《Elysium: Diamond In The Rough》


 Prologue

    A well dressed man bursts into the office, sweat trickling down his forehead and a serious look on his face. " President Martinez, we''ve just received word that the Chinese and Russians have launched the first barrage of missiles with no intention of ceasing, sir."


    A tanned man with slicked back hair sits at his desk, head in his hands, surrounded by a group of advisors. He looks up at the well dressed man and his lips let out " It seems like we have no choice, the only course of action is one of retribution" the president''s voice trails off and goes low "...and mutual destruction."


    The room is quiet and somber, but the people understand and at once they all leave to carry the task that has been given to them. The well dressed man looks at the President and says " Sir, we have to move you to down to the bunkers at once!"If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    President Martinez lifts up a hand and waves the words off as if they were a gnat buzzing in front of his face and a smile slowly begins to grow. " If a captain must go down with his ship, so must a president with his country. He spins around looking out the office window taking in the view that won''t be there much longer. He chuckles a bit and says " President Martinez, the first and only president to let the country die at the end of his first term...I was supposed to run again in 2060. Guess that option is out the door now."


    Hours later and off in the distance mushroom clouds spring up like a fungal forest, the televisions are repeating their emergency broadcasts until the power grids are inevitably wiped out and a massive wave of fire moves towards the President''s office window. He has a calm expression of acceptance on his face as he hums "Amazing Grace" to himself.

 Chapter 1: Remembrance and Arbitration

    I throw the lunch I made for myself into my backpack and begin quickly throwing on a mismatch of clothes. Today isn''t like every other day in Preparatory School in Elysium, today is the day of The Arbitration.


    The Arbitration is a series of tests, both physical and mental, that is given to every thirteen year old Elysian. It''s a tool used by the government to determine best how the upcoming generation can benefit society. If you''re a good study, then your schooling continues past Preparatory, but if it doesn''t you are assigned to a manual labor job you are most compatible with.


    There is no shame in doing manual labor, you aren''t looked down on for doing the work that keeps the city running. Both of my parents were janitors, but they passed away in some freak work accident when I was ten, since then I''ve been living on my own.


    The higher up political types decided to let me keep my family''s house since it was already paid off and I do small jobs around the city in order to make money to keep the food coming.


    As I run out the kitchen I grab our family picture and give it a small hug. " I''m going to make you guys proud today, don''t worry about me too much." The house looks exactly the same as it did the day mom and dad died; I take special care to make sure it stays that way, and make sure everything is locked up while I''m gone. I breathe in deeply and take in the distinct Elysian smell of food stalls, slight smog, and the general daily work that seems to always be happening.


    On my way to school I stop by one of the food stalls that I frequent, Miss Pamela an older woman of asian descent turns her head to me with a smile. "Stopping by to get your usual breakfast Alexander?" I look up at her and sing out "Yessssssss ma''am, you know me better than my own mom." Miss Pamela swiftly skewers a cooked animal that looks like a hybrid between a large rat and roach, with what is probably decades of experience, and hands the skewer over too me. " One Kacabu-On-A-Stick Mr. Alexander," and as she says that she pinches my cheek in a way I imagine any person''s grandmother would "and don''t be makin'' jokes like that ya hear?" I nod my head politely and reaffirm with a "Yes ma''am."


    I take a bite out of my snack as I walk towards Preparatory School. The carapace of one of the kacabu''s legs breaks revealing the stringy delicious meat inside. The meat is naturally greasy and stringy as the muscles have developed over time to give it the quick adept movements kacabu are known for, making it perfect for stews and stir fry. Walking slower than I expected, I watch the people of the city and take in every site I can commiting it all to memory. People accomplishing their daily tasks for work, names, faces, interesting gossip, anything that is interesting or could be important to me is now stuck in my brain. Growing up my parents would always play memorization games with me so I just kind of do it now out of habit to keep myself busy and entertained.


    As I get lost in my mind games, I''m suddenly brought back to reality as a notice the massive group of my classmates funneling into the courtyard of the school. After a few minutes I finally make it and a few moments later the gates to the school shut behind me. A wave of "shushes" forms and rushes over every student as a man with a mane of silver hair steps out onto the balcony above us.


    " Children," the man speaks calmly but firmly into a microphone " It is now that time of year, the time of The Arbitration and I, your Arbiter. With the help of the many teachers here, and with your abilities, we will determine your future in our beautiful city. As we all know, no one will help you with the test only your abilities will decide where you go. Consider this the loneliest day you will experience at Preparatory School, you will take the test by yourselves and won''t know the results until all of you have finished." A sense of unease begins to stir in the already anxious group of preteens, the man smiles and looks down at all of us and it strangely seems to wash the tension away. " Children, don''t be worried, with the test done this way you can continue on with 100% confidence knowing that you forged your own paths. With that being said, give it your best shot! "


    The children begin to cheer and I look forward ready to take the test that will determine the rest of my life here in Elysium. They bring us inside in groups of twenty, and since I was one of the last ones to show up, I¡¯m in the fifth and final group of students to take the test. Out of pure boredom, I begin drawing in the dirt with my foot and kicking rocks of all sizes around. One of the guards near the gate grunts out ¡° Hey kid, quit all that nonsense.¡± I look back mildly annoyed and bark back ¡° I¡¯ll quit the nonsense as soon as you people decide to keep me busy with this damn test!¡± The guard grunts, lets out an annoyed sigh and continues to stand his watch.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°Group 5 you are now up to take The Arbitration,¡± a woman with a soothing voice says over the speaker system and my eyes dart up from the rock I was getting ready to kick. My group slowly walks into the large schoolhouse that resembles a warehouse, and we are quickly separated to take our individual tests. I¡¯m marched into my own room containing a ridiculous amount of free weights and 3 observers with clipboards. ¡°Hello Alexander,¡± one of the observers says plainly ¡°I am Observer Josiah and my two accomplices here are Observers Rebecca and William.¡± The two others give a slight nod as they are introduced and quickly go back to looking at their clipboards. ¡°Your first test will be the physical portion of The Arbitration. We¡¯ll have you lift some weights, do some sprints while we monitor your heart and test your agility.¡± I nod in understanding and begin to lift the weights, going heavier and heavier until my body can¡¯t go any further. I look at Observer Josiah with a questioningexpression worn clearly on my face and the three begin to scribble on their clipboards. "What am I supposed to do, they''ve only told me to life the weights, but they aren''t telling me what they actually want from me.." my thoughts trail off. Every event in the physical portion followed the same pattern, they would tell me what to do but past that they never gave me any more direction or really spoke to me that much. As I finish the last of the agility tests, they scribble in their clipboards and Observer Josiah speaks up ¡°Alexander that will be all for the physical portion, you will be guided to the academic portion now.¡±


    ¡°Wait, how did I do? You people didn¡¯t tell me ANYTHING, how do I know if I did something wrong?¡± I scan the Observers but they just wave over a guard to escort me to my next portion of the test. I look around and for some reason I can¡¯t shake the feeling that the school I¡¯ve attended since I was six looks and feels different. The smell gives this vibe of business and they way we¡¯re being treated feels the same, as the thoughts dance around in my head I am greeted by the same three Observers. The room has a singular desk in it and they motion for me to take a seat, which I do.


