Kei

  I take in my immediate environs with a glance, a deep inhalation of air, and a sudden, heightened awareness of all my senses, from distant mechanical noises to the thrum of vibration beneath my feet, to the feel of the futuristic armor smoothly moving with my body. I clench a gauntleted fist, aware that my gear seems incredibly light – but unsure of how much is due to its construction and how much is my Gift instinctively kicking into higher gear.

  But my inborn talent doesn’t seem much stronger than the trickle it normally is in daily life, when not utterly suppressed. And I’m not sure how much it can affect beyond my mind and nerves in a VR simulation, anyway.

  Once again, what I “know” about my abilities is more about instincts and impressions than any conscious memory. I cling to it anyway, since I have nothing else to go on.

  “AI?” I ask, just in case there’s a heads-up display, a sensor suite, a tutorial, a friendly chatbot – anything.

  Silence answers.

  But that might simply mean I don’t know the right codephrase or secret handshake to flip it on.

  I wonder, offhand, if this is a test from the VR system or her classmates, a prank, or an error.

  My helmet buzzes and a voice speaks inside my head. Um, Kei?

  The voice sounds like Anton’s.

  “Yes?” I ask aloud, noticing a few birds rising from the street as if in slow motion. I hear the slow, distant slap of their wingbeats as they take to the air, then move glacially into some trees at the end of the avenue. Nothing else stirs.

  Kei, can you hear us? Chris asks. Where are you?

  “In the middle of this street, next to a pile of rubble,” I answer, looking around. I notice something in the distance, straight down the avenue in front of me, like a black obelisk jutting into the sky. The buildings around me, the ones that are standing, looked modern, even futuristic, if battered, and a few broken vehicles are scattered down the roadway, half crushed and still smoldering.

  No bodies, thankfully.

  I’m sure I can handle seeing bodies, just not in a way which would be helpful to anyone else.

  I can already feel a whisper of cold fire within me, but stifle the power before it can emerge.

  This is just a game! I think fiercely at it, and for once, it listens, and subsides. What flows through me naturally is more than enough. And more than dangerous enough.

  My teammates, however, are not listening. Or simply can’t hear me.

  Nothing, Chris says. If she’s out there, she’s not answering, or can’t. His voice echoes hollowly inside my head. I shift uncomfortably in the silence, and head for the nearest sidewalk.

  Andrea, Anton’s voice calls within her head, can you use your Key? Access Kei’s location?

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Already searching, Andrea answers. There is a pause, and I listen intently. Nothing. She’s definitely in game and on site, but there’s no indication of her location or even direction.

  Interesting twist, I have to admit. Unconsciously, I put my back to a wall.

  She’ll drop out when the game ends, Chris says. Shutdown, now. We’ll figure all this out when we’ve got her back.

  That… seems to be blocked, Andrea responds. Our incoming communications from her and outgoing comms to the game AI are locked down as well. She could be hearing every word of this, and we’d never hear her reply.

  Absolutely correct, I note silently.

  Let’s use that, at least. Anton’s voice grows stronger. Kei, see that black obelisk? Getting there and solving whatever puzzle presents itself is one of the win conditions. If a win shuts this down, fine. If not, we can still link up with you there.

  At least someone has a solution, or the beginnings of one. And it’s not like have other options. I turn towards the obsidian obelisk.

  Wait, we can’t get out? What could do that? Christopher’s voice sounds concerned, and intrigued.

  Something we’d rather not meet. Anton seems amused by the question.

  Especially not on its home ground, Andrea agrees. And if it owns this place, home ground it is.

  I reach up to where the set of goggles and headphones should be and try to pull them off. Nothing happens.

  Can’t shutdown manually, Anton notes. I wonder if they’re trying the same method, or if there’s some other trick, like pinching themselves. Mentally, I shrug.

  I noticed, Chris says. Is the neurostim transmitting sight and sound independently? Or are we being blocked from pulling the headset with our hands? He sounds like he’s obsessed with the riddle already. I understand the impulse, though I’ll admit the fact that my life might be on the line is helping.

  We’ll figure it out, Andrea says. For now, let’s find Kei and handle what we can from the inside. The obelisk isn’t just a victory condition. It’s a waypoint and in-VR terminal. If we can troubleshoot anywhere in-game, it will be there. Assuming it won’t just kick us all out once we get there.

  Kei, in case we lose outgoing to you – assuming we’ve still got it, Anton says, Fall of the Citadel looks like a human-AI war simulation, but really it’s human versus human, just one side has way fewer people and lots more drones and bots. We usually drop in as the defenders, though there are military options where you’re trying to neutralize a less-advanced military with targeted interventions, more or less lethally.

  On the surface it’s live-action military tactics and strategy, Christopher says. Well, VR-action. But the simulation is usually asking deeper questions – looking at hidden motivations, flaws, emerging technologies.

  Basically, anything that can spice things up – it’ll be in here, Anton finishes.

  Andrea’s voice rises within my head. And most importantly— Her voice cuts off.

  I wait. And wait. But nothing comes through. I guess I lost them. Well, let’s hope ‘the most-important thing’ wasn’t all that important.

  I glance around the empty street. Being alone in desolation while facing the unknown is probably supposed to be disconcerting – especially if someone is doing this to me intentionally. But as far as I’m concerned, there’s no one around to hurt.

  Which means no better place to fight. Or to run.

  I take a quick stock of my resources. I’ve got myself, my armor and… nothing else.

  No weapons. No gear beyond the cool armor which may or may not have any protective value. Nothing.

  Hopefully my videogame avatar is nothing to sneeze at, but so far, this doesn’t seem promising. Then again, if it’s intended as a deathtrap or an ambush, I wouldn’t expect it to be fair.

  I’m not half bad at scavenging and repurposing tech in the real world, and I’m willing to risk it here. Given there are no other options. But this is exactly the kind of scenario which will push me to tap into my internal resources regardless of the danger – assuming I can even access them here.

  Which might, to be honest, be the whole point.

  Break the seals in my head, let the power run free, and ignore the virtual fallout. Except that if I escape, the same person who lets the fire rage here will be the one trying to quench it in the real world. Right now I have firebreaks made of fear and force of will. Strip all that away, and I could return as nothing more than the fire.

  Intentionally or not, I am being tested.

  And not just by whoever set this up or sabotaged it while I was caught inside. Right now, I lack more than my memories.

  I don’t know who I really am. Not just my past, but my character. Am I the sort of person who will bend in this situation? To save herself, or others?

  Should I be? Even if I’m not. Standing there alone, I’m uncomfortably aware of how much my decisions are based on gut instincts and half-remembered truths like something out of a dream. Something that might be a dream.

  A few things are clear, like my name and my final run. The rest? My whole life may be based on a handful of delusions, and as I am, I would never know.

  My gaze shifts to the horizon, and to the concrete reality of the illusion spun up around me. I focus on the pillar of darkness which is my only landmark.

  I begin trotting down the street towards the obelisk. So far, my abilities seem to be under control. And if I lose control while in the simulation, but the fallout stays inside, then everyone should be fine.

  And if not, I’ll wake up in a blast crater or raging fire, or not wake up under a collapsed building. But in the latter case, at least it will cut off and end the risk I pose to others.

  I could live with that if it comes to it. Or die, rather.

  But in the meantime, I’m trapped, my friends need me, and it’s time to go.

  Patreon page. The first 10 chapters are already up there, even for free subscribers, and you can also see the art which didn't upload to Royal Road.