I’m confident we’ll come up with some good ideas the more we practice. “We still have a few days to work on things, and I’m sure we’ll get it figured out. Dean and I have to bounce, though. I promised Grayson we’d go over some of his research. Want to meet up again later tonight?”
Talia extends her fist and taps it against mine. “Sounds good. We’ll see you later. Chadwick, let’s run it through one more time.”
A few minutes after we log out, there’s a knock on the door. Dean answers and lets Grayson inside.
“Alright, let’s get straight to business.” Grayson sits down at the kitchen table and pulls out his tablet. “I’ve gone over everything I can find about Portal Pass. It’s an interesting raceworld since it essentially blends multiple tracks together using portals to connect each stage. Some of the stages have death traps or falls that can set you back a great deal. My guess is that they’ll throw in a few tricks that no one is expecting. How did the trial runs go?”
Dean takes a seat next to Grayson and answers. “Not good. Even with Talia and Chadwick watching our backs, we never did all that great.”
Grayson nods. “She’s a good one to have on your side. If you were going to pick an ally, she’s the one to go with. I’m assuming Esil is the driver, and you’re the gunner?”
I join them at the table. “You assume right.”
“Aside from the portals, the thing that really sets this race apart from the others are the elements each gun uses. As you pass over certain areas of the track, you gain elemental charges for your weapons, this is in addition to any items you have. You can store and cycle through the elements at your disposal, three charges per gun if I recall correctly. This is what will offer the most strategy. The most common elements are fire, water, ice, wind, electricity, earth, and poison, but there may be new ones in the next round. Each one has a counter, but more importantly, they can also pair together to make different outcomes. Do you know why this is important?”
Dean shrugs. “I don’t know. It’s not like we can fire two guns at once.”
Grayson stares him down. “Come on, kid. Use your brain. Why is this important?”
Dean scrunches his eyes as he thinks it over. “Because of target fire?”
“Exactly!” Grayson grins. “For one, you can fire at someone who is already being targeted to activate a bonus effect. But most importantly, if you are able to stay close to Talia, then you can coordinate together.”
“That’s not a bad idea.” I chime in. “We should probably get a list of how all of the elements work and counter one another.”
“No need. Check your messages.” Grayson winks.
I open my tablet and find a message from him. Inside is a list with each element’s counter as well as how they gel with other elements.
“Wow!” Dean scrolls through his tablet. “Lightning and wind make a lightning cloud? And wind and poison make toxic gas? I was wondering why our shield was draining when we weren’t actually covered in poison. This is so cool!”
Grayson opens another document on his tablet. “I’m glad you find it helpful, but what I really want to talk about is the competition. You need to know what to expect with these people.”
I lean in a little closer. “What have you got?”
Our competition hasn’t crossed my mind much since the initial interviews. Now that we’re about to enter the PVP section of the tournament, it’s time to learn as much as possible.
A second message pops up with a copy of Grayson’s list.
He taps the tablet as he shows it to us. “I’ve put together what I think are the strongest teams, but I’ve got notes on just about everyone. Let’s start with the gnomes, Benny Reid and Yvonne Powers. If you recall, they were the only ones to make it to the control room without engaging in combat at all.”
“How did they manage that?” asks Dean.
“Here, activate share screen and I’ll show you.”
I receive a notification for Grayson to share his screen with me, and I accept. A video appears on my tablet and starts playing. Two humans wearing the same gray unitards sneak between a line of tanks.
“Wait, I thought you said they were gnomes?” Dean looks confused.
“They are normally, but everyone was given a human avatar for stage one. Now watch.” Grayson taps his tablet and the video plays. One of the figures activates a pulse grenade and tosses it between a group of parked hovercraft. After a short delay, the grenade activates, pulling all nearby vehicles toward one another. The loud crash lures the ooze beasts from the tunnel, and they are able to bypass them.
A new clip plays, showing the pair stuck in the tunnel between the lizard people and a spiky cat-wolf creature. They activate a handful of plasma grenades in the hallway. After they explode, the doors to the crew quarters open and lizardfolk spill out into the hallway in the direction of the noise. The two sneak behind one as he rushes toward the crash and lock themselves inside the quarters as the lizardfolk and cat-wolf devour one another.
“I looked up their history, and Benny has won several puzzle and strategy tournaments. They use distraction and their surroundings to their advantage. I’d be careful of these two. They might not fight you directly, so be wary of getting lured into a trap. You can watch the clips in detail later, but you get the picture.”
He closes out the clip and opens another. “These two are pretty genius as well. Lyle Hagan and Aliya Diaz. You may remember him as the vampire who gave his apprenticeship to the first player to kill him. Check this out.”
Lyle and Aliya sit in an armored tank as it drives through a wide tunnel. Dozens of hairless, bear-like creatures cling to the tank. Lyle drives the tank into a hangar filled with more vehicles and parks it in the center. A silver glow surrounds the tank as they activate a pulse grenade inside. A moment later, the surrounding vehicles are pulled in violently, crushing the bears beneath their weight.
