by Riker Kane
The other robots continued their pursuit as I ran behind the cover of a steel column. I listened to their footsteps approaching then spun away from the column. They swung their swords and mauls but I was already out of the way. My saber slashed against one of the robots in its side and it met the same fate as the first.
Their weapons clanked against the grid as I ducked back behind a low wall.
Hit Points 100
Endurance 33
I hadn’t been touched yet but I was already getting tired. I had to steady myself. Not when more droids were coming after me.
The gameplan was working. There was no need for me to change it now.
I listened for the approaching footsteps then popped up just as they neared. A hard slash severed two of their heads from their bodies. The others tried to respond but I was already rolling out of the way.
One by one, I ran around the Drill Room, attacking when they didn’t expect it then running away before they could get back at me.
Three droids remained. I stood behind a column. Sweat dripped from my forehead and down my cheeks. My heart was racing as I tried to calm myself.
“Three droids… I can do them all at once…”
I peeked around the corner and saw the three sword-wielding robots coming right for me. I counted the seconds, waiting until I knew they were close, then moved away from the column. I ran forward and slashed at the first unsuspecting droid, catching it in its center and turning it into dust. A quick spin and another droid met the same fate.
The last droid raised its sword up over its head and slashed. I turned my saber sideways and parried the blow, giving me the opening I needed to thrust and end it.
The battlefield fell silent again except for my breathing. I wiped my sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand.
Hit Points 100
Endurance 19
My communicator was telling me I was exhausted and I was definitely feeling it. But at least I hadn’t taken any damage.
I looked toward the end of the Drill Room. I didn’t wanna admit there was a big part of me waiting for Janice or Hamilton to appear and tell me it was over. But there was nothing. The blue grid of the Drill Room continued to pulse.
My eyes shifted left and right, searching for anything. Suddenly, the silence was broken again. I didn’t have to look far to see where it was coming from.
Blue lights all swirled above me. The lines spun around each other in a blinding display. The ball of energy formed until taking the form of another droid. This one was a lot bigger though. More than ten-feet high and just as wide, it fell onto the grid and destroyed the columns and walls next to it like an explosion hit.
The ground rocked and forced me to steady myself.
Arms. Legs. No head. The outline of the digital robot focusing its attention on me wouldn’t have been so intimidating if not for the massive sword at its side. The blade was as long as I was tall, so it could impale me even when I wasn’t even close to it.
“All right… Not the biggest thing I’ve fought… You can do this, Liam…”
My own voice kept ringing in my head. I needed every word of encouragement to brace myself for the giant droid stomping toward me. It moved right in front of me and raised its sword up over its head.
Duck out of the way. Roll forward. Run back. Any of those would be good options. But in the heat of the moment, my instincts took over and I did the one thing I shouldn’t have done.
I raised my saber up and turned it sideways to parry the slash. The blue robot’s sword clashed with mine. Just the clang from our weapons made my ears ring. The weight of the blow was like getting crushed under an avalanche. I collapsed to a knee and gritted my teeth, bracing myself from the blow.
I waited for the ringing to stop and my hands to recover. When I looked up, I saw the robot stumbling back.
“Holy crap…”
My saber actually managed to parry it. I interrupted my brief celebration and ran forward, thrusting my saber into its leg. The machine whirred and brought its sword back over its head. It slashed down but only hit the grid as I was already rolling out of the way.
But I couldn’t celebrate. The droid spun around with surprising quickness and slapped me with a backhand that sent me flying into one of the columns behind me. The hard thud knocked the wind out of me as I tried to catch my breath.
“Shit…”
I groaned as I pushed myself up to my feet. The droid’s giant stomps got me out of the daze I was in. It brought its sword above its head for another heavy slash. I raised my saber up and parried it again. The weight of the blow reverberated through my entire body but not enough to stop me from slashing at the machine’s other leg.
To my surprise, it fell down to its knees. I moved closer to try and finish it off but it slashed at me. I avoided most of the swing but the sword was long enough, even a glancing blow was enough to catch me in my side. My armor crunched and a wound opened up.
“Dammit…” I grunted as the blood immediately began coming out of me.
I stayed on one knee, trying to ignore the pain.
Hit Points 57
Endurance 11
I didn’t have to look at my hit points to know it was as bad as I thought it was. The machine brought its weapon up to swing again.
“C’mon, Liam… Focus…”
The pain in my side got worse. I stabbed my saber into the ground and pushed myself up again. Just as the droid’s sword came down, I moved out of the way.
“Now!”
With all my strength, I bent down and popped up. The Upper Thrust sent me flying into the air. On the way up, I thrust my saber into the machine and brought it with me. My blade ripped through the machine’s center all the way, splitting its torso in two and turning it into blue digital dust.
I landed back on the grid as the explosion settled all around me. The tip of my saber dug into the grid to stop me from falling over. But I’d done it.
I was exhausted. I was bleeding. I couldn’t see straight through the sweat. I still had enough energy to work a smirk onto my face.
That had to be it. Everything I learned. Everything I trained and practiced. That was all of it.