    ¡°Alexander I assume you are somewhat aware of how the academic portion will go.¡± Observer Josiah pulls out a stapled stack of papers as the last word leaves his mouth and he places them on my desk. ¡°You have two hours to complete the test, if you don¡¯t know an answer then guess...if you leave any of the questions unanswered it will be automatically considered a failure.¡± Guards bring three chairs into the room and the Observers take their seats. It feels like they¡¯re staring a hole into my forehead and 20 minutes after I start the test, I finish it. ¡°What¡¯s with the prank? It isn¡¯t funny, I mean some of the questions were a little difficult, but¡­¡± my voice trails off as I hand Observer Josiah the test ¡° Seriously. I only have like an hour and a half left after your prank.¡± The Observers just look at the test for what seemed like another 20 minutes and wrote on their clipboards.


    They wave in the guards and move me into another room, Observer Josiah and the other two are there again, except this time the man with the silver mane of hair accompanies them. The silver haired man smiles and emits a welcoming aura as he does so, ¡°Alexander welcome to the final portion of The Arbitration are you nervous?¡± I think for a second and reply ¡° I¡¯m more confused than anything, wouldn¡¯t call it being nervous. I¡¯m just taking in the experience,¡± my eyes narrow as I answer. ¡°Well you¡¯re right! There is no reason to be worried, we¡¯re just going to ask a few questions.¡± I nod.


    ¡°What did you think of the test?¡± The silver haired man¡¯s eyes look at me questioningly as he asks.


    ¡°Well the physical portion was weird, I just kept picking up heavy stuff until I couldn¡¯t and the running was annoying. The academic portion was easy, that may need to be readjusted at some point.¡± I think some more ¡° That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem like the other children in your grade, why is that?¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s cause I¡¯ve been living on my own for the past three years, I think I act pretty normal¡± I say in a tone trying to make it sound like I was a tiny bit offended. ¡° My parents died, but they taught me a lot before they did.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be all Alexander, thank you for your time.¡± As more guards come in and finally escort me to the holding room where all of the other children of finished their tests were. More of my classmates trickled in for the next couple hours and finally the woman comes over the loudspeaker ¡° All tests have been completed, please wait for your results.¡± The trios of Observers had the results for the five children they were in charge of and would deliver the test results to each child. Observer Josiah and the other two finally made their way to me and handed me a large closed manilla envelope with ¡° Alexander Washington¡± written on it. ¡°We hope you are happy with your results Alexander and welcome to the rest of your life in Elysium.¡± Observer Josiah says with a genuine smile on his face.


    Kids all around the room begin reading out loud their future jobs and fields of study.¡± Farmer! Police Force! Janitor! Civil Servant! Engineer!¡± I rip open into my envelope and where as all the other kids in my class had a packet of papers in their envelopes, mine only had one.


    ¡°Alexander Washington | Male | FUTURE PROFESSION: N/A ¡°


    I look around confused and some of my other classmates see my sheet. ¡° Everyone look at Alex¡¯s job! He doesn¡¯t have one!¡± Some people murmur things like ¡° He¡¯s an outcast. Loser. Useless.¡±


    I look around the room and begin to walk back home with a dejected look on my face. ¡°Mom...Dad, I failed you.¡± As a tear rolls down my cheek.

 Chapter 2: Job Title

    I stare at the singular paper that was given to me in my envelope and I can¡¯t push the feeling of disbelief away. ¡° N/A, None Available? How is that even possible, I¡¯ve never heard of someone not being given some job title after The Arbitration,¡± I mumble to myself as I make the long trek back home. I fight the urge to let out another tear or two, ¡° This isn¡¯t right, that test felt so easy.¡±


    The distinct smells of carbon monoxide and various food stalls intermingle in the air and create an aroma that is distinctly Elysian. Taking in a deep breath I say as I exhale " At least the mood of the city seems good," placing my hands behind my head with my fingers interlocked.


    I begin my game of people watching and memorization as I slowly navigate the hustle and bustle of the big city, a stark contrast can be noticed from the area of town the school is in and where I live. One side of the road is home to what the rest of The Rough would consider pristine, gaudy skyscrapers and building; my homeside of town seems a bit more downtrodden as I begin to walk past buildings that contain multiple food stalls in one. Sheets of aluminum in various states of decay hammered together to make patches and homes are a common occurrence.


    As I¡¯m walking I see a stack of rags on the ground that begins to shift as I get closer to passing it up. ¡°Excuse me young man, can you spare some bani?¡± With shaking hands the ragged man reaches out, looking as if he were trying to contain dirty air itself and drink it in. ¡° I¡¯m not asking for much, just enough for bread or perhaps something to take my mind off the hunger pains...please,¡± his eyes begin to look strained and his face wrinkles as his body is wracked with the cramps in his stomach.¡± I walk past him quickly as his body undergoes its episode, and as I walk away I feel a twinge of pain in my chest. ¡° Elysium has homeless, the ¡®evsiz¡¯ are nothing new, but why have I never wondered where they come from,¡± my brow furrows ¡°Is that going to be me soon at the conclusion of Prep School?¡± Looking down at the dirt and gravel road I turn around and jam my fist in my pockets pulling out coins of different shapes and sizes.¡± I¡¯m sorry I ignored you, here take this, it isn¡¯t much but it will get you something from any of the food stalls here.¡± A tear carves its way down the man¡¯s dirt caked face as he chokes out ¡° Thank you! Thank you young man! ¡±


    In the distance a loud horn is sounded and I look up towards it. The man retreats back under his sheets and pieces of metal, and I quickly begin digging in my backpack. ¡°Crap I must¡¯ve lost track of time during The Arbitration, shit, shit, shit.¡± Pulling out a respirator attached to some goggles I begin strapping it to my face. Taking in a deep breath I feel the respirator closing in around my mouth confirming that the seal has been made. The world takes on a purple hue with a tint of blue as the goggles are strapped firmly onto my head. A couple minutes after the horn was heard, the busy streets seem vacant and a noxious looking cloud fills the streets and washes over me. Any skin that isn¡¯t covered begins to feel hot for the duration that the cloud is in the area. The pile of blankets and rags begins shaking and coughing uncontrollably in painful convulsions as the cloud moves past the area and begins to dissipate into the open air of The Rough.


    There is no more coughing or movement from the evsiz after the fifteen second ordeal. My eyes shut as i stand there facing the pile of sheets  on the ground, and I¡¯m physically relieved when a hear a long draw of air come from that direction.¡± Is that going to be me soon...one of the evsiz hoping to make to it past the daily cleansing?¡± Dirt flies up from the toe of my shoe as the question keeps repeating itself in my mine, ¡°Fuck...fuck, FUCK, none available? WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!¡± In an effort to compose myself a deep breath makes its way into my lungs as I begin searching the various handmade signs that checker the alleys and streets. A neon sign with the words ¡°Gadj¡¯s Gadgets & Oddities¡± roll into my view.


    Opening the door causes a bell to ring and a feminine voice comes from a back room in the store. ¡°Welcome to Gadj¡¯s Gadgets and Oddities, home to the finest contraptions and knick knacks of The Rough and Elysium, we take bani or barter,¡± as she finishes her greeting the face of beautiful girl of about seventeen with with frazzled hair and a dirty face pops up from the inside of the backroom. ¡°Oh it¡¯s just you Alex, what¡¯s up? What do you need this time,¡± she says with a pristine smile.¡± I want a replacement filter for my mask, its had too many uses for my liking¡± as I begin pulling the mask off, Gadj immediately outstretches her hand and takes it. ¡° Yeah, the filter is pretty dirty...I can replace the filter and charcoal in here no problem, I¡¯ll even scrub this one clean so you can have a replacement again, but how are you gonna pay me?¡± She says with a raise of her eyebrow.


