create

10. restart

"How did you get out? The last time I saw you you were so weak that you had difficulties speaking, and all of a sudden I see you stumbling around in a hallway one floor above your quarter...", Matt said after having it made down the stairs carefully.
"Don't put me in there...", Sylver whispered, rocking back and forth slightly, "Just bring me away from here... from these... monsters... murders... from all of this brutality..."
Matt sighed. "These training grounds you saw there were for the elemination rounds of new recruits for Squad 0. Their methods are... unpleasant sometimes. Only the best get into a Squad, and only the best of the best get into mine. It's quite funny actually. My Squad is the most feared, nobody really wants us near them, but still there are more contendors than for any other Squad, and if there was a war I am certain that those nearest to me will feel the safest. Power isolates. It brings many people near but none close. Snuff, Eyelash, Ass... nobody really wants to get to know them. And it is the same with me and the other squadcaptains. I am respected, but not liked.", Matt said, and there was so much sadness in his words and in the way he said them that Sylver felt a stabbing pain in her chest, "Anyways, I will bring you away from here, no worries. You'll get a room, you'll receive training, and as soon as you're ready a squad will claim you. I already did preeliminary, but I see now that you are not a person of pain... of brutality... we'll see though I guess. From what Ass told me, you'll be quite a popular choice, and it would be your full right to stay away from the freaks that we are... I'm losing track of my topics. How did you get up there even, I'll ask again?"
Wow.
That was much to take in.
Sylver thought for a while, letting out her breath in relief when Matt walked past the double-door.
"What kind of training should I receive?", Sylver asked after some more steps, "And do I even have a choice? Is there no way I can get out of The Cave, and just... start a new life somewhere?"
Matt chuckled. "Oh darling", he said, and Sylver felt her heart began to ache. So far only Damion and Goldie had called her that, and his death had been too similar to the one of the woman she had just witnessed, and thinking of Goldie almost made her cry out loud. "Nobody can escape The Cave", he continued, still sounding sad, "Once you've been inside they only let you go out for missions. But you always get ordered back in. Always. And if you don't accept that you'll get killed. It sucks, but the sooner you accept that the better. As for your training... you'll be taught how to fight, with and without weapons, and you'll receive elemental training as well. And judging by the nature of your skills, I'll be your teacher in that field. Just so you know... you won't be able to avoid me if you had planned to ..."
"Hold on a second!", Sylver said, confused.
Matt opened the door at the end of the corridor and went through.
"You hold on too!", he said, then asked, "Can you stand?"
At Sylver's nod he slowly lowered her feet to the ground. She nearly collapsed but managed to hold on to Matt's arm, and he helped her stand straight. "Thanks...", she whispered.
When they began walking Matt left his arm extended and Sylver held onto it, grateful.
They didn't walk far, as, after they turned a corner to the right, they reached three elevators.
Matt went to the left one, pressed the 'Call'-button, and not even a second later the door opened and they went into the cabin that had mirrors on every surface.
Matt pressed a button with a big 'Q' on it, the doors closed, and they began to move to the side.
"Please, continue!", he said.
Sylver blinked once. Then she remembered and asked, "Elemental training? What...? How? I'm no Elemental! And don't Elementals have to touch one of these strange stones first? Because I tried, and, well, I lost my arm because of it..."
Matt looked down into her eyes.
After a few uncomfortable seconds he said, "You really have no clue, do you? So it is true... the secrets are kept, well, kind of well at least. Who would've guessed... You are right. To gain elemental abilities one has to touch a stone. But what is unknown to the public is that every person in this whole world can only touch one stone. The one which's element the person is destined for. For instance, you saw two guys throwing fire at each other. Those two both touched the Stone of Fire. If any of those two had tried to touch a stone different than the Stone of Fire, or if either tried right now, the stone would defend itself. Nobody knows why. So when you tried to touch the Stone of Acid, it defended itself against you, for you are not a person the stone is allowed to give its power to."
Sylver had to blink again. That made no sense. Goldie had touched at least 20, she had said so herself, and her bag had been full too.
But Sylver didn't dare ask. For some reason keeping this secret seemed important to her.
Instead she asked, "But I did not touch any other stone... I never got the chance to, I ran after my arm was lost, and there was no other ..."
She looked away. Yes there had been...
"Yes there was", Matt said, "Ass told me. When you were in the Watchtower. Do you remember? A jagged stone?"
Sylver didn't respond. She couldn't. She just nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek once again.
Goldie had been hit. Had she survived?
Sylver couldn't even ask.
"So what now? I'm one of you now? What if I don't want to be though? What if I refuse?", Sylver challenged Matt, and she thought and hoped to have found a way out when he hesitated.
But Sylver was wrong.
He answered hesitantly, "You asked me earlier if there was any way to start a new life. The thing is... the life I described to you, it's the closest thing to a restart that you'll get. In The Cave you either fight or you die. There is no alternative. Train. Fight. Join a squad. That way you'll at least get out sometimes. I'm sorry for you, I am, but there is nothing I can do..."
Ding.
Fuck.
The elevator's doors opened. Infront of them was a very long, broad hallway with doors leading left and right every few metres. The doors had numbers on them, and more corridors to the left and right at the far end of the one they were looking at promised even more rooms.
Matt took out a phone.
"Since Ass confirmed our speculations and gave me your name I could formally request for a room for you. I actually was on my way to tell you when we met. Anyways, I've received your roomnumber now. Follow me!", Matt said to her, extending the arm again that Sylver hadn't even realised she had stopped holding onto.
But Sylver had too much on her mind for holding onto Matt again, so after a while he shrugged and they both began walking in silence, Matt slightly infront of Sylver.
The silence didn't last though, much to Sylver's inconvenience. They walked past what seemed a hundred doors. Sylver saw no sign of any numbers on them, so who knew how The Cave managed all of this. Bunch of asshats (hehe). "I might as well tell you how your time here is gonna look like...", Matt disturbed her train of thoughts, "You will have exactly seven days to learn how to fight, both physically and elementally. After that point your comrads are allowed to kill and severely hurt you as they wish. So making friends certainly won't be a bad thing, but not making enemies should be of a higher priority to you. Your roommate will be your go-to-person in the upcoming week regarding any questions, and he or she will guide your training process. Elemination Fights and Dominance Fights can happen at any time of the day, any day. Just not two days in a row. For an EF to happen there has to be a formal request first. Hope it doesn't happen to you, I won't be able to stop it no matter what I do. You will join a Squad sooner or later. I have already requested to have you but the other captains won't have that. When I show interest prematurely they know I have something up my sleeve, and they hate Squad 0 enough already, without me grabbing the most powerful or most promising people whenever I want to. So people will be watching you constantly, just so that you are aware... sorry for my reputation I guess... and also... oh wait, we're here!"
They stopped infront of a door. One like all the others. Plain grey. Nothing special.
"Wow.", Sylver said, "So how the fuck should I differentiate this one from all the others we just passed?"
Matt looked confused for a moment.
What the fuck was Sylver getting herself into here?
Then he smiled while grabbing into his pocket to get out a small wristwatch, and he said, "Excellent point! Well, I counted the doors, all the way up to 137, which is your number by the way, but you get this here of course!"
He handed it to her. It had a display that did not show the time, instead right at that moment all it showed was the glowing blue number 137.
"This little masterpiece will also help you keep track of your training sessions and any EFs and DFs happening. Again, let's hope that doesn't happen. So yeah... I mean... 13 and 7. An unlucky number and a lucky number. Seems to promise fun!", Matt said, and he opened the door while continuing, "Let's meet your new roommate!"