EVOLVE 8 Chapter 8: What To Do, What To Do... Time To Roll Out.

It's now been one week of a solidly built routine which is still: spar with the various creative creatures of the sim in the morning, food (good food by the way can't complain), park rec room time where myself and the others merely contemplate the prospect of escape and make it sound like it's purely hypothetical, then lab time with my whacky professor, then limit testing (which always has a surprise), then we eat again, then lounge rec room, then sleep and repeat. As a result my body has gone througha rapid physical change, growing more mascular.

Now in all this time I've observed but found nothing, no discernible signs of surveillance in any of the hallways or the rec rooms or my room or the lab, with exception to the dome of course. Hera really doesn't have a key card, I still don't know how to open up any of the walls. My dad is mostly silent unless I have a question or he actually has something to say and its never on a personal basis, although I do ask about mom and according to him she's just fine. It's the same results with the others.

At this point I'm beginning to think our chances of getting out is if we found a off switch for the dampener that keeps our powers off in most rooms or we bust out from the labs without getting hit by the grey bullet juice or someone from outside actually finds us which is almost unlikely because apparently WECA herds what they do to some degree. Good news is I haven't seen Marlea since my first limit test night.

"What's wrong?" Asks Carla. I have been s.p.a.cing in the lounge rec room.

"I have a theory." I say

"Which is?" She asks, Toni gestures for Marc to draw closer as he's by the swings

"What if we're in a sim of sorts," I say as soon as Marc is within earshot.

"That's not possible, I mean we'd know.. Right?" Says Marc

"Is it really that farfetched? Think about it, there's no discernible signs of surveillance or doors that aren't to the rec room, the food court, the dome or our rooms and everytime someone that isn't us wants to go somewhere or appear a wall always moves." I say

"Yeah but that's so we don't know how to open any doors. And if it was a sim how'd you explain the fact that we eat and actually go to the bathroom?"

"That'd be simulated too, while our real bodies are fed through a tube."

"Is it safe to talk about this?" Toni asks nervously.

"They need us alive Toni and sane. Besides if we were screwed our directories would be screaming in our ears. That's the other thing when we're in here for the duration of our time in the rec room no one really disturbs us."

"Man that theory is far out either way." Says Marc

"Is it though Marc?" Look around, we're sitting in a gla.s.s box of a park and all we see is misty and a bit of square above us that shows the sun. Why would they bother hiding what's beyond if they're that confident that we can't go anywhere?"

This time no one retorts. It's a crazy theory but what if it's true.

"How do you explain this, our conversations?"

"I suppose our minds would be linked somehow for this." I say slowly.

"What about the simulations in the dome?" Asks Toni

"We've all had our suspicions on that, how it felt and looked almost too real. I'm no science and technology expert but I a.s.sume a sim of that level would involve at least some sort of suspended hamster wheel set up to allow for free 360° movement and maybe reflective surfaces to imprint desired images to the brain and some kind of pain receptor things... I also think our suits let us access our abilities because we're wearing them in our consciousness as well as in the real world and that's why it's only then we can be at full potential."

"No that's not possible then we should be able to use our powers right now or in the pa.s.sage way, I thought we all agreed it's only the dome and lab where we can use our powers. From morning time until almost dinner we're always in our suits." Carla says

"But what if that isn't the case? What if that's just what we've been led to believe and it's actually the opposite? That as soon as we put on the suits we can use our powers anywhere in this place." I say

Marc stands slowly and stares down at his hands.

"Then why don't we try it now?" He says looking over at me

"Not yet." I say

"Why the h.e.l.l not?" Carla asks with a voice laced with a thin layer of hope.

"I'm with her." Says Toni

"You know how when one or two of us are in the sim you can't see the others in their dugouts?" I ask

Carla raises an eyebrow, "Dugouts?"

"Oh uhm the forcefield box thingys we stand in." I say

"Oh yeah?"

"I think that's one of times our minds aren't linked and we become more like a spectators watching a match but not being able to affect it... What I'm trying to say is maybe that's when it's using the most processing power to simulate within a simulation, not just the surroundings and the situation but also our fighting thoughts and dialogue and more importantly our abilities to their exact accuracy, that must take a lot of processing power." I say

"And your plan is what?" Asks Marc

"Whether its one or two of us in the sim the rest of us need to use our abilities and go wild, if I'm right we bust it's processing power and wake up, but it can't be too early in the sim its gotta be heat of the battle s.h.i.t is going down type of thing." I say

"And if you're wrong?" Asks Toni

"Toni if I'm wrong..... Then I don't know."

