Super Powereds: Year 1 (34 page)

“Because my brain is just too damn chocked full of knowledge to take on anything new at this point. See what I mean about needing a day off?”

Vince raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, you win. Put me on the list, I’ll spend my day watching television with you guys instead of expanding my mind.”

“If you’re looking for mind expansion, I’m pretty sure those guys who play Ultimate Frisbee on the lawn and listen to indie music keep some on them,” Nick informed him.

“Huh?”

“Never mind, should have known you wouldn’t get that joke, Boy Scout,” Nick said. “So you going to invite your woman?”

“Nah, she’s visiting her parents this weekend,” Vince said.

“Oh, that’s cool that they live close by,” Nick commented.

“They live in Seattle,” Vince said.

“Right. Forgot to adjust normal expectations, my mistake,” Nick said. “Well, if you’re staying then you can help me with the couch.”

“Sure,” Vince agreed. They went to each end of the couch and hefted it up. As they were inching around the room a thought struck Vince.

“If everyone is coming why aren’t we doing this in the main common room?”

“Because Mr. Numbers and Mr. Transport occasionally come through there and I thought they might be a bit of a buzzkill on our day,” Nick said in a strained voice.

“Hey, they aren’t that bad. They’d always been really nice to us,” Vince said.

“Not denying that, but they’re adults. Today we’re blowing off legitimate work to piss the day away having fun. That is most definitely adolescent behavior and I feel it will be more enjoyable without any judgmental gazes being cast our way from the kitchen.”

“I thought you said this was a valid stress management technique to improve test performances.”

“Oh Vince, you can’t believe everything you hear these days. Now let’s get to the video store before someone steals my idea and checks out the first season.”

58.

“I must say, it warms my heart as an educator to see such a robust turnout this morning,” Coach George announced as he paced along the line of skittish students. “How about you, Persephone?”

“Heart thoroughly warmed,” Coach Persephone answered.

“Glad to hear it. I must say, I thought more of you would break by now. I was certain some would take this opportunity to drop out of the program rather than face today’s exam. You’ve proven me wrong so far, but then the day is just beginning,” Coach George said.

It was indeed just beginning. The students had been told to be lined up in the gym on exam day at seven in the morning sharp. Most, if not all, had arrived early rather than risk seeing what happened to those in strolled in minutes after the deadline. Many of them were still blinking the sleep out of their eyes, but they were in attendance and paying attention with the vigor that only fear can provide.

“I’m sure many of you are wondering what today’s test is. Well, as most of you know, this is the last chance any of you will have to show us which training course you’ll be placed in next semester. As such, the only way we felt we could accurately measure your abilities was to pit you against one another,” Coach George continued.

Some of the higher ranked students perked up. If it was just going to be fighting they were confident they would sail through this day easily.

“Now, before anyone gets too excited, this won’t be like your first day. I don’t just want to see who can kick the shit out of each other. I want to see who can think on their feet, adapt to a changing environment, and yes, a little bit of shit kicking will be in there too. You see, my little freshmen, today you enter the labyrinth.”

The student glanced at one another with confused stares.

“As you all know, we’re located underneath the actual Lander campus. What most of you don’t know, though, is that this is the top level of our subterranean stronghold. Farther down are other levels, whole environments designed to simulate real-life situations for training purposes. At the very bottom is a level we call the labyrinth. Constantly moving, always shifting, it’s a maze that would make you go crazy if you were abandoned there. Today, it will also be your battleground,” Coach George said.

Coach Persephone stepped forward holding two boxes. She began at one end of the line, fitting small bracelets on each student and handing out what looked like tasers that had been dipped in paint.

