by Dawn Chapman
Thoughts flashed inside his mind, but then he heard Pierce say, “Wayne has to find me, now!”
Then he was gone.
Leenz grasped at the thin air. His body simply wasn’t there anymore. Her face stared into Drayk’s eyes wide with fear. “They’ll kill him.”
Altus placed a hand on Drayk’s. “What can we do?”
“Wait. I can only try making contact with his friend, Wayne, in a few days. You see, the timelines just don’t match up.”
Leenz shouted, “To the labs, the nanites! I think we can do something with them, or they might be able to with Pierce. I don’t know, but we’ve got to try. I… I don’t want to lose him.”Drayk saw the genuine fear in her face.
He nodded, “Let’s go! Altus, get the others together. We’ll need everyone doubling up on security, while we try to work this out.”
Pierce
Pierce felt weird. Everything around him had darkened. A terrible smell invaded his nostrils. Then there were faces, those faces loomed into his vision like horrid visions.
“He’s coming around,” a voice said.
He tried to open his eyes, blurry images assaulted him. “What? Where am I?”
Pain reverberated through all his bones. He choked back vomit.
“You’re in the science labs. We’ve had some technical issues and couldn’t get you out of your simulation until now.”
Pierce tried to think about everything that had been happening to him. “Complications like what?”
“We lost your feed days ago. We couldn’t find you on any systems,” one voice said.
Pierce struggled to see who it was coming from. Was that Lynette? How could she be in the science labs? What in fact was she doing anywhere near him when he’d asked her not to be?
That was when he felt the needles going in his arms. “What’s that?” he tried to demand, but within seconds he was drifting away and blackness swallowed him.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Drayk
Drayk had lots to do; at least he thought he did. He and Leenz worked through the night, then into the following day to pool all their knowledge to try and reach Pierce.
Nothing.
Altus stepped in, placing a hand on Drayk’s back. “You’ve been working non-stop; you both need a break. Please go get some sleep, the both of you.”
“I don’t think I can,” Leenz stammered. “I need to be doing something. I need to find him, I just can’t…” then she broke down. She cried, and her tears were red, raw blood.
Drayk moved to her and pulled her close; he wrapped her in his arms, “I didn’t think you liked him much, but you’re shedding tears like he was more than a friend, a mate, a lover. I didn’t know. I’m so sorry. I’ve been teasing you. I didn’t mean to.”
She leaned in, accepting the hug, the thoughts. “I never wanted a mate, nor have I ever thought I could love someone as much as I do Pierce. But I do. I just want him here, no matter the cost. I’d do anything.”
Altus placed a hand on her arm, said, “I know you would too; I think we all would. He’s been quite the guy to have around. His sense of humour is astounding. He always makes me laugh. That’s hard, being the kinda guy I am. I am not funny.”
Drayk laughed, “Not funny? You’re one of the funniest Maxol I’ve known. How on earth did you think you’d get me to like your company as much? You remind me so much of Cale, and Haal, and well everyone rolled into one.”
Altus moved in hugging them. “I think you still both need some rest. Leenz, I can get you a drug to ease the sleep, then we’ll wake you before the call to Wayne. I think we all want to be here for that. I’ve also put the call out for someone in the human world to find us. I think we need an ally in here and out there to help Wayne. I know there’ll be some calls to arms over it. I just have to wait for them to get here. Whichever way we choose’ll be hard. But I think we can get one more party to help us before the attack.”
“I hope so.” Leenz nodded, “I’d like the drug, please. I need sleep. And I think Drayk does too. We’re so close, but we need to focus especially when we talk to Wayne.”
Altus reached into his pocket, handed them both a vial, which they took. “I’ll head to my quarters,” Drayk said to Leenz, “but first we’ll make sure you’re safe.”
Altus agreed. “Of course.”
Before they moved to leave the lab, there on the screen behind them came one little blip.
Drayk let Altus walk Leenz from the room. He leaned in, whispered to Altus, “Come straight back once she’s asleep.”
When they’d gone, Drayk ran to the computer. Yes!
A blinking icon and text appeared—I hear you. I see you. I am safe at the moment.
Drayk typed in—Do you know where?
A moment later, an answer. —They’re doing weird things to me; you have to get me away from them.
The icon was gone.
Drayk raised a hand to his face, one-handed he typed—We’ll find you!
He sat down; trying everything he could to get the little blinking light back, but nothing worked.
That was it; Pierce was in real danger in his real world. Their only hope was Wayne, maybe some people Altus could muster here and possibly back on the planet called Earth.
The door opened. Altus stepped inside. He read the messages and kneeled before Drayk as Drayk fought his own emotions. “Don’t worry. I’ve had a message, come, we’ll rest together, then we’ll find Pierce.”
“Do you think we can?”
Altus nodded. “I know you can, but what that might mean for him, for his world in this game, I don’t know. They might try even harder to hunt him down. And us.”
Altus stopped, turned to the computer. A ping! Moving back to it he pulled it up.
“Received. I am inbound,” from a USER81.
“Is that a human contact?”
Altus nodded, “Come, let’s sleep.” He tugged Drayk back to his room, passing Drayk’s own.
