by Ann Bakshis
I’m not comfortable with the idea that these Keepers can move anything from one location to another. What if they decide to send us all to the battlefield at once? Do they monitor us even outside The Litarian Battles or the training room? Rem said they were able to, but is that still the case now that we’re all confined to the tower?
Everyone is much more subdued when they get off the lift tonight. No screaming or laughter like yesterday. Frey plops down on the couch next to me, not looking well. Others either go into the bedrooms or just collapse on any open space in the common room.
“What happened?” Addie asks Frey, moving to the edge of her seat.
“Jax and Hannah…both of them…gone.”
“How?” Rem asks, her voice clearly alarmed. “They were two of the highest pointed players in our unit.”
“Lok, he somehow managed to damage Hannah’s wristband preventing her from looping, using her shield, or ending the battle.”
“That’s not possible,” Addie says, practically crying. “These are indestructible. Why didn’t she use her weapon?”
“She did, Addie, but he’s a Dead Mark. Without her ability it wouldn’t matter. She was dead the moment he broke the band.”
“And the Keepers didn’t stop it?” Rem asks.
“Of course not,” Frey practically shouts. “They awarded him double points for doing it.”
“What about Jax?” I ask, trying to become part of the conversation. I didn’t know either of these people, but if I can learn what happened to them, maybe I can prevent it from occurring to me.
“He was being stupid. Got too cocky. He was up against a Nius, the newer one from the Outer Limits.”
Lil.
“She placed explosives in a couple of locations, but only arming them to go off if movement was detected, or something like that. Jax thought he could loop his way around the battle floor, teasing her, trying to get her to mess up. Dumbass stepped close to a mine and blew himself up. He wasn’t paying attention to where she put them and only aerial projected instead of time looped.”
“His shield didn’t help?” I ask, trying not to sound stupid.
“The one he had was to defend against Dead Marks, not Nius. The Keepers could’ve saved him if they had called the game, but they let him bleed to death.”
“I guess Addie and I won’t be competing for a while if they’ll be recruiting replacements that we’ll have to train,” Rem says, leaning back on the couch.
“There will be no replacements,” Matron Kaniz says, entering the room. “With the event approaching, the Keepers want to make sure the points continue to rise, so that means no more volunteers. Max and her friends from the Outer Limits were the last.”
“What did they say about Hannah’s wristband? How could that have possibly been destroyed?” Frey asks.
“Lok intentionally targeted it with his arrow. Since he’s a Dead Mark, once he’s made up his mind where he’s shooting, the arrow will always obey him. It’s a tactic no one has thought of before or even considered.” Matron Kaniz sits opposite us, a very concerned look on her face. “The battles are for fun, or at least they used to be. But now...the Keepers seem to have let go of all rules pertaining to fair play.”
Addie looks at all of us, pausing a few moments between faces. “What do you want us to do?” she asks Matron Kaniz.
“Make them pay.” Matron Kaniz leaves, heading down the hallway towards the Progression Room.
The four of us spend the next hour just sitting in the common room, no one says a word. Dinner is brought up a little later. We eat what we can, but no one in the unit seems hungry. Rem leaves sometime later, but quickly returns a little out of breath.
“Frey, Matron Kaniz has given me permission to turn Max’s training over to you. Addie and I will be rejoining the others tomorrow.”
“Why?” Addie asks, before Frey can.
“You and I are the two highest ranking members in the unit. Our damage against the others will be higher, so we’re going to make sure Nius and Dead Mark pay tomorrow.”
“Sweet,” Addie says, jumping off the couch.
“Why do I get stuck training?” Frey asks, protesting.
“You can use the practice,” Rem answers, smirking.
“Real funny, Rem. Just you wait. I’m sure you won’t be laughing long when it’s Looper against Looper for the top prize.”
She sticks her tongue out at him in response, and leaves with Addie close behind. Frey gets up, shuts the monitor off that was showing the battles for the day, and sits back down next to me.
“What did you learn today?” he asks, annoyance heavy in his tone.
“How to do an aerial projection.”
“Well, that’s a start.” He shifts his position, pulling his leg up in front of him so he’s sitting sideways on the couch. “I’ve heard that you’ve never watched The Litarian Battles. Do you have any questions about it?”
I’m going to sound so stupid with what I’m about to ask.
“What does each position do, other than Looper?”
His eyes roll into the back of his head as he makes a deep sigh. “Unbelievable,” he mutters. “Ok, well the other three positions are called Dead Mark, Rapid, and Nius. A Dead Mark hits the target every time. Rapid moves quickly, almost blindingly fast. And a Nius is smart, problem solving. All deadly when the skills are mastered, but that takes years and no one has been here long enough to do that. Normally, once someone has reached the point level of thirty-five thousand they’re retired to Icarian. To hit the mastery level, you need fifty thousand.”
“Which you have to do in eight weeks,” I say.
“Yes, which means things are about to get worse and you’ll need to catch on quick.” He looks suddenly tired. “Meet me in the training room at seven tomorrow morning.”
