by Ann Bakshis
“She was a very powerful God,” someone says behind my back.
I pull out an arrow and secure it to Garrett’s bow while turning around to get a better look at the intruder. It’s Rem, but I don’t lower my weapon.
“How do you know that?” I ask, my eyes narrowing at her.
“We learned about the various rulers of this world in the academy,” she says. “Not all were great, but those that made their mark were rewarded. Just like I will be when this is all over with.” Rem removes her weapon from its sheath. “What do you plan on doing with that, Max? Shoot me?”
“You know I can.”
Rem starts to pace around us, slowly.
“Where’s the rest of the unit?” I ask.
“Around,” she answers, tossing her sword between her hands.
“The Patrician moved you from Thrace Tower, not the Keepers,” I state more than ask.
“What makes you think that?” Van asks.
“Because they knew I would come here. The markings in the pool are the Patrician symbol. Your sister had the same marking, Van. I’m sure Rem does as well. This is also where I won the first round, so why wouldn’t I return to someplace I’m familiar with?”
“You are perceptive, Max. The Patrician were wise in selecting you.” She rolls up her long sleeve, exposing her bicep. The Patrician symbol is large and colorful against her pale skin. “But what makes you think The Keepers didn’t send me here? After all, they set up The Litarian Battles,” Rem responds.
“They didn’t, because they already knew where I would go first. It’s where Brink and Garrett are now.” I glance at Van, hoping he’ll keep his mouth shut about the exact location in case the Patrician are watching and listening.
He removes a detonator from his bag and caresses the button that arms it. “What do you want to do, Max?”
“Tell me about the statue,” I say to Rem.
“She was a warrior. A true Patrician leader when there was more to this world other than just the city of Pentras. She was sacrificed for the greater good.”
“What was here before?” I ask.
“Many things, but all too dangerous to survive.” Her eyes narrow and I can see blood lust in them. “Kind of like you, Max. Just because you can hold another person’s weapon doesn’t mean it’ll work the same for you. A Dead Mark is always accurate, but you’re a Looper.” She bends forward slightly into a charging position. “I doubt you have control of all abilities.”
She charges at me as I let the arrow fly. Rem is gravely mistaken about my abilities. The arrow hits its mark, the center of her heart. She falls dead at my feet. I step back a bit. Seconds later, several drones swoop in and begin firing. Van tosses his detonator towards one. It adheres to the metal and explodes, bringing the drone down. I take his hand and loop us inside a nearby building. It’s not the smartest move as I’m sure the Patrician have eyes everywhere.
If they do, how come they didn’t come for us in Pentras Tower? Obviously they would’ve seen us through the security cameras that line many of the walls. Are the Keepers not the only ones unable to penetrate the building? Why wouldn’t the Patrician be able to access their own structure?
I continue to loop us until we’re on the top floor, but we’re not alone when we get there. Standing by the broken windows is Addie and her group from round two. Scattered around the floor are two of the other groups from the last battle. She runs up to me and throws her arms around my neck. Several members of her team are injured, so I take them first, and then head back for everyone else. It takes several trips to loop the group back towards Pentras Tower. Once we’re safely inside, Garrett and Van hit the medical closet located earlier to get supplies.
“Is this part of the round?” Addie asks as I tend to a cut above her eye.
“No, it’s not,” I answer.
“What happened?” a Dead Mark asks while Van bandages her leg.
I give them an account of what’s occurred so far. Some believe me, but not all. Not that I care who doesn’t believe me at this point. I have more important things to think about. “I need to find the others before the Patrician do.”
“What makes you think the Patrician are the bad guys?” a Nius asks.
“I don’t, but seeing as they’re killing us off out there,” I point towards the doors, “I definitely don’t trust them.”
“It’s going to be dark soon, Max,” Garrett says from behind me. “I don’t think you should go out anymore today.”
I turn towards him, tears in my eyes. “I can’t just leave them.”
He touches my arm, brushing it gently. “I know who you’re worried about, and I’m not sure why you are, considering some of the things he’s done to you. But Frey can take care of himself.”
I brush his hand off and turn my attention back to Addie. The cut barely missed her eye, and I bandage what I can.
“I explored the building, if you’re interested,” Garrett says. “The lifts work, so we don’t need to take the stairs.”
I don’t respond, but move on to assist Van with another injured person.
“Don’t you want to hear what I found?”
I glare at him. I know he’s right about Frey, but his comment still pissed me off. Frey has manipulated me, used me for his own purposes, but I can’t still shake the feelings I have. Maybe I’ll eventually be able to rid myself of them.
“Tell me,” I say, sitting on the floor while Van moves the man to sit on the couch next to Brink.
“Floors two through four are offices. Lots of computers, monitors, not much else. Floors five through eight are sealed. The lift doors won’t open at all and neither will the ones along the stairwell.”
I wonder what’s being kept there. I’ll have to see if I can loop inside later.
“Floors nine through thirteen seem to be some kind of research facility, but nothing like I’ve ever seen before. Floors fourteen to seventeen are medical. Several operating rooms, labs, and examination rooms. Floors eighteen to twenty-eight are nothing but classrooms. Floors twenty-nine to forty-nine are housing. All single rooms with communal baths. And as you already know, the top floor is a dining hall.”