“My colleague is equipping you with the tools for your exam. Each of you will be given a bracelet and a weapon that is color coded. The bracelets will turn yellow on those of you who can be injured by mundane means, while they will be red for those who are only susceptible to more extreme forms of damage. By the same token, if you have a power that allows you to deal out tremendous damage, you get a red weapon, and if you lack that skill, you get a yellow one. How the game works from here is simple. The weapons generate a specifically calibrated electrical pulse that reacts with the bracelets, so if someone strikes you, it will deactivate your bracelet. Once you’re deactivated, you’re out,” Coach George explained.

Coach Persephone was making her way down the line quickly; nearly half the students had already been outfitted. Those that had received their new equipment quickly took the time advantage to familiarize themselves with it. It didn’t take long: there was no interface for the bracelets and only a single button on the tasers. Some of the smarter ones began to idly wonder just how the bracelet knew what color to turn once it was attached to them.

“Now, that should be simple enough to understand, but in the interests of realism, we added the color coding system. Those with red bracelets can only be taken down with shocks from red weapons, while those with yellow bracelets are susceptible to both kinds. Additionally, since some of you folks change form in the course of a fight, the bracelets use a very complex sensor system to determine which category you fall into. That means if you’re only extra durable when you’re composed of steel then your bracelet will only be red when you fit that requirement.”

There was a sound like a sword being pulled across an anvil and suddenly Stella was silver all over. The bracelet on her wrist flashed three times, then turned red.

“So, we know how the game is played. Next comes the question of winning. That is the easy part. You win by surviving and destroying. The three who stay in the game the longest and the three who deactivate the most other students all get the best scores. Everyone else gets evaluated on an individual performance basis. That’s pretty much it. Use your powers as needed, but remember that unless your weapon connects with the other person, no amount of damage counts as a win for you.”

“This sounds fun,” Nick whispered to Vince.

“Really?”

“Are you out of your mind? We’re about to trapped in a maze with over thirty other people who are all much stronger than I am. Most of whom are stronger than you as well. We’re going to get the hell beaten out of us,” Nick whispered furiously.

“At least we can all work together,” Vince pointed out.

“Now, we’ll be using a random drop chamber so that you’ll all be placed at different locations throughout the labyrinth. You’ll be totally on your own and surrounded by potential enemies. Once you’ve been knocked out of the game, a guide function on your bracelets will activate and take you to the nearest exit. I suggest you don’t dawdle, because while you might be out the others will still be looking for blood,” Coach George continued.

“We are so going to die,” Vince amended.

“Yup,” Nick agreed.

“That pretty much sums it up,” Coach George said. “I could take questions, but I’d rather see you find your answers in the field. When we call your name, follow Persephone to the drop chamber. Once you arrive, consider the game started. Remember we’ll be watching all the moves you make, so be smart in your strategies. Oh, and one more thing.”

Coach George faced them, and a broad grin broke across his face. Many of the students involuntarily shuddered. More would have if they’d been perceptive.

“Have fun down there!”

59.

“Pitch black. Of course it’s pitch black. Why would I hope for anything different?” Alice grumbled as she was dropped into a room within the labyrinth. She groped around the walls slowly, finding that the room was blocked off from every direction except for a single exit in the form of an open archway. She floated up a few feet and checked the ceiling too. Whatever opening had allowed her entrance had sealed up immediately afterwards. On the plus side, though, the ceiling were high. Alice was estimating around ten feet. The doorway didn’t extend all the way to the ceiling, but if she only had to lower herself to pass through doors that still might work out to be a pretty good deal.

“Yellow weapon and yellow bracelet. Yeah, I’ll be out of here in time to get breakfast,” she said, talking to herself in an effort to keep focused. It was disorienting to be in this much darkness. Not even her bracelet gave off any light, which, given that it had a glow system incorporated, was odd. Still, she should probably be thankful that it wasn’t exuding light. It would have stood out like a beacon in this environment. At least now she could hug the ceiling and have a fighting chance of lasting.

