The skyboard clicks on, listing the rules of the tournament. Aerial battle only: no touching down or hiding within buildings. Nothing larger than an aerocycle allowed for combat. No upgrades except for in-tournament drops. I ignore it, already knowing the rules by heart. I try not to think of Hel, but it's impossible. I haven't entered a singles tournament in ages. It's always been co-op. Always with Hel watching my back and cheering me on. Without her, I don't feel myself. I don't feel complete.
The ten-second countdown begins. The crowds shout out the dwindling numbers while the Leviathan continues its approach. I wait until the last possible second before hurdling the railing and dropping into open air, freefalling as the tournament begins with a massive roar.
I tap my holoband to open my air-scooter, glancing upward as the vehicle forms around me. Explosions ignite in the sky like fireworks as the fliers engage in close-quarters combat. Nearby buildings take substantial collateral damage, filling the air with falling debris. Twenty-five percent of the combatants are eliminated in a matter of seconds. It's always the case, which is why I learned to avoid the chaos with a different approach.
I slam on the thrusters just before the aerocycle is about to hit the ground. In the normal world the abrupt stop would kill me, but here the rules are more flexible. I feel a hard jolt, then I'm dodging collapsing rubble at street level, weaving between buildings and street vehicles at speeds that reduce everything to blurs of movement. The v-drive enhancer automatically compensates for the increased speeds and threats, allowing me to counter before a catastrophic crash. I spot a couple of fellow fliers with the same low-altitude idea just ahead of me. I initiate target lock and fire torpedoes to congratulate them.
One direct hit, a bloom of flame. The other manages to evade by turning a hard corner. The torpedo hits the building; I let the guy go. If he thinks to cut back to look for me, I'll be out of firing range. I glance at the rankings on my dash—thirty-six out of one hundred dead. I'm ranked at fifty-seven. Pretty bad, but my strategy hinges on winning, not how many kills I rack up. Scrolling the list, I see that Dabria is ranked thirty-three. Surprising. I realize that she's had experience with this. I should have known when she issued the challenge, but I’m still confident I can outlast her. After all, there's no way she's put in as many hours as I have.
No way.
I pull up, rising against the surface of one of the towering skyscrapers, shattering glass in my wake. Angry clouds billow in front of me, tinged with licks of searing flame. The sheer force rattles my scooter, but I punch the thrusters, going even faster. A massive tentacle blindly swings past, smashing into the building like a wrecking ball. I weave around it, passing through the smoke and mist to rise into the aerial battlefield, where the Leviathan wreaks havoc.
The monstrosity looks like someone tried to graft a giant squid to a blue whale but gave up halfway through the process. Part biological, part mechanical, it drifts slowly but deals punishing damage with its tentacles, ion cannons, target-locking missiles, and other nasty weapons equipped all along its gigantic frame.
I immediately open fire from behind it, landing cheap licks to boost my score. At the same time, I have to dodge multiple attacks from the other fliers in the area. Just about everyone left is in the vicinity—shooting, weaving, and dodging attacks from the Leviathan and each other.
An alarm blares in the cockpit, alerting me to a target lock. I quickly drop, spinning in corkscrew fashion and weaving around the tail of the Leviathan. An explosion from behind rocks my scooter, but the monster took the brunt. Energy rounds follow, trailing after me as I try to evade. Whoever is on my tail isn't giving up. From a glance in the rearview, I think it's the flier I attempted to hit earlier. Must have a grudge.
Grinning, I give the controls a sadistic yank and fire a torpedo into the nearest building, following quickly behind the explosion. Keeping my hands on the trigger, I use energy rounds to blast through walls as I whip through, catching blurred views of people and office furniture flying through the air from the force of my passage. My pursuer follows, refusing to be thrown off. His guns blaze, and my scooter rocks from multiple rear impacts. Wincing, I check my shields—thirty-seven percent integrity. I start to worry.
I fire torpedoes again, and I'm out of the building, followed by my persistent pursuer. Another target lock alarm flashes on my panel. My palms are slippery with sweat.
