by Alan Bard
My body felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. I tried to raise my hand, but I couldn’t feel it.
Wait a minute. Is it me or do I have three hands? Why are there so many fingers?
My hand split into several, smaller hands, then merged into a transparent one. I could see my bones, ligaments, and muscles. One moment, my forearm was made up of strange symbols, and the next, it was normal again.
What did they say about side effects? asked a distorted voice.
Luke, I’m your father... I answered.
My thoughts were all over the place, rolling around in my head like bowling balls. If I focused on one thing, I felt dizzy and sick.
Someone was moaning nearby—the distorted sound was coming like through an old radio. I turned my head with difficulty and saw four Rios running in a circle.
He’s as bad as we are, or worse.
He’s as high as a kite, said a voice through a malicious smile.
Eli was probably the last to go for the procedure, as he was still unconscious. As if responding to my thoughts, he coughed, turned on his side, and vomited.
Goodbye, milkshake! the voice continued.
I tried to ask them how they were, but it didn’t come out that way.
“Ou ae u?”
“Uuuu,” Rio answered.
Eli kept coughing and then he vomited yet again.
“Shhht! Razy Astards!” he managed to say.
And then something very strange happened. Words in a glowing, orange frame flashed before my eyes.
Attention!
Connecting to the Island System...
Downloading the beginning stats...
Synchronizing...
Synchronization: 0%
Below it was an orange loading bar.
2%... 4%... 6%...
I closed my eyes but the numbers didn’t disappear. Not that there was anything wrong with that—I had already heard about this—it was just strange... and very exciting.
28%... 36%... 44%...
I was wondering what would happen when the countdown ended.
64%... 79%...94%...
My vision turned black again, even though I was conscious and lying with my eyes open.
The installation has been completed successfully.
Good, whatever that means.
And then things started to emerge from the darkness: Rio, who was standing still; Eli, who was snarling and twitching, apparently still synchronizing with the system; beds that were no longer spinning... Colors suddenly seemed brighter and the details more distinct, as if someone had turned on the focus in my eyes.
Gradually, I began to feel my body, but in a different way—it seemed to weigh less.
Motor functions have been restored.
The message was followed by some words that I couldn’t quite understand. I was staring at the ceiling covered with rows upon rows of incomprehensible symbols. I didn’t feel dizzy anymore and my body seemed to be filled with energy. I wanted to speak, to move, to do something.
Synchronization of vital functions...
Zara leaned over me and said something, but I couldn’t hear her. She kept moving her lips, and then she froze. A second passed, followed by another one, and then another one...
Sounds and senses hit me like a flood. I heard Eli roaring and cursing, and Rio moaning quietly.
“Don’t get up, it’s dangerous to do that while synchronizing,” Zara said. Her words felt like they were drilling into my brain.
Occupying my entire field of vision was a loading bar showing 10, 15, 20 percent... And then the loading stopped.
I was seized with convulsions. I clenched my jaw as tightly as I could.
Moments of relaxation alternated with periods of agonizing pain. It felt like someone was squeezing my heart and flipping a switch, turning my body on and off. The loading bar was taking its sweet time.
When the process was finally completed, I was so tired that I couldn’t even move my tongue.
Relief came only when exhaustion took over me and pulled me into its abyss.
***
It was difficult to say how long I slept. It could’ve been hours, or it could’ve been days. The lights were on when I woke up. I was no longer nauseous, and my vision was clear. I was just a little dizzy. I first raised my hands, then rolled over and found that the other two beds were empty.
Were they transferred after they had synchronized?
It could be, or maybe they’re dead, answered a cold voice.
Messages flooded my vision.
The Island welcomes a new recruit!
Recruit, choose your game name.
I glanced at the rectangle that appeared under the words and flinched when a virtual keyboard appeared next to it. I grinned—this was some cyberpunk shit!
Mentally tapping the keys, I slowly typed out my nickname.
Name: Nick
Age: 18
Status: Recruit
Specialization: /
Cohort: /
The local server is open. A new unit has been added to the system.
The [Standard Set of Abilities] pack has been activated.
Basic Recruit Skills:
Research (without system prompts);
Hunting (without system prompts);
Battle (random system prompts are possible)
The text slowly faded, leaving behind blurry letters that burned in the air for a few seconds before disappearing. I sat on the edge of the bed and noticed a bracelet with a green button on my wrist. I was wondering what I should do about it and if anyone would come show me the ropes.
As if responding to my thoughts, Zara opened the door and took a good look at me.
“Where is everyone?” I croaked.
“In the canteen. You’ve been passed out longer than the others. You’ve slept for more than twenty hours.”
“A whole day?”
“Don’t worry about that. What matters is that your body managed to recover.”
“Almost a whole day... Damn,” I muttered and showed her the bracelet. “And what’s this?”
“We were worried about you. That little gizmo monitors your vitals. You can take it off if it’s bothering you. I see that you’re all right. Can you get up?”
