Chapter 8

I scan the room for exits. With the doors locked, there's not much choice except for the windows or the vents. The former leads to a grisly death, and the latter ends in me getting blended by massive, industrial-sized fans. Xavier's expression remains unreadable, and I've given up trying to figure him out.

"I don't know what you're—"

"Talking about?" he says with a smirk. "Aria, you remember that underground ring at the Void? Before Proxy gave me this body, I was the artificial intelligence monitoring the place, so I know all about you and Jax. I even have a video recording of the fights."

The color drains from my face, and I grip the edge of my seat until my knuckles go white. "Isn't fighting legal now?"

Xavier scoffs. "But it wasn't back then. This is the Proxy we're talking about here, run by people like you. People know nothing about the law, society, or running a country. There's no telling what will happen when they track you down."

I weigh every word I'm about to say, but I know that the more I talk, the deeper my grave gets. Eventually, I give up on the war in my brain and let the silence speak for itself. Xavier leans forward, talking in a voice so soft, I'm sure I wouldn't hear anything without the Enhancement. "I'm not going to report you, but you need to help me with this."

"Show me the video first. Then, we'll talk."

He slides out his recording device from the nape of his neck, sifting through it with a few swipes until he settles on one video and hits play. In the clip, I'm up against a man, and the crowd cheers despite the unfairness. At the starting chime, I punch his jaw, and he stumbles back. Grabbing my ankle, he hurls me ragdoll-style to the edge of the ring. By the end of it, I had a broken ankle and fractured ribs. My old injuries still act up sometimes.

"Do you remember when everyone was locked inside, and the Proxy sent some officers to bust the ring? They couldn't override my system, which gave you time to escape. Everyone hated me. You thought I trapped you inside so Proxy could get to you." He leans against the chair. "I saved you, Aria. I saved whoever I could but ended up in this dump anyway."

"I'm—"

"Don't say that you're sorry. I'm not human, so I won't understand what emotions are anyway. Just agree to help me with this, and this video stays between us."

He pulls out a shiny container and takes out a nanochip. "After the trials, find the tunnels leading outside the Sanctuary. Get to the security box and insert this inside." Whipping out a piece of paper, he starts sketching out the layout and uses lines to indicate the tunnels. "The first one is connected to the Proxy dormitories where you'll stay. It's near the restrooms, so you need to find the trapdoor outside."

"What's in the chip?"

"My alter consciousness. This is just one of many copies."

I wait for him to elaborate, but he doesn't say anything after that. With his lips set in a thin line and his jaw clenched, he stares down at his rough sketch. I let out a shaky breath. "But there's a chance I could fail the Trials."

He narrows his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. "That's why I already have someone who can take your place. No one's indispensable, Aria. If you fail or change your mind, the video goes to Proxy."

"I'll do it, only if you delete any recordings of Jax too."

He lets out a humorless laugh. Brushing his thumb across the chip's container, Xavier places the chip back. "In the meantime, keep this safe. Once your job is done, I'll scrub all videos of your fights, and it'll be like the Noir never existed. Jax will be gone as well."

Noir. That's what they called me in the ring, and I hated it.

Flashing me a terse smile, he strolls to the door but spins on his heel mid-stride. "Don't back out on me, Aria. I'm not the only one you'll be turning against."

Then, he's gone.

I head to the cafeteria that's now spilling with ravenous teenagers, not bothering to search for familiar faces. "So, the woman of the hour has arrived." Krystal drags me away, elbowing everyone in her way until she gets to Jax. He sports new injuries, and a purplish bruise blooms over his eye while blood trails from his split lip. Krystal clears her throat until he looks at her sheepishly. "She's here, so don't get shirty with me. It's not my fault she was stuck there with Xavier."

When Jax doesn't respond, Krystal scowls and slaps him on the back until he chokes. "Explain everything like a man, and don't ruin the next test for the rest of us."

He sighs at her retreating form, muttering something about her being difficult. Scooting over to him, I press my hands to his injuries, and his new skin spreads over the wounds in a slightly pinkish layer.

"While you were in there, I couldn't imagine anything else except you dying in the snow next to dad and Mateo. I thought maybe Proxy made a mistake, and you were actually a false immune, so that's why Xavier held you back." He pauses and inhales sharply. "It's crazy, I know. But I can't think of anything else they haven't taken away from me."

I want to tell him that everything will be fine. That Proxy can't do anything to us, and things will be different. Instead, the words die on my lips.

