by Azalea Ellis
I could imagine the surprising strength behind a punch aided by the force of gravity.
"I’ve never put even one point into Beauty." She looked each of us, as if to challenge us to argue. "I didn’t need to, since I was born beautiful, yeah?"
I couldn't help but laugh at her aggressive confidence, though inside my emotions were tinged with more than a hint of jealousy. To be born that beautiful, it was like a blessing from a fairy godmother, or a cheat code from the game of life. That beauty must have made things easier. No doubt it had much to do with her almost arrogant confidence. "I've seen you fight, too," I prompted.
"Yes, I’m also a fighter. Even before the Game. Since I was a child."
"Do you think you could train us to fight more effectively?" I asked.
"I’ve never taught, but I remember what my teachers did. Maybe I can teach. I’ll try, but I’ll need to watch you all fight, yes?" Jacky returned to her perch atop the bench.
China stood next. "My Skill…I can understand some animals, more or less."
Sam's eyebrows rose. "Like a Disney princess?"
She scowled at him, but her peach and cream complexion, big blue eyes, and thick blond hair showed a definite resemblance to a small Disney princess from the films. Except if this were a film, it would be a horror film, not all fun, acapella songs, and happily-ever-afters.
Jacky started laughing, hard. Not a beautiful laugh to match her appearance, but a snorting, rough sound that shook her whole body and irresistibly drew a laugh from me, as well. She laughed so hard she fell off her perch, and then we were all laughing.
China continued, after the mirth subsided, "I can't understand animals completely, but I get better at it as my Perception increases. And I can kinda talk back to the easiest ones, though they don't always understand me. It’s a Skill of limited use. I'm not good at close combat, but I use throwing knives and that kind of thing."
Adam stood next, once again rolling a quarter between his fingers, perhaps unconsciously. "You've already seen both of my Skills. I can manipulate electrical currents, and increase my brain's processing speed for short periods of time. High Intelligence, Mental Acuity, and Focus. Indirectly, I use all of those things to allow myself direct access to a computer's processes, and through that, even to the Internet."
"And you can call down lightning," Jacky added.
"Yeah.” He smirked. “I focus mainly on Agility when fighting. In and out, critical hits with the least possibility of damage to myself."
I nodded, pleased that he'd been honest.
Sam shook his head wonderingly. "Wow. This group's powers are strange enough, even I feel relatively normal."
"What do you do?" Jacky asked.
I had already pulled up his Window, and was looking at his Characteristic Skill in confusion.
He hesitated for a moment, and something about the strained look on his face made me step in to save him. "Sam's a healer. He saved my life after my Characteristic Trial. It was pretty amazing."
He looked at me with an indecipherable expression that might have contained relief or gratitude, but with something else locked away behind the surface. "Yeah. I can heal wounds, and poisoning, and stuff like that, as long as it's not too serious. I can't bring anyone back from the dead or anything, but…" he pointed to Adam's arm. "I could probably do something about your bone."
While Sam used Adam's broken forearm to do a demonstration, I examined his status window.
PLAYER NAME: SAMUEL HAWES
TITLE: NONECHARACTERISTIC SKILL: HARBINGER OF DEATH
LEVEL: 33
SKILLS: N/A
STRENGTH: 11
LIFE: 19
AGILITY: 12
GRACE: 12
INTELLIGENCE: 13
FOCUS: 9
BEAUTY: 13
PHYSIQUE: 12
MANUAL DEXTERITY: 10
MENTAL ACUITY: 9
RESILIENCE: 30
STAMINA: 18
PERCEPTION: 7
I tried to bring up more information on the Harbinger of Death Skill, but I could only see basic player information with the Command Skill. Even so, the words "Ruination Class" popped up. What did that mean? I remembered his words the first time we'd met. He'd said his good exterior hid something else beneath, and he'd been reluctant to join us. He wasn't the type I wanted at my back?
I watched him kneeling next to Adam, controlling a grimace as the broken bone he'd taken from the other boy started to heal, and then grinning hugely at Adam's look of amazement at his own half-healed hand and wrist.