The bustle woke Drayk the next morning. Altus sat at the bed’s edge. “Get dressed. We’ve two hours before you can talk to Wayne. I think there should be limited communications. I know you trust them, but I am not sure.”
Drayk agreed. He said, “Any more word from your human friend?”
“He’s managed to come in under the radar of both parties. I don’t know who he is, but he’s willing to help me. He doesn’t know the situation in the game. This is a quest for him, nothing more.”
“Oh, that does make it very interesting.”
Leenz and Drayk sat next to each other, with Altus and Drei behind them. Drayk picked up Pierce’s headset. It was time. He made sure it was plugged in right.
They all watched as Wayne entered Pierce’s flat, did the usual walk around, looking for stuff, pulling out a bottle of beer before going into the game room. It looked like he’d hesitated, but then he put on the headgear and picked up the controller.
Drayk waited for a ping. “Hello?” Drayk said.
Wayne’s concern came through over the connection. “Who’s this?”
“A friend of Pierce’s. He’s been pulled from the game. Do you know anything?”
Wayne still managed to keep calm with his act, eyes on the screen, his lips barely moving. But Drayk saw his shoulder stiffen. “I don’t know anything. I went about all my business without changing anything.”
“So, you’ve no idea?”
“No.” A pause. “What can we do?”
“I have someone on their way here who is from your world. We’re going to coordinate with him. Away. Someplace. Rather than you being in Pierce’s home. If we can work together, get me more access to your computer systems, I think I can find him. How you get him out and back to us is a different matter.”
Wayne managed a sigh but kept on playing the game before him. “I think you have the best people to help you, but I might have some here too. I’m not without contacts. If we can talk easier, that’d really help, I need to put feelers out more, talk
to my friends. You want him back in the game, there? I don’t know how that might be possible. All their programming and equipment is well under lock and key as is Pierce, I am sure.”
“Agreed. I have some ideas. How long until we can talk in the real world with your—your friend?”
“A day at most for us, maybe a few hours for you.”
“Good. I think I can wait a few hours, but this is killing me. I’ve no one to talk to. This has all been hard. I want to tell everyone he’s alive, fighting for us. The stuff being said here, is bad. I really don’t think they should be saying it.”
Drayk didn’t understand some of what Pierce’s best friend was saying, but he tried.
“We’ll talk soon, I promise.”
“They’re sending in someone else,” Wayne said. “Someone Pierce knew in the game world. Chris Mason. He’s an ass, but one hell of a warrior. Be careful. If he’s there, he’ll do his best to destroy you all.”
Drayk didn’t need to hear this. He had enough on his plate with the upcoming battle and trying to find Pierce in the real world.
His heart worried he couldn’t pull any of it off. His mind drifted to all those children.
When Wayne signed off, Drayk had more thoughts than he’d like to share with the others, but he also had a plan.
Pierce
Waking with stiff bones, joints, and pain everywhere, Pierce finally opened his eyes to find he wasn’t staring at scientists poking and prodding every part of his body.
The room was sparse, his bed not so comfy, but at least there was a urinal, sink, small desk, and a supportive wheelchair.
“Thoughtful,” he spat out.
No idea of the time of day or how long he’d been out. He worried for Drayk and Leenz.
Of course, he moved to check the door, then ran his hand over every wall panel he could, hoping for something to give him what he wanted—escape.
The door clicked, but it didn’t open. So, Pierce wheeled himself steadily over to open it himself, peering out into what was beyond. A plain hallway. Nothing more.
No one or nothing substantial in the corridor, empty. So, who had opened the door? Did they mean him to escape, or go somewhere?
Pierce rolled down the corridor at a slow, steady pace, his arms soon starting to burn with the exercise, he’d been out of the real world for a while, but this felt like a lot longer. Muscles hadn’t wasted away totally, but they weren’t happy at being used either. He stopped part way to stretch, trying to get the acid build up moving so he could roll again.
Pierce then set off at a slower pace, nice, steady.
Pain hit him squarely in the head, then his vision flexed. There was something off about being here. Tiny spots and things in his vision didn’t seem right. If this is real, it doesn’t feel like it.
Drayk had told him to use his nanites, but did he really have them when he wasn’t in that game? Were they real?
Pierce looked deep within himself; he didn’t see anything inside, but then a click.
A popup.
PIERCE HUNT
AGE—22
HEALTH—100/100
LEVEL—UNKNOWN
SKILLS—UNKNOWN
SOLDIER—TIER 0
(HIDDEN FROM SYSTEM)—INTERMEDIATE NANITE TRAINER
What was this? It meant he was still in some game? Somewhere?
He couldn’t make out the words on the walls. He stopped at the end of the corridor, slid open some more doors.
There were some homey smells drifting to his left, so he headed in that direction. As Pierce approached, he saw people that were dressed in similar clothes standing in a queue. He glanced to the other end of the queue. No one talked; no one looked his way.
Then he noticed a guard; not the regular kind of guard. This wasn’t human, and he was supposed to be in his reality. Am I in some other stupid game?
