“Woah, I have no idea how those got there.” I try to think back to who could have handed those to me, but the entire crowd is just a blur in my mind. “I wish I could remember who handed those to me.”
“Oh, do you?” a voice behind me asks.
Turning slowly, I see Lillian standing behind me. There’s nothing I can say that will get me out of trouble, so I just smile at her and shrug. I go back to looking through the notes. Most are well wishes and congratulations on doing so well so far. A few are offers for dates and phone numbers. One has a rather racy photo attached, but Lillian quickly grabs that one and tears it up.
One of the last pieces of paper gives me pause though and sends a shiver down my spine when I read it.
Anthony,
You may have thought you escaped me, but I’m still watching you. This is your last warning. Quit the System Games now, or you’ll regret it.
I turn the paper over, but there’s no signature. My mind races, trying to remember when I got this note and who gave it to me.
A hand touches my arm, and I jump. Lillian is beside me and asks, “What’s wrong, Anthony? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Instead of answering, I hand her the note. She quickly reads it, then asks, “Do you think it’s him? Do you think it’s the man in the mask?”
I nod mutely. He was there. The man that kidnapped and killed me was there in that stadium somewhere. He may have even been watching my mom and sister. All the potentially sinister things he could have been doing race through my mind. Each thought worse than the last.
“Good.”
I startled out of my thoughts by the statement. I look down at a determined looking Lillian. “It’s good that this creep was there? How?”
“It means that we have a shot at seeing his face and tracking him.” Seeing that I don’t understand what she means, she continues, “That stadium is covered in cameras. The face of whoever handed you this note will be on one of them.”
Oh, I get it now. This is some of that CSI stuff. I’m going to ask Lillian if she’s going to use a spectral analyzer or something, but she’s already walking away talking on the phone with someone. When she finished talking, Lillian tells us that she called the agent from the Oversight Committee that is handling our case. He should be right over.
Within ten minutes, Lillian gets a notification and lets Agent Smith into the office. He’s still wearing the same black suit as the first time I saw him. He takes the note as evidence and promises to have it tested for fingerprints and trace DNA. He also says he’ll have his team look over the video footage from the System Games and the security cameras in the stadium. He’s gone moments later, and we’re all left worried about tomorrow.
I assure Lillian that I won’t be quitting just because some lunatic was able to pass me a note. But there is still a concern in her eyes as we all go to sleep in our separate beds that night.
Chapter 47
The next day, I’m up early, hoping that news has come that the man in the mask was identified and caught. There’s news, but it’s not what I want to hear. There were no trace elements or fingerprints on the note beside mine and Lillian’s. Agents at the Oversight Committee are still going to through footage identify everyone in the crowd yesterday. However, everyone identified so far has been a dead end.
I know it was a long shot that he’d be captured so soon, but I can’t help but feel disappointed. Still, no point in dwelling on what isn’t.
I shower, change, and eat with my family and Lillian. My mom makes my favorite breakfast, chilaquiles, for good luck. After an unusually quiet and tense breakfast, the five of us join John in the office. Together we all take off for the System Games.
Once more, we port a few times through different cities to get to the stadium. Once through security, which seems to be heightened, my mom and sister kiss me for good luck and go to their seats. Lillian assures me that the two of them will be safe and that she’s made sure that private security is keeping an eye on the two. The news gives me some assurance that the man in the mask won’t be able to get to the two.
Joining Lillian and John in the locker room, I’m surprised to see the two of them with broad smiles on their faces.
“What’s up, you guys?”
“We have a gift for you. We know that you got a new ability yesterday but that you can’t use it because it’s meant for technology-oriented creatures. So, John and I scoured the System Store last night and found something that may let you use your new invisibility ability.”
John presents me with a package wrapped in tissue paper. I take the item and rip off the wrapping to reveal a long black cloak. There’s a glitter in the fabric, and when I take a closer look, I can see gold circuits woven into the material. I examine the item.
Techno Cloak
A cloak that has integrated circuitry that allows a User to program in special effects; as long as the cloak has access to a level 2 power source or higher.
The part about needing a power source bothers me a little, but I hope that my new ability Camouflage works that part out on its own. I equip the cloak and mentally activate the ability. The world around me loses its color, and everything is now in tones of grey. The sound seems to be muted too, and even though I can see Lillian talking, her words seem muffled. Lillian and John look overjoyed, and their eyes search the room for me.
I pull up my character sheet and see that the ability costs 5 TP per second of activation. I have 350 TP, so that means I can activate the ability for a max of 70 seconds.
I deactivate Camouflage, and the world returns to normal.
“Sweet, it works!”
The two clap me on the back, happy to have been able to help their teammate out.
Before we can get too excited, there’s a chime, and a portal opens up in the locker room, signaling that the System Games have started again.
After making sure all my ammo replenished, and my new tech cloak is in place, I walk through the portal after my teammates.
There’s a bright flash of white, and I find that we’re in the middle of the stadium. In the seats above us, a crowd of spectators cheer and scream. The noise is almost deafening.
Out on the field are the top players continuing into the next round. Now that there are so few of us, I catch a glimpse of a familiar face on the other side of the field. Was that Auden Arschloch? Is he competing? I mean, I knew that the Arschloch Corporation would have a team here, but I didn’t think the heir to the throne would compete.
The screens floating above the stadium come to life, and an announcer's voice begins talking over the speakers, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the grand finale of the System Games! Today we have a fine show for you. Six teams have made it through to the finals and instead of having them run some race or fight in another dungeon, we’ve decided just to have them fight each other for the honor of being crowned winners of this year’s System Games.”
The crowd cheers even more loudly and several groups start to yell for their favorite team. After a moment, the announcer continues, “This will be a single elimination tournament. Losers will leave the field, and winners will keep fighting until only one team remains.”
Another cheer from the crowd, but the announcer just talks over them, “Opposing teams are chosen at random as are the playing fields. We’ll begin in 3…2…1.”
There’s a bright flash of light, and I find myself standing next to Lillian and John in the corner of a large square field about 100 yards long. It reminds me of a football field except the field is surrounded by tall stone boulders. At the opposite corner of the field, three men stand around. One is dressed in a long red and white robe and carries a tall staff with intricately carved symbols on it. Next to him is a short, squat man wearing black leather. He has two sharp-looking knives at his hips. A black leather hood shadows his face. Lastly, a tall blonde man is wearing a purple robe. Oddly, he seems to have a golden slice of pizza on a chain around his neck.