by Logan Byrne
This was it.
Chapter Fifteen
I awoke to the sound of the morning alarm bell for the last time within the confines of these four walls. It was strong, louder than other days. My shriveled eyelids opened, my right hand going to my forehead, rubbing it, before I pushed my hair back.
It was here, the day I had both dreaded and looked forward to for the past two weeks. I had no idea when they were actually putting us in the grid; they’d never told us the time of day, like they wanted to keep it a secret from us, which made sense considering they did that with so many other things. All I knew was that it was coming, and I had better be prepared when it did.
I took solace in the comfort of my warm shower; the warm beads of water trickled down my body, my eyes closed, savoring every quickly moving second. I knew there would be no showers inside the grid, and since I’d have my senses in there, it would be something I’d miss greatly. The fluffy white towels enveloped my body as the moisture was whisked away; my movements were slow, not because I was tired, but because I never wanted it to end. Couldn’t I just live this exact moment for the rest of my life?
I got ready, wearing my last clean uniform, my street clothes still sitting in there, likely to be never worn again. They were a reminder of a different time in my life, and I didn’t forget it. I knew it had only been two weeks, a hiccup of time in the grand scheme of the universe, but to me it was an eternity ago, and I knew I had come so far.
I closed my closet doors, leaving that part of me, that reminder, inside, never to be released again. I pulled my hair back, forgoing any makeup, and walked to my bedroom door, not yet pushing the open button.
I took a deep breath, feeling a little nauseous, not like I was going to throw up, but like my stomach was begging me not to continue, even though my brain knew there was no way out of it. I had no clue what lay beyond this bedroom door; with my luck, Chet would be out there with fifty lights shining at me like spotlights, my hand going up to block the scorching heat and luminosity as he barraged me with questions. I needed to face it, though, even if that was the case. There was no running, no hiding, and worst of all, no backing out.
I looked down at my bracelet, touching it for comfort, as I closed my eyes for a moment, seeing my family there, enveloping me and making sure I was okay. I opened my eyes, a little relief taking over, as I tried to think only of them.
I pressed the button, the door opening to the same scene I’d been greeted with every morning I had spent here so far, with all of the other competitors spread apart eating breakfast. There were no lights, no producers, and best of all, no Chet Gargan. It was just a scene devoid of any real activity. Nobody was talking to one another except for a couple stray groups, though they were quiet, likely trying to keep their strategies a secret. Liam looked at me and nodded. I got my breakfast, a lighter breakfast than any other day here, before walking over towards him.
“How’d you sleep?” Liam asked as I sat down.
“Okay, I guess. I think I woke up once, but I could’ve just been dreaming. Actually waking up was brutal, though,” I said, shoving a fork through a strawberry.
“Same. I thought my ears were going to bleed when I heard that alarm go off,” Liam said.
“How are you, you know, feeling?” I asked.
“Eh, nervous, I guess. I think it’s really starting to hit me now, and according to the looks on everyone else’s faces, it’s starting to hit them too,” Liam said.
“Yeah. We all look just a little miserable,” I said, as I looked around the room.
“We still have to pick our cards before we go in,” Liam said.
“That’s right,” I said, looking at him with surprise.
I had forgotten all about picking the cards, the only thoughts in my mind being of actually entering the grid, and nothing about the logistics or our card picks. That was a whole other worry in and of itself. It was sort of like our last hurrah, our final chance to make this experience a little more bearable, even if we didn’t end up winning the competition. I was hoping and praying for something like a feast card, or at least some kind of food or water, especially water, as I knew we could go without food for a little bit if we had to. Besides, we could always gather some berries or, better yet, hunt a small animal, if need be. Well, I didn’t think that’d be so easy, but it was an option, anyway.
“Good morning, competitors,” Christian said, his shrill voice making me wince.
I continued eating, not even paying him any attention, his annoying antics not my problem today. I had enough to worry about.
