The Veil: Corruption (HASEA CHRONICLES BOOK 2)

by Stuart Meczes

  Guess I’m going to get off to a bad start.

  A hand encircled around my arm, and I felt myself being heaved onto the track. Shaking the spots from my eyes I saw Hollie cast me a ‘now we’re even’ look and then sprint after Troy.

  I climbed to my feet as Lucy and Elliot overtook me. Lucy’s hair was a fan of brown billowing behind her like a cape. I started to run again, still feeling a bit out of it, but I was able to put one foot in front of the other, which was a good sign.

  We all rounded the corner, dodging more obstacles that sprang into our paths. My head began to clear, and I started to gain some ground, overtaking a flagging Elliot. There was another feeling on my skin, and I realised that I had just exited an area that prevented the use of gifts.

  “And the recruits are heading for the final straight. What we like to call the game changer!” shouted Ivy.

  Game changer?

  A sound like a bunch of rollercoaster carts climbing the first slope rang out around the arena.

  Bang!

  A camouflaged clay hammer the size of a bus sprung out of the asphalt. It filled almost the whole dome, leaving only the slightest gap at the top and either side.

  “Holy shit!”

  Troy came flying towards me like a football. I dodged out of the way and turned to see him bounce along the track like a tyre. Elliot and Andrea were picked up and carried with him in a hurricane of arms and legs. Right into the swarm of insects behind us.

  I cringed as I saw their scores sink like stones.

  Hollie managed to throw herself like a dart through the narrow gap between hammer and wall. She landed in a delicate roll and jumped to her feet. Lucy pressed herself against the side as the hammer swung past. It hurtled right towards me.

  I threw down my hands and prayed my gift would work. My feet sprang from the ground and I arched through the gap above the hammer.

  I hit the ground just in time for hammer two.

  Bang.

  It was made entirely from reinforced glass and sprang from the side in a horizontal arc.

  Directly towards me.

  Without thinking, I slid onto my knees and leaned backwards, I felt the rush of wind as the bottom of the glass missed my chin by inches. As I recovered, I saw that Hollie and Lucy had also dived to the ground. I heard a loud roar and turned my head to see Troy sprint forwards, hand stretched outwards like a rugby player, and shatter the hammer in his fury. He exploded through a rain of glass, which hit the track behind him in high-pitched tinkles. The crowd went nuts.

  I turned and focused on gaining on the two girls. A sealed glass area at the end was now in view. It’s almost over, come on, Danny.

  Bang!

  A third hammer swung down from the ceiling, too low to the ground to be ducked. Too big to be scaled. The only options were the sides. I threw myself against the wall and pressed close. Lucy was right next to me. She tried to break away too early and was clipped on the shoulder by the passing hammer. It sent her careering past me and slamming into Andrea and Richard. They all fell into a heap on the ground. Their angry swearing lifted above the whistles, cheers, and gasps of the crowd as they narrowly missed a flurry of stings.

  I broke away from the glass wall at the same time as Hollie, and we raced against each other as hard as we could. Every time I thought I was going to overtake her, she would narrow her eyes and push further, widening the gap.

  Hollie entered the enclosure first. There was a loud beep and the edges of her portrait image on the screen lit up green. Mine lit up a split second later.

  “Nice one!” I breathed and gave her a high five.

  “Not quite fast enough, mate,” she winked.

  Troy crashed in third, panting and red-faced. John and Elliot finished fourth and fifth a few seconds later. Soon after that, a pissed-off looking Andrea and Richard entered the enclosure, followed by dazed-looking Lucy last of all. They were followed by a swarm of the insects.

  “Uh guys, the doors are still open!” I said.

  They all turned to see the insects rushing towards where we all stood. The doors beeped and slipped shut, but not before a couple made it in. The rest smashed into the solid glass like bullets, making it shudder. Some burst, others dropped to the floor as if hit with invisible swatters. The ones with us screamed in anger and darted for us. Andrea and Richard swatted at them as they buzzed around their heads.