No. I wasn't wrong to call on Sam. The type of person I didn't want on my team were those like Vaughn, who may have gained power and Skills through his actions in the Characteristic Trial, but who was rotten on the inside. That type of person would corrupt my soul, only feeding my own desire for control and cowardly power. I'd take Sam any day.
I stood up. "My turn, then. I don't have any exceptionally high Attributes. More or less an all-rounder for now. I'm a close-combat fighter. I'm the leader of this team, so I've got a Command skill that lets me know where you guys are in relation to me, send you windows like Bunny does, and I can also see your basic statistics."
Sam's gaze snapped to mine, but I didn't let my face acknowledge anything out of the ordinary, and continued on. "I have two Characteristic Skills. One is a spirit-type." Whatever that meant. I willed my body to perform its now-practiced transformation. My claws slid out and my senses sharpened with a rush of excitement that made me want to run and jump. "The other Skill basically just makes me more graceful, acrobatics and stuff.”
“To be explicit, since I knew we’re not being listened to at the moment, my goal is really to survive the Game, but I don’t want to do that just by doing better in the Trials. The real threat to us are the ones who control the Game, and the disparity of power and knowledge between us. I want to level the playing field. So, why don't we go check out this Mendell person's house?" I grinned at them.
Chapter 15
I am terrified by this dark thing that sleeps in me.
— Sylvia Plath
A couple nights later, I put pillows and an extra blanket under my sheets to fake a sleeping body, like I'd seen in teen movies, and hoped no one would notice my absence. Then I grabbed my backpack and climbed out my window, tentatively reaching for the tree limb just outside.
EVE, DO YOU REALLY THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA?
—Bunny—
When the monitoring devices in my room had picked up my suspicious actions, Bunny had happened to noticed and ask me what I was doing. I took a risk and decided to tell him. I wanted his aid someday, and despite the danger, I had a feeling he’d stay silent for us.
My heart pounded crazily and I had to force myself to move toward the trunk, but my body reacted to the danger, my claws slipped out to grip the wood better, and my balanced sharpened noticeably. "Yes. I do."
Since learning our plan, Bunny had spent the rest of the evening trying to change my mind. But he was appalled by the fact we even knew NIX’s name, and the more he tried to stop me, the more I thought we were doing exactly the right thing. Otherwise he wouldn’t have cared so much.
YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GETTING INTO. AS SOON AS YOU BREAK IN, YOU’VE COMMITTED A CRIME. AND WHAT IF IT REALLY IS ONE OF NIX’S RESEARCH LABS? DO YOU THINK THEY’LL JUST LET YOU TAKE THE PLAYERS AND LEAVE?
—Bunny—
I moved from the base of the limb to the one below, and then the one below that, again and again until I reached the wonderfully stable ground. It had been much easier than I expected, and I reveled a bit in my body's new power as I headed on foot to the meeting point. "We've done our research. We've watched the place and accessed the recorded satellite feeds. If NIX had a base with a lot of people, there'd be more traffic in and out of the property. Even if this Mendell person does have guards or assistants, it can't be very many."
YOU’VE DONE YOUR RESEARCH? PLEASE. IT’S ONLY BEEN A COUPLE DAYS. WE HAVE NO
IDEA WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO FIND INSIDE. DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW YOU’RE GOING TO GET IN? THIS ISN’T SAFE, EVE. YOU’RE ENDANGERING YOURSELF, AND YOUR TEAM.
—Bunny—
He was worried. And he'd used "we" instead of "you," a slip that gave me confidence in my earlier assessment of him. He felt sorry for us, though he tried to hide it, and I might use that weakness against him if I could cultivate the compassion in him.
I knew he was right about the danger. Even the GPS chip in our necks might give us away, when we got too close. But from the observation we’d been able to do, we hadn’t noticed a lot of people at the house. In fact, the only people in and out seemed to be fast food and delivery pods. I didn’t know what to do except take a risk, and hope it paid off. And forever it was worth, it wasn’t technically against Game rules to search for info on NIX, as long as we didn’t talk about it to civilians.