As he’s walking away, I notice a small, black dragon on the back of his right shoulder. It looks familiar, but I don’t know why. I’ve never seen that mark on anyone before, yet it feels reassuring, almost comforting. I shake my head, trying to rid myself of the sensation, then head to bed.
Six
The door to the training room is wide open. Frey is inside, looking anxious. As soon as I step through the door, it closes behind me and the lights dim. The air is cold and I can see my breath. The room changes to the grove, its snow covered grasses crunching under my steps. Tilda is talking to Vernon by the gate, but I can’t hear what they’re saying because the winds are blowing too hard. Brink is standing next to me, two circular knives with deep curves in each hand. I take his arm and loop out of the grove, finding ourselves in the foyer of the Head Master’s mansion.
“Did you bring us here?” Brink asks, shaking me loose.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
He doesn’t like my answer and swings his knives in my direction, cutting my arm. I reach for my Kopis, but I can’t find it. I try and loop out of the foyer and that’s when I notice the wristband has been damaged. I try my best to defend myself, but Brink has me outmatched. Blood pours from my wounds. He stands over me grinning as I die.
My clothes and sheets are soaked with sweat. Everyone is still asleep, so I slip into the bathroom, grab a quick shower, change my clothes, and discard the dirty ones along with my sheets into the laundry bin in the corner. I make sure to close the door slowly behind me, then go to the common room, which is empty. I try the training room door, hoping it’s unlocked, which it is. The lights turn on the moment I step inside and the door closes. I look at the rack, but it’s empty. The time on my wristband says it’s four in the morning. I probably should go back to bed and try to get more sleep, but I want to get as good as I possibly can before the Keepers decide to throw me into The Litarian Battles. I work on my aerial projection, looping through the room from one end to the other. It’s the time portion that I need to get. If I can just think about getting ahead of time, think of where I want to be in the next few minutes, perhaps th
at’ll work. I try it a couple of times, but wind up with only a headache. I sit against the wall, lean my head back, and hope I can get this completely figured out. At some point I fall asleep, because when I open my eyes, Frey is staring down at me, bewilderment on his face.
“A little too eager this morning?” he asks, kicking at the soles of my feet.
“No, just couldn’t sleep. Thought I’d get an early start.”
“What have you been able to practice so far?”
I tell him about the aerial projection, but that I can’t figure out the time looping. “Can you really only go forwards?”
“I’ve never known anyone to go backwards, and I’m not sure I would recommend it if you did figure it out.” He slaps my knee, ordering me up, and goes towards the rack, which now holds two weapons. Frey visually looks mine over since he can’t physically pick it up. “A Kopis, nice.” He holds out his knife towards me. It’s a simple small curved blade with a black handle. “It’s not much, but it’s easy to conceal when approaching my opponent. More of a surprise for them.”
He spends the next several hours showing me how to swing the blade around and the proper method for holding it, especially when looping. It’s difficult to do, but Frey assures me it gets easier and that our uniforms have a built-in sheath for us to house our weapons when we’re not carrying them. We break for lunch, then the rest of the afternoon is dedicated to using my shield. To get it to expand from the wristband, it’s a simple flick of the wrist in a sharp, downward jab. The shield is larger than I thought it would be, bright blue, and hums. It adds a little weight to my arm when it’s operating, but nothing I can’t handle. To get it to retract, I pull my fingers into a small ball, and release them quickly. Frey’s shield is called a “Buckler” – a full, round shield that is good against explosives. It’s green in color, thick in the center, and is spiked around the edges.
“What made you decide to volunteer for this?” I ask while we’re putting our weapons back on the rack.
“Probably the same reason you did, to have a better life.”
“I didn’t volunteer for this,” I say, spinning him around to face me. “None of us did.”
He’s clearly puzzled by my outburst. “That’s not what we were told.” He presses a panel next to the door, which slides open. The hallway is empty when we enter.
“What did they tell you, Frey?” I ask, following him down to the men’s bedroom.
He stops, blocking me from entering the room with him. “That Outer Limits scum is competing for the chance to govern their own utopia. That Head Master Edom is orchestrating a takeover and he needed those most loyal to him sent to The Litarian Battles in hopes of succeeding.” He pushes me away, practically shoving me to the floor. “Watch your back, Max, you have no friends here.”
He slams the door closed behind him. I retreat to my room, burying myself under my blankets. Addie and Rem enter a little over an hour later, big smiles on their faces. I’m in no mood to be around anyone, but there isn’t any place for me to go and hide. Addie practically drags me from bed, covers and all, down the hall to watch the replays of the day’s battles. Both she and Rem were awarded one thousand points each.
“The points would’ve been much higher if the cowards hadn’t claimed defeat,” Addie adds, sitting down.
I sit across from her, hoping my change in demeanor isn’t too apparent. Rem asks how my training went, and I lie saying it went great. Dinner arrives a few minutes later. I don’t have much of an appetite, so I only grab one sandwich from the large tray, eat it quickly, and excuse myself just as Frey walks in. I avoid his stare as I make my way back to the bedroom, tucking myself into one of the bathroom stalls.
