Chapter Seven
Even from the bottom bunk, when the buzzer screamed and the lights blazed on, Gemma still had to squeeze her eyes closed at the luminosity.
She’d gotten used to the gradual brightening of the lights in her flat in Perileos.
The dormitory’s lights might as well be Reva’s sun, lasering through her eyelids.
The bunkered bed moved as Christian cursed, nearly toppling off the side. “Never again, Proctor. We are not doing this again.”
Gemma smirked as she swung her legs over the side of the bottom bunk—
Her eyebrows rose. There was no pain in her leg or rib. You can’t be serious.
She hurried to the locker room, where she unfurled her arm from its spidersilk cast. Her mouth dropped open the moment she moved it.
Her arm had completely healed.
Gemma’s jaw clenched; her nostrils flared. It figured the Systems kept the nanobots for themselves. She was definitely on the right side, using her vengeance to also help her people. The people in Perileos deserved this kind of medicine too.
After quickly braiding her hair, Gemma scurried from the locker room and found Imara talking with Christian. The zipper of Imara’s jumpsuit barely reached the bottom of her sternum, and she stood in just the right way that her breasts screamed Hello there! to whomever dared to look.
Or didn’t dare to look. No one could miss them.
“I was asking your bunkmate if he wants to join us for breakfast.” Imara slunk an arm over Gemma’s shoulders, leaning forward to make her cleavage even more pronounced.
To his credit, Christian didn’t seem fazed by Imara. Girls probably flung themselves at him all the time. He wasn’t exactly unattractive.
“Only if you’re okay with it, Gemma,” Christian said. “I don’t want to intrude.”
“It’s fine.” She tried to hide her annoyance. He already had paid too close attention to her. Maybe she’d get lucky, and he’d be gone after the next test. “The more the merrier, or whatever they used to say.”
“That settles it, then.” Imara removed her arm from Gemma to flip her hip-length, silky black hair over her shoulder. She winked at Christian. “You get to be our new ally.”
“Splendid,” Christian said flatly, scratching his clean-shaven cheek.
Gemma almost laughed. He had no interest in Imara at all. She was going to be so mad when Christian turned her down later.
Breakfast was amazing, even better than the day before. Fruits from off-world, full of flavors Gemma had never tasted: pastries, shaved meats, and cheeses.
Gemma’s biochip chirped. She jolted, banging her knee on the table. “Mother—”
“You heard that too?” Imara asked.
The Kaizen pushed open the doors to the cafeteria and stepped inside, a cocky grin plastered on her face.
Gemma’s heart flipped. Something was about to happen.
“When you hear your number called, you will exit this room and follow an instructor to your next test,” the Kaizen said. “Best of luck to you all. Not that it’ll do you any good. Ta, ta!”
The Kaizen whirled around and left as several androids strolled in. Though covered with sleek, white metal, they were so humanoid that Gemma’s hairs stood on end. She sucked in a deep breath as the androids’ large, neon-blue eyes stared straight ahead.
Contestants began to leave the room in groups of six, following one of the androids, and Gemma’s knees bounced as she waited for her number, one-three-four, to be called.
Separating the participants was strange. She tried to think like their game master, or at least about how previous Trials had been conducted according to the Dissent. She didn’t remember contestants ever being split up before.
What have you come up with now, Rami?
Nearly thirty people were gone by the time Gemma’s number was called.
She jumped from her seat, anxious to get her next trial over with and one step closer to her goal.
It didn’t matter if it was her against everyone or her against five others.
She would take them all down if she had to. She was not getting dismissed today.
But when Imara and Christian both stood, Gemma’s stomach sank.
Of all the remaining participants in the room, they were the two she’d had the unfortunate privilege of getting to know a little.
Getting sent back to Perileos was essentially a death sentence.
She didn’t want that fate for either of them.
Her brows furrowed. What happened to not caring about making friends, Gemma?
Shoving down her nerves, she continued toward the exit of the cafeteria.
And stopped in her tracks.
The guy with the buzzed, pink hair—the same one who’d nearly killed her during the obstacle course—was leaving the room too.
Imara bumped into her, and Christian side-stepped them just in time.
“Blazes, Gemma,” Imara said.
“Sorry.” Gemma swallowed deeply as she watched Pink Hair Guy enter the hall. He’d saved her life, her mission. What if she were the one needing to help him? Could she do it if it meant risking her chance to win the Trials?
“Are you coming?” Imara drawled from the exit’s doorway.
Gemma blinked and gave her head a small shake, pulling herself back to reality.
In the hallway, along with Imara, Christian, and Pink Hair Guy were two more men: one with vibrant ginger hair, and another with an ebony complexion that gleamed in the synthetic light. Imara hadn’t been joking when she told Gemma how outnumbered the women were.