  A loud warbling frequency rolled out across the arena. The unpleasant sound made my ears itch. A high-pitched squeal filled the arena. In a blink, the last two mutant hornets popped. Tiny chunks of gore sprayed around the enclosure, and I felt something wet slap my forehead.

  “Oh come on!” I growled, pulling a mass of stringy entrails from my head. Hollie was cracking up with laughter. I flicked some at her and her laugh turned to a squeal.

  Ivy lifted the microphone and the cheering in the arena petered out. “What a fantastic first round, don’t you think, Guardians?” There was a flare-up of cheers in response. “Okay, so here are the scores as they stand.” She gestured towards the screen and a list of our names flashed up in a long column. “Remember, every sting takes a point away, so those who finished after another recruit could still score more. So, in first place with the full eight points is Hollie.” The cheers rang out again, continuing as she listed each name. “Danny is in second with a solid seven points.”

  I’m happy with that.

  “Third is John, on three points after just one sting. Tied fourth on two points are Richard and Troy, the latter who looked set to win from the outset, but after an unfortunate meeting with one of the hammers, got stung four times. Ouch! Lucy and Elliot are joint sixth on one point and poor Andrea is on zero points after she failed to dodge a flying Troy.”

  Andrea glared across the enclosure at Troy, who rubbed the back of his neck and gave an apologetic shrug.

  “Interesting scores, but we are only one event into the Trials. As everyone knows, things can change very quickly. So we will have a five-minute break while the recruits take a moment to use boosters and rejuvenate. Then it’s onto the next event!”

  We talked among ourselves while agents came into the enclosure and handed out wipes to those of us covered in bug remains and booster shots to those who wanted them. The track was cleaned by well-rehearsed workmen.

  Through the glass, I watched Ivy press a series of buttons on her Biomote. In response, eight hatches opened on a long, metal tube running across the entire Prolesium. From within each opening emerged a vast glass bowl that began to crank downwards, held secure by clawed clamps that reminded me of oversized arcade grabbers.

  We were led out of the enclosure and into the middle of the arena, where twelve rings of white lights stood in a row. Four were unlit. A holographic image of each of our names shimmered in the centre of each circle. We took our positions, and I glanced nervously up as the humungous bowl cranked down from above. They hissed to a stop just a few feet above each of our heads.

  “Recruits, please take hold of the measuring units.”

  I stretched my arms upwards and closed my hands around the handles attached to the bottoms of each bowl. They were rubberised and didn’t have much give. As soon we all made contact, I saw a run of electronic measuring lines appear on the bottom of the glass and sweep upwards to the very top of the bowls.

  “Now it’s time for the strength and endurance test. When the siren begins, the clamps will release the measuring units and they will begin to fill with sand. It is the recruit’s task to support the weight for as long as they can as the containers above get increasingly heavier. Every time the sand reaches a marker, the recruit will earn a point. The weight between each marker is half a metric ton. The maximum is seven tons, about the weight of a double decker bus! In the entire history of the Trials, only one Chosen has ever lifted that amount.”

  The crowd fell silent for a moment, either through respect or remembrance – I couldn’t tell.

  “Once the sand has reached a marker,”
Ivy continued, “there will be a three- second window for the recruit to shout ‘stop.’ If they choose to discontinue the trial, they will collect the relevant amount of points. However, if they decide to continue but then cannot manage the weight, they must shout ‘yield.’ The clamps will take the weight, but the recruit will earn zero points!”

  She turned to us. “Are you all ready to begin?”

  I flexed my fingers against the handles, took a deep breath, and nodded. A cheer went up from the audience again. Ivy pressed the Biomote and a sharp siren rang out across the Prolesium. A series of loud thuds echoed out as the clamps released the bowls. A sudden weight bore down on me. I shifted my stance and locked out my arms. I could hear a sharp swishing sound as sand started to pour in from above – like I was holding a giant hourglass. There were a series of loud beeps. I glanced up toward the display screen to see that all of our first markers had flashed green. No one looked to be in any discomfort yet – I certainly didn’t feel any. As crazy as it was, half a ton felt about as heavy as lifting a chair overhead. I doubted many of us would struggle until well over the fourth marker.

