Chapter 11 — Gate Four
The tunnel didn't lead to a grand arena.
There were no torches. No ancient stone walls. No dramatic chanting coming from somewhere in the darkness.
It smelled like stale ozone and floor cleaner.
Nexar walked past three yellow mop buckets before the corridor ended at a small laminate desk.
An old woman sat behind it, eating lukewarm vegetable soup from a metal thermos.
She didn't look up when the heavy iron door slammed shut behind him.
"Name."
"Nexar."
"Last name?"
"Just Nexar."
The woman sighed.
It was a long, tired sound.
"They always give one name when they think they're special."
She pulled a pair of reading glasses farther down her nose and began typing.
The keyboard was ancient.
Every key made a loud, mechanical clack.
"Do you people know how annoying that makes the filing system?"
Nexar said nothing.
The woman stopped typing.
"Right index finger. On the glass."
He placed his finger against the optical reader.
Nothing happened.
No light.
No aura.
No ancient symbols.
Just two short beeps.
Beep. Beep.
The screen displayed a yellow warning icon.
The woman glanced at it.
"Hm."
A small printer beside her suddenly came alive.
Whrrr...
A flimsy paper wristband came out.
The barcode was crooked.
The woman tore it off and tossed it across the desk.
"Put that on."
Nexar picked it up.
"Gate Four is full," she said.
She finally looked at him.
Her eyes were slightly cloudy, but there was nothing weak about the way she looked at him.
"You're in the overflow utility closet under Sector B."
Nexar looked toward the corridor.
"Utility closet?"
"Don't complain. It's warmer than outside."
She pointed toward a metal door.
"And don't touch the fuse box."
Nexar nodded.
"If you blow the breakers again, the whole north wing loses hot water."
She returned to her soup.
"And I'm the one who gets yelled at."
Nexar walked toward the door.
Then noticed someone sitting against the opposite wall.
Maria.
She was holding a frozen bag of peas against her forehead.
The girl who had hit the pillar for 2,800 KG now looked considerably less impressive.
Her Flame-Aura was gone.
Her hair was damp from the rain, and her collar was soaked with sweat.
She looked more like someone who had just finished a very bad workout than one of the strongest people Nexar had seen since returning to Earth.
She opened one eye when Nexar approached.
"You got water?"
Nexar stopped.
"What?"
"Water."
She lifted the bag of peas slightly.
"The vending machine took my last two chips and jammed."
Nexar checked his coat.
He found a crushed packet of saltines.
Then a half-empty plastic bottle.
He tossed the bottle toward her.
Maria caught it.
She immediately opened it and drank.
A long drink.
She lowered the bottle.
"Thanks."
It sounded almost accidental.
Nexar glanced at her.
She looked at the bottle.
"Don't make a big deal out of it."
"I wasn't."
"Good."
She put the peas back against her forehead.
Nexar picked up the brass key from the desk.
It was attached to a ridiculous oversized block of yellow plastic.
He stared at it.
The old woman didn't look up.
"Lost keys cost fifty credits."
Nexar slipped it into his pocket.
Maria watched him.
Then frowned.
"Your form was terrible."
Nexar looked at her.
"What?"
"The hit."
"I hit the pillar."
"I noticed."
She shifted in her chair.
"You leaned your weight forward."
"Yes."
"Too much."
Nexar glanced at his right hand.
His fingers were slightly trembling.
He hadn't noticed until now.
The palm was pale.
Numb.
No golden glow.
No strange symbols.
Nothing supernatural.
Just a hand that had taken more punishment than it was ready for.
Maria noticed it too.
"You felt it."
Nexar flexed his fingers.
"Yeah."
"Thought so."
She took another sip of water.
"You were pushing everything forward instead of letting the force travel through your body properly."
Nexar looked at her.
"You know how to do it?"
"I know how not to do it."
She tapped the frozen peas against her forehead.
"2,800 kilograms isn't exactly free."
Nexar looked toward the damaged pillar through the small window in the door.
"How long until the combat test?"
"Not long."
"How long?"
Maria shrugged.
"Maybe twenty minutes."
Nexar nodded.
He looked at his hand again.
The Manipura Chakra was quiet beneath his chest.
That bothered him more than the pain.
On Sector 0, his body had learned through years of punishment.
He knew how to move there.
How to breathe.
How to distribute force.
How to survive.
Earth was different.
His body had returned to a place that should have been familiar.
But even his own body didn't feel completely familiar anymore.
Maria broke the silence.
"You know, most people would be celebrating after doing that."
"Doing what?"
"Beating my score."
Nexar looked at her.
"By one."
"Exactly."
She stared at him for a moment.
Then laughed quietly.
"You really are weird."
Nexar shrugged.
Maria lowered the peas.
"What's your ability?"
"Ability?"
"Aura. Gene modification. Bloodline. Whatever you use."
Nexar thought about the question.
"Chakra."
Maria waited.
"That's it?"
"For now."
She frowned.
"You don't know much about this world, do you?"
"No."
At least that answer was honest.
Maria studied him for a few seconds.
Then looked away.
"That explains a lot."
Nexar leaned against the wall.
The old woman continued eating her soup.
The rain continued beating against the building.
For a few minutes, nobody said anything.
It was strangely peaceful.
Then the speaker above the door crackled.
KRRRZZT.
"Combat candidates, report to Sector B arena."
The old woman finally looked up.
"That's you two."
Maria stood.
She handed the empty bottle back to Nexar.
"You keeping that?"
"No."
"Good."
She tossed it into a nearby bin.
It missed.
She stared at it.
Then at Nexar.
Neither said anything.
She walked past him.
After two steps, she stopped.
"You know you're going to lose if you fight like you did out there."
Nexar looked at her.
"Maybe."
Maria gave him a tired smile.
"That's not the answer I expected."
Nexar pushed himself away from the wall.
"I don't know how strong he is."
"Julian?"
"Yes."
Maria's smile disappeared.
"He's fast."
Nexar nodded.
"His body is unstable."
Maria looked at him.
"You saw that?"
"Yes."
She stared for another second.
Then shook her head.
"You're definitely not normal."
Nexar walked toward the door.
Maria followed.
Behind them, the old woman shouted without looking up.
"AND DON'T BREAK ANYTHING!"
Nexar stopped.
Maria laughed.
For the first time since arriving on Earth, Nexar almost smiled.
Then the iron door opened.
Noise rushed in from the other side.
The arena was waiting.
And somewhere inside it, Julian Vance was waiting too.