The Purge
Chapter 18: Bri

“Humanity is on the march, earth itself is left behind.”

David Ehrenfeld

I wasn’t a commander for nothing.

I knew why the Zenith took me in the day they recruited me. It wasn’t because I was an orphan. It was because of the damage I can inflict on everything I touch. I was a walking disaster and they had to control me. So they housed me in. I was then a child who couldn’t do anything but obey orders. But the circumstances had now changed. I no longer hide under my bed. I learned to despise the people that raised me. They knew nothing. I learned to fight the monsters I feared. One by one they fell into my hands like ashes. I learned to step away from the childhood I should have. I didn’t need it anyway.

It was then when I truly harnessed my powers that I realized how indestructible I can be. I was strong. I was wanted. I was needed. Wishes I had before. But when they were finally granted, I wanted nothing but to make them go away.

They wanted to use me.

The day I learned I could be more than anything was the day I lost everything. I was consumed by my own powers. I was overwhelmed by the strength it was giving me. It was like a calling I always reached out into. A massive black hole I never thought I could ever escape. My brother wanted to kill me for reasons I don’t know. It was like I have left the room and returned with everything changed.

They have been waiting to use me.

They saw a loophole. An open opportunity to use me. The Zenith told me that they have placed my brother under protection. In walls far away from me so he wouldn’t hurt me. Bu they only used him to control me. And now that he’s gone, I’m supposed to be relieved. But with him gone and out, I felt like at any moment, my life is in grave danger.

When Conleth turned his back on me, I felt a sudden emptiness inside of me. His footsteps carried away a part of me that I barely knew I had. But like a stab of a knife, my heart pulled me down. It started to beat rapidly. My vision swam in front of me. Nausea had started building in my gut. I found myself braising the wall. The lights flickered in the hallway.

I looked up to see Con stopping in his tracks. I realized he was seeing something in his display. He turned his head to the side as if to look back at me but he didn’t. He continued to walk away. I felt strong arms help me up. I never reckoned slipping to the floor.

“Bri,” I turned to Athren’s voice. “Are you all right?” he looked ahead, at Con. “What happened?”

I allowed him to help me get back on my feet. “I—it’s nothing. I just felt dizzy that’s all.”

He smirked at me. “That douchebag. Love can be cruel.”

I wanted to tell him that Conleth has nothing to do with my weakened state. Something’s happening to me. It’s like something’s trying to break free and I couldn’t contain it any longer.

I straightened my back and I composed myself. “It’s time?”

Athren nodded. I looked behind him to find Halley and Sigourney following. I let out a steady breath. We’ll get this through without a single death. The Inception Trials are still part of our trainings. There are far worst things to be scared of.

I looked ahead. “We should get ready.”

The Inception Trials are supposed to make us better. But if we die in the Trials, our bodies also die in the in the waking world. These Trials are a waste of life. One death is equivalent to a step back from humanity.

My head started to buzz again. I tried to ease my thoughts as moment after moment each army takes their place in the Trials. I couldn’t even explain the trembling of my body. It felt like an earthquake has invaded my system. At some point I’d feel hot and then I’d feel cold. I leaned my head on the wall and I closed my eyes to relax my head from the constant gnawing pain in my veins.

“He’s such a bad ass.” Sigourney complimented as Chivas took down a preferably 500 pound Predator on the ground. His olive skin glistened on the screen like polished gold. He shook his dark hair to brush away the sand.

Athren crossed his arms as he scowled at Chivas on the screen. “We shouldn’t be watching this. The more they fight better than us, the more we’ll get discourage in the game.”

Sig frowned at him. “We should be grateful that we’re watching the Trials. They are giving us a leakage.”

“They’re not giving us leakage. You think they’re that dumb? They’re trying to scare us.” Halley said. All this time, she was sitting beside Con in a corner like a cat waiting for its master to pet her. She saw me looking at them and she sank in her seat.

“Now’s not the time to be scared, Halley.” I told her. “Be a soldier for humanity’s sake.”

She bit her lower lip as she nodded down at her boots. My eyes met Con’s. For a moment he let his gaze linger but then he looked away.

“Remember,” I started to say. “Addonexus don’t die. If you die here today, it’s your choice. Humanity is on the march. We need to take a step forward.” I stared at each face I encountered every day in the headquarters. These faces that I sparred with are the faces that trusted me. These are the same faces that will stand beside me no matter what. These are my soldiers. I looked at each of them. I’ve seen them fall, I’ve seen them stand, I’ve seen them hardened and I’ve seen them strong. They are not just my soldiers. They are also my friends. “This is not just the beginning. We’ll be fighting for a long time. It will be more real and more dangerous. We’ve been given the opportunity to save lives. If we die now, we’ll let that hope die along with us.”

