Grid Seekers (Grid Seekers Book One) (10 page)

“Step away and turn around,” Liam said.

“Why don’t you make me?” Jason said, shoving Liam back a little.

“Hey, don’t touch him,” I said, interjecting myself between the two of them, so I now faced Jason.

“Get out of here,” Jason said, shoving me to the side.

I stumbled over my own feet, falling to the ground, catching myself with my hands, before flipping over onto my butt.

With an enraged look on his face, Liam made a fist, cocked it back, and clocked Jason right in the nose, making him stumble back with closed eyes before he fell to the ground. Liam shook his fist, walked towards Jason, and stood over him, staring at him.

“Don’t you
ever
touch her again, or I won’t make it so easy for you the next time. I won’t hesitate to take you out in the grid if I have the chance, or if you get
anywhere
near Alexia or me,” Liam said, as Jason rubbed his face, a few tears welling up in his eyes as he looked up at Liam towering over him.

Liam came over to me, where I still sat on the ground, and extended his hands. I grabbed them and he pulled me up, before putting his hand on my back, between my shoulders.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I am, but I can’t believe you did that,” I said, still a little shocked.

“I’m sorry if I upset you,” he said.

“No, you didn’t. Just shocked is all,” I said.

“You’re my partner. I told you before that I had your back. I meant it,” Liam said, flashing a small smile, not showing any teeth.

•••

Our dinner that night was different. Since Liam and I still had a little bit of tension with Jason and Bridgette, a few of the competitors weren’t paying us any attention, not because they liked Jason and Bridgette, but I think they felt that being around us was like a death sentence for them inside the grid. They were much better off keeping their distance and just worrying about themselves. We didn’t hold it against them, I didn’t at least, even if we didn’t agree with it, but we understood that they needed to look out for themselves in the end.

“Where do you want to sit?” Liam asked.

“Seems like every table but that one is taken,” I said, pointing to a table with only two people sitting at it.

“Well, I guess that’s our spot,” Liam said, before we made our way over.

“Is it okay if we sit with you guys?” I asked, looking at them.

“Yeah, that’s fine. We were beginning to think that nobody wanted to sit with us,” the man said, laughing a little.

His voice was deep and raspy, the bass notes coming from his throat almost enough to send the hairs on the back of your neck straight up, though in a strangely good way. His skin was as dark as night. His partner was a young girl, a little squirrely, with thick glasses and a peppering of freckles across her nose and upper cheeks. They were an unlikely duo anywhere else besides here.

They had blue bands, from Seattle, and as we set down our trays of food they smiled, which was a nice change of pace after the way the rest of the competitors treated us.

“I’m Gregory, but you can just call me Greg,” the man said, extending his hand.

Liam and I both shook it, introducing ourselves. His partner seemed a little shy, as she ate her food and periodically looked up.

“This is Gracie, my partner. She’s a little shy and a whole lot nervous, but she’s a good kid. I’m glad she’s my partner,” Greg said.

“How are you two holding up so far with everything?” I asked.

“Oh, it’s difficult. It’s hard being away from my family, and let’s face it, I’m not going to win this. We aren’t going to win this,” Greg said.

“Don’t count yourselves out so early. You have a chance. We all have a great chance,” Liam said.

“Oh, I know you’re trying to be polite, and I appreciate it, but we aren’t exactly the cream of the crop when it comes to things like this. I’m a tad overweight, a bit too old, and I don’t exactly have the endurance I once had when I was your age,” Greg said.

“What about you?” I asked, looking at Gracie.

“Oh, no, I don’t think so. I’m not a fighter and I’m afraid of competition and confrontation. I’ve pretty much just accepted my fate in the labor camp,” Gracie said.

I was floored, looking at both of them, as they basically said they accepted their fates and were fine with going to the labor camp for three years to work themselves into the ground. Sure, they were vastly different, and sure, their odds of winning were fairly low, but your chances are always zero if you don’t believe in yourself. I just wished they’d believe that and actually have some confidence in themselves.

“You shouldn’t let that stop you. I think you two could do it if you wanted to. Maybe you just need to stay out of the fray and stick to the backwoods, out of sight, especially far away from that Jason guy,” I said.

“Oh, yeah, we saw what happened between you guys earlier. It took a lot of courage to stand up to him like that. He might not be the biggest guy here, but he sure is the meanest,” Greg said.

“I’ve read about guys like him in some books before. He’s a jerk,” Gracie added.

“We aren’t too afraid of him. He might think he’s this big, scary guy, but he’s really not deep down. He wants to scare everyone into fearing him, but he’s a coward, and he showed it today,” Liam said.

