Chapter 111
My stomach clenched in anticipation of finding out what was happening in the unfortified regions. I was deep in my mind as we drew closer to region 14. So much so that I almost didnt register the significance of what I was seeing as we passed through the intersection by the tunnel where Id been when the transposition was first announced.
Significance being, the road wasnt an obliterated mess. The gaping hole the giant mob had emerged through was patched. It wasnt perfectthere was an odd golden sheen to the surface, but it was strangely orderly in the surrounding chaos. All around, people were picking themselves off the ground, brushing off dust, and looking altogether confused. Small groups clustered everywhere, some unharmed, some decidedly worse for wear as a never-ending procession of ambulances made the rounds, some stopping curbside as paramedics rushed Users and civilians alike out of buildings on stretchers.
No construction crew worked that fast. Whatever had begun the transposition had seen fit to repair some of the infrastructure once the transposition ended.
The fact that the barriers were gone presented another annoyance. Id already changed my identity to within the Adventurers Guilds roster for plausible deniability. If civilians were still trapped, Id intended to present myself to the Adventurers Guild as one of the recently uplifted. A former civilian that had won the lottery, so to speak. My Page identity worked as a solid cover. It was still level 3, low enough on the totem pole that it likely wouldnt raise eyebrows, considering how quickly those first few levels went.
I eyed Kinsleys hands. Her fingers were white. Are you trying to strangle the steering wheel?
Kinsley didnt blink, gaze glued to the windshield. Just doing my best to stay in the middle of the lane. How the hell are you supposed to know where the cars at in the lane when youre sitting off-center?
Practice, mainly. Look, just find a focal point on your sidelike the line where the engine hood curves to the frontand line it up with the road.
Thats not the engine hood. The engines in the back. Its the trunk. Kinsley corrected.
Great choice for a starter car, I jeered, but my heart wasnt in it. Still, the advice seemed to get through, and she stopped gripping the wheel as tightly.
I have no idea what to say to them, Kinsley admitted.
My back spasmed, and I leaned forward painfully. Their leader, Tyler, has an ability that lets him detect deception. Stick to the truth. The barebones of it, at least.
And youre just telling me this now? Kinsley asked, horrified.
Ill signal you if hes using it, like this. I held my hand forward and tucked my thumb between my second and third finger in a motion that could easily be a nervous tick. But only explain if they ask. Youll need to talk to him about Myrddin, eventually, but for the moment, were a helping hand when they need it most. They might not even question you.
Holy fuck, Kinsley exclaimed. She turned in her seat to gawk. And for good reason. There was a crowd of people standing in an oddly uniformed line across from a coffeeshopmany of them geared out, obvious Users. But they were only watching, as a chaotic street-fight involving hundreds of people broke out in an office park just beyond their line. Some were barehanded, others wielding an assortment of improvised weapons baseball bats, tire irons, and cutlery that looked more intended for cooking than fighting, just to name a few.
Theyre just watching. Why arent they doing anything to stop this?
Not for lack of trying, I said grimly, pointing off to the side. A man in plate was throwing himself against an invisible barrier over and over again, screaming something. Now that I looked more closely, every User present seemed to be in some sort of distress. Pretty sure this is the edge of region thirteen. And it looks like the barrier is still up. Only its keeping the Users out now.
While the civilians fight among themselves to fill the receptacles with human cores.
Id thought this might happen. But up to that point, it was nothing more than a theory. Seeing it was something else.
Barriers going to keep us out too. Give it a wide berth, I said.
Kinsleys mouth worked furiously. But
I know you want to help, but the Adventurers Guild gets priority. For obvious reasons.
We turned to the left and diverted around the region. The sound of gunshots rang out behind us. Kinsley flinched in her seat.
This is awful, She whispered.
There wasnt anything to say to that. It was awful. And the damage wasnt limited to the unfortified regions. The powers that be rolling back infrastructure didnt do anything to reduce the psychological toll the last twelve hours had on the population. No one would forget this. And every User who had been hanging back, not engaging with the system due to a varying mix of common sense, cowardice, or caution, wouldnt have that luxury anymore.
Things were going to be entirely different moving forward.
More desperate now, I unzipped the bag and withdrew a single and pressed it against the barrier. It nearly slid out of my hand.
As a last ditch effort, I spoke, hoping there was some significance to the fact Id received a notification, that the system was acknowledging me somehow. I have more than enough to fill the receptacle, and no intention of interfering in any other way. Let me pass.
I heard Kinsley huffing behind me. Is it not letting you through?
Frustrated and angry, I pushed harder against the barrier, sweat pouring down my forehead. As an Ordinator, I was an outsider. An exception. So, why was this the one way I was like everyone else?
Tyler slipped to his knees.
Someone put a hand on my shoulder. Sara. Her eyes were red, her face twisted in grief. You did everything you could.
Family inside? I asked, struggling to keep the anger out of my face.
Friend, Sara shook her head, wiping her only arm across her eyes. Thanks for trying.
I hated that I nearly said it again. Sorry. Sorry, I came all the way here for nothing. Sorry I ripped you off, right after your people ripped me off.
Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.
Fuck that.
There had to be something I could do. Anything. I wheeled away from Sara and pulled up my identity screen. I scrolled through my options to modify it, and found what I was looking for. Now that the existence of regions were revealed, my NPC identity now had the option to alter my home region. Declining the prompt to change it in any existing guilds. I looped the handles of the bag around both arms like an oversized backpack, and began to push into the barrier.
Pain washed through me. It felt like touching the tines of an electric plug still in the socket, only instead of isolated to a finger, over my entire body.
Nearby, someone started sobbing.
I pulled myself back to my feet, more slowly. And felt myself smile. Unlike before, there was flex to the barrier.
You cant keep me out. Because Im a civilian who belongs to this region. Those are the rules you set for this event. An oversight that youll change in the future, no doubt, but you cant change it now.
Sara was staring at me, her eyes wide. You were through it. Just for a second, but your palm broke through it.
I shrugged, still grimacing at little bolts of electricity that ran up and down my body. Then pushed forward again. The pain met me, washing down my arms, the intensity doubling, then tripling again. By the time I got an arm through, I was spent.
Small hands braced my back. Through the buzzing pain, I heard Kinsleys voice. Come on, you tentative fucks, hes gonna kill himself doing this alone. Push!
Sara grabbed my shoulder and arm, supporting me. More hands followed, waiting. Tyler had picked himself up from the ground and put a hand hesitantly on my back. Are you certain? What if it kills you?
It wont. Unless theyre willing to break their own rules.
Do it, I said through gritted teeth.
I knew you were meant for great things, Tyler smiled. Then he turned to the others and shouted. On three. One two Th
I never registered three, expansive pain cutting through my body and mind as countless hands pushed me forwards.
