> day.51
Expert Mode. Alex learns fast. She whirls around a horde of Dummies, twirling a heavy white pole around the Training Chamber, leaps and flips off the walls, knocking the nose off one Dummy, bashing the breath out of another, dancing and flowing between her helpless victims with mechanical precision.
Training module complete. Score: 100%
Next module: Virtual combat. She brushes off her white sweatsuit, slicks back her short cropped platinum hair, slides her white helmet on, and loads into the game:
> Integrating into Aeschylus Cyber Defense System
> Integration successful
Here it comes: the rush of integration. Alex takes a deep breath in, braces her soul for the shock of the survivors screaming in the wreckage, the forests ablaze just outside the town, the empty fruit market, the power plant erupting, the bitter winter, the bodies frozen in their homes, the constellation of drones peering down at them, the invisible rays and top secret satellites linking them to the cold Bay where Alex dissolves into data, blue and red rings interlocking, beeping twice.
Beepbeep.
It’s over. The upward rush stops.
“Don’t analyze it,” she reminds herself. “Just keep moving.”
She soars into the cool night air, white hot bullet, burns across the full moon, bombs down into a pack of werewolves with crushing force, blasting them into pieces, scattering them across the forest in a wave of pitiful yelps and howls. Bats shriek and scurry away in clouds of dust as the shining white hunter rises from the crater, claiming the reward:
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
The moment of simulated bliss. The pure peace of the void between worlds. No Complex. No Palace. No Aeschylus. Alex can finally just exist, if only for an instant.
Aeschylus pulls her back down to earth again.
