by Riker Kane
“How about you?” The way Nina stared at me. It almost seemed like she was desperate.
I hesitated for a moment but realized I couldn’t disagree with her. I’d have to start going through Junctions eventually. And I was confident in the moves Captain Hamilton taught me. “It would be nice to start leveling up…”
“You’re serious,” Quentin said. “You’re really gonna do this?”
“I’ll be at the Junction Room. Meet me there if you wanna do it.” Nina popped up from her seat and walked out of the dining hall.
“I guess you can’t just let her go by herself,” Quentin sighed.
I chewed on the last piece of my sandwich and shrugged. “It’s a low-level Junction. How hard can it be?”
11: Junction… Unofficially
I’d only seen it once before, so the size of the Pandora Junction was always impressive. It looked like a thick bar of steel had been welded together then twisted into a circle big enough for half-a-dozen people to walk through at the same time. I stared at the soft blue energy moving back and forth like the surface of the water. I leaned in closer and put my hand up to it. The feeling was like putting my hand under a running faucet only my hand wasn’t getting wet.
“Where’s your friend?”
Nina stood at the display next to the Junction and crossed her arms. Her black uniform wasn’t any different from the other female recruits, her skirt and top complementing her slender frame. A pair of long legs were covered by black stockings leading down to her heels, which made her just tall enough to look me in the eye. But what was more interesting was the pair of blades at harnessed at her hips. A couple of short katanas about an arm’s length each were polished to a shine.
“Quentin’s a little sore from training.”
“We should be all right. Look at this.” She pointed at the display. “What do you think?”
Pandora Junction
Level 1
Threat Level: Low
Precautions: None
“Campbell took us through,” I said. “If that’s the same case, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“It’s a low-level Junction. There won’t be any threats we won’t be able to handle in here. Shame your friend’s not here. He wouldn’t have had to do anything more than walk along with us.”
“Considering how much he was groaning, I don’t think he’d be able to do even that.”
She twisted her lips like she was trying to hold back a smile. I wasn’t sure what to make of her demeanor but she seemed trustworthy enough.
“You really wanna do this?” I asked. “Janice said we’re not getting assignments until tomorrow.”
“Assignments are official tasks for us. We’re free to go into the Junctions at our own discretion. Why? Did you need a few more hours of training?”
I looked back at the soft blue energy resonating from the Junction right next to me. The way it pulsed and shimmered seemed like it was talking to me. An anxious anticipation twisted my stomach slightly. I should’ve been nervous but the longer I thought about it, the more eager I became.
“I’m ready if you are.”
“Thanks.” She stepped forward when a voice boomed behind us.
“Hey!”
A middle-aged man in a lab coat scurried up to us like he’d appeared out of nowhere. His hair was long and white, scattered all over the place like he’d just gotten out of a wind tunnel. On his feet was a pair of dirty, worn-down sneakers. His glasses didn’t do much to cover the bags underneath his eyes. His scruffy salt-and-pepper beard was further indication he hadn’t gotten much sleep. Or maybe he was high on something, which was a possibility with how much he fidgeted.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he said.
“We’re going through this Junction,” Nina replied. “We’re going to close a Junction.”
He raised his head up, his eye twitching like he’d smelled a bad fart. “You’re from the new wave of recruits.”
“So?”
“So… Have you ever closed a Junction before?”
“What’s so complicated about it?” I said. “We go in there, we break the Obelisk, then we come back.”
“Yes, it’s so simple. It’s almost as if everybody working here isn’t part of an elite government operation.” He rolled his eyes and poked his glasses closer to his face.
“It’s all right. It’s a low-level Junction. It shouldn’t give us much trouble—”
“You never head into a Junction without taking precautions.” He walked up to the display and began swiping through it. His fingers danced across the screen as he punched in his information. “Hold up your communicators to this.”
I didn’t see the harm in it and did as I was told. There was a soft ring and my name showed up on the screen. Nina followed up and her name appeared right underneath mine.
Liam Aldridge, Level 1
Nina Higashi, Level 1
“Put these around your neck.” The fidgety man pulled out some type of metallic strap from his pocket. I took one from him and examined it. It was a dull piece of metal with a clip on one end that looked like an electronic dog collar. “That’s your Recall Box. If you both drop to zero HP or something worse, the Recall Box will detect it and automatically transport you to the Med Bay. You get your head blown clean off. Some laser splits you in two. Some bear chomps on your crotch.”
“Ow…”
“It keeps a digital record of your genetic code so you don’t die permanently. Don’t ever enter a Junction without a Recall Box, you got me?”
He pointed a finger at my nose to emphasize his point, so close I thought he was gonna gouge my eyes out.
“All right, all right…” I put the collar around my throat and it automatically adjusted to the size of my neck.
Nina did the same and stared at the man in the lab coat.
I stared at the badge he was wearing and read his name. “Anything else, Dr. Boned?”
“That’s Bo-net! I’m responsible for making sure everybody who walks into a Junction makes it back here safely. We’ve never had a permanent death on my watch. I’ll be damned if you’re the first.”