“Next battle: Wyvern Army.” the monitor informed as the screen projected static and blacked out. We all stood in unison from our seats.

“This isn’t our fight.” I turned to Sigourney who looked like she’s gonna be sick. “We’re Addonexus but we’re still children.”

“I cannot believe I’ll be hearing that from you, Sig.” I said but I smiled. I couldn’t blame the girl if she’s scared to die. Everyone’s scared of dying. Everyone’s scared of what’s after. Everyone’s scared of something. “But we’re still human, right? At least a part of us is. We may not have the same fate but we share the same future. Addonexus or not, we are still a part of this world. So we’ll keep on fighting until this ends. If we seat our asses and do nothing then we’ve truly lost everything. This isn’t just training. If we fail, it means the end of humanity. So together we must save it.”

She nodded. I smiled encouragingly, even to Halley. “Then gather up your courage and fight alongside with me.”

I took a deep breath as I stepped out of our barrack. A robotic voice echoed in the halls repeatedly as it gave us directions and instructions. Armies, the ones that were done with their Trials watched as we marched to the Trial Room. A puzzle of mixed faces and a menagerie of different emotions filled the façade.

The door of the Trial Room opened and we stepped inside quietly. Five rows of seats arranged in a circle formation welcomed us. A set of head gears were plugged on the head board of our seats and five Zenith scientists waited to assist us. I looked back at the door only to find two guard bots standing.

The scientists ushered us gently to our seats. I felt the pressure pulsing in my head again but I wasn’t gonna let it distract me. I sat back and slowly I relaxed as my seat bent back to allow me to lie my body comfortably. As soon as the scientist assigned to me plugged in my head gear, metal straps held me back on my seat; I glanced back at my soldiers.

My eyes found Athren’s first since he was the one beside me. “Any piece of advice, chief?” he smirked at me.

“Don’t be selfish, okay?” I rolled my eyes at him. “And try to remember to stay alive.”

He snickered. “How touching.”

I tilted my head up a little and I found Sigourney tilting her head up too.

“Still hanging there, Hal?” she asked Halley who was already closing her eyes.

“Don’t bother me. I’m sleeping.” Halley said.

“I think I’m gonna be sick.” Sig whined.

Conleth groaned. “Is it too late to change DNA?”

I gave him one last glance before leaning back on my seat.

“Brace yourselves everyone.” One of the scientists said. I closed my eyes and I relaxed.

The Inception Trials begins…

In 3…2…1…

Purge.

Like a flash of a car racing, I’ve been sucked into the vortex of oblivion and into the drift of the Inception.

I opened my eyes only to feel the cold air. I looked down at my hands; they were fully protected by dark gloves. I surveyed my body next. I was wearing a suit. It was as dark as the gloves and helmet I wore, outlined with red. The Wyvern Army emblem was embroidered at the upper right side of my sleeve and a name plate hang on my lapel. As my body adjusted to the suit, my temperature went along with it. Holograms started to appear in my helmet making the translucent glass as the projector.

I turned and looked around. Numbers and letters started to appear. I smirked. This must be what it’s like to have a virtual display implanted on your system. Everything’s made easier for you like serving a plate of information right at your table. These made Addonexus irresponsible. They rely too much on holograms. Virtual displays are alluring but they make a person lazy. My body refused the use of microchips so I had to destroy them.

My display censored the place just as Conleth cursed beside me.

We were surrounded by walls.

My senses started to hit me and a wave of nausea washed over me. If I could not carry the Trance along with me, I will fail the Inception Trials. I will fail my comrades. I will fail mankind.

“Face the walls.” I ordered. I turned to each one of them. They still seem to be in the trance. The drift towards the Inception was making their heads swim. They moved in front of me like lost zombies. When they didn’t move to my command, I pressed on. “Move! Now!”

Their helmets were too dark for me to identify who they are—which is which. When they moved to my command, I felt their fear like a gush of wind. I kept myself steady.

“We’re not facing the walls.” Conleth said. The dire tone of his voice told me I wanted to wake up from the Trance. “We are facing the Gates. All three of ’em.”

My jaw flared and I clenched my teeth.

“What’s going to attack us?” Sigourney asked from I don’t know where. We all had our backs facing each other.

“Just keep your senses open. The enemy could be around.” I instructed. A thought came to me of the beast that attacked the Griffin Army. It was huge and brutal. It had killed three Addonexus including the commander. The Zenith had to stop the Trials in order to save the other two. I refused to think that my army would face the same fate.