* * *

Mary wasn’t all that put out by the darkness. As soon as she landed she opened her mind, stretching the perception until she could hear the thoughts of nearly every other student in the labyrinth with her. After a few moments of careful hunting, she located the thoughts of the person she was looking for and began making her way to him. It was slow going without any source of light, but Mary could feel his direction. Plus, she was well aware of any others that were approaching so she steered clear of them.

It wasn’t that Mary didn’t plan on fighting; it merely wasn’t beneficial for her, yet. She moved quickly and carefully through the corridors, feeling the occasional student grow close to her and listening to the grinding shifts as new doors opened while others closed. She was still listening to everyone’s thoughts and was accumulating some very useful facts about how the labyrinth functioned; however, at no point did she deviate from her plan or alter the goal of her path.

At long last she reached a closed door. She felt around the side and located the switch. As the door slid open she was temporarily blinded by the deluge of light assaulting her eyes. After a few seconds to adjust and a myriad of blinks she was finally able to see again.

“Hey there, stranger,” she said, greeting the room’s other inhabitant. “Need a hand?”

* * *

Roy was on a one-man rampage. So far he’d taken down a stretchy guy and some weird chick with dolls. Now he was hot on the trail of someone else, though whom was anyone’s guess in the damn darkness. He’d been lucky and found a lighted room to fight the first two in, but after twenty minutes of waiting he’d given it up and started roaming the corridors, looking for more prey.

Roy could hear the footsteps ahead of him and didn’t bother to disguise his own. If whoever was in front of him was lucky enough to have a red taser they still wouldn’t be able to pinpoint his location fast enough to stop him. Instead he barreled forward, forgoing all manner of stealth in favor of a full on charge. He heard the steps in front of him quicken as well and the chase was on.

Roy’s senses were above a normal human’s range but they were far from the most powerful thing about him. Still, it was enough to keep track of the person running away from him. They were crafty, moving around corners and doubling back down corridors, but they weren’t good enough to beat Roy. As far as Roy was concerned, no one held that distinct honor. With each turn he was drawing closer and closer, and as he rounded one last corner, he was positive he was almost right on top of prey.

As Roy swung around the corner a blast hit him square in the chest, slamming him back against the wall. His head swam and he saw stars as he tried to pull himself back up. His efforts were interrupted by a small jolt to his neck. It wasn’t enough to incapacitate or even annoy him. It was only enough to cause his bracelet to glow white in the darkness and emit a small, sad beep.

“And another one bites the dust,” said a cheery female voice at his side.

“You ambushed me,” Roy said accusingly.

“Don’t be silly. I trapped you. That’s way more effort that a simple ambush. Thanks for playing though.”

A small green arrow appeared on the bracelet, pointing to the left. As Roy stood up and angled himself in that direction the arrow moved as well, turning until it was facing forward.

“What’s your name?” Roy asked.

“Amber,” said the voice in the darkness.

“Amber,” Roy said, tasting the name and memorizing its flavor. “That was a hell of a shot. You and I will have to spar one day when this is all over.”

“Sounds fun. You bring the muscles, I’ll bring the concussions,” Amber said.

* * *

Vince turned another corner and entered into a new room. It was as dark as the others, but this one had the added adornment of muffled breathing in the corner. Vince’s hand tightened around his weapon. He had a red taser, so theoretically he could take down anyone here, but if it was someone with real combat skill he’d be at a disadvantage if he gave his location away. Never in his life did Vince suspect he would be so thankful to all the times he and his father had snuck aboard a train at night or crept through town silently. Those experiences had taught him to shroud the sounds of his movements, and right now that was likely the only thing keeping the other person in the room from leaping.

Vince readied himself to take the offensive, he’d already prepared an attack plan as soon as he’d arrived in this endless black environment. Before he could strike, though, the other person took him completely by surprise.

“Vince?” The voice was very familiar, it only took Vince a moment to realize who he’d been on the brink of battling.

“Alex? Is that you?” Vince asked.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Alex confirmed.

“How did you know who I was?”