Then he's gone, shredded by another attacker—someone who used her metal wings to shear his craft in two. I recognize Dabria as she soars away, firing at the Leviathan. Her voice buzzes over my com.
"You're not gonna even get close if you keep that up, kid."
"Yeah, thanks," I mutter, taking my frustration out on a trio of sky surfers. One torpedo, three kills. Bonus points, baby.
I weave when I catch the Leviathan opening his mouth. The sonic force of its rumbling roar decimates the unlucky fliers caught in the path, along with the nearest building, which shudders and crumbles downward in a cloud of dust and debris.
I dip under the Leviathan, firing at its exposed belly. Missile launchers pop out and fire in response, but they're not locked and easy to evade. I continue my barrage before whipping up and dodging a swing from its massive tail. It slams into another building, taking out most of the top half. I catch a flier using the tail for cover and lock on, firing until the aerocycle explodes.
There are only twenty-two fliers left. I'm ranked at twenty, behind Dabria who's already ranked nine. Gritting my teeth, I wheel around and activate my lightrazor. It hisses when it activates from the bottom of my scooter. I make a pass alongside the Leviathan, positioning right where the tentacles meet the scaly body. The razor slices right through the first tentacle, then another. The third is mechanical, which takes damage but still holds. By the point the Leviathan responds with a barrage of missiles and ion rounds, not to mention more tentacles wriggling in my direction like gigantic, angry snakes. It takes all of my skills to escape destruction and keep firing at the same time, racking up significant points. I'm practically surrounded by explosions and tentacles by the time I finally pull up to catch a breather.
My ship shudders from damage taken, and I fly around one of the remaining buildings to give my shields a chance to recover. The Leviathan seems to take my attack personal, using tentacles and cannons to destroy my cover in a furious attempt to take me out. I dip down and circle, using the debris to cover my trail as I gear up for my next run. I glance at the rankings. I'm now ranked ten, right behind Dabria.
I whip up, guns blazing. To my shock and surprise, an armored scooter with a solid gold paint job is directly in my sights. Instantly recognizable as Broodient, one of the players who always finished in the top five. I fire my last two torpedoes, not even taking time to lock on. Broodient goes out in a massive explosion, and a cascade of upgrades and game points are mine. My torpedoes are refilled and twice as powerful, my guns armed with explosive rounds, my shields boosted. My rank: seven.
Time to finish it.
The Leviathan bellows a wounded cry, tilting sideways and into one of the few buildings still standing. Most of its tentacles are destroyed, smoke pours from gaping cavities in its body, green blood showers to the streets like rain. I search for Dabria, spot her whirling above, engaged in a firefight with another winged flier. They move too fast for a target lock. I change my mind and pursue one of the sky surfers instead.
It's Blazer, one of the most reckless and dangerous players. She rides an air-board, managing to maintain her balance while firing powerful blasts from the massive cannons mounted on her forearms. A rotating turret gun on the bottom of her board takes care of any unseen threats. Which at the moment is me. I take the barrage head-on, trusting my boosted shields to deflect the damage. Blazer senses my attack and dives toward the dying Leviathan. I follow her, guns firing continuously. Somehow, she manages to stay just ahead of the streaking blasts.
Her evasive concentration on me costs her. One of the Leviathan's last tentacles mak
es a blind swipe and crushes Blazer against the side of a building like a flyswatter to a buzzing insect. I circle underneath, firing torpedoes and severing the tentacle at the body in a plume of flame and gush of blood. A flier whizzes past, chasing after Blazer's upgrades. Bad move. I target lock and take him out.
Something hits my scooter so hard that I tailspin uncontrollably for a few seconds. Disoriented, surroundings blurring, scooter rattling like it's about to fall apart. I press the gun trigger, firing in circles to keep my attacker at bay while I fight to regain control. When I finally do, I spot a circular aerocycle, constructed to look like a miniature UFO.
IllLegalAlien. He boasts the largest number of wins in tournament history. His scooter is outfitted with guns all around, making it possible to target any threat. So while he's weakening my shields with a steady bombardment, he's also gunning down two other fliers as he hovers and spins.
