“Welcome children,” he begins, his voice not as strong as it was before. “For round two, you will be placed in teams of four, one person from each unit. Your teams have been designated a color, which has already been added to your uniforms. This will help the Keepers know where each unit is on the battle floor. Only an intact team will advance. If anyone from your team is killed or deemed irretrievable, the remaining members of the team will be immediately terminated. Good luck.”
Our chairs begin their descent. Addie lets go of me, but her face is full of terror. Hammond failed to mention how many teams are allowed to win, or even how long the round is going to take. I wonder how the Keepers are going to dispose of incomplete teams. However they do it, it won’t be painless and I’m sure our units will be watching, like the last time.
When we’ve reached the bottom, Addie practically drapes herself over me as we make our way to the common room. All the Matrons are there when we enter, calling us over to various parts of the room. Matron Kaniz has a worried expression on her face, which surprises me as she’s usually so confident.
“Now, as you have no doubt realized, none of you will be on the same team,” Matron Kaniz says once we’ve assembled. “I’m not sure what type of landscape the Keepers have selected, but don’t trust anyone. Not even members of your unit. Once you hit that floor, you are each other’s enemy.”
“How many teams are permitted to win?” a young man next to me asks.
“I don’t know,” Matron Kaniz answers awkwardly. “Your uniforms are waiting for you in the designated changing rooms. Your unit will be watching, so do them proud.” She smiles and leaves.
As we’re queuing up to get in to change, the other Matrons leave. Brink sidles up close to me, until we’re practically hip to hip. I roll my eyes and try to ignore him. Addie strikes up a conversation with Garrett, which bothers me. I’m not sure why it does, but something about her body language towards him makes me mad. The line moves quickly. When it’s my turn, I take longer than I should. I remove my uniform from its storage and notice two green stripes have been added around the torso. I change, avoiding the mirror as much as possible. I don’t want to be reminded of what my body has already been through.
Once I’m dressed, I join the others in the common room paying particular attention to the colors everyone has been designated. My stomach drops when I see that Brink’s uniform also has green stripes. Garrett is busy talking to a young woman wearing a uniform with red stripes when he sees me. He excuses himself to come talk to me.
“At least I have one friend on my team,” he says to me, showing off the green stripes around the edges of his short sleeves.
“I don’t know if I’d go that far to say we’re friends.”
“What’s the matter with you?”
“Nothing,” I say. “I just want to get this over with.”
I start to walk away from him when he grabs my arm and halts my progress.
“Talk to me,” he says quietly.
“I’m not who you think I am.”
He pushes the hair off my shoulder, revealing a portion of the dragon tattoo. “Is it because of that?” he asks, pointing to it.
“It’s more than that.”
“Then tell me, Max.”
I take a deep sigh. It’s not that I don’t trust Garrett, I do. In fact, I trust him more than Frey. I just don’t know how much to tell him.
“How much do you know about what happened to the Dead Zone?”
“That’s an odd question,” he responds, taken aback. He seems to then ponder the inquiry before responding after a few moments of silence. “Not much. Just that it’s been like that for a long time. Nothing can live there because it’s so toxic.”
“What about Pentras Tower?”
“You mean the purplish building that isn’t damaged?”
I nod.
“Only that it’s out of place in all that destruction. Why?”
Chimes sound over our heads and everyone begins to assemble into their teams.
“Never mind. Just forget I asked.”
Brink and a Nius player by the name of Van join us. The monitors spring to life with Hammond’s face plastered in the center.
“In just a few moments, the first set of teams will enter into the assigned tunnels. Since there are eight teams, there will be a delay of five minutes between each set. Your team color will appear on the screen above your assigned door. See you all on the other side.”
The first four teams are called. Addie is a part of the team with gold stripes. The doors open and they enter the tunnel. As the doors close, the monitors turn back on, showing each group heading down the tunnel to the entrance of the battle floor. The displays change to music videos when the teams get close to exiting. The display above each door changes to a clock, counting down the five minutes until the rest of us go. I sit on one of the couches, my eyes glued to the timers.
“Why did you ask me about the Dead Zone?” Garrett asks, sitting next to me. “Do you think that’s where they’re sending us?”
“No. Something tells me this round is going to be a lot more dangerous.”
“In what way?”
“If I had the answer, Garrett, I would tell you,” I practically snap at him.
Four minutes to go.
“Do