“I know you all must be on edge, and tensions are high, but I just wanted to let you all know what’s going on today. We’ll be sending you into the grid a little early, a couple hours from now, actually, but before we can do that and get you all hooked up, we need to have your card picks. While you won’t get to talk to your hackers again while in the physical world, you will have direct contact with them inside the grid. I know someone asked once how that works, how you communicate with them. He or she will be hooked up to you, you’ll be able to hear them, though nobody else but your partner will also be able to. You can also talk aloud and he or she will be able to respond. Now, we’ll be doing card picks in, oh, half an hour, roughly, so finish eating and I’ll see you again soon!” Christian said.
He had a sort of enthusiasm to himself, like starting his days was some joyous holiday. I guessed we were his presents.
•••
True to his word, Christian came back half an hour later, a smile on his face as he talked to us with a tone like he was doing all of us some massive favor, bringing tidings for all to enjoy. I looked back as were about to exit the lobby for the last time; most of us did. I still had my bracelet on, never taking it off the entire time; it shimmered like my one ray of hope on a cloudy day. I knew whatever we were wearing, bracelets, watches, clothes, even our hairstyles, would transfer into the grid, WorldNet, and the competition. Even though my bracelet wouldn’t technically be real in there, I would still have it, and it would still represent something, at least to me.
I turned my head, leaving behind the image of the lobby, my makeshift home for the past two weeks, as we began our pilgrimage to wherever they were taking us to pick our cards. I had no clue if we would be filmed for it, the thought of Chet doing a play-by-play of our picks enough to make my blood boil, but I knew that I’d soon find out.
Christian and Tatiana, who seemed to be shadowing him the past couple days, guided us into a room three times the size of our holding area yesterday, though it was still nowhere near the size of the training rooms, especially Petram’s. There were large metal tables up front, with clear tops that were highly illuminated, the tops looking more like screens than anything else. There must’ve been at least sixty cards on there, rows of them.
There weren’t any chairs, but there were rows separated by colored lines, our megacity colors breaking up each straight black line. It was fairly straight-forward; neither Christian nor Tatiana actually told us what to do, as we all got in line, grouped with each other for the last time. Liam was behind me, Jamie in front of me, and Matthew in front of her. We were at the end, our city last for the picks. I clasped my hands together in front of me, hanging down in front of my lap, as I waited for further instruction.
“How this works is very simple. There are roughly seventy cards up here, each one of them different from the last. The top of the table is a screen, alerting us to which specific cards were picked up so that we may replenish that exact card for the next person. You will come up without your partner, pick however many cards you have earned, and then we’ll put them aside for you, ready to be used in the competition. You are not to look at them before getting inside the grid. This is a fairly easy process, so don’t worry. Now, if the first person here from Seattle would like to start us off, we can get this show on the road,” Christian said.
The other competitors chose their cards, with some of them going so slow that I wo
ndered if I’d ever get to go. When it was finally my turn, I anxiously walked up to the counter and looked ahead at the guard standing there. This was it.
“You have four selections,” a guard said to me, as he looked at a digiboard.
I stood in front of the middle of the table, looking down at all of them, the harsh light of the backlit table causing me to squint, though just slightly. I reached out, grabbing a card in the second row, a few spaces from the left. The spot turned red and I gave it to the guard, before I looked down, knowing I had three selections left. I scanned all of the cards, hoping I would gain magical powers to see through the backs, but all I felt was a resounding sense of nervousness. I reached out again, grabbing a card clear on the other side of the table, my fingernails grasping the sides before I picked it up, the outline turned red as I handed my selection over.
I felt nervous when I got to my fourth card, my last pick, the most important card, one could argue. There were so many cards, sixty-seven left to choose from, and I had no idea what to take. I put my hand to my mouth nervously, my head turning back and forth, up and down, over and over again. I felt my heart skip a beat, my forehead starting to perspire, before something came over me. I quickly reached down, grabbing a random card, one in the middle. I handed it to the guard, looking into his eyes, obscured by his visor. He took it, handing it to another guard, who put it in my pile. I did it.