“Holy…” Dean’s voice trails off. “That was brutal.”
We go over numerous highlights, and by the time we’re done, I feel like I finally have an idea of how some of the teams operate. The majority have one person calling the shots, usually the champion, while the apprentice follows orders, but a few operate as a team, letting each other’s strengths guide their decisions.
Dean is a valuable asset, so I want to make sure that he’s given the opportunity to shine. With his accuracy and precision, having him on the gunner is the smart choice.
We finish up with Grayson and after a quick break for dinner, we spend the rest of the evening with Talia and Chadwick. Our new info comes in useful, and we’re actually able to put some of the combos to use. For the first time, one of us makes the top ten.
“Nicely done!” Talia congratulates us. “Let’s end on a high note. I think we might finally be making progress. See you in the morning?”
“We’ll see you then.” I clasp her around the forearm.
Chadwick and Dean high-five as we say our good-byes.
My notifications flash, and I’m surprised when I receive a message from Aleesia. With the tournament in full-effect, I’ve barely seen her the past few days.
Esil,
It’s been a crazy week but I finally have some free time tomorrow if you want to grab dinner. I’d love to finally meet Dean in person.
-Aleesia
I can’t help but smile. Aleesia has always been a comforting presence for me, and it’ll be nice to have dinner and not worry about the stress of the tournament for a little bit. I’m sure Dean will have tons of questions for her as well.
I pat Dean on the back. “Alright, let’s get out of here and get some rest.”
Chapter Twenty
The day passes quickly as Dean and I spend the morning and early afternoon training with Talia and Chadwick. We work on formations, pacing, and not losing one another when something goes awry. By staying together and coordinating our attacks, our average finishing position continues to improve. We even finish in the top ten a handfu
l of times.
After we log out, Dean and I prep dinner as we wait for Aleesia to show up. Normally, I buy food from the cafeteria or have it delivered by drone, but tonight, Dean and I will be cooking. I bought a meal kit that comes with everything we need to make herb-crusted chicken with potatoes and green beans.
I tease Dean as he chops the small red potatoes into quarters. “Be careful with the knife. I don’t want you chopping off your fingers before the tournament is over.”
“Hey, I know you want to impress your girlfriend, but I’ve never cooked before. I can’t be held responsible if you find a finger in your potatoes.” He grins as the knife clacks against the cutting board with each slice. “I bet it was weird for you when you first moved here.”
It’s a statement, but I can tell by the way he continues to stare that it’s really more of a question.
“Yeah, it took some getting used to. Even compared to Civic City, this was a major change. I went from having everything I knew in one small room to having the freedom to go and do as I pleased.”
Dean sets the knife down, and his face goes serious. “Is this what things used to be like before?”
Before. It’s hard for me to think about what things might have been like back then. Back before the whole world went belly up and the unfortunate ones were locked away in boxes. “I don’t know. I feel like we’re a long way from how things used to be.”
I remember the special world created for the Pangea Developers. The one where my dad hid my present for my nineteenth birthday. It was full of houses so close together with front yards and sidewalks that were meant to be used. He said it was modeled after the way towns used to be built. When families were a part of a community.
Here, even now, there’s no real sense of community. We say hi to one another, but people still interact within Pangea. Sure, I hang out and have dinner with Buzz and Grayson, but when we spend quality time together, it’s almost always in a digital world. Part of me feels like that wasn’t always the case. The world, the real world, doesn’t seem to have all that much to offer anymore.
A knock at the door breaks us away from our existentialism.
When I open the door, Aleesia wraps her arms around me.
She squeezes tight. “I’ve missed you. It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve seen your cute face.” She kisses me on the cheek.
“I’ve missed you too.” I pull her in tighter, burying myself in her black hair and enjoying the scent of her lavender shampoo. “It’s been a busy time for both of us, that’s for sure.”
She looks longingly into my eyes before releasing me and turning to Dean. “And you must be Dean. It’s nice to meet you face to face. How are you liking it at headquarters?”
Dean blushes. This may be the first time he’s been face to face with a beautiful female. “It’s nice. Way different than what I’m used to.”
“Oh, I bet. What are you making?”
She and Dean engage in small talk while I finish up with the chicken. After his initial nerves wear off, I notice him visibly relax as Aleesia talks to him about her schooling and the internship.
“Are you serious?” His eyes go wide. “You’re just an intern and they are letting you work on full-immersion? That’s insane! You are living the dream.”
She laughs. “It’s a lot of work—I mean, a lot—but I really do love it. It’s like real-life magic to be able to feel and truly experience another world.”
Once the food is prepped and in the oven, we sit around the table with a deck of cards playing Go-Fish and chatting. The cards are old with frayed edges. Benjamin gave them to me when I first moved in. He said that the developers used to play cards when trying to work through new ideas back in the day. It’s possible that at some point in the past, my dad held these very same cards in his hands.
