NOVEL WEB CHAPTER 26: It’s All Up to the Clicks
The next day, Atlas arrived at the arena, his eyes scanning the room as his students moved through their drills. He joined a few sparring sessions himself, ensuring he stayed sharp. His muscles ached pleasantly from the exertion, and as he wiped sweat from his brow, Alicia approached, a peculiar look in her eyes.
"Good news or bad news?" she asked, her tone flat.
Atlas chuckled, his curiosity was tickled. "Uh, both?"
Alicia sighed, the weight of the day already evident in her posture. "Well, the good news is, we’ve got eighteen actors ready to audition those lines for your movie. The bad news? Canada Post seems to have misplaced our robot dogs."
"Fuck," Atlas muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration. "The notion of Canada Post, with their sterling reputation for punctuality, impeccable attention to detail, and world-class service botching a delivery is shocking! Shocking, I say. Yes, completely unbelievable,"
Alicia rolled her eyes, enjoying his feigned disbelief.
She shook her head. "Well, the dogs aren’t here yet, and I don’t know when they’ll be here. We’ve got a tracker on the package, but they’re either in B.C. or Alaska."
"Great," Atlas thought, though he quickly shifted gears. "That’s okay. I’ve got another quick task for you."
Alicia raised an eyebrow, a mix of exasperation and curiosity in her gaze. "Another one?"
"This one’s easy," Atlas assured her, a mischievous glint in his eye. "You know how we’re ‘making a movie’?"
"Yes," Alicia responded cautiously, sensing there was more to it.
Atlas leaned in, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret. "We’re not making one."
"I knew we weren’t making a stupid movie. Considering how much it would cost just to make a YouTube documentary, there’s no way our gym could afford it," Alicia thought.
Atlas grinned, sensing her thoughts. "We’re not making a movie, but we are going to be doing a lot of filming. I want this all over social. I’ve already put together a nice fail compilation from everyone using the mannequins for the first time, and I’ve got this crew of guys that I hired. Lily helped me out with another quick call."
*Seriously, that Lily girl has been useful. I wonder why she didn’t want her name on the project,* Atlas mused.
Atlas continued gesturing towards a large man standing awkwardly in the corner. "Let me introduce you to Alyx."
Alyx was what one might call a classic neckbeard—over three hundred pounds, with a thick, untamed beard that merged with the tufts of hair peeking out from beneath his fedora. His round face was dominated by thick, black-rimmed glasses that seemed to magnify his small, dark eyes. He wore a black trench coat that didn’t conceal his bulging gut, and his pants, a size too tight, were held up by a worn leather belt. Alyx approached Alicia, tipping his fedora in an overly dramatic fashion, revealing a shiny bald spot on his head.
"Good day, m’lady," Alyx said in a faux British accent, reaching for her hand as if to kiss it.
Alicia quickly pulled her hand back, grimacing at the clammy pallor of Alyx’s skin. "Hi," she said tersely, clearly uncomfortable.
Alyx’s face fell slightly as he retracted his hand, wondering why this kept happening to him.
Atlas clapped Alyx on the shoulder, seemingly oblivious to the awkward exchange. "Alyx is our main coordinator. He’s going to be helping with the direction of the videos and shoots. Our basic goal is to get a ton of hype about our gym."
Alicia brightened slightly at the idea. "Hey, that’s a great idea."
"I’ve passed him some of the early training footage," Atlas continued, "and he’s already got some work together. I also want to introduce you to Alyx’s assistant, Emma. Emma, where did you—oh, there she is."
Emma stood in the corner, a stark contrast to Alyx. She was petite, standing at about 5'2", with dishwater-colored hair that fell limply around her pale face. Her eyes, a dull shade of gray, were hidden behind oversized glasses that seemed to swallow her delicate features. She wore an oversized hoodie that hung loosely on her thin frame, and her skinny jeans were frayed at the hems. Emma looked like she might blow away with a strong gust of wind. She did her best to blend into the wall, her demeanor screaming *don’t notice me*.
"She’s in charge of the actual compilation of videos, linking, and updating. Don’t look at her now—she’s very social online, but not so much in person."
Alicia offered a friendly wave. "Hi."