I walked to the back of the purple line as Liam walked up to the table, taking his time, though not as long as some others or I had. He didn’t seem to give it as much thought, which I just attributed to his general confidence. He was good with things like this.
He too was soon done, walking behind me, our line moving up another spot. Christian, off to the side, walked forward, the guards up front arranging our picked cards and wrapping them up with clear plastic bands, each one with our colors and names on them. They walked off, Christian waving and saying bye, before he looked back at us, chipper as could be, though none of us reciprocated his enthusiasm.
“That wasn’t so bad, now was it?” he asked.
Nobody responded, most of us not even bothering to look him in the eyes, as we were all too busy dealing with our own internal struggles to be bothered with his stupid questions.
“You could cut the tension in this room with a butter knife,” he said, laughing. “I know you’re all nervous, but the time is almost here. Soon you’ll be taken to your pods, where you’ll be strapped down, hooked up, and sent in to the grid. I just want to take another moment to thank all of you for being here. I know you didn’t have a choice in the matter, but none of you caused any trouble during your two-week tenure and that’s greatly appreciated by Tatiana, Borgis, Quinn, Petram, and most importantly, myself. Usually we get some rotten apples, but all of you proved that we’re capable of having a relaxed, quiet, good time without any issues or problems. So, once again, thank you, and I hope you all do well.”
•••
A short hour passed between the time we left the card picking room until when we had to travel to our pods. They kept us waiting in a holding room like caged animals, some of us pacing around while others sat quietly, almost psychotically still. Our pods were all in different rooms, twelve in all, one room for each group of partners, which was a nice touch, even if it really didn’t matter all too much.
Liam and I were led down to the final pod, a white wall fencing in the end of the hallway, where there was nowhere else to go but through this door. We both walked inside, him first, and I saw something eerily familiar. It looked like the café’s pod I was in before, the lights dimmed, but instead of one chair, there were two in the middle of the room, close to one another. A television was on up above, Chet on the screen, the volume low, though still high enough to hear. He was announcing the competition. There was a timer on the screen with ten minutes left on the clock until we were sent in. There was a person inside the pod wearing all white, going over the IV, her attention being drawn once she noticed we were being brought in.
“Hi, my name is Nina and I’ll be your liaison into the grid today,” she said, smiling.
She seemed nice, her caramel-colored skin accented by shiny black hair pulled back taught, her bright white teeth matching her uniform. I was thankful we had someone polite and kind.
“Hi, I’m Liam,” Liam said.
“I’m Alexia,” I said.
“I know you’re both probably a little nervous, but I’ll be taking care of you the entire time you’re inside, and I want you to know that I take my job very seriously. I’ll make sure you transition in as cleanly as possible, and I won’t rest until you’re out,” Nina said.
“Thank you. It really means a lot to us that you care so much,” I said.
“It’s my pleasure. Now, if you would, please have a seat. It doesn’t matter which one,” Nina said.
I took the inside one closest to Nina, Liam next to me, our elbows rubbing up against one another, our hands close to touching. The seats were comfortable, if not bright, and I settled in, sinking slightly into the cushion, feeling little indents in both the armrests and footrests where the restraints would come out. I looked over towards Liam, peeking behind him, not seeing the sensory needle that goes into you, hooking you up to the grid.
“Where’s that needle thing at?” I asked.
“Oh, it’s there, you just can’t see it. We keep it hidden until you’re about to enter,” Nina said, as she prepared something behind me.
I looked forward, seeing a metal tray on the desk in front of us, a bunch of things laid out on it, though I couldn’t get a good look at what they were. I wasn’t tall enough.
I looked back at Liam, who was now taking deep breaths, though they were fairly silent, like he was trying to keep them a secret. He looked back at me, noticing me, before giving me a little smile, though definitely not a happy one.