I let out a panting laugh as I ran. "This isn't safe? Come on, Bunny. Think about that. I'm a Player. Every day I have to wonder whether or not I'm going to survive my next Trial. We all do. If we can learn something here that will help us to live, the danger is an acceptable risk. And the sooner, the better." I softened my voice. "You know we have to do this. We want to live, so please don't try to stop us. And don’t get us caught."
There was a long pause before his next window appeared.
DON’T GET YOURSELVES KILLED.
—Bunny—
"I'll do my best," I said sarcastically, noting his silent acquiescence for what it was, and ran in silence till I reached the meeting point. Sam was already waiting for me, and the others would all arrive separately, in case we needed to leave in a hurry. I slipped into the passenger seat of his pod. No doubt an expensive gift from his parents when he'd reached driving age.
"You know…that my Skill isn't just healing, don't you?" Sam said into the silence.
"Well, you don't waste any time, do you?" I laughed. "I wasn't sure, but you've just confirmed it."
He opened his mouth, and closed it again silently, like a fish. "Oh. Umm…" He clenched and unclenched his fingers around the steering wheel.
"It's okay, Sam. We don't have to talk about this now. I don't need to know all your secrets. I just need to know that you're loyal to the team." I would find out his secrets eventually, anyway.
"Okay." He let out a big breath.
We drove to a deserted side road far from the edge of town and parked the pod between a couple trees, then got out and jogged.
"Psst! Over here." A hand waved to us from the darkness, and we headed for it.
China, Jacky, and Adam were crouched in a semicircle on the ground, and I sank down beside them, trying to quiet my breathing. "Any new developments?"
China rubbed her arms, apparently cold even though the temperature was perfect. That’s what came of being so thin and waif-like. “Nothing, really." She'd been observing for most of the last twenty-four hours, watching for movement and determining what security measures were in effect.
Jacky chuckled and pulled a twig she was chewing out of her perfectly shaped mouth. "Except this guy’s loaded. I mean…really, really, rich."
Adam nodded. "Which is going to make breaking in much more difficult. From my best guess, there's an automatic alarm system set up all around the property. No dogs, but there are cameras and motion detectors."
Jacky smiled cruelly, her teeth white in the darkness. "Good thing he's a long way away from the nearest police station. We'll have plenty of time to get away if things go bad."
Sam bit his lip. "But what if the alarm doesn't go to the police station? What if…?"
"It's connected to NIX?" I finished for him. "Well, there's a simple solution. Let's just not get caught."
Jacky sighed and shook her head. "No way we’re gonna break in under an alarm. Not all of us, anyway. If it’s cops, they’ll be here in twenty, and we’ll have time to get in and out. If it’s not the cops…we’ll be screwed."
I shook my head. "There's got to be a way."
Jacky shrugged. "I say we just move in fast and get out fast. They’ll never tell who we are from the cameras since we brought the masks like you said."
Just then, the sound of another vehicle driving up the winding road behind us filtered through the trees. "China," I hissed, "go see what it is."
She gave me a sharp nod and murmured, "Got it," then sprinted off into the darkness.
We all waited in apprehension for almost a minute before she came back, breathing hard. "It's a pizza delivery pod. Must be going up to the house."
I grinned and took off my backpack. "Great." I pulled out a mask and a pair of gloves, and slipped them on.
Jacky watched me with an excited grin on her face. "We gonna do what I think we’re gonna do?"
"Yep." I turned to the others. "We're hijacking that pod. Pizza delivery pods get free access onto the property, all the way to the front door. No one suspects them."
By the time the old pod came rumbling up, we were prepared. China stood in the middle of the road with her hoodie pulled up to hide her features. The delivery boy would see just her small, fragile looking form standing in the middle in the road.
He stopped the pod and rolled down the window. “You okay?” He stuck his head out and called to her.