Her words sounded more like a statement than a question. Holding on to the headboard, I got up and took a few awkward steps toward the door. I was slowly taking control of my weakened body. I wondered if they were worried about me as a person or as a piece of valuable equipment. I didn’t believe for a moment that Zara’s sympathy and worry were genuine. She looked more like a robot than a human being.
“Let’s go. You need to eat and restore your strength. You’ll be told what to do next after you have eaten,” she said. “Hurry up, everyone’s waiting for you.”
***
They were sitting at a round table, in the middle of which was something flat that looked like a large plate. I took a seat between Eli and Rio. The siblings we had met earlier were there, too. Both of them had light-brown hair, but their eyes were dark, almost black. Their eyebrows were thick as if they had been drawn with a pencil, noses upturned, and lips thin. They were twins, with a large crescent-shaped mole on their chins. Bojan and Jelena, I suddenly remembered their names. Serbs with a strong accent...
A hologram appeared above the “plate,” showing a miniature version of the island.
“Greetings, recruits!” The pleasant voice seemed to be coming from everywhere. “Welcome to The Island! A land of opportunity!”
The hovering hologram was growing very slowly. It looked tangible. Like it had weight to it.
“There are no civilians or strangers here; planes and ships can’t get to this place without permission. This island is the crater of an ancient volcano, shielded from the world by a mountain chain...”
The mountains on the holomap turned dark gray and seemed to grow heavier.
“You’re now here.”
A green dot appeared, indicating
our position.
“There’s a large valley on this side of the chain...”
Part of the area flared up and turned green. We could also see a blue river and barely visible ruins.
“The center of the valley is The Arena! The project’s creator, the Nobel laureate in neurobiology Peter Krylov, came up with stages that each of you must go through in this experiment. There are three of them: the Initiation Rite, the Rite of Passage, and the Rite of Ascent.”
Eli laughed.
“Holy shit! Rites! Is he crazy, this Krylov of yours? What kind of a name is that anyways?”
He seemed nervous—or rather, apprehensive. The siblings were moody and withdrawn; Rio’s face was set.
I was surprised to hear the voice answer Eli’s questions.
“Unfortunately, I can’t answer your question right now. The first Rite is the installation of the neural network. Congratulations, you’ve passed it successfully. The second Rite is reaching The Base.”
A red dot appeared in the center of the holomap.
“Getting there is the hardest part. The Rite of Passage unlocks the network’s full capacity—this will turn you into real players. Keep in mind that no more than seventy-two hours can pass between the Rites. Otherwise, the network will start to degrade. This’ll lead to the loss of cognitive functions, pain, and game over.”
“What the hell?” Bojan’s voice was hoarse, like that of a fifty-year-old man who had been smoking all his life. “Pain and loss of... What functions?”
“We’re doomed anyway... Maybe it’s better that you don’t know what it means,” Rio said, scratching his head. “If we lose, we’ll either become stupid or go crazy. This is not what they promised me!”
“Come on! I don’t see what the problem is.” Eli shrugged.
The AI, or whoever was talking to us, continued, “You have to get to The Base on your own.”
Bojan looked at me—he was livid.
“This moron has made us lose an entire day! We have only two days left now. What are we waiting for?” he said, straightening his back and looking at us. “We have to act quickly.”
Rio stood up as well.
“We need a plan. We need to know where we’re going and what obstacles we’re going to face. Hey, you, voice! Is this dangerous?”
He and the twins have lost their accents. Have you noticed that? asked a husky voice.
I had noticed it, but chose not to focus on it.
“You’ll receive further information at The Base,” the voice answered. “You’ll go on your own, without our support. As soon as you’re ready, let us know, and the mecha-dragon will show you the way. Bear in mind that pain may return. While your body is being rebuilt, dehydration and thirst are possible.”
“It’s all because of you, you asshole!” Bojan shouted, pointing a finger at me. “We would’ve been halfway to this Base by now had it not been for you and your beauty sleep.”
“Screw you!” I spat.
“Guys, guys, stop fighting,” Rio said. “We have a serious challenge ahead of us. Save your arguments for later, we need to work together.”
Jelena poked her brother with her elbow.
“He’s right. We need to get out of here!” she said loudly and then addressed the invisible speaker. “We’re ready. Where’s your mecha thing? What do we do next?”
“That’s not what I said!” Rio leaned over the hologram. “First, we need to memorize the map. More precisely, where the stream is.”
“Can you do it? I’m not very good at such things,” Eli said in a low voice.
“Sure. I have a good memory... Done.”
At this point, a small quadcopter descended from the ceiling. It did remind me of some creature, but not of a dragon of any sort.
White letters flashed before my eyes and then disappeared. I tried to get them back, but couldn’t.
“Are they calling drones ‘mecha-dragons’?” Eli muttered.
The door opened and the drone flew out. We hurried after it.