CRASH!
Steel slammed against the grid behind me in a deafening explosion. I turned around just in time to see another monstrosity of a robot standing there.
“What the—”
My surprise was interrupted as it thrust its blade forward, catching me right in my stomach. It didn’t matter that it was in digital form because damn, it felt real. My armor. My flesh. My blood and organs. None of it held up as the sword poked right through me.
The machine held its sword in my stomach. The thing was so damn long there was no way I could pull it out of me. I raised my saber up but my slashes might as well have been harmless flails.
I couldn’t believe it. My HP was draining. I was stuck in position. I lost to a damn computer program.
“Aldridge.”
Captain Hamilton’s voice suddenly boomed over the speaker.
“Submit.”
I narrowed my eyes in confusion.
“There’s no way out for you. Submit or you’ll end up in the Med Bay.”
I looked around for an escape but there was nothing. The machine was holding its blade in me and it could split me in two if it didn’t wanna wait for my HP to run out.
“Do you want to submit, Aldridge?”
The taste of copper spilled on my tongue. I coughed and shook my head. I’d come too far to fail now. I had to finish this. Somehow. Some way.
“No… No!” I used my last bit of strength to shout. “I can’t…”
My hit points were slowly draining from me. I’d lose consciousness and wake up in the Med Bay shortly after. There was some consolation in knowing I’d beaten at least one of the giant droids.
Before I could go out, I suddenly fell to the floor. The blue lights on the walls and floor dimmed, replaced by softer white lights.
“Quickly!”
/>
I blinked my eyes to make sure I was seeing it right. The machine that just stabbed me was gone. Instead, there were doctors from the Med Bay running toward me.
“Take it easy… Just relax… I’m going to give you a sedative…” A needle pierced my neck and the pain in my stomach slowly went away.
I looked up at the doctors while they began working on my wound. Next to them, Captain Hamilton and Janice stood.
Hamilton gave me a smirk I wasn’t sure what to make of. “Congratulations, Aldridge. You did it.”
28: The Line Between Existence and Extinction
On the first floor of the Nerve Center, everyone had gathered in the Assembly Auditorium. The older cadets all sat patiently in their seats. Janice stood next to Adviser Campbell at the side of the room where all of the Class Captains were watching. Other senior instructors were watching as well. Some of the scientists I’d seen in the Junction room, like Dr. Bonet, had come. Dr. Marchal had arrived from the Med Bay.
I stood on the stage and looked out to the crowd of about a hundred in front of the entrance. It was crazy to think how few people there were considering how big of an operation this was. The Vegas District was still in its infancy and it showed. But I knew this was only the beginning. For me and everybody else.
“I can’t believe it. It’s actually happening.” Quentin fidgeted next to me. He looked like he was too stunned in disbelief to smile even though he was clearly in a good mood.
“We’re not there yet,” I said with a chuckle.
“It’s only a matter of time. What else can they do to us? They have to let us in now.”
I turned to Nina right next to me. The redhead kept her chin up. She’d never looked as proud as she did now. I couldn’t blame her. Half of the wave of recruits we came in with was gone. Only ten of us remained.
We stood patiently in our uniforms as Chancellor Layton stood next to us. He leaned against the lectern as he addressed the crowd.
“I’ve been with the Legion Omega Defense since the beginning,” he said. “I told these young recruits before it never gets old to see new blood. And it never gets old to see a new generation make it. These are the men and women who have earned the right to call themselves Omega. They have demonstrated the willingness to put everything on the line for the sake of humanity. Even their own lives. That is what it takes to be an Omega. We can all sleep a little easier knowing there are more willing to head into the next dimension and face the unknown.”
He turned toward us on stage. The old man’s face wrinkled with a big smile.
“But none of you are Omegas yet. There is one final step.”
The bright lights of the room began to dim. I looked up toward the display on the other side of the room, hanging above the entrance of the auditorium like a giant movie screen. The screen flickered and blue text slowly appeared on the screen.
I’d seen some of the words before. Probably picked them up when I was browsing the Internet or something. This time was different though. Just scrolling through them was enough to make my heart beat a little harder.
Seeing the words, I knew what all of this meant.
Chancellor Layton walked in front of the line of new recruits with his hands behind his back. “You are all worthy of the title of Omega. Now… speak in unison and take the oath.”
I looked down the line of recruits. We all remained silent. I looked toward Nina and watched her lips beginning to move.
“I am the shield that protects the innocent…” she said out loud.
“I am the sword that vanquishes the evil…” Paige followed her.
“I will face the unknown with my head held high…” Elliot spoke said.
Chancellor Layton smiled at us. “From the beginning,” he said. “Together…”
I read the words aloud along with the others next to me.
“I am the shield that protects the innocent. I am the sword that vanquishes the evil. I will face the unknown with my head held high. No great beast will turn me away. The darkness itself will forge my path. I will fight until all of my blood is spilled and I no longer draw breath. And I will fight again. I am the first and last line between extinction and existence. I am an Omega.”
