The transition to reality was like being hit with a cold, wet towel. I sat slumped in my seat, starting at the ceiling with bloodshot eyes and a bloody nose. My body ached with every twitch it made.
Erika sauntered over to me, holding my gaze.
"Congratulations, you're the second person to both pass and wake up." Her tone was laced with mockery and amusement. "Of course, your cultist friend was the first."
I slowly sat up, removing my helmet.
"How's everyone else?"
I looked around to see some prisoners twitching violently in their sims, while others lay on the floor convulsing.
"They're fine. Based on the data most of them are finally grasping the concept of mental projection."
She gestured towards Lumina, who looked somewhat normal in her rig. "Like her, she's the first one to draw a heart and bring it into her practical exam."
Erika chuckled.
"Of course she's only making it hard for herself, adding another distraction."
She crossed her arms, turning back to me.
"I saw your fight with the zombie by the way. Such a pathetic display, you panicked because your opponent didn't stand still."
I set my helmet aside.
"Like you'd have done any better."
"Oh but I would have, it's called controlling distance. If you fight better in CQC, you close the distance. If you rely on the environment, you extend the distance."
She leaned close.
"You are a distance fighter, and you let that zombie close it. That makes you worse than useless, you're a detriment."
If her hatred were a tangible liquid, I'd be drowning right about now.
"What's your problem with me? I haven't done anything to you."
She narrowed her eyes.
"My problem? It's that the federation is so desperate for fodder that it looks to dogs like you. Dogs without a master… dogs that will bite the hand that feeds them the moment they get the chance."
She stepped back.
"But I don't plan on giving you that chance. I am going to kill all of you. And I'll do it in a way that proves you never belonged, Understand?"
I nodded, "yeah I get it. You're scared we'll turn on the Feds. I can't say that's not a good fear to have. In fact, I'd be surprised if you didn't feel that way."
Erika smirked.
"A dog that knows to sit. Hm, out of a pack of mutts, you might be my favorite."
She walked away.
I watched her, before turning my attention towards the remaining students. No one else died yet, and for some reason, I felt relieved.
— — —
Weeks passed since that day.
Erika was strict, extremely so. But she was fair.
We ran in the mornings, those who kept up got to eat. We went into the rigs, and again, those who passed, ate.
And in the afternoons we'd exercise. And those who passed, ate.
Two groups began to form.
Those who succeeded and those who didn't.
If you were in the latter group, it was a downward spiral that led to guaranteed death.
The more you failed, the less you ate. The less you ate, the more you failed.
By the third month, three more of us died. Nine of us were "perfectly" fine. And four of us were in the struggle group.
They were surviving solely off toilet water and any bug unfortunate enough to cross their path.
We had just finished our afternoon exercise and Erika sent nine of us away with our rations. The stragglers were already in their cells. Eyeing us with wide, feral eyes.
I avoided eye contact, gripping my tray as if it were zero and I entered our cell. As I was about to close it, two figures rushed behind me.
Lumina and Daniel.
I raised an eyebrow.
"You guys need something?"
Lumina didn't wait for an invitation. She slid in right past me, her movements smoothing and spider-like. Daniel waited awkwardly at the threshold, looking at me with wide, terrified eyes."
I groaned, stepping aside. "Come on."
He quickly stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
I leaned against the wall, crossing my arms as I stared at Lumina. She was a tall, blonde with green eyes and a load of piercing holes.
"So?"
Lumina sat on the shelf, her legs spread as she set aside her ration pack.
"I want an alliance, the four of us."
She ran her finger in a circle.
"'Cause if things keep going the way they are, none of us is gonna make it."
I almost laughed. "An alliance? Against what, hunger? Erika is going to weed us out all the same."
Lumina massaged her temple as she shook her head.
"No, idiot. The alliance is against the remaining prisoners. They're getting desperate, and desperate people are dangerous."
"And what makes you think I'm not dangerous?"
Lumina smirked.
"I never said you weren't, but you're not stupid. You and this cultist have been getting along fine these few months, I want in on that."
I glared at her, shifting my weight before turning my attention toward Zero. "What's the actual situation?"
Zero giggled. "She doesn't wanna get eaten or defiled. She's terrified."
Lumina's smirk faded as her eyes twitched. She stared at zero, her knuckles turning white from gripping the shelf. "So you got a little mind reader, huh? Well, excuse me for having self-preservation." She hissed sarcastically.
I smirked.
"Don't wanna get eaten or touched, huh? You know, I might just do exactly that. I mean after all, I'm kinda hungry too."
"If that's your attempt at a joke I don't find it funny."
Daniel let out a little huff. "It's kinda funny, considering…"
"Shut up." Lumina hissed at him, before turning her attention back on me. "Look, obviously I'm looking for protection. But come on, I have my benefits."
"No you don't. You have nothing I don't already have access to. Zero is all I need."
Zero beamed proudly.
"Really? Can zero set a bone back in place?"
"I can!"
Lumina chuckled bitterly. "Okay, can you perform surgery with nothing but a scalpel and stitches?"
Zero shook her head.
"Ha." Lumina crossed her arms. "Well I can, and you're passing up an A-1 medic."
"A medic with no tools," I replied.
"Are you dumb? I just said I don't need tools, duh. A shirt and a piece of glass and I'm golden. Come on, you need me."
I stepped forward.
"You need me. So stop acting tough and just admit it. And maybe I'll let you sleep in here."
Lumina's mask finally cracked. Her shoulders slumped and arrogance drained. "Fine," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I need you. I'm a surgeon, not an assassin. I can't win a three-on-one with sheer will alone."
She gestured a hand at Zero. "You and this cultist, you two have the most stable group here. And that's saying something. So please, let us stay."
A moment of silence passed between us.
"Alright. Zero, you take my bed. Lumina, you get the bottom bunk. Daniel… you and I are sharing the floor."
Daniel nodded. "Alright, and thank you."
Zero pouted. "You weren't this accommodating with me."
I rolled my eyes. "They aren't as insane either."
— — —
The next day, our group gathered together after finishing in the nerve-rigs. Lumina looked absolutely blasted, her eyes bloodshot and top lip smeared with blood. Daniel wasn't any better.
"I just don't get it." Lumina grumbled, "You guys don't look affected at all. Are your tests getting easier or something?"
I looked at zero.
She was perfectly happy and healthy. Eating her rations with her hands and humming. Me, I just looked tired and fed up, especially since my hair grew back. Black and spiky.
But my tests weren't getting easier, I was just getting used to the strain.
"The real question is how are you guys still struggling? I thought you were geniuses in your fields?"
Lumina rolled her eyes. "Being a genius has nothing to do with it. Do you know how hard it is to fix internal bleeding with nothing but x-ray vision and cosmic dust?" She shook her head.
"And then there's the stupid 'dynamic environment' where every time you get the hang of it, something new pops up!"
Daniel nodded in agreement.
"My simulation wastes no time in making every mistake fatal. I've gassed myself seventeen times, and blown myself up thirty."
Zero snickered.
I slapped the back of her head.
"Behave."
She looked at me with a pout. I couldn't see her wide eyes anymore, they were hidden behind her bangs.