Did Frey believe what he was telling me about the explanation about the players from the Outer Limits? Do they all believe the same way he does? And how were the ten of us really chosen? I doubt Lil was taken to the Head Master’s mansion when she was selected, so why were we? I wish I could talk to her and Brink to see what’s going on in the other units.
“Max?” my name rings out from the doorway. It’s Addie, but I ignore her at first. “Max, Matron Kaniz needs everyone in the common room,” she insists.
I roll my eyes, open the stall door, and we walk together to the common room. Everyone is crammed on the couches, so Addie and I stand against the far wall. All the monitors are off, and the music has been turned down.
“The Keepers have decided the new recruits have had enough time in training, so beginning tomorrow they will be participating like everyone else,” Matron Kaniz says, standing in front of the bar. “The five battles tomorrow will be among the ten from the Outer Limits. You will still need to report to the selection floor like usual.”
“How can all ten of them battle each other? Some were placed in the same units,” Rem asks.
“I’m not sure what the plan is. I can only convey what I’ve been told. Max,” the Matron says, looking through the crowd, finally locating me, “I need you to come with me to get your uniform ready for tomorrow.”
She dismisses everyone else. The monitors are turned back on and the music starts to blare. I meet up with the Matron just outside the training room. She escorts me down the hall past the Progression Room, and into the room where I chose my weapon and shield. On the monitors this time are six styles of uniform, all but one very revealing. The other outfits have either a crop top, are sleeveless, or very short shorts with thigh high boots, so I select the one with the most coverage, a pair of black capris pants with knee high boots and leather laces, and a long sleeved collared jacket, form fitted around the waist, with a black tank top to wear underneath.
Matron Kaniz tries to talk me out of my selection, telling me that though the uniform will offer me a lot of protection, it’ll be very cumbersome to have on when looping. She advises that the other designs have the same amount of protection and are easier to move in. I tell her I’ve made my decision. She escorts me from the room, telling me the uniform will be ready in the morning.
I hesitate, trying to decide where I want to go. I head towards the training room. I’m the only one inside when the door closes behind me. I catch a flash off to my left. My weapon has been placed in the rack. I pick it up and practice using it, along with my shield. I’m getting quite good at aerial projection, but doubt I’ll ever figure out the time one. After a couple of hours, I place my weapon back on the rack and head off to bed. Since no one in the unit except for me is battling tomorrow, everyone is wide awake. I change clothes, get into bed, and hope tomorrow never comes.
Sleep eludes me. I’m both anxious and scared. What if I wind up getting paired against Brink? I don’t particularly like him, but would I be able to hurt him? Or any of them? I toss off the covers and go to the common room. It’s empty, which I’m thankful for. I plop down in front of a music video and drown my thoughts with the music piping through the walls. The song and the scenes make no sense to me. I’d turn it off if I knew how.
“Hey,” Addie says, entering the room. “Can’t sleep?”
I shake my head.
She sits by me, pulling her knees up under her. “You’ll do fine. Just remember to use your ability and your weapon. Everyone tomorrow is at the same level as you.”
I slump down in my seat, leaning the soles of my feet on the table in front of me. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” Addie says, curling into a ball.
“Frey said something to me, and I’m not sure what to make of it.” I pause, trying to gather a complete thought before continuing. “He said that everyone here was told that the Outer Limits is trying to gain control of the new utopia being created, and that I’m only here to make sure that happens.”
“Yeah, we were told something like that.”
“Well, it’s not true. I never volunteered for this. I was arrested by the Aedox and forced to come here. We were warned that if we try to act out in any way, we will be executed on live television.”
“Huh,” is
the only response I get.
“Is that all you can say?”
“Max, I don’t know what to tell you. No one really believes much of what the government tells us, except for a few like Frey. He's from the upper class of Tarsus. He’s had the world handed to him, so he’ll buy anything he’s told. I, on the other hand, am from the working class, so I don’t believe anything I’m told.”
“And I thought all of Tarsus was upper class.”
“Wow, Max, you really are sheltered in the Outer Limits,” she says, with a slight chuckle. She stands, and as she stretches I notice the top of a dragon’s head sticking out just above her left hip bone. It looks just like the one Frey has. “You should try and get some sleep. Tomorrow is not going to be any fun for you.” She turns and goes back to the bedroom.
I wonder what the dragon is for. Some kind of emblem for being a Looper maybe?
I stay on the couch. I fall asleep and wake up surprised to find a blanket tucked around me. I take the blanket back to my room, toss it in the laundry bin, and step into the shower. Breakfast has been brought up when I return to the common room. I eat very little since my stomach is full of knots. Just before nine, we line up in front of the lift. I try to linger towards the back of the group.
We descend to the lift corridor and have to walk the distance to the shafts, instead of taking a transport like I did a few days before. Just a few feet from the shafts, the group turns left and we proceed into a large dressing room, which is divided into two sections. I follow the girls and go right. The boys are on the left. Rows upon rows of tops, pants, jackets, sweaters, and wigs are stacked up several floors high, all behind a plate glass window and moving by conveyor belt. In front of the window are several terminals, currently occupied. It takes ten minutes before I’m able to get to one.