I rub my forehead since a headache is beginning to form. “Let’s get everyone into a room and settled so we can start fresh tomorrow.”
The lifts are located down the corridor between the front desks. We take the injured up first, then everyone else joins. We all stay on the forty-ninth floor. I pick a room closest to the lifts, with Garrett and Brink across the hall. The room is small with the bed pushed up against the lone window. Next to the door a dresser sits full of clothes, but nothing like I’ve seen before. They aren’t the academy uniforms I saw Sadie wear, nor does the room look the same as the one from my nightmare.
I remove a pair of cotton pants, underwear, and a shirt, then head down to the communal bathroom. Towels line the walls, and all appear freshly laundered. I take a towel and hang it on a hook outside the middle stall. As the water runs, I can hear others coming in to shower as well. The bar of soap sitting in a caddie around the showerhead smells like lavender. I have to scrub hard to remove the mud and grime from my skin. My hair is caked, but there isn’t any shampoo to cleanse it with, so I lather up my hands with the bar soap and use that.
Addie is standing at one of the sinks when I emerge. She’s wearing an outfit similar to the one I took, but her uniform’s color is red, where mine is gray. The material is soft and loose, but I actually prefer the tightness of my battle uniform. Those that are hungry are making their way up to the next floor, but I’m too tired. I lock my door, drop my dirty clothes in the corner, crawl under the covers, and fall asleep immediately.
Twenty-One
I don’t sleep well, so after a couple of hours of fighting off monsters in my nightmares, I get out of bed and go upstairs. Van is sitting on a couch that has been moved close to one of the windows. He hasn’t changed his clothes since round two so he’s in desperate need of a shower.
> “Couldn’t sleep?” he asks as I sit.
“I see you haven’t even tried.”
He lets a laugh slip along with a small smile. “Yeah. I guess I should clean up first.”
We let silence settle between us, but something that Rem said is bugging me. “Rem mentioned going to an academy. I didn’t know they had that in Tarsus.”
“Only if you’re wealthy,” Van responds.
“I take it you didn’t go.”
“It’s one of the reasons my sister and I wanted to be a part of The Litarian Battles. We wanted to improve our position in society, so we thought getting to Icarian would do that.”
“So, someone like Lok, Frey, or Troy would’ve gone to the academy,” I state instead of ask.
“Yes, especially Troy. His family is one of the highest-ranking families in Tarsus. His father is close to Leader Fallon. He was one of the people who got Leader Thomas replaced all those years ago.”
I try and hide my reaction to my father’s name since I’m not sure how much of the truth about my identity has spread throughout Thrace Tower. “Why did he get replaced?”
“It was so long ago and I was only five, but I think because he was supporting a new regime that was rising to challenge the Patrician.”
“You mean the Dracken.”
“Yes, but honestly, I think Troy’s father was playing both sides.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Troy is a top ranked Dracken official, just like his father. The man wanted to replace Leader Thomas, but after much mud-flinging against Leader Thomas, it backfired on him and Leader Fallon was sent in as the replacement.”
“How do you know Troy is top ranked? You sure seem to know a lot about the Dracken for not being one of them.”
He laughs. “Let’s just say I was almost recruited, but changed my mind at the last minute.”
“Is there anyone here who would’ve gone to the academy?”
“I’m not sure. Why are you so hung up on it?”
“Rem knew who the statue was, and I want to know how. What are they teaching at the academy and nowhere else? And why?”
“You think it has something to do with the realignment?”
“Possibly.”
Van gets up, pats me on the shoulder, and heads down to his room. I sit and stare out the window wondering where Troy and Lok are in addition to Frey. They both pose a threat to me. Lok for being a Patrician sympathizer and Troy if he’s anything like his father. Troy knows who I am. He may try and eliminate me if he believes I’ll outrank him when this is all over with.
What am I thinking? I’m making out like the realignment has already happened. What if it all fails? What will happen to us then?
“Hey,” Garrett’s voice echoes behind me. “You look drained,” he says sitting next to me.
“Just stressed.”
“You’re a terrible liar, Max. Out with it.”
“Yeah, like I trust you.”
“Hey, you still have my weapon, and it’s not like I’ve asked for it back.”
“Then go with me. Prove I can trust you.”
“Fine, what time do you want to go?”
“How about in an hour?”
“You want to go out in the dark? I thought you were going to wait until daylight.”
“The sun should be rising in two hours. An hour of darkness isn’t going to hurt anything.”
He stares at me as if surprised, but I can see the idea is actually pleasing to him. “You know why I’ll do this, other than to gain your trust back?”
“Because you secretly have a death wish.”
He laughs, stops, and takes my hand. I return the hold. He moves closer, pulls me towards him, and kisses me hard on the lips. A fire lights up my insides and I crave more, but I only permit the kiss. I can tell he wants to go further as well, but now is not the time. He releases me and tells me to meet him in the lobby, with his weapon, in an hour. We head down the lift separately. I’m not going out in the flimsy outfit I currently have on, so I spend much of the next hour rummaging through the dresser drawers trying to come up with something more substantial.