“Low-level threat,” Nina assured him. “We’ll go in, destroy the Obelisk, then come back out. We’re just trying to collect some Mana. The sooner we get a feel for things, the faster we’ll level and you won’t have to worry about us so much.”
Dr. Bonet took a step back and scratched the scruff on his chin. There was a skeptical look in his eyes as he shrugged. “I keep telling people those brochures are too enticing. Kids don’t realize how dangerous it really is. They just wanna wield their weapons and be an Omega…” He muttered to himself as he walked away.
Nina gave me a smirk. “Let’s go.”
I gave her a nod and stepped through the Junction with her at the same time.
~ ~ ~
The flash of bright light made me shut my eyes for a split-second. I stumbled forward onto the grass and quickly regained my footing. A gasp filled my lungs as I didn’t realize I was holding my breath.
“I have to get used to that…”
The grassy plains I’d seen once before weren’t any less impressive the second. The hills were so green, like they’d been given a fresh coat of paint. The same for the blue sky. A soft wind howled, blowing against my skin and cooling me down despite the bright sun’s efforts to try and burn me up.
I inhaled a breath of soil and arbor then sighed. “It’s peaceful out here.”
“Peaceful but it’s really not.” Nina began looking around. “Do you see it?”
We stood on top of a hill, looking down on the valleys around us. It didn’t take me long to spot it. “There.” The purple energy resonated from the Obelisk down in the valley. “That doesn’t look too far. Should only take us a few minutes to get there.”
“That’s assuming we don’t get any interruptions.” She unsheathed her katanas and held them up. The polished steel glistened bright and nearly blinded me. Even though
they were shorter than my saber, their edges were still razor sharp.
“I’m guessing from that saber you’re a Cavalier.”
“I am, indeed. I guess that means I take the lead. Watch my back.”
I pulled my sword from my hip and held it up. The thought of leading someone with a weapon in hand was strange, even if it was only a short walk. I couldn’t help a chuckle as I stared at my blade.
“Is something funny?”
The serious look in Nina’s green eyes wasn’t enough to make me stop chuckling.
“Nothing. It’s just… I was studying for exams a few weeks ago.”
The corner of her lips turned into a grin. Despite the intensity in her eyes, Nina somehow managed to appear friendly at the same time. “That’s not our life any longer. We have to get used to this now.”
I gave her a nod and began my descent into the valley. I propped my sword over my shoulder as I marched through the grass. “How am I supposed to hold this thing? I should ask Hamilton what he does…”
The peacefulness of our surroundings almost made me forget why we were here in the first place. I’d only taken a few steps when the air in front of me began to crackle. Thin lines like lightning appeared and suddenly a white hole of energy opened up.
Three wolves jumped out and landed right before me, each one big enough to pounce on me without much effort. They dug their paws into the ground as they snarled. Their eyes narrowed, covering the empty yellow pupils locked on me. I’d never seen a wolf in my life until Pandora. Now there were three of them eyeballing me like they wanted to have me for lunch.
“Remember your training,” I said to myself. “Remember your training.”
I looked at Nina and watched her take a few steps back.
“Shit…” I muttered as she kept slowly walking back, a hesitant look on her face. “Nina. Hey! Look at me.”
She shifted her eyes toward me.
“Your training,” I said. “You’re a Strider, right?”
She nodded profusely.
I said the first thing that came to me to calm her down. “Be a Strider.”
The concern in her eyes slowly disappeared. Her jaw clenched and her gaze narrowed as she turned her attention back to the wolves.
The beasts walked forward, their limbs slowly inching them closer to us. I kept my saber in front of me. The moves I practiced in the lab had been performed so many times I knew I could do them without having to think too much.
The first wolf lunged at me. I quickly raised my saber up and turned it sideways, parrying its claws as it swiped at me.
“Slash!” I brought my saber back up and brought it down, cleaving the wolf and drawing blood from its gray fur. It howled a whimper and stumbled back.
The next wolf didn’t give me a chance to breathe, leaping toward me but I was able to parry and slash it at it just the same.
“I got you!” Nina raced forward. For a second, I was frozen in place, watching her cartwheel a few feet into the air and sink her katanas into one of the wolves I’d downed. The beast let out a deafening howl before fading into mist and leaving Mana behind.
“Watch out!” I rushed up to her and parried the third wolf just as she moved out of the way. I knocked it onto its side then thrust my saber forward with all of my strength. There wasn’t much resistance as my blade pierced its skin and made it growl. It faded like the other one, leaving only one injured wolf left.
Nina and I both turned toward it as it eyeballed us. It bared its fangs to show off how sharp they were. Its claws were just as dangerous.