    ¡°Uh I haven¡¯t thought too much about that...can I do deliveries for you or something?¡± A sweat drop begins to form on my forehead as I utter the idea. ¡°Yeah, yeah that can cover some of the cost...how about this, you remember me when you make it big after this year¡¯s Arbitration. You just took it right?¡± Avoiding eye contact I look at the various items in the shop, ¡° Y--Yeah, Yeah,¡± a slight cough escapes and bracing myself ¡°Yes, I can definitely do that Gadj. No problem!¡± She lets out a cute chuckle as she finishes closing up the gas mask and hands it to me, ¡° I¡¯ll see you around Alex.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Running out the door, ¡°Thanks Gadj, I¡¯ll see ya when I see ya!¡± waving back excitedly I notice the pile of rags is gone and another sense of relief washes over me. The streets begin slowly populating themselves after the cloud passes and within half an hour everything is back in full drive and busier than before as if the people were desperately trying to regain their lost time. A trail of dust is left behind me as I run the rest of the way home ready to forget about today.


    The aluminum roof of my house comes into view and with it, a strong sense of calmness immediately follows. As I pull out my leather necklace, the key to my home which is typically nestled warmly against my chest, briefly reflects some light from the amber sun. With the key dancing around with each step, a smile naturally finds its way on my face as I reach for the brass doorknob. A few moments pass and the key finds its mark, with a swift counterclockwise turn, the portal to my humble home begins to open. Completely to my surprise as the door finishes its journey, it reveals a familiar looking man with silver hair.


    ¡°Good evening Alexander, I¡¯ve been waiting for you,¡± the man says with a warm smile ¡° we have much to discuss, come have a seat.¡±


    ¡°Uhm, Mr. Arbiter? - - - what are you doing in my house?¡± The question comes out confident, and slightly angry? The straps of my backpack make a small creaking noise as the hands holding them slowly turn into fists. Both of The Arbiter¡¯s hands come up ¡° Woah woah, easy there slugger, no need to be upset I just wanted to talk to you.¡± I take my backpack off and reach for the folder, as soon as my hand touches it I grab it and throw it at the man. ¡°What? Came here to talk to the only person that managed to NOT be assigned a job after an Arbitration? Go ahead, that¡¯s what the paper you guys gave me said...None Available.¡± The man pulls the paper out of the folder, looks over it quickly and crumples it up, ¡° That is exactly what I came to talk about, your test results.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea why your results were the way that they were?¡±


    ¡°Not really, other than I did the best with the instructions I was given...or should I say wasn¡¯t given. How can I do a well on a test if I don¡¯t know the rules of it?¡± Annoyance begins finding its way into my tone.


    ¡° If you think you did bad, then let me be the first to assure you that it is quite the opposite Alexander. You did good, as a matter of fact you did the best in your class, since the inception of The Arbitration you are the first person to score what was described by your observers as perfect.¡± A sense of pride begins to grow in The Arbiter¡¯s voice. ¡° On the academic portion of the test, you didn¡¯t miss a single question...second place, the child who was assigned a job in the medical field missed 25% more questions than you did and took the entire two hours to finish it.¡±


    ¡°If I did so good then why the hell wasn¡¯t I assigned a job?¡± The question that has been pestering me finally makes its way into the world.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting there, let me finish explaining, on the physical portion of the test you out perform your classmates by a margin of 45% or more in EVERY aspect. Strength, speed, agility, you¡¯re the best at it and your interview displayed a high level of confidence. So what does that mean about your job?¡±


    My fists slowly unclench and I begin hanging on every word the comes out of his mouth. As he tells me the actual results of my Arbitration, I find my way into a chair sitting across from him. ¡° I don¡¯t know, what do these results tell me about my future job? Because as far as I know there is nothing available.¡±


    ¡°Nothing available that is known to the public of Elysium, Alexander. I know a lot about you after today, but what do you know about me?¡± The man¡¯s silver hair seems to shimmer as he asks his question.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much of anything other than that you were The Arbiter today...I tend to keep myself busy and alive with odd jobs and other tasks since I¡¯m an orphan.¡±


    ¡°That makes more sense now as to why you wouldn¡¯t recognize the Sovereign of Elysium. My name is Leon Cromwell, and I run all of this,¡± his arms gesture in an outward motion as if he was claiming ownership to anything and everything in sight. ¡° You¡¯re the first in the history of Elysium  to pass with a perfect and that makes you kind of special on a level your fellow classmates can¡¯t even comprehend.¡±


    ¡°Sovereign Cromwell, with all do respect, I just don¡¯t want to end like one of evsiz¡­¡± the older of the two lets out an audible chuckle.


    ¡°Child, you will NEVER end up like the evsiz of this city with the potential you have, I¡¯ll make sure of it.¡± Sovereign Cromwell stands up, putting his hands on my shoulders he looks me in the eyes. ¡°What do you know of the world outside of Elysium?¡±


    ¡°I know that other cities and tribes exist, but I¡¯ve never been to any of them.¡±


    ¡°Correct! Some of them are even considered allies, but not all of them. There are people out in The Rough that want what we have, and it doesn¡¯t surprise me you haven¡¯t left the city, most residents don¡¯t and why would they?! It¡¯s a damn wasteland out there¡­¡± His smooth voice trails off and after a moment he smiles again. ¡° Alexander, you¡¯re qualified to chase after any job you want, but the only one I will be assigning you based off your test results is Sweeper Of The Rough.¡±


    ¡°What does a Sweeper do? Am I a damn street cleaner?!¡± my voice cracks a bit with a dash of worry on the side.


    Another loud chuckle can be heard ¡° No, no, don¡¯t worry. Alexander enjoy your few weeks off from Preparatory School, and remember you aren¡¯t allowed to discuss your new job with anyone.¡±


    The man makes his way to the door and on his way out he looks back, ¡° We¡¯ll keep in touch.¡±


    The door closes eerily as I begin to think of what my future my hold.

 Chapter 3: Initiation

    Weeks have passed since my conversation with Mr. Cromwell and nothing seems to have changed. My classmates mock and ridicule me when we have the displeasure of bumping into each other. ¡°Hey evsiz, what¡¯s the little orphan loser with no job doing today?¡± My body feels hot and my hands get sweaty as the anger swells inside of me, my eyes close and memories of my parents come into view. ¡°Alex, you aren¡¯t like the other kids your age. You need to learn to be gentle and kind.¡±


    The swelling heat begins to fade and I look at them meekly with a smile, ¡°Just going shopping for some food.¡± The group of kids laugh and walk away as I walk towards the familiar stand of Miss Pamela. ¡°Hey child, come to get some food today?¡± Miss Pamela¡¯s wrinkles become more defined as she smiles, ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am, but I don¡¯t want any kacabu-on-a-stick this time...maybe some Ikan Stew?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky I just got a shipment of Ikan earlier this week child, go on take a seat, it¡¯ll take some time to make it.¡± The crackle of a fire fills the room and the distinct smell of heating metal begins to swim into my nostrils as water is set to boil.Different spices begin to dance around in the air and get trapped inside Miss Pamela¡¯s small kiosk, a couple coughs leave my lungs as the spicier ingredients are added into the stew. ¡°Alex, how¡¯re ya liking ya break? Ya start secondary in a couple months right?¡± Behind some watery eyes and faint coughs I manage to wheeze out a ¡° Yes ma¡¯am, I¡¯ve just been relaxing at home killing time until school starts back up.¡±


    Some time passes as Miss Pamela focuses on the stew and cleaning up some of the prep dishes used in the process. A big bowl is brought out to me with a smiling face and a ¡° Dinner is served!¡± My stomach growls as I stare as the bowl and the smell overloads my nostrils. ¡°Thanks granny!¡± As I lower my spoon down into the stew to sip some of the broth, a fish head sporting five beady eyes and a row of vicious looking teeth, floats to the top. The broth hits my tongue and I instantly start sweating, the taste of potatoes, carrots, fish and all the spices mingling together creating a flavor that packs a punch while still being distinctly a stew. I can¡¯t stop myself from taking bite after bite, nose running the entire time as I slurp up the last bit of the stew.