Training module complete. Score: 100%
Next module: Psychological recalibration.
Alex sits cross-legged on the lonely Training Chamber floor. Gentle messages fade in and out of her eyes, leading her through a guided meditation:
Hold
Alex takes a big breath in, inhaling all the room’s precious energy, all her precious memories, holds them tight to her heart, holds the fresh air in her blood as sh̵͍͇͒̓e̸̡͖͌ remem̷b̶e̸r̸s̷ M̴̢̪̀̅o̷̗͗ḿ̵̠ͅ ̸͇̒͘ǎ̸͇͖n̴̜͊d̷̖̿ ̷̯͚̅Ǎ̶̢͕͋ư̷̢̳̋ñ̸̯̉t̸̯̻͗̔ỉ̸̬̠͘e̶͓͖̓͂ ̷͘ͅC̴͖̄a̶͓̚s̷̢̳͋̋s̵̟̝̓̈ ̸̺͗i̷̼͚͝n̷̯͖̐̑ ̷̞͎̋t̴̢̝̀h̴̻̔͛e̶̞͐ ̶̬͓̋̕g̴̟̃a̴͕͇͝͝r̴̻̞̐d̸̺̦̎e̶̮̗̔́n̴̰̭̓͘ ̸͇͆b̵̗̈́͒r̸̛̃ͅĕ̷̥̽e̷͕͘z̸̩̓͛è̷͓͉,̵̮̜̆͝ ̴͙̫́́š̶̖͗ȏ̸͕̖ ̷̫̥̈́p̴͈̾͠r̵̳̓̐o̶͖̓ǘ̶͎̓d̶̠͉̆͆ ̴̘̑̊o̴̖͑͐f̸͙̝̏ ̸̡̈́h̸̟̃e̸͓͉̾r̵͉̃͜ ̴̨̼̄a̷̤͑̌ŕ̴͎ͅt̴̝̆̆͜ẅ̸͎́̓o̵̥̐ṟ̵̃̉ͅk̶̤̍.̷̙̀́ ̸̙͐͜Ċ̶̜́ͅȧ̸͖̦̅ȑ̵ͅs̴̡̳͐ò̵̡̤n̴̥̥̈́̊ ̷̢̨̌ŕ̴͚͑ủ̸͎͎̓n̸̛͍̯n̴̡̏ͅí̷̪̖̋n̵̖̼͛̀g̵̺̽ ̶͍͊͋t̵͎̊̊h̸͕̋̑ṙ̷͉o̷̻͑͋ṳ̶̤͂̑g̴̹͋h̸̞͎̿̔ ̸̲͑̆t̸͒̇͜h̷̪̐͊ẹ̴͚̇̇ ̸̼̼̕ş̶̘͑́u̶͈͌ǹ̶̠̕n̵͚̍y̶̻͝ ̵͇̄f̸̾͜͝l̸͉̇͐ỏ̸̭͔͘ẁ̴̯̦͛e̸̺̎͊͜ȑ̴̼̓s̵͚͔̎̕.̷̘̌́ ̴̯̯̔Ṭ̴̽h̸̼̬̋̀e̸̖͗͑ ̷̮̉n̵̮͒͝i̸̤̊͋g̵̲̭̓h̸͍̎͐t̷̘̃̏ ̸̛͖̆ĭ̵͉n̸͙̉ ̴̳̓̍ṱ̴͍̚̚h̸̬̰̑͑e̴̻͙̓͌ ̷͈̉͆B̴̧̋ü̸̼̃ṉ̴̛̄k̴̡̮̇è̵̟̞̎r̸͕̎̕.̶̺̚͝ ̵̪͘T̵̘̋́ḩ̷͓̏ę̸̠̄ ̸͔̐̀m̸̗̃o̷̪̕ṟ̴̌͘n̵̩̺̈́̐ĭ̵̩n̸̥̓̓͜g̷͖̼͊ ̵̤͍̆̚í̵̦̦n̸̜͆ ̷̥̕t̶͕̹̔͝h̵̜͝͝e̷͍̝͝ ̴͓̭̉l̵̩̀ỉ̶̫̺v̷̨͓̇ì̸͈n̵̺͚͐g̵͔͒̉ ̸͖̣̎͝r̸̠̝̈́ȏ̷̜̍o̷͎̎͜m̶͕̯͋̋.̶̙̠͐̀ ̵̖̌͐T̵͋͜h̴͕̍̌e̷̞͋ ̶͔͙͋̾ğ̶̞̱̓r̸̼̓̈́ę̴̂́ę̶͈̔ń̸̯͠ ̷̜͒̍ḧ̷̻ě̵̫̀d̵̤͑͠g̶͐͝ͅe̷̩̓̌s̷̹̰̾̚ ̷͕̳̑à̸͚n̶͙͗d̸̮̈ ̷̱͉́m̷͈̑a̶̟͐r̵̪̠̈͝b̶͇͍͒l̸̝̇̚ě̷̫̂ ̷̛̘̈́ͅș̵̙͛ț̴͌͑a̸̧̛t̴̛̘u̶̺͓̒͠e̴̤̽s̶̜̩̒ ̶̺͔̎ó̷͕̰f̶͕̀̕ ̴͍͝͝t̵͇̎̓h̸̘͕̉e̷͎͋ ̸̜̃f̵̟͂r̷̝̊ō̷̗͇̃n̶̺̈́̈́ͅť̶̘ ̵̩̉̕͜c̸͖͔̎ó̸̰̹u̶̡͐r̴͕̀t̵͕͓̏̐y̸͚̑͋a̶͖̅̈́r̸̨̹̈́͂d̴͖̫͒ ̸͔̅̓w̸̞̆ā̶̡̖̀v̷̭̥̓̊i̸̺͆́n̶̠̉͂͜ġ̴͔ ̶̢̓g̷͚̐̕õ̷̞̳ö̸̲́̈́d̶̤͂̓b̶̳̝̕y̶̬̆̏ę̷̲͛̓ ̷̧̕a̸̬̽̍s̷̛͉ ̸̢͓̈́̀ṭ̴̎́͜h̸̤͌͑ë̶̫́ ̵̡̡͑͐d̵̜̋͜͝ȏ̷̭̭ỏ̸̧́r̴̲̂ ̸̻̈́t̶̘̤̍ó̴͕ ̶̄ͅt̴̙͛ḩ̴̖͒̽ȅ̶̳ ̶̙͖̿͊b̴̻̳͊̑ĺ̵̯ä̵̳́c̴̢̺̽k̸̪̰̽͛ ̴̙̀g̷̳̓͜u̷͖̙̎͝n̴̥̰͑͝s̸̹̱͆h̴̯̰͋̍ī̵̲͓̾p̴̡̪̆ ̵̠̐͛ͅs̶̱͗̇e̵͉͑͋a̵̲̜͆l̷͕̚s̶͉̪̒͛ ̵̢̦͛s̸͙̿͠h̵̻͑̕u̷̡̼̅ṭ̶͊.̸̦͒͛