by Drew Hayes
As time ticked away, Alice noticed fewer and fewer students passing beneath her. Of course some were being eliminated, but it seemed to be happening with alarming frequency. It began to occur to her that she might just have a shot at being one of the last people standing, as long as she kept herself hidden, of course. It was this need that kept her moving, carefully crossing doorways only when she was positive there was no one else waiting on the other side. She could have stayed still in one room, and in fact tried to at one point, but standing alone in utter darkness and silence is far more terrifying than moving through it with a purpose.
Alice tried to keep her method of movement simple. She alternated left and right turns, not really caring about tracking her own movements, only wanting to avoid back-tracking if possible. She also noticed occasionally that when she was in a room, the door she entered through would close and two others would open. If she’d been hoping to get a sense of where she was, this might have been discouraging. As it was, being lost suited her just fine.
As she navigated through the catacombs of darkness she ultimately came upon a room with something unique in it: a door that required being physical opened. If there had been another way out of the room, she likely would have taken it, but the curiosity was her only option for pressing forward, so Alice groped around until her hand struck a small switch.
The first thing that struck Alice was the overwhelming brightness of the light that assaulted her eyes as the door slid open. The second was the ridiculous amount of wind that smashed against her. For a few brief and very confusing seconds Alice truly believed she had somehow opened up a door leading into a hurricane. Then her eyes adjusted and things made both more and less sense.
Dashing around the room in combat was Sasha, recognizable only when she slowed down enough to change direction or when she clashed with her enemy. The enemy Sasha was fighting was... also Sasha. The duo were duking it out, fighting at insane speeds that were generating the winds Alice had felt.
Alice blinked her eyes to make sure she was seeing things correctly, then very seriously considered flipping that switch again to see if it would make the door close. Unfortunately, before her thoughts could solidify into actions, the pair of Sashas noticed her and shouted in unison.
“Alice! Give me a hand with this imposter!”
* * *
At first Vince was convinced he was hallucinating, but then Alex’s question confirmed what he was seeing.
“Is someone using an orange flashlight?”
Both of them had noticed an orange beam glowing lightly from a few rooms down. It was sweeping erratically, as if wielded by someone trying desperately to make sense of their surroundings.
“Looks that way,” Vince whispered.
“So, do we run away?” Alex asked.
Vince shook his head, then realized Alex could no more see him than vice versa. “No,” Vince said. “There are other people who are too good at moving with stealth for us to have a chance at being the last two standing. Our best chance is to start taking down others when we can find them.”
“Best defense is a good offense,” Alex echoed.
“More or less, though to be honest, I’d feel better if I had a red bracelet to go with my red weapon. Equal out the offense and defense,” Vince whispered back.
“Hey, at least you have one red item. I’m yellow on both accounts,” Alex complained.
“That doesn’t seem right. I mean, I saw them give Mary a red weapon,” Vince said.
“Hey Vince, I think we’re kind of stalling here,” Alex pointed out.
“Oh... yeah, you’re right. We should get moving,” Vince said.
“You should also realize that in total silence the sound of a whisper carries far,” said a familiar voice from one room over. While Vince and Alex had been talking the orange light had gone out and its owner had made his way much closer to the duo. He now stepped through the doorway and reignited his light source, which turned out to be his left hand.
“Thomas!” Vince said happily. “I thought that shade of orange looked familiar. I didn’t know you could use your energy like a light.”
“I can do a lot of things with it,” Thomas replied.
“Man, Nick must have put a whammy of good luck on me before we came down because I keep running into friends,” Vince said, relief evident in his voice. He hadn’t been looking forward to trying to take down another student, no matter how necessary it was.
“I don’t know that I would go that far,” Thomas said, and without another word his right hand burst into orange light as well. Instead of a dim glow, this light arced out and spilt into two beams, one each slamming into Vince and Alex and wrapping around their torso. Their arms were pinned to their sides immediately, and as soon as they were encased they felt themselves lift several feet in the air.
“It’s nothing personal,” Thomas said as he used his left hand to pluck out his own red weapon. The flashlight-like glow vanished, but the pulsating energy emitting from his right hand kept the room amply lit. “It’s as you said, some of us are lacking in the skills to succeed at the stealth portion of this exam. That only leaves bringing down other students.”
“A little warning might have been appreciated,” Vince said, struggling to push against the orange energy enveloping him.
“Appreciated and ill-advised,” Thomas replied. “You are both strong opponents. Without surprise I doubt I could have taken you both. Such tactics would never be acceptable in a man-to-man fight; however, the environment here seems to suggest it is well within the rules, if not expected.”
“Surprising us was the right idea,” Alex said, an odd smile dancing on his face in the orange light. “Explaining why you did it and giving us time was wrong.”
“My apologies if I gave you hope, but I did so because my abilities have already been tested against telepaths. Your kind deal in moving only solid matter with your minds, and energy is far less dense than that,” Thomas said.
“I’m only going to say this one more time,” Alex said, taking in a deep breath. A vein in his forehead bulged and sweat materialized on his forehead.
“I am not a fucking telepath!”
61.