    ¡°Thanks for the food Miss Pamela! I¡¯ll be sure to visit whenever I can!¡± Waving goodbye as I get ready and head back home. Walking through my front door the atmosphere seems...off, as the door closes behind me the silhouette of a slender person comes into my peripheral view. They lunge out at me and give a few jabs, I manage to dodge and weave my way out of the initial barrage and throw a punch that is effortlessly dodged in return trying the see who is behind this assault. The person is fully clothed in what I can only consider light padded combat gear and wearing a mask of a rabbit. I throw another wide haymaker and it is eluded with the precision and expertise of someone who is used to this kind of scenario. As they slip past my punch, the person grabs my elbow with one hand, pulls me forward and off balance as an elbow crashes down into my left temple. Everything goes blurry.


    ¡°AHHHH!¡± I rush the person and wildly lash out. Each of my punches are dodged with little to no effort and as I swing one more wide left haymaker, the person closes the distance grabbing my wrist with one hand, and punching me in the stomach with the other. As I cough up a lot of spit from the blow, the world seems to go upside down for a moment, then I land on my back with a hard thud. A small giggle is heard from behind the rabbit mask and a feminine voice says ¡°You¡¯re a feisty one.¡± I look up as the Rabbit is standing over me with a fist racing towards my face, everything goes black.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    My abs hurt, my head is throbbing...where am I? My vision begins to focus again and it doesn¡¯t take long for me to notice that I¡¯m tied up to a chair in some dimly lit room. As I look around the room I notice a small table with instruments neatly placed on top of a towel. My heart starts racing and my eyes feel like they¡¯re about to pop out of their sockets, I go to scream for help but am only met with a dull muffle. ¡°What the fuck, what the fuck?! Did I get abducted by those people who sell body parts or something?¡± Looking directly ahead I can see that a mirror has been fixed to a door and reflects me perfectly in the center of it. Tied and gagged I start to panic a bit more and start flexing every fiber of my being with hopes to break my restraints, loud grunts fill the room every time I struggle.


    The door slowly creeks open and a rabbit mask slowly peeks into the room. She claps her hands and runs up to me, ¡° Oh great you¡¯re finally awake!¡± As she¡¯s talking, a slightly larger person wearing a full-face gas mask follows in behind her. ¡°Trust me this is gonna hurt you a lot more than it hurts us, but it¡¯ll be fine. You¡¯ll be fiiiiiiiinnnnneeee.¡± The rabbit masked woman runs her fingers through my hair and makes her way to the knot keeping the gag in my mouth, she then rips the tape off my mouth and I spit out the wadded up rag. ¡°Please, I don¡¯t know who you are, but you don¡¯t have to do this. I can...I- I can pay you to let me go! I don¡¯t have any money, but I can work for you or something I can¡­¡± I¡¯m cut off by a sharp ¡° Shhhhhhhhh,¡± coming from the rabbit mask with a finger held up to the mouth. ¡° HELP! HELP ME! SOMEONE He-----¡± the gag is jammed back into my mouth and a fresh piece of tape is applied over it. Tears start racing down my face and my breathing gets faster. After a while my breathing slows down into long inhales and exhales, the tears have stopped and I¡¯ve accepted death.


    ¡°There we go! That¡¯s what we like to see, you don¡¯t need to panic Alex. This is all for your own good.¡± She nods at the larger person in the gas mask and the person begins walking up to the chair. Gas mask starts tearing the shirt off of my body and as soon as it hits the ground, I feel a massive pain in my stomach. I start coughing and wheezing as the person in the gas mask turns my stomach into their own personal punching bag. At first it hurts, but after a while everything starts to go numb. ¡°Hey, hey...HEY! Wake up kid!¡± The rabbit walks up for the first time since the punching started and grabs my right ring finger. Snap. The new sensation brings my mind back into the room as I start crying and grunting through the gag. ¡°There there, don¡¯t worry! Just had to make sure you weren¡¯t passing out on us or nothing. Here I¡¯ll fix it, uh this is gonna hurt too.¡± Snap. She quickly puts the finger back in place and tapes it to the ring finger to brace it to something. I let out another painful grunt as I angrily start lunging towards her and the person in the gas mask. ¡°YOU MOTHERFUCKERS, I¡¯LL KILL YOU!¡± I start to think ¡°You couldn¡¯t even handle one, how are you going to kill two?¡± My mind jumps back and forth between anger and pessimism.


    The rabbit looks at me and tilts her head to one side. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Alex, we aren¡¯t going to keep beating you...well we will just not right now. We can toughen you up physically no problem, but this beginning part is to test you mentally. We just had to rough you up a little to get you into the mindset, and as kind of a taste for what¡¯s coming in your immediate future. We¡¯ll supply you with a ton of water, but that¡¯s about all.¡± My eyes look up, dull and confused.


    ¡°So before we toughen up your body, which is already pretty tough, we¡¯re gonna toughen up your mind.¡± The person in the gas mask starts bringing in container after container filled to the brim with water and setting it all around the room. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s see how you handle solitude. We¡¯ll see you when we see you, try not to go to crazy Alex.¡±


    The rabbit begins to walk out of the room and gives another nod to the man in the gas mask. ¡°Welcome to your first day of training to become a Sweeper, good luck and try not to disappoint us.¡± My head looks up at the rabbit, ¡°WHAT?!¡± I think to myself as my face is met with a powerful fist and my head drops again as my eyesight begins to fade out. The distant sound of a door closing and locking is all I could hear before going to sleep.

 Chapter 4: Isolation

    My eyes open as I begin coughing up small amounts of blood and lazily search around the room. The containers of water seem to be scattered all over the room with one seeming to be intentionally placed at the level of my mouth. Seeing this I begin to notice how thirsty I am. Like the wild animals I see out in the rough, my head plunges into the bowl and I begin gulping up the water. The dried splotches of blood on my face mix in with the water and dyes it a crimson color. Whipping my head out of the container, my brown hair flies to the back of my head, and heavy breaths make my chest rise and fall. Every deep breath reminds me of the reality of my situation as a stabbing pain shoots through my stomach.


    ¡°Okay Alex, no need to panic...nobody is here to hurt you, you can think now.¡± Scanning the room only confirms my original thought the first time I looked it over. Various types of containers pepper the room filled with water, the nectar of the heavens. Suddenly I whip around looking for the torture tools I¡¯d seen the first time I had woken up and my heart fluttered when I saw them. There they were, right there sitting on the towel laid out of the table! It seemed strange that something that struck so much fear into me could give me so much hope. I guess my parents were right when they said ¡° It¡¯s all about perspective.¡± Reaching out for tools, I¡¯m reminded of the restraints holding my arms and legs in place. ¡°Maybe I can scoot over and try to cut myself out?¡± No good. The chair¡¯s legs seem to be bolted down to the floor, ¡°What can I do...what can I do?¡± I mutter to myself. ¡°Muttering? Shit, they took the gag out!¡± I begin yelling the loudest I ever have.


    ¡°HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME! ANYONE! PLEASE?!¡± I don¡¯t know how long I yelled, but it had to have been hours, my voice went raspy then left all together. For some reason though, noise in this room seems...off, like the sounds don¡¯t seem correct. I dunk my face into the basin filled with crimson liquid and take a few more sips, the water seeming to burn against my exhausted vocal chords. My attempts at speaking are met with a weak rasp of what used to be my voice and a residual burn in my throat.