The six of them followed their android through the maze of their black, white, and cyan halls.
“So, since it seems we’ve been split into a team,” the guy with the ginger hair spoke, “I think we should introduce ourselves. I’m Hawk Gallowood.”
“Wait, as in the Gallowood family?” their dark-skinned teammate said.
Hawk grinned. “Yep. It’ll be nice to see my parents again when I get to Oranos.”
Gemma cringed. Of course he’s a Gallowood.
The Gallowoods were known for their immense legacy of family members who’d made it to Oranos. Six generations in a row had passed, and Hawk could be the seventh. It seemed almost unfair, in a way. As if strings were being pulled to get them through.
“Is it true y’all knock up some chicks before you go off to Oranos?” Imara asked, flashing Hawk a taunting look.
“Okay, first, she’s my girlfriend,” Hawk replied. “But, yes. We do leave a piece of our legacy behind to carry on the Gallowood tradition.”
Gemma almost snorted. A piece of our legacy?
Was it tradition to father children who never saw their parents after they were only a little over a year old? Gemma had heard the rumors, how the Gallowoods would have a child at eighteen, and that child would be raised by a nanny. In her opinion, it was disgusting.
“Well, I’m Alfie,” the male with the dark skin said. His smile reached his eyes. “It’s nice to meet everyone.”
Gemma and Christian continued the introductions until Imara begrudgingly obliged, and their pink-haired teammate rolled his eyes before saying, “Colton. Isso é t?o porra de idiota.”
Alfie jumped right into asking Hawk more about the Gallowood family. Gemma couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped when Imara caught her glance and made a gagging expression.
Minutes later, the android stopped outside a set of double doors. “Welcome to the first test you will be taking as a team,” it said. “Please enter.”
A beep sounded from the doors seconds before they slid open.
Gemma’s nerves ignited.
The room was small this time, and almost dark except for a bright-blue chamber in the center. It glowed like Reva’s sun, neon and blinding. Connected via tubes and wires to this chamber were six boxes that reminded Gemma of coffins.
But unlike coffins, these had lids and sides made of electroglass, and they were framed by the same white metal that made up the strongest spaceships. The same white metal from which Zion was created.
The lids of the “coffins” popped open with a hiss. Several of them jumped.
“Please lie down in a sleep chamber,” the android instructed.
“Oh, no,” Alfie said. “Nope. That’s not happening.”
“You have to,” Colton said. “You don’t, and we all go back to Perileos.”
“Come on, man,” Hawk encouraged Alfie. “We got this.”
Alfie bounced like he had to urinate. “Oh, blast it all.” He climbed into one of the chambers with a squeal. A slight pause. “This is actually kind of comfy.”
Gemma smiled as she and the rest of her team clambered into their own sleep chambers. The insides were plush, and the fabric was incredibly soft, but it didn’t take long for her to notice all the monitors and technological devices inside the machine.
Sleep was definitely not on the agenda.
The lids of their chambers lowered as suddenly as they’d opened.
On the other side of the room, someone shrieked as an optic of a beautiful, dark-skinned woman appeared on the inside of their chambers’ lids.
“Hello, and welcome to your first simulated test of your Oranos Trials!” The optic smiled.
“I am here to show you how to enter your simulated landscape so that your first test may begin. All tests are run by an advanced operating system controlled by the android in your room. This android monitors all of your vitals and brainwaves to ensure optimal design.”
Gemma glanced out the side of her sleep chamber. The android had, in fact, remained in the room with them. It stood off to the side, the blue orbs of its eyes now straight blue lines.
“Next to you are two pieces of equipment that you will need to connect to your body so that you may perceive the entire experience as if it were really happening,” the optic continued.
“Uh-uh,” Alfie yelled from his chamber. “Let me out of this thing!”
“Calm down, you lunatic!” Imara shouted back.
“Please ensure your jumpsuits are unzipped and your arms are exposed,” their guide instructed.
“Behind your head is a small, blue button. When you’re ready, press this button and relax your arms at your sides.
You will feel a slight discomfort as syringes inject into both arms, just beneath where they meet your shoulders.
But do not fear—the pain is temporary, and you will not feel them once your simulation begins. ”
This was insane. All of this to be awarded a spot on Oranos?
The leaders of the Systems were sadistic.
Gemma did as instructed, unzipping her jumpsuit and freeing her arms from their sleeves before picking up the syringed devices to inspect them.
They were similar to medical syringes but bigger and flexible (except for the needle) and were attached to a thick wire that connected to her sleep chamber.
Inside both syringes was a light blue, opaque liquid that definitely didn’t look like it belonged in anyone’s body.
Gemma took a deep breath. This is all for you, Nadine.