All I did was read some words on a screen. But right after I said it, there was something inside of me. A visceral reaction that made my heart thump even harder. I looked at Quentin and saw a big grin on his face.
“Vegas District.” Chancellor Layton raised his hands up. “Let’s all welcome the newest Omegas to the Legion Omega Defense.”
The other cadets rose from their seats and clapped. The Class Captains and other LOD personnel joined in.
I looked at Quentin, watching him chuckle at the growing applause. Nina kept her head up, unable to fight the smile from coming to her lips.
I closed my eyes then whispered softly to myself. “I’m an Omega.”
~ ~ ~
“So, I’m standing there thinking that this is pretty cool. It’s like Tron or something, you know? It’s the only thing keeping me sane at that point. I know I’m a Vanguard but I can only take so much. The stupid robot is hammering me over and over. I fight back with my shield the best I can but what can I really do? I’m a tank. Usually you two are doing all of the damage.”
“So what did you do?” I asked.
Quentin took a sip of his iced coffee to clear his throat because he was about to continue his rant. “What could I do? I was getting tired. My armor was starting to chip. My shield was holding up but you get a massive sword slammed into you enough, it starts to wear on you. I figured I had to do something. So I just ran toward it with my shield up. Kamikaze-style.”
“How’d that work out for you?”
“I managed to take it down. Got on top of it and just dug the edge of my shield into its chest like Steve Rogers would do. Turned into dust like a Mega Man boss. Then another one popped up out of nowhere and got me right in the stomach. Thought about giving up right then and there but you know what happened?”
“What’s that?”
He leaned forward at me, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to look as serious as possible. “I thought about you.”
“Me?”
“Sure. What if we were in a Junction? What if this was a World Boss? I couldn’t let my squad leader down. So I told Captain Bell to blow himself another asshole. And then it ended. Just like how it was with you.”
Quentin sank back into his seat and gulped on his drink. The smug satisfaction on his face made me burst into laughter. I had every reason to be in a good mood. Outside of the coffee shop, all of the newer recruits had gathered to celebrate their promotion to Omega.
Nina sat quietly while she picked at a croissant.
“Are you all right?” I asked. “I figured you’d be in a better mood. We’re Omegas. The World Boss is defeated and the Junction Room is closed while they scan for the next closest Pandora dimension for us to run through. We’ve got the rest of the night off.”
“I’m excited, Liam. Really. I’m just thinking about what all of this means.”
“It means we’re Omegas,” Quentin said. “What else is there?”
Nina sighed. “You just took the oath and you don’t even realize what you said. Being an Omega is a big deal. It’s a promotion. We’ll have access to better weapons, armor, and abilities. There’ll be chances to increase our stats even further. Our missions will offer us more rewards and we’ll have other opportunities.”
“I… don’t see how any of that is a bad thing.”
“Because it’s more responsibility. It’s only going to get more difficult from here. I’m not saying we won’t be able to handle it… But we were only recruits until now. Now the real test begins.”
Quentin sucked on his straw until he was sucking on nothing but air. “Maybe it’s gonna get a little more dangerous. But tonight’s a celebration. I say we have some fun. Internet cafe. Lounging in the grass. Being an Omega means we get a raise, too.”
“
Just because your stipend increased doesn’t mean you should throw it all away on burgers and milkshakes.”
“It’s not throwing it away if it’s for a good cause. And tonight is a big celebration. We still haven’t eaten yet.”
“With harder Junctions, I don’t think we should be stuffing our faces with pizza and burgers every night.”
“Fine. I can use a change of pace. There are plenty of places to eat. What do you think, Liam?”
I’d been listening to their conversation the entire time but my attention was focused on the others who’d been promoted with us. Elliot sat with his squad, celebrating wildly at their table. Paige’s celebration was a lot more modest even though there was another squad with hers.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” I said. “I’m just happy to be an Omega. I can’t wait to see what the next world will be like.”
“They won’t be as peaceful as the happy green valleys and blue skies,” Nina said.
“That’s fine with me. We could all use a little excitement.”
We all sat just outside of the cafe, enjoying the peace of the night. I looked down the wide pathway of the Central Square and watched some of the other cadets walking by. I noticed Brooke a few meters away. The brunette spotted me and made her way over, sashaying her hips like only she could.
“Hey! Congratulations! You made it!”
“I made it,” I said with a laugh. “It was only a matter of time.”
“Not necessarily. It takes a lot of hard work to make it to Omega. Believe me, there were more recruits in my wave and a bunch of them decided to leave early. You should be proud of yourself. All of you… Say, Liam. Do you mind if I talk to you for a second?”
I held back my surprise. I looked up at her, trying to figure out what she was up to but her face didn’t tell me anything. “Sure,” I said with a shrug. “I’ll be right back, guys.”
I got up from my seat and left Nina and Quentin to bicker over how we were going to celebrate. I walked just behind Brooke to the side of the coffee shop.
“This way.” She motioned for me to follow her along the side of the building. We kept going until we were heading to the back of it. I slowed down, expecting for her to jump me and rob me for everything I had even though my pockets were empty.
