Garrett and Uli hit the battle floor. At first they try to avoid each other, crossing the floor at great distances apart. Uli stops, bends down, and fiddles with something, but we can’t see what because the rubble she’s behind blocks our view. Garrett climbs atop a metal structure, bow and arrow at the ready. He jumps from one obstacle to another, keeping his eyes on Uli. She finally stands and begins to backtrack towards the door she entered through. Garrett aims his arrow at Uli, firing, but her shield is designed to deflect it. The arrow disintegrates when it makes contact. She presses a button on her wristband, detonating explosives she had hidden a few feet from where Garrett currently stands.
He’s thrown backwards, hitting a concrete column, and falls to the ground. He has a gash in his lower leg, and another across his cheek. He’s stunned and winded. Uli removes a small device from a pack on her back, twists the top, and throws it in Garrett’s direction. He rolls away just before it lands and explodes. I notice that the upper left corner of the screen isn’t showing the points being awarded to Uli and taken from Garrett. I wonder if they aren’t doing that because all points will go to the surviving competitor.
Uli removes another device, arms it, and hurls it towards Garrett. He’s faster this time and shoots an arrow at the explosive while it’s in the air, destroying it. He reloads his bow and fires several shots rapidly, but Uli opens her shield, protecting herself. Garrett pauses, looks skyward, and fires his arrow. It strikes a shattered window pane from a demolished building raining glass onto Uli. She’s hit by multiple shards. Garrett climbs, trying to get a better visual on her as she crawls on the ground because of her wounds. He aims his arrow at the pack on her back and fires.
The explosion is bright, shaking the whole building. When the dust clears, there is nothing left of Uli except blood-spattered concrete. The rubble and structures vanish, leaving Garrett alone in the large room. He’s declared the winner and is directed to a door on the opposite side of the room.
“What the hell was that?” I almost shout, surprised that the realistic structures used to create the battle environment are fake.
“Tarsus is far more advanced in their technology than the Outer Limits will ever be,” someone responds. “This is simply playtime for them.”
This makes me feel even less confident in my ability to survive this round. If they are this advanced, what else could be out there that isn’t real? Could everything be an illusion?
“Make me a promise,” Brink says, grabbing my arm and turning me towards him. “Win. You have to make it to the event. Do whatever it takes to get there.” He kisses me hard on the lips as his name flashes above the door behind us. “Promise me.”
Shocked by his actions, but worried for his safety, I reassure him. “I promise.”
He gets up and disappears quickly behind the door. I hide myself in the Looper clothing stall, avoiding Brink’s battle. My head begins to pound and my stomach tightens. He’s annoyed me to no end, been morally disgusting at times, but I can’t picture him not being around. I curl up in a ball in the corner and cry.
Seven
“Max, where are you?” my name echoes through the small chamber. “It’s almost time.”
I come out of my hiding spot and find Pan standing a few feet away. I hesitate about asking how Brink did. If he died, it would weigh heavily on my mind. It’s a burden I can’t have at the moment. I walk past Pan, take a seat, and watch the rest of the battle between the pair that went before us. The competitors are evenly matched, causing very little damage to each other.
“They’re both Nius,” Pan says, sitting down next to me. “This could go on for some time.”
I ignore him and try to scoot further down the couch.
“Crazy, isn’t it?” he says, following me. “Just the other day I was working in the smelting plant, and now I’m here.”
“I wouldn’t be too excited about it,” I say, still trying to distance myself. “One of us is going to die shortly.”
Pan stops, leans forward, and begins ringing his hands together. “Yes, and it’s an unfortunate necessity.”
“None of this is necessary,” I grumble.
“For some of us, Max, it is.”
I look over at him to see sorrow heavy on his face.
Our names are called, the signs above two of the doors flashing brightly. Pan gets up and is through his door before I’ve left my seat. I stand and approach my door cautiously. It slides open when I’m in front of it, and closes quietly behind me. The corridor is narrow, poorly lit, and stuffy. My Kopis is waiting for me at the end. I take the sheath off the wall and strap it around my waist as the door opens, revealing the battle floor. I step forward, my boots crunching small bits of debris. The room is bright as if the sun were shining through the ceiling. Warm air filters in the deeper I go.
I hear noise behind me, so I activate my shield and remove the Kopis from its sheath. Pain radiates down my back. I can feel blood trickling from a wound Pan must have inflicted on me. He’s a Rapid, so he’ll be able to move quickly. I close my shield and disappear, hovering above the battle floor, deciding where to land. I choose a tall structure, planting my feet on the rusty metal. Pan darts below, trying to find me. It would be smart to just wait him out up here, but that would only work if we were being timed for the two hours.
I start to loop again, but am abruptly stopped when my jacket catches on a