Vince had to admit, he didn’t think Alex was going to be able to anything to Thomas’s energy... right up until Alex yelled and the circle binding him was forced apart. Without pause, Alex dropped to the ground, made a quick motion with his hand and flung Thomas across the room. Now, in the time it took Alex to land and attack, Thomas could have easily struck again or made some move to defend himself. The trouble was that while Vince was slightly surprised by Alex’s ability to push away energy, Thomas was absolutely flabbergasted. He stood in dumb shock as Alex’s force gripped him and sent him crashing into the wall. When he struck, his concentration faltered, and the energy binding Vince dissipated.
“That was pretty cool,” Vince said as he landed carefully on the hard stone below.
“Thanks,” Alex said. “Sorry about the yelling. It just gets frustrating sometimes.”
Vince made a very precise mental note to never question the origins of Alex’s power to his face. “I hope you didn’t hurt him too badly.”
“I am fine,” Thomas answered, rising to his feet. “I’d like to know what trick you used, though. You should not be able to stop energy. How did you do it?”
Alex shrugged. “Nothing is beyond the Force.”
“Very well, then,” Thomas replied. “It seems I will have to fight you both head-to-head. I had hoped to avoid that, but if it must be, then it must be.” He lit up again, this time both hands glowing bright orange. Without warning, five beams from each hand lanced out directly at Vince and Alex. They were ready this time, though; Vince rolled to the side and Alex held up a hand, knocking the beams away. As Vince pulled himself back up, he pinned his attention on Thomas, readying himself for the next volley. He noticed that Thomas’s hands still showed ten beams extended. Vince put it all together just in time, leaping fo
rward and narrowly missing the five that slammed down in the spot where he had been.
“What the hell?” Vince cried out, ducking to the side as the five orange strands snaked out, each one trying to snare him.
“I told you: my energy moves like an appendage, taking whatever shape I require,” Thomas explained from his spot near the wall. “All of them move independently, and if one of them touches you then you are as good as restrained.”
Vince snuck a glance at Alex, only to see his friend working double time to try and deflect the beams from all angles. While Vince’s five were staying fairly closely-knit, the ones battling Alex were spread out, forcing him to block them at random intervals from every direction. At the rate things were going, Vince and Alex would lose, and soon. All it took was one beam getting through to snare them once more, and even if Alex could get himself free, one had to wonder how many times that trick would work. As for Vince, if he was caught that was probably the end of things.
In a moment of desperation a plan formed in Vince’s head. It was stupid and more than likely wouldn’t work at all. Still, it was a way to lose proactively, and Vince preferred that to just jumping around waiting to be picked off.
“Alex!” Vince called. “I need you to buy me thirty seconds. Can you do that?”
“No idea,” Alex replied. “Guess we’ll find out.” With that, Alex stepped forward and brought to bear all that he had. Thomas’s orange beams were slammed backward against the sheer might of Alex’s will. Try as he might to move them forward, Thomas kept striking an invisible wall, one that didn’t seem to be yielding one bit.
As soon as the beams were restrained, Vince stopped running and bent over. His breathing intensified, indicating he was trying to get his breath back before he tried whatever was to come next. He placed his hands on top of pockets and stared at the ground. He was about to do something crazy. He should be scared, he should be wary, he should be worried. Instead he was exhilarated.
* * *
Before either Sasha could say another word, Alice bounded through the door and flew up to the ceiling. It was higher in this room, at least fifteen feet down to the floor, and Alice hugged it as closely as she could, desperate for every inch she could put between herself and the two women beneath her.
“Someone want to explain what the hell?” Alice called down.
“He’s a mimic!” Sasha yelled.
“No, he is,” the other Sasha countered. “He snuck up on me and grabbed my hand.”
“Okay, so we’re all agreeing that one of you is a mimic at least, right?” Alice asked.
“Yes!” This was yelled in unison by both Sashas. “He can copy your appearance and powers if he touches you,” one of the Sashas elaborated.
“But it isn’t as strong as the original,” the other one chimed in.
“Well, sounds like a good show for me then,” Alice said, crossing her arms.
“Huh?” Technically this wasn’t done in unison, nor was the wording exactly the same, but there are certain gut-generated noises that have a universal meaning, regardless of the particular syllables used to create them.
“The real Sasha is faster, so she’ll win,” Alice said simply. “Seems like this will sort itself out.”
“It isn’t that simple,” Sasha informed her. “I’m not used to fighting someone who can keep up with me.”
“Yeah,” Sasha agreed. “He’s used to dealing with all kinds of powers, so even if I’m a little faster, he’s still got enough combat experience to give me hell.”
“Then what do you want me to do? In case you didn’t notice, I’m not exactly king of the combat hill myself,” Alice retorted.
“Just come lend a hand,” Sasha said.
“With two of us it’ll be that much harder for him,” Sasha pointed out.
Alice paused and gave it some thought, then pulled out her own yellow weapon. “Okay, Sashas, one question before I decide who to help. Your boyfriend is Vince, so you’ve spent a lot of time with us in Melbrook through the semester. So then, who is Mary’s best friend?”
“You,” said one of the Sashas.
