Elements of Earth: The Element Trials

Synchronous 6; An exploration of subcutaneous memories: Blackout Trial Part 1

I wake up in Kira's body. I am confused to still be in the indoor auditorium where the judges address the elements. The primary judge continues to speak. "There are thirty bags for the thirty participating tens. This trial will take place in the labyrinth surrounding this auditorium. The goal of this trial will be to retrieve the flag." The primary judge points to the center of the auditorium. Standing there was a three-story structure. A combination between a hill and a tower rising between a wide gap in the rafters. On one side was an easy slope. On the other was a sheer brick wall. I poke Marcus.

He takes some time, presumably to adjust the lenses he'd grown in his eyes, his newest trait, before giving me a briefing. "I can just make out that some bricks are missing, others jut out. There should be plenty of handholds." He whispers to me.

The judge continues to speak. "All ten's will be escorted, blindfolded, to random starting locations, determined by which gear bag you choose. When you hear two chimes remove your blindfolds and the trial will start." The judge looked up from the podium. "Send forward your commander to choose a gear bag when your element is called ."

"Lithium." Lithium's commander retrieved their gear bag then their ten was blindfolded and led into one of the ten entrances to the labyrinth. The same happened with oxygen and carbon. Since our Intel was to choose the bag three to the left of the bag of the one Salt picks, we don't have any way of knowing if they've taken our bag. "Sodium." Sodium's commander, Salt, approached and made a show of wandering and hesitating before finally choosing a bag in the middle left part of the row. Even though I won't be the one choosing, I take careful note of which bag he took.

"Aluminum." Aluminum's commander, now with a metal arm and claw where real flesh once was, walked to the right part of the row but didn't choose a bag. He turned and looked directly at my ten before looking down the opposite side of the row. As he walked that way I realized he had followed the gaze of Dak, who as our commander would be the next to choose. I knuckled Dak in his side. Just before Aluminum looked towards us again Dak stopped looking at the bag we need. Aluminum stared at the empty spot where Salt's bag had rested. He looked at the ones to the left and the right of the empty space. "Aluminum you have two seconds." Aluminum grabbed a bag, but it wasn't until he began returning to his ten, no longer blocking our view, that I knew it wasn't our bag. It was the one just to the right of it.

"Silicon." Dak made a show of indecision. He mimed Aluminum's actions by looking at the faces of the other commanders as if to see which they wanted, but not staying too far from our bag. "Silicon, choose now." He took a few steps and grabbed our bag before returning to us. The guards blindfolded us. They led us around in circles until they were certain we wouldn't be able to find our way back.

"How much longer do you-" Someone hissed cutting off 1's words. I empathize with his impatience, but he should know better than to give away our position. We don't know how big the labyrinth is or how near other tens are. Two tones chimed over the announcement speakers and we removed our blindfolds. We found ourselves in a four-way intersection.

"Move over there." Dak gestured a little way down one of the hallways so we would be visible from only two of the corridors. "4 and 3 watch the intersecting corridors, 1 watch down this hall and 2 in the other direction."

4 put his back to the wall at the corner of the intersection. He positioned himself so he could just see down the hall opposite him without exposing himself. 3 mirrored him on the other side.

Dak and I open the bag. I smiled. "Is it still Christmas if you know what you're going to get?"

Dak didn't smile, but he replied just as playfully. "I don't see why not." In the bag were a first aid kit, rations, a knife, a compass, and a large box. I open the box to find the expected night scope. It was a hulking fragile thing kept safe in shaped padding. I gently handed the scope to Dak before tearing the padding out. "Shit." I threw the box at the ground. "The maps not here!"