    With yelling no longer being an option, my eyes dart back to the various tools on the table.


    ¡°That¡¯s it! That¡¯s my way out of these stupid restraints and maybe this room!¡± I think to myself.


    Flexing my arms and trying to lift up it met with a strong resistance, the leather restraint starts at my wrist and covers up a majority of my forearm.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see me muscling my way out of something like this, and the legs restraints are similar. If I can¡¯t bust out of these straps,maybe I can¡­¡±


    Planting my feet in the ground and using my arms as a counterweight I begin pushing backwards in the chair trying to lean back.


    The veins in my muscles are visible and my breathing is heavy as I attempt to lean back again. Each attempt yields more creaking and cracking until finally the two back legs break and the sudden loss in weight distribution causes the front legs of the chair to break as well. Laying there my sense of accomplishment quickly disappears as I realize my arms are still strapped to the upper portion of the chair.


    ¡°Well at least I¡¯m not stuck in one spot anymore¡­¡± I grumble under my breath.


    Making my way over to the table of ¡®Fun¡¯ like some kind of hunchback and a multitude of awkward poses and attempts to grab some of the tools, I finally get my hand on a scalpel.


    Flipping the the scalpel around in my palm, I sit down and begin the process of cutting the leather strap with all the power the movement in my fingers can offer. Millimeter by millimeter, slice by slice, the tiny incision in the leather begins to open up. After what feels like hours, a slice down the leather a couple inches long has made its debut. Crossing my legs and planting my bottom firmly in the seat, I pull my wrist up and the leather strap rips down my forearm with a loud creak and ¡®ZZZHHRRUUP!¡¯


    Even though the sounds seem dulled, this was loud enough that my eyes instinctively darted around as if to confirm no one heard me. After a few minutes of not being beaten I decide that I¡¯m most likely in the clear and all the other straps are cut away soon after. Walking around the room making sure to avoid the numerous containers of water I look for the door I heard before passing out. Vertical lines uniformly cover the walls of the room giving the distinct impression that I¡¯m in a cube with no way out. Flipping the scalpel in my hand I put the tip of the blade on the wall and begin to walk dragging the blade across. An unpleasant sound resonates in my ears until I hear a ¡®Puh-Tink¡¯ and the scalpel dips into one of the lines slightly and pops out.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°This must be the door I heard...no door knob though. Not much of a way out.¡± Leaving the scalpel stuck in the crack I walk back to where the chair used to be. Looking at my reflection in the containers of water, I can see my left eye and both my cheeks were swollen. My whole face was a little fucked actually and little flecks of dried blood still remained at the corners of my mouth. Reaching down at my reflection with my index finger, the water ripples and to my surprise touches a hard surface. I squint and reach down at the vase-like object and pour out the water. Only a fraction of the amount of water I imagined a container that size could hold was actually in it.


    I walk up to one of the other containers, closing my eyes as I drink from the deep looking bowl. Sooner than I expected the water stops flowing into my mouth and a realization hits me. I smash the bowl in half and the secret is revealed. While the bowl may have looked deep the actual inside of it was thick and the inside created an optical illusion once water was added to it. Dipping my finger into a handful of other containers my theory is confirmed, all these containers with the exception of the one that was originally by my chair, only hold about a mouthful of water.


    ¡°Shit...look like I won¡¯t be taking a bath while I¡¯m in here. Every drop counts.¡± Suddenly remembering I poured out one of the containers earlier, a sense of guilt washes over me and I curse myself for my idiocy. ¡°Well I don¡¯t see any way out, might as well relax and brainstorm.¡±


    Some time later, my stomach begins growling violently and I take a swig of water to chase away the growing hunger. A familiar urge hits me and I sigh, looking around as if to make sure someone didn¡¯t magically appear, I make my way to the far corner of the room and unzip my pants. The urine splashes off the ground and warms my feet with a sense of shame.


    ¡°I need to make ¡®this¡¯ more sanitary!¡± My raspy voice croaks out.


    At least it gives me something to keep myself busy, I grab one of the tools that seemed most fit for scraping and go to work on one of the taller vase like objects.


    Laying on the ground feeling hopeless, a violent pain in my stomach puts me in the fetal position, and over time even those disappear. Empty containers are separated from ones with water and turned into waste receptacles and that seems to be my only way to pass time. Sleeping, using the ¡®vase¡¯, and making more ¡®vases¡¯ becomes my routine. I tried to exercise as much as possible, but after a while of being in the room, it became too much. Finding a reason to get up and move around other than using the bathroom was a mission itself. The light in the room never turned off, dimmed, hell it never even flickered. The room itself was a constant and the only things that ever changed were the objects inside it including myself.


    The pile of empty containers vastly outnumbered the ones with water until finally I made my way to the original basin next to my chair, still tinted red with my blood. The liquid had a distinct iron taste to it until finally one of the sips I took finished it all up. I flipped the basin upside down and put it over my face and drifted off to sleep. In time a new wave of stomach cramps rattled my body and my mouth felt like sandpaper. Lazily looking around I see the scalpel still stuck in the crack of the door and with every ounce of willpower I had I hobbled over and grabbed it. Sinking down onto my knees the scalpel hanging over my wrist begins to tremble in my hand and a tears flow down my face. ¡°That¡¯s a waste of water.¡± I weakly choke out.


    Just as the blade is about to go into my flesh, I feel a hand on my shoulder, stunned I look up and see my mom and dad.


    ¡°What are you doing? We raised you better than that, you¡¯re stronger than that!¡± My father says in his stern voice.


    ¡°We love you Alex!¡± My mom says with a loving smile only a mother can produce.


    I look down at the scalpel. ¡°Mom! Dad! I thought you were de----¡± Looking back over my shoulder, no one was in view. ¡°Dead...I thought you were dead.¡±


    Throwing the scalpel as far away from me as possible, it lands in a familiar puddle of now almost dry urine. I crawl back to my bowl and go back to sleep. All my time awake is spent trying to go back to sleep and the only thoughts that seem to find their way into my head involve water.


    In a constant cycle of drifting in and out of consciousness, I hear the door open up. The soft pitter-patter of footsteps fill the room and the bowl is lifted of my face.


    ¡°Yeesh it reeks in here!¡± A feminine sounding voice exclaims. In my hazy vision I can make out the outline of a rabbit mask.


    ¡°Well we kept him in here a little longer than we were originally told to..¡± The gas-mask wearing man says as he lifts me up in both of his arms.


    I clench my fist and bring it up to punch him as hard as I can, but my fist only faintly makes contact with his chest. ¡°Easy there scrapper, we don¡¯t want you hurting yourself.¡± The man says as he laughs.


    ¡°Congratulations Alex! We don¡¯t usually give this treatment to the new recruits, but orders are orders¡± Rabbit almost sings out the last sentence. ¡°We¡¯re gonna take care of you now, we were just seeing where you were at in your head...ya know, making sure you were up to snuff. I think that¡¯s how the saying goes.¡±


    I begin to doze off until the man abruptly tosses me onto a bed.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna¡­¡­..doc¡­...care...of...you.¡± Gas Mask¡¯s voice cuts in and out as I fall back asleep.


    I wake up and quickly notice a tube going into my arm, I¡¯ve been bathed and changed, and a plate of warm food is sitting next to my bed. The Rabbit strolls into my room as I¡¯m in the middle of wolfing down my food. ¡°Well look who decided to wake up! Good job Alex, you passed part 1 of your Sweeper training. Enjoy your time in the infirmary while you can, you start your actual training tomorrow.¡± She turns around and waves as she leaves ¡°I¡¯ll be here bright and early! Ciao!¡±


    ¡°Sweeper training..¡± groaning ¡°I completely forgot all about that, and THAT was just the beginning?!¡± A chill runs down my spine and goosebumps cover my body.