“Hershel,” said the other.
“Bingo,” Alice said, dropping down next to the girl who had answered ‘Hershel’ and putting her weapon at the ready. “Let’s get this faker,” she said, smiling at the Sasha next to her and glaring at the one across from them.
“You got it-OW!” The Sasha responding was the one next to her. Coincidently, it was also the one Alice had slammed her weapon into the neck of as soon as she had looked across at her identical counterpart. The bracelet on her wrist flashed yellow, then turned clear as a small green arrow appeared in one spot.
“Damn it,” Sasha swore, and as Alice watched in fascination her features seemed to melt together, shifting and squirming until Alice found herself staring at a boy shorter than she with light hair buzzed close to the head. “I’m impressed. I didn’t think you were planning the double cross. See you girls back up top.” With that he made his way to the exit indicated by the arrow and stepped out of the room.
“That was amazing!” Sasha squealed. She walked over to Alice and gave her a hug. “How did you know he was the fake one just by that?”
“I didn’t,” Alice replied.
“You... wait what?” Before the words were fully formed, Sasha felt Alice’s weapon dig into her side, sending its charge into her and eliminating her from the test.
“I said I didn’t know. I just asked a generic question you’d both answer. The one I picked to surprise was random,” Alice explained.
“But... you just eliminated the real me, too,” Sasha said in a hurt voice, still holding onto Alice in their now very-awkward hug.
“Yes, I did. I’d feel a lot worse about it if I hadn’t noticed you adjust your grip on your weapon before coming in for this hug,” Alice replied.
“Touché, my fellow crafty lady,” Sasha said, releasing the hug and checking her bracelet. “You’re more dangerous than you look. What would you have done if you’d taken out the real me at first, though?”
“Been eliminated, but done so with at least one win under my belt,” Alice answered.
“Not a bad plan. Good luck with the rest of the test. The longer you’re in here the tougher the remaining opponents will be,” Sasha informed her.
Alice nodded her understanding, then made a dash to get back into the relative safety offered by darkness. Also, she made a note to not go into any more of these damn lit rooms.
* * *
“Fudge,” Mary said as she and Nick rounded a corner.
“What?” he asked.
“Someone heard us. Someone tough. Hurry and follow me quickly. There’s a lit room nearby, and we have to get there,” Mary said, quickening her speed to a run.
“Why is it so important we get there?”
“Because I have no idea how to fight this guy in the dark,” Mary replied.
“Do you know how to do it in the light?”
“Not really,” she answered.
“Peachy,” Nick sighed, turning up the speed and following his diminutive guide as fast as he could.
62.
The door opened, showing only darkness outside of the well-lit room Nick and Mary had entered only moments before. There was a slight whooshing sound, and then another student was standing in front of them, yellow weapon ready at hand. Small wisps of smoke curled in the air for less than second around the area in which he had appeared. The boy himself wasn’t too impressive: short in stature and excessively lean. He had a wide grin on his face, though, one that left Nick feeling disconcerted, given that he and Mary had the advantage in numbers.
“Who’s this guy?” Nick asked, plucking out his own weapon and standing ready.
“His name is Gilbert and he’s a teleporter,” Mary informed him, her red weapon already drawn.
“He also has perfectly good hearing and doesn’t necessarily like being talked about as though he weren’t in the room,” Gilber
t added. “Also, come on, there’s only like forty of us left, you couldn’t be bothered to learn everyone’s name?”
“I’ve got a shitty memory, so sue me,” Nick quipped.
“Better idea,” Gilbert replied, vanishing from his spot and reappearing behind Nick, lunging forward with his weapon. Nick slid to the side as soon he saw Gilbert disappear, though, so Gilbert’s sneak attack cleaved nothing but air. Before Nick could try a thrust of his own, Gilbert was standing on the other side of the room.
“I see how this guy could be problematic,” Nick admitted, reorienting himself to face his opponent’s new position.
“Exactly,” Mary agreed.
* * *
“Any time now!” Alex announced, sweat dripping off his forehead in intense concentration.
Vince took one last deep breath and stood up. Everything had worked so far; that in itself was a victory. Now came the hardest part. Vince put his hand into his left pocket and produced his weapon, the red coloring tinted a sickly shade from Thomas’s orange light. Vince felt a rush of adrenaline crash over him, elation not far on its heels. Do or die time. Vince couldn’t stop the grin that crept into the corners of his mouth.
“Clear me a path!” Vince yelled, charging forward without waiting for confirmation. If Alex could still do it then he would; if not then this wasn’t going to work anyway. As Vince pumped his legs, a part of his mind realized that this was only his second real fight since coming to Lander, and once again he was betting heavily on a suicidal charge right at his opponent. He really needed to learn another way to problem solve.
As his heart raced and his feet slapped the concrete floor, Vince noticed he was in Thomas’s range. He hadn’t been snagged yet, though, so that meant Alex was still keeping the energy at bay. There were still several more feet to cover, and as Vince drew closer he realized Thomas’s tendrils were bonding together, striking back with more power. Each attempt seemed to get closer to landing on Vince’s fast-moving form. It was going to be a photo finish.