Jax stares at his clenched fists and examines the healing skin. I glance at the clock, noting the ten minutes we have before the next test begins. Pulling him up, I drag him through the hallway and out to the gardens. He quirks an eyebrow, but I don't stop until we reach the edges of the fence. I point to the buildings across the street at the convenience store drowning in neon signs.

That was the first place we patronized when the Sanctuary first opened. Since convenience stores didn't exist back then, the queues here were ridiculously long. Simple things of the old world, like a bag of chips, instant ramen, or a candy bar, were enough to paint smiles on children's faces. All this was a luxury. I guess everyone longed for a taste of normalcy, even if it was just for a day before Proxy brought us back here.

I punch Jax's arm playfully. "Look, we haven't been there in years. We only got instant ramen last time, so how about some chocolate?"

He gulps visibly, and there's a faint spark in his eyes, so I know I've won him over. My legs move first, and I start scaling the fence easily, but he doesn't follow until I'm already waiting on the other side. Shaking his head, he begins climbing while clicking his tongue in mock disapproval. "Aria, you're the craziest human bean alive."

Bean?

Usually, I'd never let him live that down, but I'm letting it slide for now. After making it through the craterous street and hopping over the potholes, we reach the promised land of sweets and snacks. Some instant ramen bowls sit on the top shelf, but that's not what we're here for today. Instead, my gaze sweeps over the energy bursts. Since there isn't much food to go around, these nutrition packets are made to taste like anything we want. There's pizza, tacos, pepperoni rolls, and almost any flavor under the Sun.

Jax treats us to a chocolate burst. He steals a bite of mine before handing it to me, a wicked grin on his lips. I tug him to the back of the store, giving him the side-eye. It was here when he first kissed me two years ago, and though I liked it, I never told him. Over time, it became a topic we never talked about again. Maybe we didn't know what we were ready for, and I was too focused on surviving to think about anything else.

Staring at the dimly lit corner, Jax's cheeks turn ruddy, and he plants his gaze on the ground. The familiar, gnawing feeling at the back of my mind doesn't go away. He needs to get his head in the game. I lightly grip his arm and turn him to face me. "Remember what I said before every fight? You need to throw everything away. Don't think and don't feel. Just trust in your technique and control your thoughts. Focus on yourself for those few minutes."

He sighs, raking a hand through his unruly hair. "Not this again, Aria. I get what you mean, but how do you just shut down like that? I keep wondering if anything happened to you."

"Jax, if I couldn't hold my own, I wouldn't have survived a day in that hell hole. We win some and lose some. That's what we signed up for."

Flitting shadows dance across his features. Chewing absently on the burst, his gaze grows contemplative as he stares off into space. The rhythmic ticking of the wall clock fills the silence. Jax and I are a hair's breadth apart, but I can't feel the usual tethering between us—a reminder of how different we can be. He shows his scars and fears, but I hide beneath a veil until I can't take it anymore. In a moment of weakness, a rogue thought escapes my indifferent façade.

What happens if we fail the Trials?

I brush that thought away, focusing on the chewy goodness of another dessert-flavored burst. With the deathly bleakness of the world outside, the sweetness is all I can handle right now. Jax bites his lip while his thumb smooths over my furrowed brows. He knows what I'm thinking. "We'll be fine, Aria."

Neither of us wants to tell the truth, too eager to believe his lie.

Soon, we climb over the fence and make our way back to the training room. I'm forced to face Xavier again. He gives me a slight nod, and I return the gesture. "Every assessment helps us to design the Trials for you, so for that, I'll be taking everyone to the Experiments level of the building. Don't be alarmed by what you see, even if you don't understand it."

He breaks us into groups, taking us into elevators to the highest level. While the machine begins its languid ascent, its ceiling opens to reveal Eorius's sunset just over the horizon. Warm rays scuttle over my skin until they leave a strange, biting sensation in their wake.

Then, the lift doors slide open to reveal a forest. We've barely taken a step outside when a flash of movement emerges from the corner of my eye. Red darts slice through the air. Xavier steps aside, letting them fly past him while never letting us out of his sights. The dart hits my arm, and my body goes numb. I'm lying on the ground, paralyzed but wide awake.

"Get ready for your neural mapping. That way, we'll be able to plan the Trials according to how you think and make decisions. Do what you think is best."

His voice fades away, and I look down to find some metal chains tied around my hands and feet, but they snap off as I roll over.

