a good turn out."

  "Sure, that sounds fun. I'll talk to Gavin and see if he wants to join too. Night boys," I said before I made my way to my room.

  After getting ready for bed, I checked my phone and noticed I had a waiting text from an unknown number containing four lines of text.

  Tomorrow.

  0600

  Avoid detection or fail the Rite.

  The final line of the message contained a set of coordinates.

  Looked like I was going to need my beauty sleep after all. The first Rite was about to commence.

  I woke up and showered, dressing in a black long-sleeve shirt and matching pants, then pulled my hair into a low sleek ponytail. Sliding my phone in my pocket, I snuck out of the apartment, making sure to scan my surroundings before I made my way out of the building to head toward the perimeter fence.

  The coordinates led to a location in the heart of the forest on the back half of the facility and I was betting my ass that it had something to do with the locked storm doors I had stumbled across the first day I arrived. If so, they really should have hid them better.

  Dawn was breaking over the horizon as I made my way into the first patch of trees. The ground was soft beneath my feet as I moved silently over the roots and scattered branches. I pulled out the GPS on my phone, following it the last few minutes until I reach the specified location. Hello doors, my old friends.

  The lock was noticeably missing from the doors, in fact, they weren't even covered by any fallen debris this time. I heaved them open and peered inside.

  Beyond the metal doors was a steep staircase leading down, barely illuminated by one single sconce adorning the walls. I stepped down a few stairs before turning back to pull the doors shut behind me, thankful for the handle grips on the inside as well. I noticed a metal casing that housed unlit torches on the wall and took one, lighting it on the lone lit sconce.

  I was met with an eerie silence as I descended the stairs and followed the hall leading to the main room. I had no doubt that this room was where I had awoken the time before. I guess now that I had pledged myself to the Rites, it afforded me this permission. It sure as hell beat getting knocked out.

  Placing my torch in an open holder at the bottom of the stairs, I surveyed the space. In the dim candlelight I saw six other people already in the room, dressed similarly to me, and waiting. None of them were talking to each other, no doubt taking precautions that we were absolutely being watched. I heard steps behind me and turned to see, to my extreme surprise, Gavin, looking sleep rumpled and slightly pissed off. I moved to greet him, now knowing that he too had accepted but was cut off by a swarm of ten cloaked figures entering the room.

  "Welcome novitiates. All eight of you have sworn and accepted to complete the Rites upon death or dismemberment."

  Well, that was one hell of an introduction. I really hoped he meant an end to the pending membership, and not an actual loss of limbs.

  "As we mentioned previously, the Ethos Society is based on the core tenets of intelligence, teamwork, and trust. Before I brief you all on your first Rite, we have one order of business we must take care of, your handles. At no point in time are you ever to use your true identity on these premises or, should you survive the Rites, on mission communications."

  "The choice of handle is up to you, but choose wisely, because it will be final."

  One of the cloaked figures glided closer to us, holding a gilded tray in front of them which contained eight identical keys. "As you take a key, announce your handle for your sponsors
, the masters in attendance, and your fellow novitiates to hear."

  The figure started at the other end of our loose line and I racked my brain for a handle I could live with. One after one, people accepted their key and announced their new names. My mind was occupied and I missed a few handles, as I tried running through different options in my mind. I could feel the tension in my shoulders as it drew closer to my time to select. Until the figure was right there, in front of me.

  A dark swirling void.

  The hood still revealed nothing and I felt uneasy about having one of my greatest assets taken away. Tells, regulators, inflections, they were all taken away by the opposing blackness shrouding the figure. I raised my hand, doing my best to keep it steady, as my fingers grasped around the cool metal key.

  "And what handle have you chosen novitiate?"

  "Bird,” I declared, in an even voice, grabbing a key off the tray.

  A once used nickname given to me by my sister, Alicia, when we were younger, it held a special place in my heart. I knew that if I chose it to be my handle, that it would remind me why I was doing this. Why I would sacrifice anything to make the world a better place for people like her.

  I gazed back at the darkness, waiting for some kind of acknowledgement, or hell, even a few words spoken in confirmation from the figure in front of me. But instead, they just moved on to the last of us, Gavin.

  "What handle have you chosen for yourself novitiate?" the figure asked of him in the same ominous tone.

  I turned to face him, not caring if the society could see my interest to his response. For all they knew it could be written off as genuine curiosity. I was cautious to keep my deep feelings for Gavin to myself and off my face though, especially after Ramsey's ominous warnings and the steps he had taken to protect himself and Reed.

  His eyes briefly met mine, and I could see curiosity across his features, most likely from my own chosen handle. He met the unyielding void of the figure and gazed silently, his fist tightening at his sides. I knew this was a stressful situation, but I hadn't seen Gavin exhibit these signs of aggression before.

  "Anorak."

  The figures’ head tilted to the side, the only clue as to how they felt as Gavin claimed his key. Sweeping a hooded gaze down the line, the figure withdrew and moved to stand among the semicircle of society members.

  Another figure stepped forward and swept an arm in front of them in a wide arc. Icy air hit me as I dragged in a surprised gasp, suddenly shivering from the drop in temperature.

  "Behind you are eight identical doors that lead to eight identical rooms that contain information on eight identical people."

  I turned quickly around and saw that indeed, where there had been a stone pedestal before, now stood a row of intimidating metal doors against a smooth stone wall. What the fuck just happened?

  "You will have ten minutes to decide who poses the greatest threat to you. At the end of ten minutes, the alarm will sound and you will have exactly five seconds to say who poses the greatest threat. Choose correctly, and you will be granted five minutes with your sponsor and a chance to take on the second Rite. Choose incorrectly, and that will be your end."

