“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?”
“Yes,” the female voice answers. “Max has seen it for herself in her vision. It is imperative that you gain control of Pentras Tower. We need to end this senseless slaughter.”
I can tell by the expression on Garrett’s face that he believes them. There is some truth in what the Patrician are saying, but I’m not sure how much.
“Then I need something from you,” I say, lowering my weapon.
“What is it?” the male voice answers.
“Control of the drones. There are other players from Thrace Tower scattered across the Dead Zone. They’ll be useful in order to access the tower.”
“We will locate these people for you and transmit their locations to your wristband, but drone control stays with us,” the man says.
“Fine,” Garrett says before I can respond.
The Patrician send us back to the spot by the dome wall, but the sun still hasn’t risen. Time must not exist when you’re with the Patrician. But how is that possible? Who are the Patrician, or what are they? They’ve always kept their surroundings in darkness when they’ve looped me. I wonder why that is.
“Do you want to go back to the tower now that we won’t need to blindly hunt for the others?” Garrett asks.
I sit on the ground.
“I take that as a no.”
“They knew the Dead Zone wasn’t toxic anymore, yet they make everyone believe that it is.”
Garrett sits down next to me. “So?”
“Why lie about it? What’s so valuable in the Dead Zone that they’re keeping everyone isolated from it?”
“You’re over-thinking this, Max.”
“You don’t find this strange? The Keepers clean up the toxicity of the place so that it can be re-inhabited, but the Patrician tell everyone it will kill you. Why? What are the Patrician after that they are lying to their own people to keep them out of this area?”
“Tell me about your nightmare again.”
The sun finally rises as I recount the entire event, not leaving out any detail no matter how small.
“The Patrician called it a vision, so it’s obvious they are the ones who projected it into your mind. The part before you wake up bothers me, though.”
“Yeah. How could the Dracken have been in Pentras Tower then and not get into it now?” I say.
“There aren’t any suggestions of anyone having been in that building for ages, except for the sterile environment and fresh food. If the Dracken had been in the tower, where are they now? Why not let the Keepers in if they’re on the same side?”
“I need to get onto those sealed floors.”
My wristband chimes and a map pops up, showing a group huddled along the southern rim of the dome. I tap the image and it minimizes into an icon on the tiny display. I don’t move right away because I want to think a few things over, but I only wind up giving myself a headache. We stand, I take Garrett’s hand, and loop us across the city, heading south. After an hour, we stop. I recheck the map and it’s showing that we’re still a good hour away from the group. I hadn’t realized how large the city was.
The more we move south, the fewer structures we come across. The land has started to reclaim the urban area. Tall grasses and trees cover much of the surroundings. My next loop lands us next to a river, its muddy banks covered in footprints.
Our footprints.
“Garrett,” I say, letting go of him.
“I know. This looks just like the battle floor for round two, right down to the impressions in the mud.”
I pull up the map and the red dot indicates that the group is on the island across the river. The area is a lot easier to make out now that we have light. I step into the water. Garrett grabs me, trying to pull me back on shore. I shove him off and start to make my way across. The water only goes up to my thighs, like it did on the battle floor. I climb up onto the ridge of the island, unsheathe my weapon, and begin trudging my way forward.
Smoke billows like a cloud in front of me, but on the other side of the glass. The drone that located the group still hovers in the sky off to my left. It shines a beam that penetrates the glass and illuminates the players on the other side. I run down to that position so I can get a better look.
Frey is leaning against the glass. He’s covered in soot and barely breathing. There are others from our unit around him. Some lay burned and are either dying or dead. I pound on the glass, but it’s useless since it’s too thick for him to hear me. I try looping, but I can’t, which bothers me. I stare up at the drone, and it’s almost as if it’s looking back at me. The Patrician know he’s a Dracken, so they won’t let me rescue him. So, not only do they have the ability to modify my body, but they can also control when I use my abilities.
I look back through the dome. The world on the other side is filled with fire. Buildings burn beyond control. It reminds me of the devastation from my nightmare, only this is live. I can’t let them die. I move along the edge until I come up to the river. I can’t tell if it’s able to flow under the dome or not. I
