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LOCATION: ISLE OF LIGHT – IDYLLIC SCENARIO
CITY: SEYCHELLES
DATE: AUGUST 31, 2026 | TIME: 5:30 PM
After their meeting in the conference room, Rourke, his team, and the 24 men joined the others on the Party Patio, as it had come to be called.
The wives were talking in small groups, and most of them seemed panicked. The children were excited about the idea there might be something to do other than just swimming.
Of course kids love swimming, but when it's the only thing to do, ten days are enough to bore them of even that.
Rourke raised his arms and shouted to get everyone's attention.
"Excuse me!"
He waited for all eyes to fall on him.
"I wanted to discuss with you what's going on here. For those of you who have played video games, or role-playing games in particular, you'll recognize this situation. Assume that we're inside an RPG, and we are the players or avatars."
"Like Fortnite?" one of the older kids asked. Excitement was written all over his face.
"Yeah," Rourke answered, "exactly like that."
"How is this possible?" Moira asked. "And also, we've been—"
"Sorry, ma'am," Rourke said, interrupting her. "I don't have any more answers than you do right now. We can read the System message over and over again, but it doesn't provide more background than the text says. I'm not sure how long we're supposed to be here, but my personal vote is to go for the Special Challenges. The message does say we are safe and cannot be harmed here, so I don't think there's any danger."
"You don't think?" Spencer Brannock's wife said, her tone flat.
"Again," Rourke said, "I don't know any more than you do here. But if we vote for Special Challenges and it turns out they feel dangerous, you can easily opt out and stay safe. However, I want to emphasize that I don't think anything that happens here can harm us."
He looked around. Some of the women grumbled, but the children all looked excited and ready.
"Do we get a vote, too?" one of them asked.
"If you got a System message that contains a [Y/N] then yes, you get a vote."
Rourke had done the math. 92 of the 174 people on the island currently were children, and they were all between 6 and 17 years old.
He checked his interface.
---
System Message
Do you wish to commence Special Challenges? [Y/N]
Current totals:
94 / 174 vote yes.
6 / 174 vote no.
Note: At least 2/3 of those present must agree before Special Challenges can begin.
---
Rourke let everyone decide on their own. From what Samir had told him, the System favored that sort of fairness and self-reliance.
The adults continued deliberating, but soon enough the votes had crossed the threshold. Everyone got the message at the same time.
---
System Message
Congratulations.
You have elected to commence Special Challenges.
You will remain safe and unharmed, but the Challenges provide opportunities to better yourself in many ways.
Enjoy the day.
When you awake tomorrow, [Scenario: Idyllic Isle of Light] will be transformed.
Note: You may engage in as many challenges as you wish, or none at all. Thank you for your participation.
---
Moira and the group of five women she spoke with seemed frustrated, yet relieved at the "safe and unharmed" comment.
"I guess we'll see what this is all about tomorrow," she said. "Now turn the music back on. Let's have a pool party!"
Two of the kids moaned, "Again?" until Rourke picked them up one by one and tossed them into the deep end of the pool.
They came up shrieking in laughter, and suddenly Rourke found himself on "Throw Children Into the Pool" duty for the next hour and a half.
He didn't complain. There were few sounds in the world that could rival the pure joy of children's unabashed laughter.
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LOCATION: ISLE OF LIGHT – NIGHTMARE SCENARIO
CITY: SEYCHELLES
DATE: AUGUST 31, 2026 | TIME: 5:30 PM
At the same time in a darker version of the Isle of Light, Gideon had finally made some progress.
During the last few enemy waves, he noticed that he had picked up some ability in combat that he was obviously sorely lacking at the beginning of this ordeal.
He now fought with two kitchen knives instead of the iron poker, and he'd become better at dodging strikes and blows, too. Which was helpful if you didn't want to keep dying dozens of times every fucking day.
But most importantly, since his revelation in front of the mirror earlier that morning, the waves were coming less frequently, with more time for rest in between. And to Gideon at this point, time for rest meant time for reflection.
It wasn't easy, of course.
He had seen himself as among the true elite of Earth before, and had done terrible things to fuel that self-image for years.
It was when he arrived at a particular revelation that something finally truly changed for him.
"In fact, possibly the worst of all my transgressions," he admitted, "was hiring the Massara Group and the Spetsnaz teams to deny the world Rejuvenex."
Gideon had taken to talking aloud during these moments, just in case it helped the System or whatever was controlling this hellscape to understand his intentions.
But when he spoke those last words, a message appeared in his vision again.
---
System Message
Congratulations.
You have come upon a significant realization.
You have been awarded five hours of reprieve.
Or, you can choose to take on a Special Challenge.
Do you wish to commence Special Challenge? [Y/N]
---
"What?" he shouted. "What is it? And what happens if I win? What the fuck? You have to give me more information!"
But there was nothing else forthcoming. Yet instead of getting angry, which would have been Gideon's normal reaction to such a thing, he found himself steeling his will.
He mentally selected Yes and prepared himself for what might follow. He had his kitchen knives ready, and he stood still, waiting for what happened next.
Which was… Nothing.
He waited ten minutes. Then twenty.
Finally, he laid down and got some rest. When he woke again, 90 more minutes had passed. He was surprised to realize how well-rested he felt, and decided to venture out of the mansion.
This time, the usual howling wind and ghostly shrieks were replaced by near silence and calmness. It was still cloudy and dark, but rain wasn't falling, and his feet felt steady as he strode down the concrete walkway toward the gazebo.
The only sound he heard was the rhythmic wash of the waves on the shore, followed by the whooshing of it back out to the sea.
Gideon spun around him and still saw nothing, when he arrived at the central patio. The gazebo was behind him, the infinity pool in front, and the seas beyond were still quiet.
---
System Message
Gideon Blackwell
Class: None
Special Challenge Status: ACCEPTED
Your challenge will commence in: 00:09:59
Prepare yourself.
---
Gideon sat on one of the lounge chairs and closed his eyes. If he had ten minutes, he was going to use it to center himself and, as the message suggested, prepare for whatever was to come.
When the countdown reached one minute, he opened his eyes and stood. Gideon stretched and gripped his knives as he got into a combat stance.
When the timer reached zero, the scene around him melted away, and what replaced it caused him to stagger backward and drop the knives.
They clanged to the floor loudly, the metallic sound reverberating through the spacious modern office.
His office. In Huntsville, Alabama.
"What the fu—"