I veer off, whirling to avoid his shots. Toward the crowds on the streets below who stare upward and cheer us on. His energy rounds follow me, tearing into the onlookers. Charred bodies fly through the air as I weave by. Others in the throngs run for cover, laughing and shouting. Death instills no fear in Elysia, not when you can respawn only seconds later.
I whirl around the listless Leviathan, glancing up to where IllLegalAlien battles with the last four fliers. Dabria flits around his rounds like a hummingbird, firing her rifle and weakening his shields. The other three attack IllLegalAlien as well, recognizing him as the most prominent threat. As I fly toward the battle, one of the fliers goes down in flames, exploding against the side of the downed Leviathan. I arm the best upgrade I took from Blaze: a shield disrupter. Targeting IllLegalAlien, I fire it.
Dabria senses the change when the disrupter strikes. Her wings glimmer and razor-edged feathers fly at the spherical scooter with gale-force strength, tearing through the ship as though it was made of cardboard. IllLegalAlien dies fighting, activating a self-destruct detonation that takes the other two fliers down with him.
Leaving just me and Dabria.
Grinning, I fire a volley of unguided missiles while simultaneously firing inferno rounds. I do a lot of damage to the injured buildings nearby as Dabria whirls; wings folded to enhance her speed. I follow in confident pursuit, pressing my advantage. Through the smoldering cavity of a ruined building, out the other side, diving down like brilliant meteors, blazing against the splintered windows of the skyscraper.
Toward the Leviathan.
She flies into the monster's gaping mouth, scattering bombs behind her. I whip past before they explode, firing round after round. We enter the creature's maw, where its innards look like a biomechanical nightmare: moist like an open mouth, steam gusting from cracked and broken metallic bones.
Wires stream from Dabria's wings, lacing together to form a tangled web that slows my aerocycle. I try to shoot through the gleaming strands, but there's too many of them. She blasts a hole the side of the Leviathan and exits as my scooter is snared in the glittering mesh, jerking and twitching as I frantically try to free myself. My finger is on the flamethrower trigger when proximity alarms blare, illuminating my display in pulsing red light.
I try to pinpoint the source, but then it hits me: the bombs Dabria dropped earlier were timed, and all of them are about to explode simultaneously. It's a trap, and I fell for it like the greenest noob on the planet. I can only throw my head back and roar with laughter as the bombs detonate, shredding my scooter and engulfing me in searing flame.
I'm still laughing when Dabria severs the connection by unplugging the v-drive from my neck. She keeps her face composed as usual, but I can sense the triumph that practically emanates from her pores. She finally cracks a smile as she helps me up from the battered chair.
We're in a makeshift Immersion cubicle set up in one of her safehouses, far away from where we encountered Enigma and Cyber Corp. The abandoned wheat milling facility is a pre-Cataclysm relic, full of ancient machinery, dust, shadows, and echoes. Scattered lights give the place a semblance of illumination, blues and golds blooming in the darkness. Her soldiers are stationed in defensive positions throughout the building. Keno and his crew are in one of the oversized rooms, sleeping away their worries. That leaves me alone with Dabria. I wonder if she worries that I'll try a desperate physical attack and try to escape.
I doubt it. I'm sure she knows I'd never be so stupid, especially since I wouldn't stand a chance.
I give her an approving nod. "Okay, I'm impressed. Not bad. Not bad at all."
"Impressed that I can beat you at a game?"
"Well, yeah. Mass Attack isn't just an ordinary game. Takes skills to rank in the top ten. Even more to actually win the tournament."
"It's nothing. You should try real combat. Real stakes." Her eyes grow distant. "I fought in the Red Wars on Mars. Towards the end, we engaged in a battle similar to your tournament. Our enemies constructed a behemoth of a ship; a destroyer created to withstand massive damage and unleash hell. It took everything we had to take it down, but it cost us. I lost many sisters in that battle. No fake deaths, no respawning. Just the final silence. Warmth leaving a body as you hold it. Hearing the panicked gasps from someone struggling for their last words. Dissolution of a soul. That is what real war is like. What real death is like."