“So do you know what is coming in the next stages?” Dean hands Aleesia a seven of hearts.
She places four sevens on the table, and then asks me for a three, but I don’t have one.
“Go fish.” I smirk as she scrunches her nose.
She draws from the deck. “I know what’s happening in the final stage, but your guess is as good as mine for stage two. It’s not my department.”
“Well?” Dean leans forward, desperate for information.
“Nice try.” I laugh. “But if she’s not telling me, then I doubt you’re getting any info out of her. Now, Dean, do you have a queen?”
He grumbles as he hands me two queens. They complete my set and I place all four on the table.
“Nice, now, Aleesia, do you have a three?” I wink.
“You son of a—” She slides me the card across the table and my alarm system beeps, alerting me that a package has been delivered.
“That’s weird. I’m not expecting anything.” I place my cards face down and go to the door.
Outside, there are two black plastic boxes stacked on top of one another. They look almost identical to The Boxes we opened inside the maintenance shaft at the beginning of stage one. Sleek with two latches on each side. A packing slip is attached to each box, one labeled for me and the other for Dean.
I bring the packages inside. Both boxes have a digital lock on the outside preventing them from being opened, so I check the packing slip and find a note inside.
Esil Allen,
Congratulations once again on advancing to stage two of the tournament! The package before you has been shipped preemptively to all contestants for use during stage three. The lock will be opened upon completion of stage two. If for whatever reason you do not advance, the lock will remain in effect and a drone will be sent to retrieve the package.
-Pangea Online Developers
Dean glances from the paper in his hand to the package and then back to me. “What do you think this is?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure, but I’d be willing to bet that it has something to do with Aleesia’s mysterious project.”
She pulls her thumb and index finger across her mouth as if zipping it shut. “You’re not getting anything out of me.”
Before long, dinner is ready. Dean inhales his food like he’s never eaten before, not all that different from Buzz.
“This is so good,” he manages to get out between bites. “I didn’t even know food like this existed. It’s so much better than the packaged meals we get in The Boxes.”
Aleesia smiles. “And you guys made it all by yourselves. If this meal is any indication of your teamwork, then you’re gonna go far in this tournament.”
“You’re in an awfully chipper mood,” I tease.
She rolls her eyes. “Oh, stop. It’s just nice to actually have some time to myself.”
“Well, you know we would love to spend the evening with you, but I promised Talia we would run some more trial runs after dinner.”
She stabs a piece of chicken with a fork. “I understand. You do what you have to do to win. I have a nice, hot bubble bath calling my name at home.”
Dean’s mouth drops open, displaying bits of unswallowed food. “Wait, you have a bathtub? With bubbles? All we have are cold showers at the orphanage.”
“Ah, I remember those. They build character.” I laugh at the memory of the frigid cold water. “No need to fear, at least we have hot water here.”
Aleesia looks at us with a shocked expression. “Are you serious? You don’t have hot water?”
I shrug. “You get used to it.”
“That’s…” She searches for the words. “…not right.”
Dean scrapes the last bits of food off his plate. “I’d say that’s about the least of our problems.”
Aleesia’s cheerful disposition instantly sours. She has a good heart and hates to see others suffering. But the truth of it is she’ll never really understand. Cold water is par for the course. The real injustice is that the system is designed to keep everyone stuck there. I’ve helped those I can, but it will never be enough until they are treated as more than just people from The Boxes.
But this is nothing new. We’ve had this talk in a million different ways. For now, it’s best to focus on the tournament, on helping the one person I know I truly can.
After cleaning the table, I pull Aleesia into my bedroom to talk privately. “I know you’re upset, but this has been my and Dean’s life for as long as we can remember. I don’t want to dwell on how bad things are for him back there, but show him how good things can be when he gets out. We just need to get through the tournament.”
She leans into my chest. “I just wish there was more we could do. I know I told you to focus on those that you can help, but meeting him, knowing that there are so many more just like him… I guess it never really hit me before. The world is a mess.”
I take her face in my hands and look into her glistening eyes. “All we can do is try to make it a little better each day. Now, get out of here and enjoy your bubble bath.”
I kiss her gently on the nose and she wipes away the tears that threaten to overflow.
Aleesia hugs Dean on the way out, thanking him for dinner. She may be going to rest, but for us, we’re just getting started.
Chapter Twenty-One
Over the next two days, we train like our lives depend on it. With each race, as we continue to gel with Talia and Chadwick, I become increasingly aware that this alliance will not last forever. There can only be one winner in the end, and I’ll do everything within my power to make sure it’s me and Dean.
At some point, our goals will not align with Talia and her brother. I just hope that moment comes in stage three and not sooner.
The night before stage two is set to begin, I receive a message from the developers with the time and location for the race. Tomorrow morning, 10am, Raceworld. Only competitors will be allowed in Raceworld until the tournament begins.
Pangea Online: The Complete Trilogy Page 66
