The Group Project

~Chapter 9~

After making our deal, we sat in silence, waiting for Jon and Bea to finish their interviews. The din of the other survivors discussing their experiences with the panels filled the air, making it hard to concentrate. I could tell Gannon was itching to discuss more, but he wisely held back, understanding that the crowded environment was not conducive to privacy.

Finally, Jon and Bea joined us, looking equally as bewildered and curious as we were. We huddled together, eager to share and compare notes.

"Getting grilled about potential superpowers by Major Bran was not on my bingo card today." Bea said, looking around at us.

Jon nodded and rubbed his temple, "Yeah, the same set of questions over and over. Getting through everyone is gonna take a while."

"True, but who isn't curious? These freaky ass screens are saying we have powers now, people always go crazy for power." I replied.

"Mars is right, there's always someone who wants more power and influence." Bea said as she sat down.

Gannon raised an eyebrow. "But what if they're looking for potentially dangerous abilities?"

"That's possible," Jon said, nodding. "but they could just be investigating how diverse these powers could be."

We continued to discuss our traits and the possible implications that could arise from them while we waited for General Mertens' announcement. We came to some grim topics; their potential use for murder, the potential to be frightening powerful, or the chance that some traits could be seen as taboo. The tension in the air was palpable; everyone seemed to be on edge, and the Sentinels patrolling the area didn't help ease our nerves.

Finally, she stepped up to a makeshift podium, her expression stern and authoritative. The crowd hushed immediately, all eyes on her.

"Attention, everyone," she began, her voice carrying over the murmurs of the crowd. "I know you all have questions about what's happening. We are still gathering information ourselves, but here's what we know: these panels, traits, and perks appear to be some kind of advanced paranormal phenomena."

She paused, allowing the information to sink in before continuing. "We're doing our best in this unprecedented situation so we please ask that you bear with us. In the meantime, we need to maintain order and continue our daily routines as best as we can. We're in this together, and by working together, we can adapt to these changes and survive whatever comes next."

As General Mertens opened her mouth to speak, the system once again interrupted. Numerous purple panels begin to pop up and block my point of view.

[System Initiating Tutorial Data... ]

[Activating Tutorial Assistant... Loading Mission Data... ]

[Loading Trial Realms... Loading Sanctums... Activating Tutorial Missions]

-

[-Main Tutorial Mission-]

[Survival Mission: Survive the Tutorial.]

[Time Limit: Six Months.]

[Reward: ???]

-

[-Tutorial Mission 1-]

[Elimination Mission- Hunt and kill a Savage to activate your traits!]

[Reward 1- Core Trait activation.]

[Reward 2- One random Sub-Trait.]

My body froze after registering those words. Hunt and kill. We were being ordered to hunt, kill, and survive. Others soon realized the gravity of the situation as the silence soon turned into whispered murmurs, quickly gaining volume and resonating as screams. Dozens of cries and shouts began to reverberate through base walls. I began to reread the screen once again and looked over to Jon with wide eyes. He met my gaze and returned a frightened look. Gannon was looking forward with a blank face and an open mouth before I called his name.