  No pressure here, just an ominous threat hanging over our heads while they expect us to perform.

  "Your time starts now."

  An alarm sounded and I raced to the door directly behind me, quickly unlocking the door and sweeping my gaze across the space in front of me. The room was modern and sleek, in sharp contrast with the stone and gothic tones of the chamber we were just in. A metal desk and matching chair sat in the center of the room where a stack of files and a laptop were waiting. But what drew my eye most about the room was the camera in the corner and the digital display next to it that boasted a countdown timer.

  No doubt they were watching and analyzing every move I made. If I were them, I'd be doing the exact same thing. Watching someone work revealed a lot about someone, how they prioritized, what strengths they had. For instance, while I was in no way technologically inept, I knew my time was better spent pouring over those files than trying to do a deep dive hack for any personal information of the eight potential threats.

  Sitting at the desk, I quickly spread the files out in front of me. Looking at the thickness of the files and the color of the envelopes to see if I noticed any discrepancies that may be able to clue me in. All eight were identical color and thickness, the only difference the names labeled on the tabs. They had been stacked alphabetically, so I picked up the first file and dove in, speed reading the files one after another until I had gone through the entire stack. I glanced up to the screen.

  Five minutes left.

  Inhaling through my nose I let out a deep breath. Age. Sex. Religion. Family ties. Financials. Lovers. I went through each category thoroughly looking for any glaring outliers that may lead me to the greatest threat.

  None of this made any fucking sense. I could have run deep profiles on each of them and they probably all would have still read flat.

  One minute left.

  Fuck! Against my better judgement I opened the computer, only to find that it had a generic browser and nothing saved on the hard drive.

  Frantic, I ran my fingers along the computer, the files, hell, I even looked underneath the table trying to see if I had missed something tangible that would clue me into who was the biggest threat.

  Sweat beaded across my face as a red light on the wall started flashing, signally I was running out of time. The clock had mere seconds left, and I felt my heart rate increase.

  A shrill buzz filled my ears before the red light held, and a new countdown appeared on the screen.

  "Novitiate, your answer?"

  5.

  4.

  3.

  There were zero fucking motives for them to be a threat to me.

  2.

  The only threat to me was...

  "Me!" I screamed, before the last second warning rang out.

  I slammed my fist against the table. Raw, unfiltered honesty hung in the air. My breaths coming quick as I glanced up, the slick anonymity of the camera lens silently mocking me from the corner of the room.

  Red light glowed against the stone walls, marking the sleek room filled with silence.

  "Explain."

  "You asked who poses the greatest threat to me," I shoved out of my chair violently before taking it and placing it below the camera, then climbing on top of it. "Those people have no effect on my personal wellbeing. In this situation, it’s just you and me."

  I stared into the camera unflinchingly. Anger coursed hot through my veins.

  "And yet you chose yourself, Bird?" The voice said mockingly, as I leaned even closer to the lens.

  "I am the sum of my choices and actions," I spoke slowly, enunciating every word. "If I let myself feel threatened, then that responsibility lies with me. Whether I succeed or fail isn't up to you and your fucking games. It's up to me."

  I jumped off the chair and plopped my ass on the table, my fingers grasping the edge tightly. I wanted to believe that I hadn't made the wrong choice, not only with the test, but with choosing to undergo these Rites. I had based my choice on a gut feeling, which if I trusted myself would be fine. But these people, this society, had me questioning everything like I was some kind of novice. Fuck that.

  I clenched my jaw and waited in the stilted silence that would determine my future. Suddenly, the light turned off and the door swung open to reveal another nameless, faceless, hooded figure.

  "Come with me, we have five minutes before you must go."

  Knowing immediately from their words that this was my sponsor, Whistler, I jumped off the table and quickly followed them to the familiar alcove that we spoke in before.

  Turning to lay into them, they raised their black cloth covered palms to try and hold me off.

  "I know you're upset, it’s understandable."

  "I don't like being fucked with, that’s not what I signed up for," I growled, sitting on the
stool and rubbing the sweat from my palms off on my pants.

  "Ask me what you want to know and I'll answer as much as I can," they said solemnly.

  "I'm assuming since I'm still here my answer was acceptable. Was there more than one correct answer."

  "Yes of course, although, you did surprise us. No one has ever given that particular answer before."

  "How many failed the first Rite?" I asked, wanting to know just how steep the grade was.

  "A fourth of you failed, which, is completely normal. You'll probably lose another fourth in the next Rite, and out of the ones remaining, only half of you will probably survive the last Rite. Most cycles only one novitiate passes, though it’s not uncommon to have a cycle where no one successfully completes the Rites."

  That was a shit ton of information to process, more than I originally asked. Which meant that my sponsor wanted me to succeed. Having someone in my corner meant a lot, especially if there was going to be more bullshit to wade through.

  "What can you tell me about the second Rite?" I asked, hoping for any information that could possibly give me an edge.

  They let out a chuckle, which with the voice modifications sounded like a robot malfunctioning.

  "Not much I'm afraid, only that it will test your teamwork abilities." Well, at least that was something. I had already figured that each Rite was following the core tenets, but to have some type of confirmation was comforting. My mind went to Gavin and I wondered if he had made it through.

  "The other... novitiates," I said, testing the word, "that made it through, can I talk to them outside of this? If I got to know them a little better than that might help this whole teamwork thing."

  "The ones who failed will no longer remember you or their involvement in this process, Bird. As for the other five who managed to complete the first Rite with you, you may approach them, but you'll be unable to talk about anything related to the Ethos Society."

  "What's going to stop me?" I asked, not liking how that particular information was phrased.

  "I'm afraid that's another thing I can't divulge, I'm sorry. One minute left, little Bird."