China shook, sobbing loudly.
He opened the door, but only had one foot on the road before Jacky rushed out from the trees and gave him a quick chop to the back of the neck.
He crumpled to the ground, and she dragged him off the side of the road.
“Neat trick,” I said.
“Dangerous if you dunno what you’re doing.” She nodded sagely. “Lucky it worked, since I dunno what I’m doing.” She grinned at Sam’s shocked expression.
China pulled a small knife with a blue sticker from a sheath wrapped around her waist and pricked the boy’s arm. “Coated with sleeping poison. Chanelle had the idea to collect it in one of our Trials. He won’t wake up for a while.”
“He’ll be fine to stay here until we’re finished.” I said, nudging his still form with my foot. “If something happens, he’ll be safer here anyway.” I turned to the car. “Sam, you’re going to be our pizza delivery guy. Strip him and take his clothes.”
He looked back and forth from the unconscious boy to me. “Really?”
“You’re the most trustworthy-looking out of all of us. Except China. But she looks like she’s twelve. No one would believe she’s old enough to drive.”
I laughed under my breath at her protestations against my teasing jibe, and in a few minutes we were pulling up to the mansion’s gate. The rest of us crouched down, out of sight of any cameras that might cause suspicion over a pizza delivery car full of people, while Sam drove.
“Pizza delivery?” Sam said.
A man’s voice crackled back through the speaker. “Please wait. I will be down shortly.”
* * *
Sam stood at the front door wearing the stolen outfit and a nervous smile on his face. He had a pizza in his hands, but a hat pulled low over his head for the benefit of the cameras. There was a beeping sound as someone on the other side entered a code, and then the door opened. Without giving the man time to react, Sam dropped the pizza, stepped forward, and pushed him backward, clamping his gloved hand over the man’s mouth.
We rushed in behind Sam and helped him hold down, tie up, and gag the man.
Jacky brought in the pizza box and closed the front door behind us, while Adam made sure the alarm system was disabled, and turned off the home security system, along with NIX’s possible view of the break-in.
I looked around curiously. “Wow.” The inside was a modern, open-air design, everything spacious and bright. The air smelled clean–evidence of a carbon filter air purifying system. A small fountain burbled in the middle of the lounge area beneath the stairs to the upper floors, and everything seemed to be made of marble and genuine wood. The place had been professionally decorated, was beautiful, and must have cost a fo
rtune. It was also messy, with empty takeout containers and trash strewn around.
Jacky, Adam, and China did a quick recon of the mansion to make sure no one else was there, while Sam and I stayed with the man. I grabbed his ID link, in the shape of a bracelet, and pulled up his information.
Dr. Blaine Mendell. He was in his early thirties, wore thick glasses, and had floppy brown hair and a smile that made him look like he sponsored a child in Africa, volunteered at the nearest orphanage, and saved sick puppies in his spare time. If I hadn’t been almost positive he worked for the most evil people in the world, I would have thought he looked like a nice person.
I maneuvered him into a chair and took the gag out of his mouth. “Don’t scream. If you do, I’ll take you over to that fountain and hold your head underwater until you learn to conserve your air for breathing.”
He nodded.
“Doctor Blaine Mendell, tell me, who do you work for?”
His eyes darted back and forth between me, who wore a black mask, gloves, and sturdy clothing, and Sam, still in the pizza delivery outfit, which was somehow more disturbing.
I sighed, steeled myself, and backhanded the doctor across the face, making Sam jump in surprise. “Focus! I’m speaking to you,” I said. I wasn’t as strong as Jacky, but he’d have a bruise. “Let’s try again. Who do you work for?”
He swallowed. “I—I don’t work for anyone. I am unemployed; I just live off my savings and investments. I—I’m truly unsure what is going on here. Who are you people, and what do you want with me?”
Jacky came back into the room, having found no one in her section of the mansion. She opened the pizza box and took a slice, and then came to stand beside us, looking down at him with malice as she took a huge bite.