The man behind him went to grab his chair’s handles, to push him forward but Pierce wheeled out of his grasp, “Don’t,” he spat, glaring daggers.
“You’re new,” he said, “Miss the orientation?”
Pierce nodded. “Didn’t get anything.”
“Move up the queue. I’ll explain where you are.”
Pierce’s gut told him to trust no one, but for now, he needed to know the situation he was in, the where and the why, if this person was interested in telling him, he’d be happy to let him.
It’d mean he didn’t have to try and beat it out of someone later.
The man moved up behind him, then moved forward in the queue. The smell of breakfast enticed, Pierce hoped it was real human food, not simulated.
“I’m not human, for a start,” the man behind him said, the others seemingly not hearing. “And I think some here aren’t either; the guards aren’t for sure. I’ve seen their shadows.”
“What’s your name?”
“I don’t think it translates very well in your head, call me anything you wish.”
“If you’re not human, then what are you? And, where am I?”
“I believe it’s a training facility of some sort, at first we were told very little, get up, eat, train, but I think it’s more than that.”
“What kind of more?”
“I was supposed to be at war, so I don’t know. This isn’t the kind of war I expected.”
Pierce moved to the head of the queue. Breakfast. It smelled great but didn’t look right.
“There’s something weird about this whole place.”
“It’s a game,” the young man said. “I know that, but—to what end? It’s not fun, at least not at the moment.”
“So more a prison?”
Pierce had moved away, found a table where his new friend could sit near him.
The man put down his plate, digging in, as did all the others around them.
Pierce stared at the man before him. His eyesight changed, a flicker of yellow. “You’re Maxol aren’t you?”
“Yes, how did you know that? Who are you?”
“I’m Pierce. I am human, yes. I shouldn’t be here either. I think I know your brother, Drayk.”
“What?”
“I don’t know why I’m here; this is all too weird, too much of a coincidence.” Pierce thought a moment, “I’m sorry. I was the one who killed you, back on New Ararat.”
The young man held out a hand. “Cale Vellis, and yes, I remember you killing me. But you weren’t in a wheelchair then.”
Pierce looked down. “No. This is a weird game.”
Cale nodded, “I don’t think they monitor anything that we do bar the fighting. I do think these bodies are very restrictive. I think it’s why they make us use them. We get used to being rubbish and build them up. Then we get to do it all over again, with a new one.”
“How many times?”
Cale’s face paled. “More than I can count.”
Pierce considered this, a good while more. “I think I’m still on Earth. I don’t know where you are, but we’re connected in this other game. It could be I wasn’t pulled out, or was pulled out, then put back in, somewhere they could use me, but I don’t know to what end.”
“There are rumours we’re all heading toward the same place, the ring.”
“What’s that?”
One of the other guys nearby leaned closer. “The ring is where you’ll die.”
“Die?” That was one thing he still had to do. His nanites could change like Drayk’s had. Then a thought popped into his head. He was staring into the face of a brother—his brother too. “Eat up,” Pierce said, “I want you to show me around, tell me everything.”
Cale nodded and continued chewing.
Pierce leaned in to whisper, “You’re in a cloned body on one of their ships. I can see it now.”
“So, this body’ll go to war?”
“I don’ know; it all seems so strange. I think the ones who best the arena will, yes.”
The man who’d spoken earlier leaned in. “I don’t think this conversation is best to be had
here. We know they don’t talk much, or listen in. But, I am sure if they did catch the phrases you’re using, they’d seek you out. Go roll somewhere else, private. I know somewhere if you’ll let me come with you.”
Pierce regarded him, young as the bodies were of all the others. So, he nodded. “What’s your name? Who are you?”
“I’m Gerard, human. You make very good points; I know you’re correct. After eating, roll to the far exit. I’ll be waiting on you, but don’t leave together.”
Gerard picked up his plate, moved to empty it and place it on a rack, then he left using the far exit.
Pierce turned to Cale who was quickly finishing off his plate of food. “You think we can trust him?”
“I pretty much don’t trust anyone,” Cale said as he picked up his drink and downed it. “You two have really livened up this day though, so I’m going to go with the flow.” He picked up his tray, “See you in five.”
Pierce sat, tried his breakfast. Waited. Then he wheeled over toward the far exit, as he thought both Gerard and Cale waited on him.
He smiled. “Let’s get this party started, whatever this is!”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Drayk
Drayk and Altus waited on the village grounds, the air thick with fog, still, as the sun hadn’t risen enough to burn it off.
Altus stood proud of his accomplishments, but Drayk waited to meet the human who he now had to rely on to save his friend.
The figures which came into their view was small at first. They’d not hesitated in showing their path or their statures. A cloak covered their faces; in Drayk’s mind, they looked far too small.
“Are you sure this is right? This is a human?”
Altus nodded, reaching to take Drayk’s hand in his. In a misguided show of affection, he shrugged it off. Drayk walked forward to meet the human in line with Altus and the fog.
User81’s stats came up right away. For Drayk they were hidden, but with an extra look, he tried to poke a hole in them to see beyond.
USER81
LEVEL—28
HEALTH—100/100