"That's not very inspiring." Carla says

"You want inspirational get Optimus Prime." I say, Marc chuckles

"Okay we hear your plan but how do we know when to do it?"

"We could use a signal word." Says Toni

"Any ideas?" Asks Carla

We remain silent staring into nothing collectively. A smile creeps across my face, speaking of Optimus Prime....

"How about 'roll out' you know how Optimus tells the autobots to roll out." I say

"I like it." Toni says with a smile

"A little tacky but it'll do." Agrees Marc with a shrug

"Alright team free will plan 1.0." Carla says

"Wait so what about the people like the white coats and the guards in the labs and that Euroc guy, not forgetting our directories, you got anything for that?" Asks Marc

"I was thinking probably Euroc, the white coats and the scientists are real. Beamed into our minds. The guards could be simulated."

"Then why the tests why would we need a lab at all?"

I shurg my shoulders, "If we are in a sim our actual physical bodies aren't doing the work, there's not much to learn from them sure our reflexes maybe are adapting what we're learning here but first hand, the real results are these bodies. But then again I don't have all the answers and for now it's still just a theory."

"You're a lot smarter than I thought you'd be Terry." Says Carla.

I'm not sure whether to he insulted or accept the complement but I'm beaming either way.

Morning couldn't come fast enough, my body hurt a bit from yesterday's sparing session with the jungle black forms but I'm itching to test out my theory. I guess I do have a little Scofield within me, but not to get ahead of myself we're not out of the woods yet. Heck we haven't even entered the woods.

My door slides open and on the other side stands Hera with her box from which she pulls out my suit, we don't get to keep the suits at the the end of each day.

It's best to not seem too enthusiastic to not draw Hera's eye, so even though I put on my suit in record time I pace around for a few minutes before approaching the door and exiting.

"You took longer that usual." She says as we begin walking. Not sure if that draws attention as well.

"I didn't know you were counting the minutes." I reply

Entering the dome I look across to the others and they look determined, which is good. One at a time I share an intense exchange of looks with them and I'm very tempted to nod but that would also be kind of give away so it's best not to.

I hope this works.

I close my eyes for a moment and very lightly reach to feel my powers but feel only a thin layer like always when not in the sim, but I gotta push it. And as I do so a sudden surge breaks through the layer but I quickly shut it down fearing my suit might begin to glow.

As I open my eyes I notice a curious look on Hera's face. I wonder if she's communicating with the observation deck via thoughts, then again she must be somehow. Mind linked maybe?

"Carla Cole step in, you will be going head to head with an a.s.sailant, use of speed snd augmentation only." Says Euroc.

Carla steps in to the center of the dome and the sim starts up. It's simulates a thick forest of bamboo all around her, she stands in a small circular clearing. It's quiet only the wind rustles through bamboo forest.

Now to wait.

The sound of something moving fast sounds through the forest rings all around just before a ninja carrying a kendo stick, yes a ninja, comes through moving seriously fast as it enters the clearing letting Carla see him before disappearing or rather increasing his speed.

The third person camera adjusts and I can see him now, he's still a bit of a blur, he springing off bamboo tree by bamboo tree all around Carla moving faster with each spring off.

He's trying to confuse her and I'm not sure if Carla can see him but she's taken a stance anyway.

Suddenly the ninja shoots toward Carla aiming for a strike but she dodges, barely. Now it's a flurry of activity as the ninja displays a superior technique of sword play mixed in with deadly kicks which Carla is able to dodge just barely but she can't keep it up forever and she knows it because she gets caught on the shoulder by a hard precise strike that make a sickening echoing crack sound.

She winces in pain.

Carla makes a dash behind her and touches a bamboo tree augmenting a kendo stick of her own it.

I'm guessing she decides element of little surprise is best, as a bit of air swirls around her for moment before she bursts forward too fast for the camera to see. She reappears in a kendo stick on kendo stick encounter where both her and the ninja keep disappearing and reappearing.

d.a.m.n how fast are they going?

"ROLL OUT!" Comes Carla's voice.

Oh right. Yeah here goes something.

I switch on my energy projection first and with yell fire a furious energy pulse that sends Hera crashing into the forcefield, she doesn't get up.

All the hair on my me tingles and stands, I feel Marc before I see him break through whatever veil prevented me from seeing him he's using his electricity to decay the force field. Toni has lifted up into the air telekinetically. I look down and Hera's gone.

"Hit the roof!' I shout

I begin throwing energy shots at where I a.s.sume the roof would be. My work is slow but Toni almost instantly just tears through the d.a.m.ned thing.

I think I gotta become more imaginative like I was with that building but now's not the time.