“We’re just moments away from the start of the competition, and all of the competitors are currently being strapped into their seats as they prepare to be launched into WorldNet. We want to thank you once again for joining us today, a record number of you so far, beating out every other year we’ve been on the air. Thanks again, folks!” Chet said.
“I’m going to insert your IVs after you’re inside the grid, that way you don’t have to feel anything. When was the last time either of you went in?” Nina asked.
“A little over two weeks ago,” I said.
“Oh, so your bump is still a little fresh. It might leave a permanent mark because of it,” Nina said.
Lady, you really have no idea, I thought. A permanent mark hidden on the back of my neck was the least of my worries at the moment.
“It’s been a few months for me,” Liam said, his voice cracking a little.
I could tell he was nervous, more than he was letting on, though I didn’t judge him for it or even worry a little bit. We were going into this together, like we said, and we were going to be okay…I knew it.
“I’m going to go ahead and activate the restraints now. We’re being told that the competition is about to start,” Nina said.
Neither of us said anything. The restraints came out a second later, going slow, before they locked on our wrists and ankles. I looked straight in front of me at the wall, my mind empty, though racing at the same time.
“We’re going to begin in thirty seconds. Good luck to you both,” Nina said.
As I took deep breaths, I felt something, looking over and seeing Liam’s hand reaching for mine, his fingers extended. I reciprocated, grabbing onto his hand. I could barely grab it, because our wrist restraints were a little too tight, though I did the best I could, this gesture a sign of our loyalty to one another as well as the fact that we were in this together. He smiled, his right eye winking, and it was in that moment I really knew we were okay.
“Ten seconds,” Nina said.
I looked forward, Liam doing the same, closing my eyes, waiting for the moment to come.
“Five…four…three�
��two…one,” Nina said.
The neck rest opened up behind me, the needle dragging itself out, before it sprung forward like a coiled, angry snake, pressing through my paper-thin skin and tapping into my central nervous system.
My eyes quickly opened wide, my back arching, as I gasped loudly for air, my mind being sent into the grid and the blinding white light.
Chapter Sixteen
There was a ringing sound. The white light around me was painfully bright, my hand raising to shield my eyes as I squinted hard. I looked to my left, seeing Liam, though he didn’t look back at me, not even moving, like he wasn’t actually here. I looked forward again, seeing a blue orb floating in front of me, stopped there, like it was waiting for me.
“Hello, and welcome to WorldNet. You are competitor Alexia Meyers. Is this correct?” Gordana asked. I only knew it was her because of the distinct voice.
“Yes,” I replied.
I heard a clicking nose, the orb stuttering, before it shot away, a loud noise rumbling my brain as something shot towards us in the distance. It looked big, monstrous, and very, very green.
It was the ecosystem. I closed my eyes, my hands in front of them, before it stopped, the rumbling gone, the sound of chirping birds and buzzing insects all around me. I pulled my hands away from my eyes, opening them, my pupils adjusting to the scene of a forest all around me. I looked to my left. Liam was there, looking back at me, his eyes still a little squinted.
Everyone else was here, though we were all spread apart from one another. There was nothing besides an open field surrounded by scores of trees, all of us looking around nervously, nobody moving. I tried to move my legs, but they didn’t budge, and all I could do was move my upper half, like my legs were cemented in place. This had to have been the same for everyone, because I didn’t imagine some people, like Jason, would just sit around.
“Welcome to the grid. All twenty-four of you were randomly chosen for this year’s competition, and now that you all are here, we will soon get started. On your wrist you will find your skimmer. It is fused there, unable to come off. We have conveniently provided you with the cards you drew, attached to your waist, easily and readily available. The competition will end once both halves of the talismans are found and joined together, and the two competitors doing so will be declared the winners, eligible to receive one wish each of their choosing. Now, without further ado, we will get started in ten seconds,” Gordana said.