    ¡°Am I really up for this?¡± The question bounces around in my skull and I finish eating my food.

 Chapter 5: Orientation

    With my food issue taken care of my gaze slowly makes its way to the saline drip inside of my forearm.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s crazy...I have to get out of here¡± I mumble to myself. The tube is quickly pulled out of my arm as I begin to get out of the bed. A quick scan revealed some gauze and bandages, and a speedy application stops the bleeding at the needle¡¯s insertion point. Hands on my hips, I lean from side to side and the only soreness is in my stomach and face. I can work with that.


    A slight smirk creeps on my face at the thought of being free of this surreal experience and as I cross the threshold into the hallway, a sense of dread filled my heart.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re feeling more chipper than I thought, that¡¯s great...it means you can start your training today!¡± the feminine voice sings out from under the mask.


    ¡°Her cute voice doesn¡¯t do a very good job at hiding her sadistic side¡± I think to myself and my thoughts are abruptly cut short by the Rabbit wrapping her arms around me and letting out a yell.


    ¡°Johnathan! Alex has healed up faster than we thought! Let¡¯s bring him to the Nursery!¡±


    I hear a small grunt and around the corner of the hallway the same gas mask wearing figure slowly makes his way towards us. His hand finds its home on my shoulder and I¡¯m surprised to hear a hint of youthfulness in his voice when he speaks.


    ¡°Alright kid, don¡¯t try to put up a fight. We¡¯re just gonna bring you to your new home for the foreseeable future, The Nursery.¡± He says and gives me a slight shove in one direction.


    The smell of the sterile, recirculated air begins to fade away the more passageways we go through. Tile is eventually replaced with dark grey concrete and the three of us come to a stop at a set of massive double-doors, roughly twenty feet tall. The regular gas mask wearing figure named Johnathan  grabs hold of one of the handles on the door and begins to slowly pull the massive gateway open. A loud reverberating lurch engulfs the room as the large hinges begin to move. As one of the doors is completely opened, the smell of sweat, iron, and gunpowder finds its home in my nostrils and I can almost taste the pungence of it.


    The room opens up into a massive cavern and in the center of it shape of an oval looks like it was neatly punched out of the floor. As we pass by the pit I can see the massive set of steps that rim it and would take some unlucky soul to a smaller secondary oval thirty feet down. Dried blood spots pepper the pit and my skin starts to feel like ants are crawling under it. Passageways snake in and out of the cavern and the actual magnitude of it all pulls the breath out of my chest.


    ¡°That¡¯s The Pit, a lot of your physical training happens here,¡± Johnathan gruffs out gesturing towards the concrete maw.


    ¡°What kind of physical training are we talking about? Pushups, situps, what?¡±


    I hear a deep inhale come from the gas mask. ¡°Yeah all that and more, fighting¡­.you¡¯ll find out when it happens kid.¡±


    The pitter patter of our footsteps echo off the walls as we go further and further down one of the tunnels and it finally stops at a massive circular dead end. Massive doors are all around the cul-de-sac like dead end. The numbers one through eight are carved in each of the doors and Johnathan points at the door showing ¡®3¡¯.


    ¡°That is gonna be your spot for a while kid, Team 3, a bunch of misfits and good-for-nothings, time for you to meet them.¡±


    The door opens to reveal a sweaty group of people ranging from my age to the later teens.


    ¡°These are you new teammates Alex, get to know them and learn from them.¡± I look at my new team and my eyes bounce back and forth between their faces for a couple seconds and I hear the door begin to close shut. ¡°We have training in the morning, give your new Omega the rundown.¡± The door closes shut and I look back at my new family only to see that one of the teens, a guy with the skin color a few shades lighter than charcoal and a sleek muscular build, has already his way up to me with his hand out. I grab it and am surprised by the firm grip that follows as a smile sneaks across his face. ¡°Hey, sup Omega, I¡¯m the Delta in this team. Infiltrations Specialist. The name is Andre...feel free to call me Delta or Dre or Andre. You?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a Delta? I-I¡¯m Alexander, Alex for short, and why am I being called Omega? What is all this?¡± Andre smiles some more and points to me then himself and all the others in a specific order bringing my attention to two more guys and a girl. ¡°Omega, Delta, Gamma, Beta, Alpha. This is how the teams are set up and usually have a job associated with them.¡± Taking a deep breath Andre looks at the others and the larger of the two guys in the room nods in affirmation.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°That¡¯s the quick rundown, you should talk to the others to learn about their jobs. The Alpha is in charge, and the Omega is kinda the bottom of the totem pole.¡±


    A sigh escapes my mouth, but for some reason I¡¯m not surprised, of course I¡¯m the lackey.


    ¡°How did you become the Infiltrations Specialist, err the Delta? What job does the Omega have?¡± Andre lets out an audible chuckle then looks me straight in the eyes with the visage of a statue ¡° Cause when it gets dark, I blend in. ¡° then he starts to laugh harder without any restraint. He puts his hand on my shoulder ¡° I was jokin¡¯, kinda¡­ it actually does help bein¡¯ as dark as I am, but I¡¯ve always had a knack for being sneaky. Creeping in ¡®n¡¯ out of shop stalls stealing whatever I needed to make end¡¯s meet. That¡¯s how I ended up in here though, I got caught tryin¡¯ to lift some cash from a rich guy¡¯s house. They were gonna kill me, but I guess if you can pick out guard routes and bypass some easy locks it impressed the right person and instead of getting killed¡­.well I ended up in here.¡± He shrugged and both of his hands, palms up, came up to his head for a moment. ¡° Yup that was a few months ago I suppose. ¡°


    Andre who was now in a low squat, stretching out his lean legs, seemed to be entranced by this routine and done talking for now. ¡°Hey new kid, come over here¡± the only girl in the room said gesturing to a seat next to her at the table she was working at. Taking a seat I realize the copious amount of gadgets and electronics littering the table in front of her. ¡°Uhm, you wanted me to come over? What are you doing with all that?¡± I looked at her inquisitively as the tiny gizmo in her hand sparked and released a small trail of smoke. She jerked the hand that was closest to the spark away and sucked on her forefinger for a moment. ¡°Shit, that one hurt¡± she said with a slight chuckle. ¡°Yeah I wanted to introduce myself, my name is Ruby, but feel free to call me Gamma.¡± With a wink she slid a few pieces from the electronic graveyard towards me.


    ¡°What do you know about electronics and wiring?¡± Her eyes narrowed waiting impatiently.


    ¡°Not really anything, the basics that anyone would know I guess?¡± One of the corners of her mouth dropped down into a half frown. ¡°But I¡¯m a fast learner though!¡± I stammered out and the smile returned to her face. My stomach felt like it weighed a thousand pounds and like it was fluttering at the same time. ¡°That¡¯s good! Being a fast learner is a good thing, here touch those two wires together.¡± She pointed at a bright green wire and a blue wire coming from two separate pieces of scrap electronics. All I could see was a bright flash and my hands went numb. A laugh brought me back into the moment and Ruby seemed to be wiping a tear from her face. ¡°You¡¯re funny, and you were right...you don¡¯t know much about electronics, but it¡¯s okay I¡¯ll teach you! Welcome to the team - - -er what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Alex.¡±


    ¡°Welcome to the team Alex, as you probably figured out, I specialize in communications and electronics.¡± The sense of pride was almost tangible when she mentioned the type of work she did. ¡°Ruby, how¡¯d you end up here?¡± I said as I rubbed my hands together to get the feeling back.