“Just don’t get yourself in over your head. I’ve seen a lot in my days on this earth, and let me tell you; sometimes you just need to not anger people to save yourself and the people you care about. He might not be as big and bad as he thinks he is, but if he has the chance and a good weapons card, I have no doubt he wouldn’t use it against one or both of you out of revenge. He isn’t exactly
stable
, if you know what I mean,” Greg said, his last sentence whispered.

The rest of the meal was relaxed, our conversation about the competition slowly fading away as we started to talk about our lives, and most importantly, Seattle. I think it was my favorite of the megacities; I’d seen a few pictures of it when I was in school. It was so beautiful, majestic, the sea of green forests like waves crashing down around the city. There were mountains, the walls high around the city, and it looked a lot cleaner than what we had here in New York. Even though you couldn’t go out into the forests, it still seemed like a paradise compared to what we had here.

Greg and Gracie lived nowhere near one another, on opposite sides of the city, to be exact, but they seemed united with one another, as if the entire city was filled with a sense of community and camaraderie, which was more than absent in this megacity. People in New York were all about material things, about possessions, about money and what you had in your bank account and apartment rather than the type of person you were.

It was the capital as well as a huge entertainment hub, the mega skyscrapers acting as gathering places for the rich and famous that served as constant reminders to the rest of us of how bad we really had it. They sat in their gold-trimmed apartments, their views going on as far as the eye could see past the city walls, leaving the rest of us to try to hop up and down, never getting a view of life outside these walls unless we stood on top of each other, drowning the people below us. The division of classes here was so strong that it could never be broken, no matter the strength of the force crashing into it. We never stood a chance.

Our dinners started late and usually ran long, most of us going to our rooms when we were done to wind down, maybe take a shower, and get in bed to rest after a long day of training. My muscles were sore after the sparring, especially my butt after being knocked down, and I knew that fluffy bed was begging me to get into it and fall into the canopy of snowy white fluff that covered the mattress.

“Well, I better go get ready for bed. I think I’ve had enough for today,” Greg said, standing up.

Gracie stood up as well, looking a little reserved, not saying anything.

“Well, goodnight, you two. It was nice talking,” I said.

“Yeah, it was. Remember what I said to you two. It might just save you,” Greg said, before he and Gracie walked to their respective rooms and left the lobby.

“Well, it’s getting a little late. I think it’s time to get to bed,” Liam said as he stretched, yawning a little in the process.

“Yeah, I don’t even want to think about doing any more work. All I want to do is get in bed, put my feet up, and count some sheep,” I said.

We got up, walking to the purple set of doors, before we stopped outside of ours, mine to the far right and his the second from the left.

“Liam,” I said, as he pressed the button next to his door.

“Yeah?” he asked, one foot in the room.

“Thanks again for today,” I said.

“Anytime,” he said, flashing a smile, before walking into his room, the door closing behind him.

Chapter Ten

A few days
had passed and training went on, seeming to never end, no matter how much we wanted it to. Our days were long; some of the training took the better half of a day, while other times it seemed to go all the way until dinner. It wasn’t entirely bad, though; our own work was short, and when another group took on the challenge, we all got to stand around and watch them, which definitely helped the time slip by.

I was adjusting to my new life well, even if I did get a little annoyed or homesick sometimes, but I had Liam there to help me through it. He had been great, always making sure I was okay and that we were doing things together. I think we were the closest of all of the teams; some of the others weren’t even friendly with each other at all. They were together more out of necessity, and not because they wanted to be. I could see Liam and I being friends after this was all over, especially if we ended up seeing each other at the labor camp. I knew they liked to separate friends, but I still had my fingers crossed that somehow it would happen.

I walked out into the lobby, my uniform fresh and crisp, my hair tied back, my ponytail flopping back and forth as I moved. Liam was sitting on a couch, looking up as I came. Then Christian came through the doors, prancing down the walkway with his digiboard lit up in his arm. I was beginning to think that it was fused to his forearm somehow. I’d never seemed to see him without it.

“Okay, everyone, listen up. Today you have an exciting phase to get through. It will be your strategy phase, but before you get all excited and nervous, we aren’t going to it quite yet. Since we haven’t done much at all with this subject, we’re going to give you some time with your hackers and your partners to go over strategy so that you’ll be better prepared later. For this, you’ll receive mock cards, as your strategy phase is dependent on them. They’ll be randomized, the same way your real cards will be when that time comes. So, if you’d all follow me, we’ll go get started,” Christian said.