“Who remembers what was in the contract?” Bojan asked. He was going first, following the so-called dragon. “I mean was there anything about risks in there? Was there something in the fine print?”
“When the network is being installed and synchronized, the probability of death is half a percent,” Rio said in a voice that sounded like he was reading from a textbook.
“And then what?” Eli asked.
“That’s all. Anything can happen to us, and no one will be held responsible for it. It’s a very bad contract.”
Bojan cursed in Serbian and hit the wall. I’d lived next to a Serbian family of heavy drunks, so I knew some of their swear words. He tried to kick the drone, but it soared up and suddenly shot at his feet, using a short, shiny barrel that popped out from under its hull. Bojan jumped back.
“Fuck, this freaking thing can shoot!”
“Don’t provoke it. It’s hard to run as it is,” Jelena said. “My legs aren’t working very well.”
“Your installation was quick, right?” Rio inquired of her with interest.
“Yeah, how did you know?”
“I think your body didn’t have time to adjust, unlike those of us who were lying in bed for a long time. By the way, how are you, Nick?”
“Pretty good!”
Bojan glared at me. It seemed that he really disliked me.
I wasn’t lying. I did feel great, even though we had already run a short distance and descended to the first floor.
At the end of the hallway, the drone stopped over military backpacks stacked along the wall. I picked one up and looked inside—slices of bread, a flask of something to drink, matches, a knife... That was all. When I touched it, a shimmering mist appeared above it.
A side effect or...?
Eli grimaced and dumped the contents of the bag on the floor. Rio fiddled with his backpack, concentrating on something.
“This means that either nothing dangerous is waiting for us, or that our lives don’t matter much.”
Jelena let out a long sigh.
“I want to believe in the former. What’s the point of this journey?”
“This whole thing stinks,” Bojan muttered and swore again. “This is bullshit, and you know it, Jeco.”
Rio was pacing up and down in excitement, playing with his knife as if he was wielding a dagger. He dropped it, picked it up, pressed a button on the hilt, and a shiny blade popped out.
At this point, the wall in front of us shook and began to part. We stared at it in fascination. A gust of wind blew a leaf across the floor. We could see the sun-kissed hills, partly overcast by clouds, and a green valley dotted with yellow spots.
In the distance, an unknown species of trees swayed in the wind, leaves rustling. I didn’t even know what the climate was like here. It didn’t look like the tropics. I had no idea what could possibly come out at night.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Rio said, and backed up against the wall. “I’m not a criminal; no one has the right to keep me here! I’m an honest citizen, and I’ve been deceived!”
A familiar voice came from above.
“You have signed a contract and are thus required to comply with its terms and conditions, which include following instructions you’ve been given. If you refuse, you’ll be removed from the project.”
Removed? That sounds... Ominous.
“Take me home! Where’s your boss?!”
Rio seemed close to having a nervous breakdown.
“You have five seconds to leave the room and begin your quest. The countdown begins... Now. Five...”
“Or what?” Eli looked up. “What’ll happen if we don’t?”
“Four... Three...”
Bojan and Jelena ran to the door. I grabbed Eli by the elbow and dragged him outside.
“Get out of here! Rio, run!”
“Two... One...”
The drone turned to Rio and fired two rounds at the wall above his head, swaying from the recoil. Pieces of
white plaster fell on his hair, and he covered his head with his hands and ran for the exit. I heard two more shots, and the sound of a body hitting the floor. I was running ahead so I couldn’t see what happened to him.
Chapter 7
THREAT
Thirty-five days before the Invasion
I caught up with the twins. I thought that I was ready for anything, but I came to my senses when we finally stopped running: I had finally become aware of the danger that we had put ourselves into. I turned around and watched the opening in the wall close. Bojan and Jelena, both of whom were panting, weren’t just angry, oh no—they were furious. Eli seemed both shaken and angry, unable to believe what he had just seen. Rio lay on the ground, holding his head in his hands and rocking from side to side. He was alive, and that was the only thing that mattered.
They’ve decided not to kill him in order to motivate us. Good. That gives us some hope, said a cold voice, which seemed to slowly, but surely, be taking shape in my mind.
They want criminals to play their strange game in order to test their equally strange device. They’ve just threatened and nearly killed us. What kind of hope are you talking about? I asked.
You’re just flailing about, hoping that somebody will accidentally point you in the right direction. Play the game, make it your own! it replied, but didn’t give me the answer to the question I asked.
However, the voice helped me get my shit together. “So, we finally got an answer to the question of whether they value our lives or not.”
“Bloody hell! You’re the criminals! I—” Rio groaned in frustration. “I’m a law-abiding citizen! Why me?”
Bojan stared at him like a predator at its prey.
“Stop whining. We’re all doing our best. We need you because you’ve memorized the map. And you need us because you’re weak.”
He pretended to punch Rio in the jaw, but the latter blocked and stepped back.