I fire a constant stream of energy to my left and feel the force field and feel it tear open but in that very instant the doors swing open behind me, I turn in time to see four security personnel stepping through.

On instinct I stomp my foot in their direction sending a wave of energy that explodes the floor beneath them knocking them off their feet. Then stop my stream of energy and in a sweeping motion blast them out of the room. Switching to my augmented strength, with a grunt I tear off a section of floor and mount it against the door. Satisfied I fly through the hole I made and then go striaght through picking up Marc along the way and landing beside Toni, Carla is now with him.

"Guards are trying to open the doors but I won't let them budge." Says Toni

"Good." I say looking through the hole in the roof, I can't see much else except for a bright light. "Let's go, Toni climb on my back. I'm gonna wrap my arms around you two. If this works, see you on the other side."

I turn on my augmented strength as Toni climbs on my back, he feels like a feather. I wrap my arms around Toni and Carla then jump before switching into flight and going through the hole of blinding light which quickly fades to black.

My eyes snap open and I'm immediately annoyed by a pulsating red light and my ears are ringing, wait no thats a different kind of ringing. Its an alarm, why would I set such annoying alarm tone and why's my light flashing red... Wait that's not right, I was with people we escaped or were trying to from somewhere, the light is an emergency light of sorts. The alarm noise ceases.

The sim! I sit up sharply and look around. I'm in a circular room, it's a dome.

Why's my head heavy?

Touching my head I feel some kind of head gear which I remove with a slight wince, I turn it over to see about eight tiny blood stained needles. I feel around my head and my fingers come up b.l.o.o.d.y.

"Looks like you were right about the suits." Says someone.

I've flown up in the air and turned around before I know it and I'm staring down at Marc, Toni and Carla who is still seemingly groggy. I look down and indeed we're still wearing the suits. They don't look different which is good, no need to readjust to a person's look.

All four of our beds were arranged in a circle with some kind of conduit device connecting our minds in the middle.

"Come down let the kid heal you." He says.

I fly down and kneel before Toni who touches my forehead

"I half expected us to be surrounded from the moment we wake up and have to fight our way out renegades style." I say.

"We are surrounded," Says Toni, "They're all outside whatever this is."

The dome room we're in is exactly like the dome from inside the sim we were just in minus the observation deck and colour coded doors. There's only one exit and it looks like an elevator.

"How do you know that?" I ask

"They simplified my power to be just telekinesis. It's more than that, I can't explain it myself." He says

"So you can feel how many people are outside?"

He nods.

"We're underground aren't we T?" Asks Carla her wits seemingly about herself.

"Yeah."

"So how many are out there?"

"About twenty." Says Toni

"They'll be armed guys, if not with tranquillisers then that grey juice if it exists." Says Marc

"Toni, our exit from that elevator is it a choke point?" Asks Carla

Toni closes his eyes for a moment creasing his eyebrows in concentration.

"Pretty much, from the elevator its a small pa.s.sage then an exit. Most of them are in that hall but others are outside past the exit." He says.

"What's the play Terry?" Asks Marc.

No, no, no this isn't happening I am not the leader.

"Why are you asking me?" I say.

"Don't act so surprised, you've been running the plays since you stepped in with me in that sim and you got us out, it's a little too late to chicken out from the leadership role." Marc says

s.h.i.t.

"Okay, lemme think for a moment." I say, as I begin to pace lightly.

What to do...

"Carla when you're running how fast can you see something coming at you?"

She shrugs, "Fairy fast I suppose." I nod

"Toni, soon as that elevator opens uptop they're gonna start firing so I'm gonna need you to stop everything from hitting us. Then you're up Carla take their weapons off them throw them at our feet, Marc you hit them with a little electricity, only enough to knock them out. I'd rather we don't kill or seriously injure anyone." I say

"And your role in this, unless you plan on sitting it out?" Asks Carla

"I wanna try something out with the guys outside." I say. "Well I guess that's the play, if anything goes run get creative."

"h.e.l.luva of a pep talk." Says Marc patting me on the shoulder as he heads for elevator

All of us enter the elevator in order of goes first, with Toni up front, Carla behind him, Marc behind her and me behind everyone.

The elevator pings and just as predicted the shots start raining on us even before the doors have opened full but Toni has it covered.

Carla disappears and shortly automatic weapons start pilling up at Toni's feet. She reappears standing outside the elevator. The confused guards stare at their empty hands as their brains catch up to what's happened.

They don't get the time because Marc electrocutes them and sends all about dozen men crumpling to the floor, a couple of then are spasming.