We all got up, following Christian through the halls. Some of them were starting to become a little bit familiar. I had gone back and forth through them so many times that I was now fairly confident I could find my way around if something ever happened. Well, I could at least get back to my room, though I wasn’t sure I’d want to run there in an emergency. I’d rather just leave altogether.

We walked into one of the open rooms, where there were tables set out, which was a different change of pace. The hackers were scattered one per table, Peter waving and smiling at us as we walked inside.

“Please join your hackers so we can get started. We’ll be going around with the cards for you to select from. Both you and your partner will each choose five cards randomly. I know that not all of you will earn five, but you’ll use five for this purpose. Good luck,” Christian said, before leaving the room.

Liam and I walked over to Peter and sat in the two chairs across from him. He had an air of excitement and thrill that I hadn’t seen since, well, the first time I met him.

“Hey guys, how have you been?” Peter asked.

“We’ve been doing well. Just trying to get through it all with a positive outlook, I guess,” I said.

“That’s how you should always get through life. I know we’re going to do great today. I’ll definitely make sure your strategy is perfect so that you both pass your test later,” Peter said.

“Are you going to be part of it?” Liam asked.

“Oh, no, they don’t let us be a part of the actual phase test later. I think they said it wouldn’t be fair and that the contestants have to do it themselves. Besides, you won’t need my help. I’ll make sure you guys get through it before you even have to get there,” Peter said.

“Please choose five cards each,” two guards said, as they stood in front of Liam and I.

Each guard had twenty cards for us to choose from, spanned out like a fan, the tops of the metallic cards shimmering in the light. I grasped the first card with my right thumb and index finger, feeling how cool it was to the touch, before I pulled it out, keeping it in my hand instead of looking to see what it was.

I was nervous picking the cards, knowing that what I got could determine if I passed later or not. What if all of my cards were horrible? What if that was just a precursor to what my choices in the competition would be like? I couldn’t afford that.

I picked out four more cards, picking them from random, or what I thought were random, spots. There was no rhyme or reason to my choices, but I tried to stay confident. Liam finished just seconds before me. The guards moved on, going to some people at the front of the room to get their stacks replenished before moving on to the next competitors.

“Well, what’d you guys get?” Peter asked.

I set my cards on the table, flipping them all over, Liam doing the same. I wasn’t sure what to make of them, my nerves and excitement getting the better of me, before I realized that I had no idea what good cards even looked like. I had never had hands-on experience with the cards before, and I didn’t have some kind of list of them to study.

I had a life card, an invisibility card, a carbine rifle card, a terraform card, and last, but not least, a feast card, which had a picture of food and water on it. Liam had a health card, a duplication card, a blaster pistol card, a tracker card, and a faze card.

“You guys actually got some decent cards. I don’t think I’m going to have too much of a problem helping you with a strategy,” Peter said.

“What do they do?” I asked, looking at some that weren’t fully self-explanatory.

“Well, your life card will bring you back to life, if you use it before you’re about to die. It’s pretty overpowered, if you ask me. Your feast card will present you with, as you guessed, a feast. You two can share it, which is nice. I’d make good use of that. As for Liam, the health card will patch you up, topping up your health meter. Your duplication card will make a dozen copies of you, which is great for confusing your opponents. The tracker card will let you see the locations of everyone on the map, and the faze card lets you faze through walls or buildings. You can basically go through any solid object like a ghost,” Peter said.

“Wow, we really did make out pretty well, huh?” Liam asked.

“But how do we use these strategically? They all seem kind of random, don’t they?” I asked.

“It might look that way, but there are a lot of things you could do. You could stack the invisibility and duplication cards together, making a group of invisible copies of yourself that could wreak havoc on everyone else. That or they could scout the area for you, keeping you both safe,” Peter said.

“We can use each other’s cards? I thought we could only use our own,” I said.

“Nope, you can use any cards. If you wanted to, you could even use a different team’s cards, provided you actually stole the cards from them. Plus, you get to find cards that I’ll try to scan for and guide you to. They’re scattered around the map,” Peter said.

“I knew about that last part, but I had no clue we could borrow each other’s cards. That will really be a game-changer,” I said, looking at Liam.

“What else would be a good stack, as you called it?” Liam asked.

“Well, the duplication and terraform cards would be rather useful. All of your copies will have whatever other powers you have, be it invisibility, terraform, or anything else you may find. Having thirteen bodies flinging rocks at people would definitely be an advantage,” Peter said.

“Man, we really do have a good shot, huh?” Liam asked, looking at me.

“Yeah, but we still need to get through the strategy phase. It isn’t over until that’s done. Other teams might have good cards as well,” I said.

