"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.
Zaya stood up and approached me. She was almost as tall as me but super slim. Jet black hair and sky-blue eyes. Her face was thin, too. With narrow features. Eyes close together, skinny nose. Attractive in a fierce warrior queen way. My breath caught in my throat when she stepped right up to my face, her own breath on my neck.
My friends back home would never believe this. The great Zaya standing so close to me. Whether it was for a good or bad reason didn’t matter. This is a woman that most teenage boys in our sector wanted to date. Did she even know that?
"You are a questionable investment," she told me plainly. No hostility. "Anything you achieve while you are here is lost when you go. Any help we give you will be a waste of our time if you fail. That is why you need to do everything you can by yourself. Don't rely on us. I won't shoot you in the game like Rhese did. But I won't heal you either unless I think that you are worth it. Ask Memphis. The first few months are really challenging, Boone. Get your head on straight if you want to stay here."
Zaya then slipped past me, rubbing her shoulder against my arm. What did she mean about getting my head on straight? Was I too distracted with unimportant issues? Was she referring to my growing friendship with Memphis?
"She's right," Memphis told me as she patted the seat on the couch beside her. I eagerly honored the request to sit beside her. "The first half year was ridiculously hard for me. I died in the first few minutes on every mission for about three months. The only reason that I am still here is because Dashell was a knife in Rhese's side. The team would have been better off keeping him if he wasn't so confrontational."
"Does she get to make those decisions?" I asked. If this was solely a popularity contest I was in store for an uphill battle.
"Not entirely," Memphis said as she turned toward me just like the day before. This time her knee rested on top of my thigh. I nearly reached out to touch it. "She has input, I think. But the decision involves other people that we don't get to see."
I figured as much. Getting along with Rhese and Zaya was only part of the equation. I needed to contribute to each mission to the best of my ability and provide some viewing pleasure for the spectators. Comedic relief if nothing else, but that wouldn’t get me far on its own.
"Thanks for the insight yesterday, by the way," I told Memphis. "I already gained a point in Mech just by studying."
"Awesome. Great job!" she congratulated me with a rub of my knee. She was so genuine that I almost giggled. "I have a feeling that you are going to do much better than either Rhese and Zaya think."
"I'd almost have to, wouldn't I? Their expectations are so low."
"Not as low as they let on," she leaned in to whisper. "Rhese thought that you did okay in the first game. Right up until she shot you. You might have even made it to the extraction point on your own with a decent weapon. And Zaya was actually impressed."
"Really?" That was certainly news to me. Did our star player say that I had impressed her?
"Oh, yeah," Memphis nodded with a grin. "I can't believe that she made you turn around so she could look at your butt. She's a sly one."
I blushed and looked down at my hands resting on my thighs to avoid eye contact. "She was just teasing me, obviously."
"No, Boone," Memphis said so quietly that I barely heard her. "She was checking you out."
What?
Chapter Ten
I studied hard over the next few hours hoping to gain another point in Mech, but it didn't show on my record by the time the door opened. I did, however, earn my first point in Tech. Philia explained that it was difficult to gain more than one point in any category by studying. The rest would almost certainly have to be earned in the game.
The vibe was much different when I saw my three teammates again. It was almost like I now belonged. Perhaps it was more like Philia had worded it. They were tolerating my presence.
Rhese brought up the map of the next mission on the table in the social area. It was three times the size of my first game's map. Fortunately, we would be competing against non-playing characters again instead of a team. Head-to-head matchups wouldn’t be important. This time, though, we had a time limit. And the exit point was on the opposite side of the arena from the entry. I wouldn't be able to just hold back and survive.
Rhese was initially vague on some details but revealed that there were three objectives to accomplish before exiting the level to win the game. We would be scored on achieving those goals and the number of players to make it out alive. It was unknown where the enemy units would be, but typically most of them stayed close to one of the checkpoints. That's what Rhese called the objective areas.
There were different ways to accomplish things in this type of mission. We could use stealth to snag our targets without having to engage in a firefight. But that wasn't the Orange Dragon way over the last couple years. Rhese intended to shoot her way through the whole thing.
"There are three buildings," our captain told us while we were gathered around the table. "Two on the hillside on the right and one in the valley to the left. Each has a component that needs to be collected."
"A component?" Memphis asked. “Do we need to assemble something?”
"Yes. We need all three parts to build a rocket rifle," Rhese explained. "Then we have to use that weapon to destroy a wall blocking our exit. We don't have a rocket rifle in our arsenal yet. Gaining that powerful weapon is a high priority for us."
"How many bad guys?" Zaya asked.
"Forty, scattered throughout in unknown locations," Rhese revealed. "We can assume that most will be gathered around the buildings or inside. Each component should be more difficult to collect than the previous."