In the bottom drawer under several blankets, I locate a pair of black leggings with a matching top. The leggings are tight, but slide on easily. The material is soft yet I notice small metal threads woven into the fabric. The top is form fitting, sleeveless, and has a collar that goes around my throat almost up to my chin. The two pieces blend seamlessly into one. I find a pair of socks and boots under the bed. The material of the socks is the same as the leggings and top, but the boots are made of something I’m not familiar with. They fit like they were made just for me. I run my fingers through my hair, trying to work the knots out. Under the dirty clothes are the weapons. I belt my sheath around my waist, but I’m frozen in my spot by what happens next.
The outfit blends around the belt, changing the material to match, along with the sheath. My weapon doesn’t change, but the effect is quite stunning and disturbing. I don’t put Garrett’s items over my shoulder for fear it would change like mine did. I exit my room and take the lift down. I pay close attention when the lift moves past floors eight through five. There is only a second hesitation between the floors. Maybe it’ll be enough to loop in there later.
Garrett is standing by the doors when I arrive, wearing his uniform from The Litarian Battles. His eyes move up and down my frame as I move closer. I hand him his weapon, which he quickly places over his shoulder.
“Where did you find that?” he asks, touching the outfit.
“At the bottom of my dresser.”
“It looks really good on you.”
I feel myself blushing, then I take his hand and loop us to a destroyed building across the street. In a half-hour we’re practically on the other side of the city, at the barrier between it and the Outer Limits. I begin to wonder what’s happening there since I’m sure they’re under attack like Thrace Tower was. I haven’t stopped to wonder whether the rest of Tarsus was overtaken, or if it was just the tower.
The sun is slow to rise this morning. Garrett scouts several yards in front of me, mainly looking for the drones since none have made an appearance lately. I wish they would show because then I could follow them to the others. A faint green light catches my eye. My wristband is glowing and I feel myself looping.
“Garrett!” I shout.
He charges towards me and is able to grab my hand just as I loop. The two of us are pulled through the void and land in the same dark corridor I was in before. Garrett readies his weapon and I unsheathe my Kopis as a single light turns on over us.
“Hello, Max,” a female voice echoes through the emptiness. “We’ve been looking for you.”
“Well, you found me.”
“We know you’ve been sent to the Dead Zone, but where are you hiding?”
So, they can’t penetrate Pentras Tower. My modifications weren’t just so I could handle the other players’ weapons, but so I could access the tower. But why? What’s in that building that the Patrician want so badly?
“I haven’t been hiding. Perhaps the tracker in my wristband is faulty.”
“Perhaps,” the woman replies, but she doesn’t sound convinced.
“What do you want?” Garrett asks after a few moments of silence.
“Are you still loyal to us, Garrett? You haven’t betrayed us like Max has?”
“She hasn’t betrayed you!” he shouts. “She’s infiltrated the Dracken. She’s gained their trust. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“Then why isn’t she with them now?” the woman asks, anger heavy in her tone.
“You raided Thrace Tower before she could get to the event. Now they’re all scattered throughout the Dead Zone and Tarsus,” Garrett responds.
“We had no choice,” another voice chimes in. This one is male. “The Keepers discovered Max’s ability. She was foolish to have demonstrated it.”
“I was forced to,” I scream. “You needed me to get to the
event, so I did what I had to in order to survive.”
“Nevertheless, we had to accelerate our actions and activate our army before they were ready.”
Garrett and I look at each other. Bewilderment on both our faces.
“What army? You have the Aedox, so why would you need an army?” I ask.
“To destroy the Dracken, of course,” Leader Fallon says, emerging from the darkness.
“I should kill you,” I threaten, bringing my weapon close to her neck.
“Edom had no right to do what he did to your parents,” she says. “The punishment you inflicted on him was just.”
“Then why keep his death quiet? You’ll announce the murder of a Dracken Leader, but not one of your own? Why?” I ask.
“Preservation,” she responds. “If the Dracken followers believe they are being targeted, then maybe they’ll change their strategy.”
“But broadcasting the death of a Patrician Leader would show your weakness,” Garrett says, sidling up close to me. His arrow is aimed at Leader Fallon’s heart.
“That’s your interpretation,” she replies.
An uneasiness settles between us. Several minutes pass before the silence is finally broken.
“Max, we still need you,” the female voice says.
“Why? You have an army now. What do you need me for?”
I know the answer, but I just want them to admit it.
“We need you to get into Pentras Tower,” Leader Fallon says. “Our army can only do so much. They can’t access the Dead Zone at this time. Every moment counts and we’re wasting time as it is. The Keepers have proven to be a vigorous opponent and are growing stronger by the minute. We cannot afford to lose this realignment. You need to get into Pentras Tower and stop this war.”
“What’s in the tower that’s so important?” Garrett asks.
“The truth about the Dead Zone,” Leader Fallon says. “Once everyone learns what the Dracken and the Keepers have done, they’ll be destroyed.”
“They’re responsible for the destruction in the Dead Zone?” Garrett asks, sounding dumbfounded. “They dropped the bombs that vaporized millions of people?”