I want to touch her. Place a comforting hand on her shoulder. But I know she doesn't need that from me. She doesn't need anything I could possibly offer.
I drop my gaze instead. "I wouldn’t want to experience anything like that."
She takes my hand in hers. "Life rarely gives you what you want, Specter."
"That's the whole point of Elysia. You can have anything you want. Why can't you see that?"
"Because it's a lie. You're really just in a hibernation box, rotting away while the real world spins around you, leaving you behind. You feel it every time you have to leave Elysia and re-enter our world. You know what I'm talking about. The guilt. The shame."
Turning my wrist over, she removes the holoband lock. "We had a deal. Can I trust you to honor it?"
I try not to look at the holoband, focusing on her eyes. Making sure she sees my sincerity. "Right. I don't go into Elysia. I don't contact Hel. I help you on your mission and see it through to the end. I'll do it."
"This is your promise, Specter? I have your word?"
"Yes."
"Good. Get some sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow."
"What happens tomorrow?"
"I tell you your part in this. Everything you need to know."
She strides away, out the door and down the hall. I listen as her footsteps fade. I'm left in the silence and darkness of the storage room, where my thoughts are the only thing to keep me company.
My twisted, manipulative, contemptible little thoughts.
I hear them like dirty whispers in my ear, spurring me on. I try to ignore them. Because I know how it ends. I've betrayed too many people, broken too many trusts. I don't want to see the crushing disappointment in Dabria's eyes when she finds out how weak and pitiful I am. How my word is nothing, just garbage I hand out to anyone gullible enough to accept it. So, I try not to think about Elysia. Or Hel, who is probably in tears right now, wondering if I hate her. Wondering if she'll ever see me again. I think about how I cut her off when she was scared and alone, needing me.
Needing me.
I glance at my holoband.
No, no, no.
Stupid. Think about something else. Anything else.
But the itch is there. The ache is there. Nagging. Insistent. Unable to ignore. I know I'll regret it. I know it's the wrong thing to do. But I do it anyway. I can't stop myself. I've tried so many times. And every time the result is the same.
Failure.
I dig into my bag and find my incognito drive. No one has to know. It's safe. Modified to be untraceable. I won't even Immerse. Won't go to Elysia. I'll just check in on Hel. Make sure she's okay, then end the connection. Only a few seconds won't hurt anyone. W
on't be traced back to me.
I plug the drive into the port behind my ear and tap a sequence on my holoband. Something practically shatters inside my chest when Hel's face flashes onscreen, gazing at me with her large, beautiful dark eyes.
"Hel." My voice chokes just speaking her name. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to stay away so long. There's so much I have to tell you, and there's not a lot of time."
She tilts her head. "Do you know how long it takes for Cyber Corp to send drones to a particular location?"
I blink uncomprehendingly. "What?"
"Minutes, Specter. Do you think they gave up on following you? You might have escaped, but they've run countless algorithms, calculating the direction of our flight, the type of craft we flew in and its fuel capacity, and every possible location we could have gone from there. The air is canvassed with their drones, every one of them armed with cutting lasers, ion guns, and explosive warheads. Searching. Ready to deploy at a moment's notice."
"What are you talking about, Hel? I'm using the incognito drive. No one can trace me. You know how it works. I thought you'd be glad to hear from me."
"They're not tracing you, Specter. They're tracing me."
My blood turns to ice in my veins. "Cyber Corp is tracing you?"
"You're a fool, Specter. Not able to go unsupervised for even minutes. And now, you pay the price."
The building rumbles. Chalky dust falls from the ceiling. Gunshots become audible. People run, shouting confused questions. I leap to my feet, staring helplessly. I don't know the building and have no idea where to go. Shutting down the connection, I stagger to the door and glance down the dim hallway. Something is in the building. When it clicks on its bright searchlights, my heart freezes in place.
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