Zaya took a minute to concentrate as Rhese's eyes never left her. The leader no doubt valued her best player's input.
"What about the scoring system?" Zaya then asked. "Is it known?"
"Yes," Rhese answered. "Ten points for each component. Fifteen for destroying the wall and getting one player out alive. Five points for each additional player. And one point for each opponent taken down."
"Only five for each additional survivor?" Memphis asked. Apparently, that was a low number compared to previous missions.
"That's why we need to focus on taking out each bad guy," Rhese informed us. "Kill them all, grab the parts, get one of us out and we'll score eighty-five. That should put us toward the top in the rankings. Plus, we gain the rocket rifle."
Zaya shook her head in disagreement. It caused Rhese to take a deep breath as she waited for what the star player had to say. "Get us all out alive. Kill twenty-five of them and we score the same. Not only do we gain the rocket gun, but we’ll also get everything new that each survivor carries out the exit."
"Zaya," the captain nearly pleaded. "Only you and I have a chance of getting through this one. If we focus on protecting Memphis and Boone, we'll lose the whole thing. That can't happen. The chance of them carrying a new weapon across the finish line is slim to none. You know that."
Zaya didn't agree, clearly. But she wasn't going to argue about it. "What else do we know?"
"Starting weapons are small pistols, fast pistols, small rifles and fast rifles. We get one cache just before the last building on the right. We could access it after the first building, but it would be easier to do after snagging the second component from the building on the left. The road meanders that way and the hills and valleys make wandering off path the slow route."
"Didn't you say that there is a time limit?" I asked.
"Sixty minutes," Rhese answered.
"That's plenty of time to get us all out alive!" Zaya exclaimed.
"The completion time gets us bonus," the captain explained emphatically. "They'll rank the successful teams by time and award zero points for the slowest. Each position going up from there gets five points per rank. If ten teams finish it, we can get fifty extra points if we have the fastest time!"
"Forty-five," I mumbl
ed.
"What?" Rhese asked as she turned to me with evil in her eyes. Was I not supposed to speak?
"If the tenth team gets zero, the top team gets forty-five," I answered timidly. "I know that doesn't have an impact on the point that you were making. I was just doing the math in my head."
There was an awkward pause as I waited for Rhese to retaliate for me correcting her calculation. Or one of the other two to defend me. Neither happened.
"I've made my decision," Rhese finally announced. "Our focus will be on gaining the powerful weapon that we can use in future missions and beating the clock. It's not up for discussion."
She stared each of us down to prevent another challenge. I had no intention of complaining. I was expecting to die quickly anyway. Naturally, I would do my best not to, but it had already been fully explained to me not to expect any help from my teammates.
I believed that Memphis had a reason to complain. She had reached level three and more than a year's worth of experience. Yet Rhese was writing her off right along with me. That didn’t seem right. At least I could assume that she didn’t just have an issue with male players.
"Upon entry," Rhese started revealing her detailed plan. "Zaya, Memphis and I will hug the hill on the right and take down all visible opponents as we approach the first building. There is only one way in and out of that one, so Memphis will guard the entrance as Zaya and me grab the component."
"Boone, you will go left instead," the captain instructed me. "There is a ridge that goes around the valley on that side. Use it for cover and approach the second building from the rear. That structure has two entries, one in the front and the other in the rear."
"Do I go for the second component?" I asked, surprised that I was being given a valuable role in this mission.
"No," she answered, stifling laughter at my suggestion. "Don't even fire a shot. Just get as close as you can to that back door. Zaya and I will be able to grab your weapon and ammo off your corpse. Dead avatars will stick around for a full minute in this game. So, don’t die too fast. That is the best that you will be able to do to help your team in this mission."
"Ouch," Memphis muttered.
"You girl," Rhese turned her attention to my new best friend. It was unfortunate that the plan was to separate us. We'd both be better off is we could look out for each other. "Memphis, I'm hoping that you can make it a little farther. Zaya and I will point out your targets for you. Otherwise, conserve your ammo."
"So, you can remove it from my corpse?" Memphis asked with a bit more attitude than seemed advisable.
"It is what it is," Rhese told her sternly. "Don't act like you don't know this already. Remember, getting the rocket rifle will improve our chances in future missions. That includes keeping you two alive longer each time so you can gain more skill points."
"But not weapons," I answered. "If we don't survive any missions, we don't gain any weapons. Isn't that right?"
"Just let Zaya and I improve our arsenal for now, Boone," Rhese told me, holding back anger at what she was considering disrespect. "There will be some easier missions where you'll have a chance. Especially ones where we face a weak team. Focus on getting your skill points up."