    ¡°I used to fix up people¡¯s stuff in a shed outside of my house- - - I don¡¯t know how much you know about regulations, but that isn¡¯t allowed in Elysium¡± she said in a matter-of-fact tone.


    ¡°I have a friend who fixes up things for everyone in our neighborhood, she replaces the filters in my gas mask for me.¡± Before I could be even more confused by her story she chimed in ¡° Yeah, your friend also probably has a permit and permission from the city to work on those. If you own a business in the town it has to get evaluated and approved before you can provide your service legally. I got arrested for my little operation I had going on in my shed. I never ripped anyone off, but I just never cared to get permission. I was too concerned with helping people and making money to help my parents out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy, they just arrested you? You¡¯re still a teenager, I¡¯ve never heard of the police arresting kids unless it was murder or something¡± I said as I fiddled with one of the wires that shocked me. Ruby let out a slight chuckle ¡° Rules are rules they don¡¯t care how old you are if you break them. The original punishment I was given was to just pay a fine to the city, but next thing I knew I was here. I¡¯ve only been here a few weeks more than Andre¡± her eyes darted to Andre¡¯s direction who was still stretching. Her hand gently found its way on my shoulder ¡°You should go talk to Beta and Alpha.¡± Nodding and standing up I made my way towards the two remaining people in the room.


    ¡°Hey I¡¯m Al--¡±


    ¡°Stop. Just stop right there¡± the smaller of the two who sported a blond mohawk raised one hand. ¡° I¡¯m Beta, hand-to-hand specialist. He¡¯s Alpha, the team leader¡± pointing at the muscular and older looking teen standing next to him. ¡° Alpha was about 5¡¯10 and five inches taller than me. A few years older too, he had to be at least sixteen, if not older. Beta started up again ¡° We¡¯re not buddy buddy, I don¡¯t know you and we need to keep the rank structure and maintain order, kid. You¡¯re an Omega, a no one, most of your type don¡¯t even have specialties¡± he said in a slightly disgusted tone. ¡°That¡¯s enough Beta¡± the stern tone of Alpha¡¯s voice rang out and he gave me a small acknowledgment and nodded towards an empty bed with drawers under it. ¡°That one is yours, it belonged to the last Omega.¡±


    A couple hours passed and Andre blurted out ¡° Y¡¯know I¡¯ve been thinkin¡¯...Alex what¡¯d ya do to get here?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I said confused.


    ¡°I was arrested for Theft, Ruby was arrested for illegally running her own business, Beta stole some food, got caught then assaulted the officer who tried to arrest him the first time. Are you seein¡¯ the theme here?¡± he said anxiously.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, I took part in The Arbitration test and next thing I knew I was getting my ass kicked, thrown in a room with just water for a week or two, and now I¡¯m here.¡± Saying it out loud, I realized how hectic and weird my life had become recently. ¡° You guys didn¡¯t get beat up or locked in a room? Like not even a little bit?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± echoed the others, including Beta. ¡°Actually¡­¡± Beta began ¡° that sounds kinda similar to how Alpha got here, one day he was living normal, next day he¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°What exactly did they say about the test Alex?¡± Ruby asked.


    ¡°They said my scores were the highest they¡¯ve seen since the inception of The Arbitration.¡± A barely noticeable ¡®psh¡¯ escaped Alpha¡¯s mouth and he looked slightly upset then went back to his normal expressionless face.


    ¡°Alright everyone grab some sleep we have a busy day tomorrow¡± Alpha said sternly.


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± said everyone else and half a beat later ¡°Yes sir!¡± I stammered out.


    Ruby let out a chuckle, Beta looked pissed, and Andre whispered ¡° You got to work on that man.¡±

 Chapter 6: Hierarchy and Blobs of Food

    ¡°Jab. Jab. Hook,¡± Beta nodded in approval when as I demonstrated the moves. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ve never been trained before?¡± Beta looked with an eyebrow raised.


    ¡°No, growing up my parents always told me to avoid any kind of violence, so I never saw a reason to even think about fighting.¡± Beta nodded looking slightly confused, but still understanding. Watching Beta do combinations and demonstrating my understanding of them was how my first morning in this place was being taken up. Jab, Jab, side-step, ducking an invisible haymaker, Hook.


    ¡°Right there! You¡¯re good for someone who has never really fought, but I knew something was off,¡± Beta proceeded to mimic how I was throwing my ¡®hook¡¯ punch. ¡°See that, cause I can and probably all the other Betas will be able to see it. You¡¯re basically saying you¡¯re about to throw a punch with how much to load up. The best punches are ones they never see coming...if you can¡¯t land a hit, it doesn¡¯t matter how strong you are Omega. Remember that, I¡¯ll show you..square your shoulders and get your hands up.¡± Beta assumed his fighting stance and I followed. Sweat dripping down my body, my brain was frying itself anticipating this demonstration I knew was coming. Staring at Beta, I let out an exhale and with the slightest movement Beta¡¯s fist grew in size but it felt like my depth perception was off. The jab landed cleanly and my head shot back for what could¡¯ve only been maybe half a second. In that brief moment I felt a blow to the ribs on the right side of my body. My vision went blurry, it felt like a vacuum had been shoved into my lungs and all the air was taken out of them. My body couldn¡¯t move as I lay crumpled on the cold refreshing floor with spit dripping from my mouth.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough training for now Beta, we need to get ready for breakfast and morning exercises,¡± Alpha¡¯s said from across the room as he sat in his bed doing whatever he was busy doing. Beta¡¯s body stiffened. ¡°Yes sir! By the way kid, that¡¯s called a liver shot, one of the most painful kinds of hits you can feel. Figured we¡¯d get that out the way before you felt one when it matters. Think of it as another learning experience,¡± Beta said with a sly smile and a slight look of contempt in his eyes towards Alex.


    Andre and Ruby were sitting at the table where Ruby had been working on her projects the night before, ¡°Hey, Omega come sit with us for a bit before we head to the cafeteria,¡± Ruby said in a welcoming tone. ¡°So it occurred to me while I was asleep, that¡¯s where most of my ideas and solutions to problems come from, about The Arbitration¡­¡± she trailed off. ¡°Yeah. What about it,¡± I said mildly annoyed and rubbing my ribs where Beta hit.


    ¡°You¡¯re a freak,¡± she said. ¡° The Arbitration isn¡¯t like some normal test where you circle or write in an answer. There¡¯s physical components and hypothetical scenarios, and you¡¯re telling me you basically maxed it out in every category?¡± Ruby and Andre started to chuckle a bit and now Andre decided he wanted to chime in, ¡°What asshole lied t¡¯ ya bout somethin¡¯ like that?¡±


    ¡°Sovereign Leon Cromwell, Mr. Cromwell told me in person,¡± I said flatly and the two stopped chuckling.