“They’re here.” Halley said. Her voice felt like steel. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand in attention.

“Specify.” I commanded.

“Aliens.” She prompted.

“How many?” I asked her.

“Four on each Gate.” She answered; her voice trembled at the last word.

I censored the “walls” again. If this was supposed to be the mocked Gates then presumably there’ll be three. But Halley said four on each Gate. If these were the Gates then why were we trapped in walls? I scanned the walls again but it kept on loading like it had been glitched.

“Halley, can you sense them? Where are they?” I asked her.

“I can’t scan them. My sensors have been glitched.” Athren said. And so as mine. They’ve got to be kidding us. They’ve put us in useless suits.

Halley gasped.

“What is it?” I turned to her behind me.

“They’re…” she hesitated. “Some of them are trying to climb the walls.”

I sharpened my hearing but I failed to hear any movement. This paranoia’s making me mad. They wanted us to face ghostly creatures that only Halley could sense. I tried to reach out to my powers in order to sense them. But a barrier was holding me back.

“I can’t feel any electric currents. Looks like the Barriers have been shut down on purpose.” Sigourney said.

I cursed inside my head. “Any helpful news, Halley?”

I looked at her from my shoulder and she was tilting her head up like she’s waiting for a sparrow to perch on top of the wall. But I knew it wasn’t a sparrow she was waiting. I followed her gaze and I zoomed in my holo on the Southern Wall. A crack has been made and debris started to fall off the ground.

“Halley, I know you can feel them—”

“Predators.” She snapped. “All category 10.”

I cursed under my breath. As if on cue, I felt their fear rush through me like a storm wave.

“We are so dead.” Sigourney quivered.

“No we’re not,” I said as I tried to get their attention. “Listen. Now is not the time to be scared. These are the monsters that won’t hesitate to kill us. They may be holograms but they will kill us if we give them the chance. Don’t give them a chance. Defend yourself.”

A crack sounded on the Northern Wall. A line sliced through like it was opening a portal—more likely, it was opening a Gate. Smoke filled the other side, hiding away what’s waiting to kill us. Low, feral snarls filled the air, it echoed through the walls like the sound of death.

This is how they opened the Gates. If they can control the Inception Trials, surely, they can open the Gates.

They had let them in.

Conleth produced fire in his hand. I stopped him before he could attack.

“Let them in.”

He looked at me as if I was insane. I was kind of expecting that reaction from him.

They wanted us to play the game. I seethed as another line sliced through the wall to open another Gate. And so we’ll give it to them.

“Halley,” I sought for her behind me as another line sliced through the Eastern Wall. “Where are they?”

This little girl. I knew I was right about her. The moment I read her profile, I knew there’s something special about her. She wouldn’t be in my army if the Zenith thought she wasn’t useful. Her fear was lesser than the rest of the team and it subsided the moment we entered the Inception. She felt them like she was breathing them in. It was like she has finally woke up.

If this was a game of Battle Royale, she wanted to be the one to stay alive.

Her head snapped to the left. “Conleth, enemy approaching at nine o’clock!”

Just as she had warned Con, the Predator appeared. It glitched in and out of our view as it attacked. It dove for him with its hungry teeth and claws. Con was able to produce a wall of fire in front of him before it could sink its claws into his flesh. The ground shook and fire breathed out like a storm, seizing the Predator. Its scales glittered like metal armor as it consumed the fire. It stood out of the flames like a giant beast, engulfed in the flames of hell. Con’s fire simmered in its scales. It bared its teeth at him and acid poured out of its jaws.

I closed my eyes and I focused on producing a weapon. This is Inception. We can create things that can either save us or kill us. These Predators were the product of our fear. I opened my eyes and I reached for my belt. A flash of relief rushed through me when I felt my gun hanging in there. Athren followed as two swords appeared in scabbards on his back. He pulled them out just as a glitching Predator lunged at him. Beside him, Sigourney’s hand was occupied by an electric chain whip. She lashed it out at the Predator attacking Athren. She was able to bring the Predator down on its knees just in time Athren had leaped to its death. He drove both of his swords on the beast’s neck, plunging it deeper to its heart. The Predator let out a yelp as it rocked its body from left to right. Its left foot went down first before its whole body followed. Athren pulled out his swords; it turned into ashes just as the beast’s carcass. He let out a curse before pulling out another set of swords behind his back.

“Halley,” I turned back to her. “Where are the others?”

I got my answer when a glitching Predator appeared right in front of me.

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