I dug my heels into the grass and eyed the wolf as it stalked me. “Nina…”
From the corner of my eye, I watched her step back. The wolf slowly moved forward. Ten-feet away. Nine. Eight. I counted it steps until it suddenly leaped toward me with its claws aimed at me. I raised my saber up and knocked its paws away. Just as I did, Nina jumped forward and stabbed it in the side with both blades. The wolf let out a deafening whimper. I quickly followed up and thrust my saber into its open mouth. The blood splattered onto the grass and the wolf carcass faded from our weapons, any trace of it replaced by orbs of colorful Mana.
I looked at my saber and noticed there was no blood on my blade. “That’s weird…”
“These aren’t real animals. They’re just beings from another dimension.”
“I guess that’s why they call ‘em Shadows.”
Nina and I walked around the grass and let our communicators gather all of the Mana. The green, red, and blue energy flowed into the devices on our left forearms. I looked down at the ground and noticed there was still some Blue Mana sitting there. I picked up the jagged piece of rock that fit in my palm. It pulsed faintly with an aura.
“A Core,” I said. “I think Gage should be able to do something with this. You want it?”
Nina smiled softly and shook her head. “You can have it.”
I nodded and stuffed it into my pocket before heading back down to the valley. We managed to make it to the Obelisk without another encounter. The giant piece of crystal was rough on its edges with a dark purple aura resonating all around it.
“Would you like to do the honors?” I asked.
Nina twirled one of her blades in her hand then slashed at the Obelisk. It shattered like glass from the blow, releasing more of the energy into the sky like smoke before eventually disappearing.
“That should do it…”
We headed back up the valley and made it to the Junction without another encounter. I tugged at the collar on my neck to loosen it slightly. “I guess there really wasn’t any need for this. After you.” I put my saber on my belt and held my hand out to Nina. She stepped through the Junction and I followed after her.
~ ~ ~
When I stepped back into the Junction Room, I saw Nina already looking at the display.
Pandora Junction
Level 1
Threat Level: Low
Precautions: None
Status: Closed
Reopening in 29:27
The timer ticked down. “I guess it’s half an hour before we can close another Junction. Maybe we should wait a little bit and do it again.”
I gave her a smirk and she nodded. “That was fun.”
“Thanks, Liam. I appreciate you coming with me.”
“Sure… Hey, Nina. Why did you want me to come with you? I mean, you could’ve handled this Junction by yourself.”
She didn’t answer me. She just stared. The way her lips moved, I wasn’t sure if she was trying to smile or frown. But in her eyes, I saw that she wasn’t upset.
“I just… I needed to do this. The sooner we get started, the sooner all of us are better off. We’re all here for the same reason, right? To be Omegas and do our part.”
“Yeah…” I nodded softly.
She put her communicator up to mine. Both devices ringed to exchange our information. She didn’t look at me as she turned around and headed for the exit.
“…Don’t forget to level up,” she called out.
The way she walked had an elegance to it. Her posture was slightly stiff, like a model moving down a runway. It was easy to believe she was the person Quentin said she was.
I was so distracted by her I didn’t realize Dr. Bonet had walked up next to me. “You heading back in there?” he asked. “Thirty minutes until there’s a new Junction unless you take another gate.”
I shook my head. “I think I’m done for now.”
12: Level Up
The bright lights of the Crafting Bay illuminated a scene like nothing else. Engineers stood at their workbenches, chiseling, hammering, and welding weapons together with their electronic tools. The smell of metal welding joined the constant chorus of sparks flying from every direction. There was a warmth against my skin that felt like I was standing next to a fireplace.
I took a moment to observe some of the weapons and armor hanging from the wall. Different shades of metal plating looked sturdy enough to take the hard
est blows and sharpest stabs. The swords were intricately designed steel and crafted with precise edges. In contrast, the giant mauls were as big as my entire torso. I wondered if I would get the chance to wield one of those ungodly weapons. There was also the thought about what kind of Shadows required such weapons to deal with them.
I held off on my dreams of what I might get to hold and walked up to the counter. I waited for Engineer Gage. He had his head down as he programmed a machine to make intricate cuts into a piece of metal. The spark flew up and bounced against his thick beard and the black goggles covering his eyes.
“Hey.”
I raised my voice enough to make him look in my direction. He programmed the machine to stop then lifted his goggles up.
“What?”
“I found something.” I pulled the Mana Core from my pocket and held it out to him as he walked up.
“Yeah, you did.”
He lowered his goggles down and went back to programming the machine through his digital tablet.
“Aren’t you the engineer who’s supposed to do something with this?”
Gage stopped again and raised his goggles back up. Despite being a few inches shorter than me, he walked over to me with a furrowed brow that made me a little uneasy. He grumbled softly to himself as he observed the jagged stone in my palm.
“Need more Mana.”
I scrunched my face in confusion. “…What?”
“Need more Mana. Even for a common Core.”
“How do you know?”
“How do I know?” The offense he took was clear in his voice. “I’ve been staring at Cores for the past two decades. I’ve seen ‘em all. That’s a common Core.”
“All right. It’s common. You can still do something with it, can’t you? Like, craft it into my weapon.”
“Need more Mana.”
“I have Mana. Let me see here…” I swiped on my communicator and brought up my inventory.