“Now that you’ve had some time to go over your cards,” Quinn said, from the front of the room, “I want to show you all what you’re fighting for, or rather what you’re searching for. These, my dear competitors, are what the talismans look like.”

Quinn held up two halves of a shimmering silver statue-like thing, the split between the two pieces jagged, though they fit perfectly together. Each side looked like an intricate, ornate snail shell, the curls and curves of the talismans more beautiful than anything I had seen before. I wanted it, and not only because of the competition.

“They’re fairly unassuming on their own, each half does nothing special, or anything at all, actually. It won’t glow or give you help, and it won’t miss you if someone else steals it. Its power only comes when it’s reunited with its other half, the seal cemented, and the person whose hand is on each piece is declared a winner, whether or not the person on the other end is your partner or not. The talismans don’t discriminate,” Quinn said.

“What happens exactly when the two halves are joined?” Greg asked.

“Everything freezes. Time itself inside of WorldNet ceases to even exist as a concept, at least for the shortest moment. A wave of energy will blow through, destroying the entire arena space, before it spits you all out, the grid disconnecting as you’re awoken from your WorldNet slumber. You will then be taken to the labor camp unless you’ve won, in which case you’ll be grouped with the other person, hopefully for you your partner, before being taken to Chet so that he can interview you, allowing you to announce your wish to the world,” Quinn said.

“We have to pick it right then?” Angelica asked.

“Yes, so you better think about what you want ahead of time. Once you’ve chosen your wish, and after doing some more media with Chet, you’ll be reunited with your families backstage, and you’ll get to go home,” Quinn said.

I imagined my mother and Saraia standing backstage, running into my arms as we all cried, so happy and filled with joy that I had made it, that we’d get a better life and that the competition was behind us. This experience would seem like a distant nightmare in the future, and I’d never have to worry about it again.

I looked back down at my cards, our cards, as Quinn kept talking, fielding questions from curious competitors. I reached down, touching my own cards, feeling the brushed metal exteriors before my fingers glided along the dark strip on the side of the cards. It was weird to think that my entire competition might be dependent on these simple metal cards.

•••

“I want you all to remember what you did with your hackers earlier. I hope and trust that you took your time and used it wisely, coming up with combinations for the strategy phase that will ensure you earn yourself and your partner a card. Now, I’m sure most of you are wondering how this will all go down. You’ll sit in front of these computers, and a skimmer will be affixed to the table in front of you. You’ll face another team, and they’ll have their own computer as well, so you can use your strategies against one another. Even if you lose your bout, you won’t necessarily miss out on earning a card. The points you earn during your duel will determine your card-earning ability. Now, if you’d go pick an area, we’ll get started,” Quinn said.

Liam and I walked to a computer on the end before taking out our cards, spreading them along the table as we started to put some that we might use together. I knew our strategy would depend on what our opponents did, and I didn’t exactly want to go first. You were always better off on the defensive.

“Now, on your computer screens you’ll see three squares. One of the squares has an x behind it. If you get the x, you get to choose whether you’d like to attack or defend. Choose wisely, as you’ll be stuck with that the entire time. You will only get your ten cards to use, no more, and each card can be used
once
. They won’t recharge here like they will in the competition. You’ll take turns, getting a chance to go back and forth. You’ll get three minutes for each turn. If you fail to swipe your cards and lock in your selection or combination before time runs out, you’ll lose that turn. Good luck, everyone,” Quinn said.

The three squares showed up on our screen, saying that the other team got to choose first. I nervously waited for it to refresh, wondering if we were going to be out before it even started, before the square they picked turned around.

“Yes, they didn’t get it,” I whispered.

“Which one do you like?” Liam asked.

The other team had picked the middle square, leaving one each to the right and left of theirs. Something kept calling me to the left square, even though my eyes looked to the right. I didn’t know why, but I tapped left, without even consulting Liam.

“You got it!” Liam exclaimed, as the x showed up.

A choice came up on screen asking if we’d like to attack or defend. I knew I wanted to defend, but had no idea what Liam was thinking. Did he have a strategy already laid out?

“I think we should defend,” Liam said.

“Me too! I’m so glad you said that,” I said, and he clicked on defend.

The timer started for the other team, counting down for us, as we patiently awaited their move. Time seemed to move slower as the seconds ticked away, hitting two minutes, before finally reaching one. It wasn’t until there were twenty seconds left that they locked in their decision, and it showed up on our screen.

“They did two blaster cards,” Liam said.

Our health went down, though not by a massive amount, as the blasters weren’t too powerful to begin with. We had no idea who we were facing, though I was fairly sure it must’ve been one of the groups who really stood no chance of winning. Either that or they were playing it a little safe.