Random thoughts and stuff

The game

"Breed to be strong, for the weak will be weeded out by the inability to proceed." That's what mother always told us. Of course she wasn't our real mother, she was the one the government selected to raise us till she dies and passes on the job. We're the kids that the government has elected to start the new race. The race of unstopables. Some of us greatly enjoyed this idea, but most of us knew few would last through basic, and even few would last to the end. Wed been raised here with mother and father since we were born. Most of us are between 10 and 15. When we turn sixteen a date on the calendar is set for us to go through "basic". It's like the military's basic training or boot camp but much harder because we've lived this way our whole lives everyday learning more or growing stronger. At first we were split boys with father and girls with mother, boys to learn to fight and feed and girls to learn to heal and protect our male counter parts. We were assigned a buddy the first day we were in here and our pair had a number. We would stick together for our whole lives, the perfect dynamic duo. At night we sleep in respective bunkers males with father females with mother. But during the day we are expected to train all day and sometimes they pick a failing pair and use them to experiment, sometimes they live... sometimes they don't. We aren't given real names, just numbers. But when we make it through basic i've been told we will be given names. One day i asked mother why and her only response was, "The strong are given names because to name something is to deem it important and only the strong are important because they are the only ones that will make it out alive. And well, let's be honest, why would you wanna attach yourself to something knowing it's going to die." After telling me this she left me in the dark barracks alone with the hundred something other sleeping girls.

Skip forward 9 years from that day, and i'm still waking up in that same set of barracks but only with half the girls. The lifestyle is rough but it's what the people need. We will one day become strong soldiers who will protect the common folk.

At least that's what i thought till the day of my sixteenth birthday. Which was yesterday.

I knew to be expected in the back office by noon. The facility is like a big jungle but there is a very big electric fence around it. There were few cases where people tried to escape but in all cases they ended up dead, either by the shock of the fence or the bullet of a player or soldier following orders. The issue for me however is crossing the facility, i live in the front and we aren't allowed to have cars. We are expected to make best of our time or run everywhere. Some of us got a little smarter and made bridges across trees and treehouses. After all, there are no rules against it so long as it does not damage the trees we are allowed to do as we please. We are only allowed to cut down certain trees, but we can build on the rest so long as the tree can still live.

However this does make securing our houses from other players. Some of us call this life "the game" others call it a military base. I personally call it fucked up. But if i had to pick id say its a game. In the game there isn't any rules for us to abide by concerning the other players. Were to do as were told by mother father and the other masters and generals, but other than that we are free to either destroy those around us or build alliances till we graduate basic. And there is no failing it and coming back, you pass or die trying.
I decided because i was running behind id take the treetops because they were throwing a party on the ground the new batch of younglings. I knew the party was only their way of warning off some of the more aggressive olders making sure we knew to give them a week or so to settle before we start our usual routines. I slinked my way quietly across the trees jumping from one to another quickly making my way across the compound.

I swing down from the last tree landing in front of the guards of the gates surprising the newer one. You can always tell which guards are new because even if they look and act the same the new ones always jump.

I bow, as is the rule, and quietly slink past them into the main office. My partner is also 16 today. That's one requirement of partners, same year and within two months of age. He and i just happen to be on the same day and year. I made my way up to the stairs and made my way to the thirtieth floor. The only building taller than 5 stories and also the only one with a view of the outside world.

We aren't allowed past the 5th floor of the building until our 16 year meeting or if we are being taken in for experiments. I finally get to the thirtieth floor and stand in front of the giant double doors, i look around for 007 (my partner) as the guard announces my arrival through the door. Just as i'm beginning to give up and expect death beyond the double doors surely enough 007 makes his way through the open window. He manages to come to attention beside me just as the doors creak open and we are invited inside.

We walk in and the doors shut behind us as a guard shows us to our seats at the end of the table in the middles of the room. On the table theres two plates full of fresh warm food. Immediately neither of us trust it but we sit anyways, we know better than to accept food from the government but we also know better than to disobey an order.

Soon after we take seats mother father and a few other figures who reek of importance walk in and fill the empty seats.