  I was right. It was only after the two-ton mark that some of the recruits started to look a little shaky. My arms were growing tired, and I could feel the build-up of lactic acid in my muscles. We’re all holding the equivalent of a minivan above our heads. The camera zoomed in on my face. I looked calm and focused, but a thin layer of sweat had appeared on my forehead.

  The markers reached three tons.

  “Stop!” someone shouted.

  The camera switched to Lucy. A clamp had taken from the bowl from her. She moved from underneath, rubbing her arms and watching us.

  “The first to cash in is Lucy, with a respectable six points!” shouted Ivy. A series of claps rang around the arena. We all carried on.

  John and Andrea gave in at three and a half tons. The camera showed that Andrea looked pleased with her performance, but John clearly wasn’t, folding his arms across his chest and scowling.

  My arms were beginning to shake. This is getting very heavy. I stared at the projection screen – I saw the action but wasn’t really paying attention to it. The markers hit four tons.

  Two Minivans. I’m holding the equivalent of two minivans. Jesus flipping Christ, I’m actually a superhuman. This is crazy!

  “Stop!”

  Richard collapsed to the ground.

  The weight was getting so heavy now that my muscles were screaming. I grit my teeth together. Come on. Keep going, just keep going!

  More and more sand poured into my bowl, and the weight just kept increasing. The camera switched to Hollie. She looked like she was struggling, her face twisted into a grimace of agony.

  The camera changed to Elliot. He was having an even harder time than me. His arms were shaking spasmodically, and sweat was practically pouring off him. There were still about thirty seconds to go before the next marker. As soon as I saw his knees begin to shake, I knew he’d lost it.

  “Yield!” he screamed, and the clamp took the weight in an instant. There was a rush of disappointed noises from around the arena. Elliot slumped onto his backside and stared down at his still-tremoring arms. I felt bad for him.

  “Oh no, it looks like that last half ton proved a bit too much for Elliot. He will score no points. Chin up though, there are still three rounds to go. Anything can happen.”

  The markers hit four and a half tons. Hollie signed out, collecting nine points. I could hear the crowd screaming at me to take the points. The weight was almost unbearable, but something kept me going.

  The screen flicked to Troy. He was holding strong, the veins in his huge arms bulging like worms. His brown hair was matted to his face, but there was no doubt that this round was his.

  I was seriously struggling now. I closed my eyes and ground my teeth together. My arms were trembling uncontrollably. In my head, I was counting down to zero. There was fifteen seconds left.

  I’m not going to make it.

  “Come on, Danny!” I heard someone scream above the crowd before the roar consumed it. I could feel the tendons in my neck – they were as taught as yacht rope. My shoulders were screaming in agony.

  Ten seconds.

  My knees joined my shaking arms. My fingers were cramped and struggled to hold the handles.

  Seven seconds.

  I let out a roar of exertion as one of my legs slipped from underneath me. The crowd gasped. For a second, I thought it was all going to come tumbling down on me. But I shifted the support to my back leg, and somehow it all stayed up.

  Three seconds. Come on!

  I let out a final scream as the last of my energy left me. There was a beep. I snapped my eyes open and saw the marker was green.

  “Stop!” I wailed. The clamps grabbed the bowl from me, and I collapsed into a heap, head on the ground. I groaned at the incredible pain that radiated from my trembling arms and aching shoulders. From my position in the dirt, I watched the claw carrying my ten points retract into the hatch and seal shut.

  “And Daniel scores a fantastic ten points! Well done. But look at Troy, still going strong!”

  It turned out Troy had another ton in him. I stood up and watched as he cashed in his points when the sand hit the twelfth marker, bagging twelve points. A rush of applause swung around the room, and he gave a joking bow. I figured he probably even had another half-ton left in him, but he’d opted not to risk it.