"How about this," Zaya offered. "If Boone can stay alive outside the back door of the second building until we arrive, we'll let him grab the component from its case after we take down all the enemies inside. That could earn him a quick tech point which will make him more valuable to us in the future."
"Okay," Rhese relented after a deep sigh. "But he still doesn't fire a shot. You know how important ammo is in these games."
Chapter Eleven
Entering Skotopia alongside teammates with even the least bit of experience made a huge difference. Unfortunately, it was short-lived. Within seconds the three girls started making their way toward the hill on the right as I was directed to head in the opposite direction. On a suicide mission with a rifle that I wasn’t even supposed to fire.
The sky was darker than my first experience. Twilight perhaps, but it was hard to tell with nothing there to go on. The low light conditions were a daily routine on the station to simulate planet life. Doctors claimed that our mental health benefited from the program. Even with that experience I had to squint at times to see if any enemies lied in my path. It wasn't long before I spotted one.
The computer-generated character was either a human in heavy armor or an android. It was patrolling the ridge around the curve over halfway between me and the building on the left side of the level. That was where I needed to go to be of any real value to the team, I was told. If I couldn't get close enough, they wouldn't be able to collect my weapon and ammo. I was informed that most of the guns that enemies carried would disappear after they were eliminated. Unlike my favorite shooter games, we couldn't just run through the map with guns ablazin' as we snagged everything that got dropped by our foe.
As a rookie I was only capable of bringing one weapon into the game. My squad mates all chose fast rifles so that left only the small rifle for me. Or a small pistol. Rhese opted for the bigger gun since it did twice as much damage. With just a fifteen round clip a player needed to conserve the ammunition. I was instructed not to fire a single shot, but I fully intended to claim panic as my excuse when I ignored that order. It would be nice to leave a few bullets for my team if they could manage to salvage my gun.
I was also able to carry one clip of ammo. Instead of having me loadout with the type that would fit my rifle, Rhese assigned me rounds for the fast pistol instead. That would only fit Zaya's side piece. Any way that I looked at it, they weren't counting on me much in this game.
The terrain offered a nice view. So much more detailed than the arcade games. Shades of brown sand with little green shrubs growing intermittently throughout. There was a filthy pond in the center of the valley that I was circling. Three unrecognizable quadrupedal beasts were belly deep in the liquid as they drank.
The buildings were made from a solid material that showed no seams. Metal, I thought at first. Then plastic. Those were the building materials in my world. The style and gritty surface suggested that they were made with a mix of small stones and mud instead. That was a practice that was popular on Athlios where better methods were unavailable.
There was a rumor that people on the planet had started building a large glass dome to protect them from the harsh environment. Maybe in my spare time I could look that information up. For now, I needed to focus on this mission and not construction techniques.
There was a slight whistle in the breeze. At first, I thought that it might be a malfunction in my hearing connection with the game. Then it varied in pitch, and even faded completely at times.
I heard feint gunfire from the hill where Rhese led her small group of three players total. I couldn't see any of them from my position. Their forms might be hard to recognize since they were only visible for a few seconds after our entry. I had my memory of their posters to go on, but those were often exaggerated. Based on promotional images they could easily be confused with the bad guys in this game. The clock had started, so there was no time for chit chat, let alone examining the forms of my teammates.
Rhese's avatar had green hair and a muscular build. Nearly two meters tall and over a hundred kilograms, she had a towering presence. Zaya's character was even taller, but thinner with purple hair. I remembered them as much from the first game as I did them running away from me at the beginning of this one.
Memphis' avatar was much less intimidating. Considerably shorter her hair was remarkably different than the others. Yellow, but spiked. Her large golden eyes matched and had a strange glassiness to them. She was the only one to face me at all after our arrival in the game. I was unable to read her expression. Was she wishing me luck? More likely it was a look of pity.
I shouldn’t think that about Memphis, though. She had been very friendly and supportive ever since I met her. Avatars just had a way of making people seem less humane.
The peak of the hill where the sporadic sound of gunfire originated had to be at least two hundred meters away from me, and not much more from my enemy ahead. However, the guy paid no attention and continued to stroll along the ridge with his rifle against his shoulder, unaware of the invasion.
There were a couple meters of slope along the outside of the narrowly elevated ground. After that was a sharp drop off that would no doubt cause my death in the game. I needed to avoid that, mostly out of pride. I was determined to do even better this mission than the last. If I could keep improving each time, it wouldn't be long before I could be worthy of a real assignment.
Clinging to the sharp edge of the walk path on top of the ridge, I advanced only when the guard was facing the other direction. That was shooter game one-oh-one, and it kept him from noticing me even when I got uncomfortably close.
Gamer 1 - Skotopia: A Gamelit novel for science fiction action fans Page 6