I'm tired and aching. New claw marks stretch the length of my arms. I gingerly touch my cheek, wincing as my hand glides over the torn skin. Patches of blooming fungi graze my skin with each movement. My fingers feel like they've been swarmed by armies of ants. I get up, annoyed at how my legs sting. A burst of Noir red spills from deep gashes in my knees, staining the ground. As I crawl through the thick undergrowth, I hit my hand against what feels like metal. From here, it's impossible to make out what it is. I reach out again.

It's a knife. I spring up, regretting it immediately as the pain crashes against my wounds. Gritting my teeth, I shove the blade into my sheath as a twig snaps from behind me. The bushes rustle, and I catch a glimpse of creatures tearing through the forest. They gallop through the undergrowth, dead leaves crunching beneath their feet. The beasts murmur words under their breath, but I'm not listening as I break into a run.

Sharp branches nip at the hem of my shirt. I keep going, my lungs flooding with air and my heart pumping fast. My burning legs strain to keep up with each punishing stride. Jumping over poisonous grass slows me down, and my joints ache with every leap. Sweat gathers like droplets on my skin, brushed away by the plants and branches. I curse under my breath. I've left a salty trail, so they'll track me down anyway.

My footsteps grow slower and lighter until I'm silent enough that all I can hear is their trampling. Eventually, the creatures grow still. Their deep, ravenous growls meld with a bird's shrill warning cries from the canopy. Hot drool grazes my shoulder, and I curse silently. There's the barest brush of coarse fur against my skin, prickling my flushed cheeks and crawling down my arm.

A creature parts the low-hanging branches away with its long claws. Its face shines under the reflective moonlight, showing massive canines and a grossly dislocated jaw. Strangely, it looks human, with its blue, intelligent eyes and a delicate nose—tufts of hair rest on its mostly barren head. Lumbering towards me on all fours, it closes in. I grip my knife behind my back, looking for a window of opportunity. Drool hangs from the loose skin around its mouth and splatters at my feet. "This isn't the place for you."

The urge to attack is strong, and my fingers wind tighter around my only weapon. "What do you mean?"

"Free prisoner, we will meet you on the other side. Wait for us. Where I'm a beast on the outside, I'm no less a man on the inside."

He holds his arm up and shakes his head. Reaching up to a delicate branch in the treetops, he quickly breaks it and begins drawing on the ground. I move out of the way as the drawing expands. He starts with a perfectly symmetrical circle. Over it, smooth strokes in the soil quickly mark out a snaking body and its scales. The head details are uncanny, forming a Leviathan beast in the dirt.

By the time I look up, he's gone.

Somehow, the area behind has cleared. Sunlight filters through the canopy, revealing a vertical dropdown below. I jump. My body heats up as I descend through the air, rapidly gaining speed. I tense up and squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for the snapping of shattered bones and the warm, trickling sensation of finality. Instead, the cracked ground splits open. Gravity pulls me the rest of the way.

When I open my eyes, I see infinite versions of myself staring back at me like mirrors within mirrors. Everywhere—the walls, the floor, and the ceiling—bear my endless reflections. A laceration extends across my back and stomach. My cheeks are red and swollen. Dark veins appear, starting from my fingers and working through my arms and legs. A subtle crack forms on my forehead, traveling down the side of my face and down to my neck. Broken glass scratches against my skin and litters the ground. The room begins to sway.

Once again, I'm on my feet. Everything collapses into itself. The ceiling lights short out as they crumble behind me. Raw, festering wounds eat away at my skin, the burning sensation intensifying. As I press on, my reflections start taking on a life of their own—the many clones shrinking into one. The girl in the cracked mirror runs slightly faster than me, and I manage to keep up. I force my legs to work like never before. A scalding sensation consumes my lungs, crawling up my throat with every breath.

As I overtake her, my reflection transforms. She's fitter. The scratches on her face have mostly healed, leaving behind a small scar beneath her eye. Though the air slaps my face and my muscles burn with exertion, the girl on the screen never tires out. She morphs again, filling and stretching against the skin. Her muscles are taut and defined, forming hard ridges and planes on her body.

When I stare into her eyes, I don't see a human. I see a machine. She has no scratches or injuries, no matter how the ceiling crushes her beneath a suffocating concrete pile.

"Your neural map is complete. Proxy thanks you for your service." A robotic voice says out of nowhere.