  Good on you, Troy.

  16

  Danny

  I stared up at the projector screen. Our image boxes re-shuffled as the scores updated.

  1st Daniel Jackson - 17 Points

  1st Hollie White - 17 Points

  2nd Troy Williams - 14 Points

  3rd Richard H.R - 13 Points

  4th John Chen - 11 Points

  5th Andrea Bilson- 07 Points

  5th Lucy Winters - 07 Points

  6th Elliot Barker - 01 Point

  I felt a rush of excitement seeing my name joint top of the leaderboard. I would have been happy placing anywhere other than last; I’d never expected to be in with an actual chance of winning. The thunderous applause of the crowd hit from every direction.

  “Nice work,” said a voice from next to me. Hollie was half-smiling and massaging her triceps with dainty fingers. I noticed for the first time that she had a cute birthmark where her neck met her shoulder.

  “Thanks. You too.”

  “I’m still goanna beat you, though.”

  I grinned. “Is that right?”

  She jokingly blew on her nails. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

  Ivy stepped over to where we were all clustered together and lowered the microphone. “Is everyone feeling okay to continue?”

  “I think I pulled something out of its socket,” said Troy, rotating his shoulder. There was a loud pop, and his eyes widened. “Doesn’t matter, its back now.”

  Everyone else said they were fine.

  “Fantastic.” Ivy glanced at her Biomote. “Right. I need Troy, Richard, Hollie, and Lucy to head over to the red zone.” She pointed to a glowing circle of crimson light at the far end of the arena. “Daniel, Elliott, Andrea, and John go to the blue zone behind you.” When we were all where she wanted us to be, Ivy nodded and lifted the microphone to her lips. “Guardians, its time for the Capture the Asrai!”

  I took a moment to take in the arena as a whole. The rectangle inside what one of the other recruits had called the Venenum Run was about the size of an American football field. Some of the arena was covered in well-manicured grass, but there were also large patches of water and sand dunes dotted about. Tall structures with walkways, ledges, and swinging ropes towered above us. Closer to the ground were hiding spots and tunnels leading to different parts of the arena.

  Ivy tapped a button and the ground shook. More towers shot up from the grass in an eruption of soil. They stretched higher than the others and connected to them with sloping ramps. Ledges and bridges rose out of the
water pools like salvaged wreckage. Soon we were surrounded by an intricate spider’s web of glass and metal units. I heard the others draw in breath behind me.

  God, this is cool.

  One of the platforms lifted Ivy into the air. It came to a halt next to a suspended balcony high above the arena. The compere unlatched a gate and stepped in. She waited until the platform had sunk all the way back underneath the arena ground before she spoke. The cameras focused on her, and she filled both screens.

  “This is a ten-minute, timed event,” she said. On cue, a timer appeared at the top of each projector screen. “When the game begins, two Asrai will be released somewhere in the Battleground. The recruits’ task is to capture them and take them back to their zone. For each successful return, every person on that team will score one point, and the actual scorer receives an additional point. A replacement Asrai will then be released somewhere else.”

  She gave a casual shrug. “Sounds easy, right? Think again. The first catch is that Asrai are hard to capture. And, if you do manage to grab one, she’ll give off a glow so bright that everyone else will instantly know who has her and where they are, so others can attempt a steal. Plus, there are a couple of booby traps hidden in the arena to keep you all on your toes. And finally, the use of gifts is not permitted in this event – if you do, it’s a one point deduction for each offence. On the point of gamesmanship: recruits, a bit of hard contact is acceptable, but excessive violence will not be tolerated.”

  I stared at Troy, who was tilting his head from side to side and flexing his hands into fists. I wish he was on my team.

  “Each member of the winning team will get an additional five points. If there is a draw, no team gets extra. One final note. Recruits, don’t worry about hurting the Asrai, they are far more resilient than they look, and they absolutely love taking part in the Trials. So really go for it!”