Emma glanced up briefly from her iPad, gave a curt nod, and then immediately returned to her screen.
Atlas chuckled. "Alright, this is going to be a really important part of our job, so keep on filming," he said, directing his last words to Alyx.
"Is there anything off limits?" Alyx asked, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Nope. Get everything. And I mean everything. The goal is to make these guys stars. I’ll also be fighting. Here are some audio tracks we listen to—don’t worry, they are copyright free."
"Perfect! I’ll get something up tonight. And then post daily."
As the day progressed, Atlas gathered the group back in the training room, ready for the next phase of his plan. But before they could move on, he pulled Alicia aside.
"Hey, Alicia, can we talk for a second?" he asked, his tone serious.
Alicia nodded curiously. "Sure, what’s up?"
Atlas leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. "I’ve been thinking a lot about our social media presence."
"Yeah, you’ve mentioned that before," Alicia replied, wondering where this was going.
"I want to stress how important it is," Atlas said, his gaze intense. "It’s not just about putting out content—it’s about building our brand, and our reputation. If we’re going to make this gym successful, we need people to know who we are. We need to be famous."
Alicia tilted her head, slightly confused. "Famous? Isn’t this more about membership sales and getting people in the door?"
"That’s part of it," Atlas admitted, his voice steady. "But think about it. If the Portal Crushers become a household name, if people are talking about us, following us, then we’re not just a gym—we’re a movement. People will want to be part of that. They’ll want to train here, fight here, and be like us."
Alicia considered his words, slowly nodding. "Okay, I see what you’re saying. So it’s not just about the local scene—you want us to go global."
"Exactly," Atlas said, a smile playing on his lips. "And social media is the key to that. We need to be everywhere—YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, you name it. We need people sharing our stuff, talking about us, hyping us up. It’s how we’ll attract the best fighters, the best talent. It’s how we’ll win."
Alicia looked at him thoughtfully. "I didn’t realize you were thinking that big."
Atlas chuckled. "I’m always thinking big, Alicia. But I need you on board with this. You’re great at managing everything, and I know you can help make this happen."
Alicia smiled, feeling a surge of excitement. "Alright, I’m in. Let’s make the Portal Crushers famous."
Atlas grinned, his eyes gleaming with determination. "That’s what I like to hear. Now, let’s get back to work."
*Muahaha, be ready my little sheep,* Atlas thought, his inner monologue dripping with amusement at how things were falling into place.
"Alright, guys, back in the room," he called out. The students assembled, a mixture of excitement and apprehension on their faces.
"Back to the portal. I hope you’ve had some time to think about what the portal was all about. Today, we’re going to do it a little differently."
He held up a stack of folded uniforms and patches. "Here, I’ve got new uniforms for you, and our new Portal Crusher patches."
The patches, emblazoned with the words *Portal Crusher* in black and red, were handed out along with what looked like military uniforms and web harnesses. These uniforms weren’t cheap surplus. Atlas had sourced them from the same company that manufactured them for foreign dictators. They had both stock and custom uniforms. *Seriously, who needed custom purple camo?* Atlas had gone with a digicam dialed in from what he remembered the wasteland looked like. *Camoflauge wouldn’t fool skeletons, but if there were bandits around, it’d help.*
"We’ve got some friends who are going to help you out," Atlas announced as the actors filtered into the room, mingling with the students.
The students looked around nervously. The presence of outsiders heightened the tension in the air, especially since many of them wore odd outfits—nightshirts, pyjamas, and in one case, just a dude wearing a pair of tighty-whiteys, which garnered a few leering looks from Brent.
Two of the female actresses wore what appeared to be fancy lingerie, which was either their actual sleepwear or an attempt to catch someone’s eyes for the job.
Atlas and the Portal Crushers got into the sand positions in the portal room, as they were in yesterday.
“Lights, camera, action!” Alyx called out, signalling the start of the scene.
“Portal countdown initiated,” s voice boomed through the speakers. “10… 9… 8… 7… 6…”
This time, the students knew what was coming, but the tension was palpable. As the countdown reached zero, the lights flashed, and the portal simulation began.
But what happened next shocked them all.