"Hope you didn't over do it." I say as I lift off my feet.

"I held back somewhat." He says pursing his lips.

I shoot forward and straight through the exit, the force from my flight as I zip past the guards causes them to turn and start firing at me.

The light is blinding. Late afternoon I'd guess

I arc upwards and turn to my left keeping a close eye on them without losing my pace I hope I don't get hit, it's eight shooters.

What exactly was my plan again? I guess for now I'll just zigzag in the air. The pa.s.sage is inside a small old shelter looking thing is looks like

"ANYTIME GUYS!" I shout

In a matter of seconds all eight of them fall to the ground one by one and standing amongst them is Carla with her arms folded as she stares up at me.

I land next to her just as the others also exit.

"That was your role?" She asks cynically

"I had more of a .... Thing it just didn't work out, haha." I say laughing nervously.

"What now?" Asks Marc

"We need to move, there's a couple armoured vehicles behind this building. We can take one for a while and then ditch it." I say.

"We gotta contact those anti-establishment guys. They can help." Says Marc

"We can't." I say

"What we can't put it to a vote?" Asks Carla

"No, they can't help us." I say

"Dude we have agreed to make you a pseudo leader but we all have a say in this, whatever we are." Says Marc

"I agree," says Carla

"We can't trust them."

"Oh yeah, what's changed then? You trusted them enough to have us both there the first time not now!" Marc says, I swear a spark just flew past his eyes

"Because they'll kill us! If we go back there we'll die!" I say

Everyone goes into a bit of a shocked silence.

"Why?" Asks Toni

"Because of why ever they had us in this place for and why we're on everyone's radar. I don't know, we're just targets. And if the anti-WECA kills us the problem is eliminated. And if we go to them it's either we die or we're back here again or worse." I say, "We gotta go guys."

I break into a light jog for the back of the building and enter the truck, thankfully the keys are in the ignition. I start it up and close the door. Carla sits shotgun, Toni gets in but Marc looks behind him. I'm about to ask what's up? When I noticed he's looking at a lone motorcycle. s.h.i.t.

"We need to stick together." I say

Marc turns to me, his eyes are glazed like he knows something the rest of us don't.

"I gotta go somewhere, alone."

"Dude don't be dumb, there's a less chance we get caught together." I say

"I'm sorry." He says before walking toward the bike.

Yeah, I'm sorry too.

I open the door and fly up right over the bike, hold onto its handles and shoot straight up then let it go and fire an energy burst to increase its momentum as it falls, Marc runs out of the way just as crashes and breaks apart. Marc stares at the shambles dumble founded.

"Look we need to stick together I'm sor---" Marc shots an electric ball in anger straight at me which I'm barely able to swat away with a bit of energy projection.

Guess my reflexes have improved.

I'm about to retaliate when suddenly I can't move, as though I'm being forced in place, at first I think its Marc then I realise he can't move too. Toni steps out of the truck, his eyes are glazed over.

"Stop it! We can't fight each other." He says

"Tell him that! Why did you do that!?" Screams Marc

Better to be calm, "Because you know where she is. Somehow she reached out to you just now, only this time she didn't get the lines crossed." I say

Marc calms slightly and grits his teeth.

"She only trusts me." He says softly.

"That has to change." I say.

Carla steps in between us and looks at me then at Toni.

"What are you two on about?" She asks

"Remember that girl I told you about the one I was separated from?" Says Marc, "She's the fifth, her name's Nicole. She's a psychic and she invulnerable as in you could shoot her at point blank with a grenande launcher and she'd still be fine type of invulnerable... Her third ability is hard to explain. I know where she is."

"And you wanted to go meet her alone?" Asks Carla, to which Marc only looks down. "I would have destroyed that bike too. Toni let 'em go, both of you get in the truck before we're caught again."

I'm able to move again, Marc and I exchange a look and I'm half expecting him to blast me again but he doesn't, he gets in and shuts the door.

I enter and start driving.

"We need to ditch this truck soon, get a change of clothes and stash the suits they may have tracking devices. And Marc wasn't all the way wrong we do need the anti-WECA or should I say one person within it because we might be tagged internally." I say. Usually Marc would be the first to retort but he says nothing. He does however look himself over in wonder as to where we were tagged if we indeed were tagged.

"Why are not just getting rid if the suits?" Asks Carla

"We might need them."

"For what?" She asks

"I don't know yet but better safe " I say.

"So we're headed to a.s.semble then." Says Carla.

Pretty much, but we aren't avengers Carla we're just a bunch of a kids playing an elaborate game of chess controlled by an alien but of course I don't tell her that.