Cytronica

Thirty-two

Hour two

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Beck asked. "There's a lot of people in here."

"I guess they all had the same plan," Jiaying said, staring at the two hundred other students filling the learning centre. Not that it mattered, of course, as the giant building could hold a lot more than that—it was about as big as their entire school. The centre comprised of several sections, including a museum, art gallery, and archives. The group, however, kept to the first area—the library.

"Look at them," Diego said. "Half of them look happy."

Priya made her way to a nearby table and sat away from the public. "That's because they're mostly all Legion. They're excited."

Diego followed and sat beside her. "They have no idea what's coming."

"Neither do we."

"Alright, we need a plan," Jiaying said. "I say we stay here for most of the tournament. Knowing Hunter, the worst stuff will happen outside."

"I agree," Beck nodded. "This place is huge. Lots of rooms to hide in."

"But it might also mean we get trapped," Diego warned. "I kind of like the idea of staying close to the exit. In fact, why don't we just find a car and drive off into the sunset?"

The sound of two hundred comms beeping simultaneously blared throughout the room, catching everyone's attention. The students all looked at their wrists. It was 5PM, and an automated message had come through:

Welcome! The grace period is over. Let's get this show on the road and start off with something big. Civil and economic stability at zero. Bot peace at zero. Have fun!

Diego's eyes widened as he read the words. "Zero?" he repeated. "Bot peace at zero?"

"Wow," Priya breathed. "Hunter's right; he's starting off big."

"Zero," Beck said. "We haven't gone that low before, have we?"

Jiaying shook her head. "Nope. The lowest we ever did was fifty, and that was intense enough."

Shouting at the other end of the room interrupted the discussion. The foursome wheeled around and saw a librarian glaring at the sea of students, her face furious.

"You can't be in here!" she roared. "This library is now permanently closed!"

"That was quick," Beck sighed.

"Don't give me that," Kurt fought back, standing toe to toe with the librarian. Everyone in the room watched on.

"Is that Kurt?" Diego asked.

Priya snorted. "Who else would it be?"

The librarian pressed her face against his. "Get out of here," she growled. "Now!"

Kurt laughed and looked at the five friends standing behind him. "Make me," he taunted.

Jiaying smirked. "This should be interesting."

The librarian continued staring down Kurt for another few seconds before swinging her arm outwards, her fist slamming into his jaw. He stumbled backwards. His friends held their hands out instinctively, ready to catch him.

But his body had already vanished.

Diego shrieked. "Oh my god. Did you see that? He's ..."

Beck's jaw dropped. "He's been eliminated. Just like that."

Priya cupped her hands over her mouth. "Whoa. Hunter said they'd scaled down the pain tolerance or something. One hit was all it took."

The librarian marched forward and grabbed one of Kurt's friends by the collar. "I said out!" she screamed.