Arena

Taking the stroll back to my room was surprisingly long, I never noticed how far I've wandered, distracted by unfamiliar things around me, keeping my head from thinking about the length and distance my feet has walked this early morning. Passing along countless banners and symbols of the Corporal and the New Pallas as I take my sweet time walking, familiarizing this place from the halls, corridors, function halls, everything. Signs pointing in different directions, leading me back to my corridor and into my room. A few doors from my own noticed Nessa just is she leaves out the door. Locking it behind her, she was wearing her uniform, the first time I saw her wearing it. Most of the time, she'd wear a crop top with a skirt or some jeans with a pair of rubber shoes. Now she looked serious, intimidating even, as her hair is tucked neatly into a bun rather than all messy and dangling how I used to see her.

Nessa looked in my direction and her eyes glowed and smile, "Gogy! I was wondering where you've been wandering to, didn't see you when I woke up earlier." She tucks her ID in her back pocket of the suit. I walked over to her scratching my neck, "Well just roaming around, didn't find anything interesting." She looked at me and laughed. "Of course you're not gonna find anything interesting here, besides me, Area IV is mostly just sleeping quarters, the Simulation rooms are locked if they're not being used during the day."

"Oh, is that so." I looked at her dumbfounded as I stood there awkwardly. "Well, are you gonna head inside? Theo's still passed out on the floor, try not to disturb him, get grumpy in the mornings." She says, about to leave. But she locked the doors, and I can't get inside, I don't have an ID, citizens get those, well I'm not a citizen. "Wait! I can't go in. Ah, I left my ID inside, sorry." I lied, not wanting her to figure out I'm an outcast.

"Well, you want to come with me? I'm testing in the Arenas at Area III, I could need emotional support you know?" she nudges me teasingly while raising both eyebrows. Not wanting to be stuck with a drunk Theo, I nod my head. "Okay, let's go!" following behind her as we walk thru the exit of the building. We were walking on the outside courtyard of our Area then she asks, "Tell me Geordi, what level are you on? Have you completed all your trials?" Oh, I wasn't expecting that kind of question nor do I have an answer for that, I needed to make a believable lie on the spot. "I forgot what level I'm on, I wasn't paying attention to the voice take when I did my scan." I laughed nervously, figuring if she'll believe me. "Oh, happens to most of us, after completing so many tasks and missions, you start to lose the need of approval, just want it to end, it's tiring doing all of this." Wise words from her, quickening her pace, as we head to Area III for the Arenas.

As we were walking on the grounds of Area III, it was far different from I and IV, there were multiple bunkers, multiple entrances to different underground bankers and there were fewer grounds, it was fairly small the outside, the bulk of it must have been built underground. We're heading to the far east entrance of one of the bunkers, as we near its pathway, the sign clearly saying, 'Arena Water'. As we head down below the bunker, I was amazed. The walls weren't concrete or steel, it was made of glass, like a giant aquarium but there were no fishes or anything alive inside, no corals, seagrass, or anything that would give the color of the water. But inside were turbines, spinning, creating miniature water tornados and water holes, that could such you in and drown you at the bottom. At the bottom, spikes jagged with sharp edges, able to tear apart skin.

I gulped down my saliva, looking intimidated by these things. Vanessa was looking straight ahead, not looking any sort of bother. But I could tell, she was tense, she was clenching her jaw, and fisting her hand as we walk into an open dome in the middle of the aquarium, high ceilings, see-thru glass, and crystal clear waters. We stopped at the center, a lifted stage, and a scanner in the middle. She placed her palm on the machine and it scanned her data.

'Beta Vanessa Quil Area IV from Asian Islands, level 14 Mark B, verified.' The scan noted. She looks at me and smiles, "Wish me luck Gogy." She walked over to a see-thru elevator that leads you up o the top of the aquarium and is able to head inside. She presses the button to begin. A countdown starts, '5, 4' 3, 2, 1. Begin the dive.'

She dives head-on into the water she swims down to the bottom of the Aquarium, she immediately starts to punch and bang the turbine that wasn't working yet. She successfully destroys 2 out of the 6 turbines while avoiding the spikes below, 2 minutes in and she quickly dashes to the surface to catch a breath before heading back down again. She knocks down another one and suddenly the speakers turned on. 'Turbines spin in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.' The last three turbines begin to spin and create massive whirlpools reaching the top of the aquarium. She immediately swims away from the water tornados, onto the side where she already destroyed the other 3. She looked around and grabs one of the broken turbines and carries it with her to the surface. She looked tired, the turbines probably weighing her down from its massive size, but she manages to reach the surface with the calmest waters on the corner, and then, she lets go of the turbine and kicks it hard on the whirlpool center of one of the tornadoes making machine. It pulled the broken turbines down fast and hits the Fan and destroys it. 2 left, she dives down and grabs another one, trying to do the same to the other, but then the turbines start to rotate in a circular motion, pulling her down.

With the turbine still in her grasp, quickly turn herself around, making the turbine face the other, and slams it down, destroying it in the process. One to go, she at the very bottom it low as she swims close to the last active turbine, dodging the spikes in the process, she grabs the turbine and manually turns it to face the wall near the turbine, making the whirlpool bounce back its power onto the fan but also to Nessa, she holds on tight as the power increases, and the turbines yank itself from the ground form the amount of force it brought into itself. Nessa together with the fan got flung backward. She was in a blind spot and didn't see the spike right behind her, but she quickly turns around and shields herself using the broken turbine to protect herself.

She quickly swam to the surface, running out of the air every second she paddles up. She looked exhausted from where I was looking, her arms and legs weren't stroking long and powerful, but she did it! She got to the surface and the echoes of the sounds, 'task complete.' She gets out of the pool and into the elevator, taking her down. Without even acknowledging me, pressed on the scanner.

'Beta Vanessa Quil Area IV from Asian Islands. Tasks all completed, max level 15 Mark B, verified.' And she falls from exhaustion.