    ¡°Holy shit, I guess you¡¯re the real deal then Omega,¡± Andre slapped me on my back ¡° To be honest I thought ya might¡¯ve been embarrassed about what ya did on the outside to get in here.¡±


    ¡°Well if you have the scores they say you had, then you¡¯ll live up to your job as Omega perfectly!¡± Ruby said energetically. ¡°And what exactly IS my job as the Omega, no one has told me yet!¡± a slight hint of annoyance could be heard in my voice. Ruby winks at me, ¡°Beta told you, kind of. He might have come off like a dick when he said it, but you don¡¯t have a specialty. So what do you think that means?¡± Her head tilted in my direction waiting for an answer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know...I figured it meant I was the lackey in the group,¡± the hint of annoyance was growing. ¡°Well that¡¯s one way to think about it, but you¡¯re more of an all around team support. What does being a specialist mean?¡±


    ¡°It means you¡¯re really good at one thing,¡± I said and Ruby and Andre nodded in agreement ¡°Exactly! One thing. YOU on the other hand aren¡¯t good at one thing,¡± Ruby said plainly. ¡° Oh wow, thanks for the pick-me-up this early in the morning..¡± I said sarcastically and Ruby carried on as if ignoring me. ¡°You aren¡¯t a specialist, your job is to be a Jack of All Trades and from the sounds of it, it looks like you have the aptitude to do this perfectly.¡±


    ¡°How does that old sayin¡¯ go though? My dad used t¡¯ say it a bunch talkin¡¯ about certain people,¡± Andre thought for a bit and snapped his finger at the ¡®Ah-Ha!¡¯ moment ¡°Jack of All Trades, Master of None.¡± Ruby nodded in agreement and my head hung and I shook it as if the negative gesture was wave away my growing sense of uselessness on the team. ¡°That¡¯s a saying from the Old World, but the full saying is "Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one" Ruby said and my heart lifted a bit. ¡°Omegas are generalists, you have to help out every position which often time gives off the appearance of being the weakest since you can¡¯t really specialize.¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that because Omegas have to help everyone else, they never have time to focus on what they want to do or what they¡¯re good at?¡± I said. ¡°Exactly!¡± Ruby said with a thumbs up. ¡°The general understanding and from a historical standpoint the Omegas have been the weakest members of the team,¡± she was about to continue, but a lightbulb went off in my mind and I finished the sentence for her, ¡°From a conceptual standpoint, we can be one of the strongest.¡± With a smile on her face she nodded approvingly ¡°If you think about it, the Alphas and Omegas are two sides of the same coin.¡±


    ¡°I get where y¡¯all are comin¡¯ from,¡± Andre said ¡° but in reality the Alpha members are easily the strongest members of each team and the Omegas have always sucked...sorry man no offense.¡±


    ¡°None taken,¡± I replied. ¡°But how many of the other Omegas had the potential that this one is expected to have from Sovereign Cromwell?¡± Ruby argued back. Andre shrugged his shoulders a bit and relaxed in his chair ¡°I don¡¯t know, but don¡¯t try fillin¡¯ his head with this crazy talk. Don¡¯t let that asshole with the mohawk hear ya and especially don¡¯t let Alpha hear y¡¯all talkin¡¯ like this.¡±


    ¡°Why does it matter it matter if one of them hears us?¡± I said with a puzzled look on my face. Andre sighed and shook his head ¡°Cause the way the hierarchy is NOW, you can think of Betas as enforcers for the Alphas. They hear you thinkin¡¯ you¡¯re on the same level as the Alpha that¡¯s basically sayin¡¯ you wanna challenge the Alpha.¡± Andre looked around the room to see where the two other guys were and lowered his voice even more. ¡°Look you can challenge for the Alpha spot, but typically the people in that position are so dominant no one ever does it and even fewer people have succeeded. None of the Alphas in the months I¡¯ve been here have ever been challenged.¡±


    ¡°Andre I don¡¯t want to challenge for the Alpha spot... at least not in the foreseeable future,¡± and Andre nodded in approval after hearing me say that and his body relaxed again. ¡°Good,¡± he said ¡° Just be careful with that kinda talk cause it can lead to an ass kickin¡¯. There is a reason why all the Betas are hand-to-hand specialists and there¡¯s a reason none of them challenge the Alphas.¡±


    ¡°Everyone get your training gear on and let¡¯s head out for breakfast.¡± Alpha said calmly yet sternly.


    ¡°You heard the man, get dressed and do it on the double!¡± Beta parroted.


    Both Alpha and Beta were wearing tight fitting clothing that seemed to have soft pads on all the joints and shoes that were covered in the soft pad material. The same clothes I had seen already packed into the drawers under my bed the night before. The only other clothes we had were all white and made for function, not style. In fact, the clothes lacked any kind of distinguishing features whatsoever, just plain white shoes, underwear, pants, and T-shirts. Slipping on the form fitting training gear the outfit fit almost too perfectly, as if they were tailor made to my exact measurements.


    ¡°Hurry up fucker, we don¡¯t have all morning!¡± Beta barked out, and I looked up to see that everyone else was waiting at the door looking at me.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± I slipped on my shoes and rushed towards the door. ¡°Alright lackey,¡± Beta said ¡°Open the door.¡± Annoyed I grab the handle on the massive door, ¡°Really...none of these assholes are willing to open the door. I have to do it?¡± I think to myself. As I pull, the door creaks a bit and moves maybe an inch. ¡°What the fu-?¡± puzzled I begin to pull harder and the door slowly opens inch by inch. Ruby let out an adorable, barely audible laugh; Andre was nodding in approval, and Beta was smugly smiling. ¡°Well if it¡¯s so entertaining why don¡¯t one of you help out?¡± I said as beads of sweat were forming and the dense door was slowly swinging open.


    ¡°No that¡¯s not how this works asshole,¡± Beta barked back ¡° I didn¡¯t tell them to help you, I told you to do it lackey. I say to do something you do it, I say jump you say how high. Is that concept getting through to you? Now open the damn door before I teach you another lesson.¡±


    ¡°Alright, calm down...I¡¯m opening it aren¡¯t I?¡± The doorway now had a gap in it large enough to fit everyone through one at a time. A monotone but recognizable voice spoke up ¡°That¡¯s enough, we can walk through, let¡¯s go. We¡¯re burning chow time.¡± The pitter patter of feet echoed in the cul-de-sac and for the first time I saw the members of the other teams making their way towards the cafeteria and my jaw dropped slightly in disbelief that this many other people were here. ¡°Hey, Omega..can you do me a favor?¡± Beta said in a tone nicer than usual. ¡°Sure, what¡¯s up?¡± I replied. ¡°Can you do me a favor and CLOSE THE FUCKING DOOR. Hurry up, we don¡¯t need the other teams raiding our shit.¡±


    I smiled ¡° Yeah no problem,¡± and grabbed the handle and mumbled ¡°How about you do it, fucking asshole.¡± The door slammed shut and I made my way back to the team. We walked down the passageway and made our way back to the large cavern and I can see where the floor sinks further into the Earth, The Pit. We make our way to one of the other snaking passageways and it opens up into a brightly lit room where concrete is replaced with marble walls and floors. A stainless steel conveyor belt is performing its never ending dance as it spits out trays holding different colored blobs of ¡°food¡± on them. A line of people forms and they each take their tray and sit at the tables in the eating area.


    ¡°Teams tend to eat together,¡± Andre said and I nodded in agreement.


    Surprisingly the blobs of food had a good flavor to them and we ate at an uncomfortable speed then placed the trays back on the conveyor belt where they disappeared into a slit in the wall. Alpha led the way to another one of the passageways which seemed to contain classrooms similar to those we were in during The Arbitration. Inside the classroom was the familiar man wearing a gas mask who I¡¯d come to know as Johnathan and standing next to him was The Rabbit. They waved us in and the Rabbit gestured to the 5 seats in the classroom, ¡°Welcome welcome, good to see you all alive and well! Well except your last Omega, kinda died in the last group training huh?¡± Rabbit let out a slight giggle as if her latter statement was some kind of funny joke.


    The Rabbit looked at each of the team members then stopped and stared at Alex.


    ¡°Well since at least one of you is new to the program, let¡¯s breakdown the basics.¡±