The Quantum Games

Chapter Eight

“In the relentless pursuit of power, one must tread the fine line between ambition and destruction.” – E.B.

Full Team

“Will, do you need to bring that thing to the kitchen every time? I think this is a relatively safe space,” James questioned as Will placed Kenobi next to him, leaning against the table as the team convened for dinner on the second night of the intermission cycle.

“Firstly, it’s Kenobi,” Will started, only to have Frank’s voice second his comment.

“Damn right, it is.”

“Thanks, Frank.” Will looked over with amusement as the boy continued his ritual of sloppily eating his BBQ bacon burger freshly created by the cook-less kitchen. “But as I was saying, IT has a name. All great swords do, and per my guidance from various training tutorials our team has spent our precious points on, that I, for one, do not want to waste; I am supposed to treat this sword as if it were an extension of me. Now, I ask you, would an extension of me not want to get invited to dinner?”

“Okay, but I draw the line at you using the sword like a fork this time.” Trish smiled.

“That was a test, and it was more of a knife reference than a fork. Don’t you dare call my sweet Kenobi to a fork. I just had to see how efficiently it could cut my chicken.”

Outside of meals, the team had been diligently working on bettering themselves through either their energy control, skill modification, or, in Will’s case, bladed battle combat. This was a relatively new concept for him. Unlike Tuck’s unique background in track as a hammer thrower, Will had no prior history of wielding a blade or weapon. Luckily for him, the system had a detailed analysis of combat strategies, footwork, movement guidance, and level-based battle scenarios to practice those new learnings. On the ten-level path to system competency, Will completed a level 6 scenario facing a digital titan with limited penetration points due to thick armor covering it.

“You know what we should be commenting on?” Will said, attempting to change the subject. “How the heck am I able to eat chicken while Frank is over there downing a burger, and we are nowhere near any other life forms.”

“Really?” Trish questioned Will with a skeptical look on her face.

“Yes, really. Does nobody else question that?”

“So you question how you are eating ‘chicken,’” Trish used her fingers to quote saying chicken, “but you can easily believe that it makes perfect sense that we can all manipulate the world around us via molecular and quantum interactions?”

“Yes?” Will’s voice started to hesitate.

“Oh, so you don’t find it hard to believe that the broader Cosmos that is potentially trillions of years ahead of us in technology and advancement in powers similar to ours hasn’t mastered something as simple as molecular engineering of taste and substances?”

“I think I see where you are going with this one, and I don’t think I will be able to stop you.”

“Yes, because, of course, this isn’t real chicken. Seriously, it’s like I live with a bunch of brilliant idiots,” Trish commented as Frank’s hands dropped towards the table with his burger still in hand.

“Wait, this isn’t a real burger?” Frank questioned, looking around the table.

“Ugh. Frank, I am glad you and I are on the same page, but I am starting to think having you on my side may hurt my credibility…” Will remorsed but caught the sight of James’ egg at the table, “Wait a second, why isn’t anyone complaining about the egg at the table?”

Frank suddenly jumped out of his seat. “Her name is Rose! And she is as much a part of the team as anyone else!”

“Whoa, Frank, all right, it was a bad joke. I am sorry.”

“Trish and I were hoping Rose would have joined us for this meal, but it seems she is still a bit shy,” James offered to the table as he rubbed the eagle egg.

“Any more progress on the energy alignment?” Emy asked both James and Trish.

“Safe to say that James and I are a bit stuck right now. Even with the Professor giving us additional guidance. Rose seems fully bonded to James and on the verge of hatching any moment. I am starting to worry that I may miss the little girl’s entrance into our world once you guys get taken into the Fifth Level,” Trish commented, ending with a bit of sadness in her voice.

“You still have a chance, right?” Tuck questioned, eager to meet the new teammate as the team looked toward Trish and James.

"Well, yeah. I mean, it could happen right now…” Trish paused, her eyes locking onto the egg. As if on cue, the egg gave a sudden rattle, causing everyone to jump and stare at it in anticipation. But just as quickly, it settled, and the energy around it calmed. “Just like that, I think she is just trying to play with our hearts now.”

“She will join us when she is ready,” James said, smiling. “Anyone else able to make any last-minute breakthroughs?”

Tuck, Nadia, and Emy all looked at each other and smiled.

"Wait, what was that look about? Did you guys make a breakthrough?" Trish noticed the interaction between the three and blurted out.

"We may want to take a group trip to the Arena," Emy answered with a knowing smile.

***

The whole group, including Williams, now stood inside the arena near the outer wall, their eyes fixed on a mini-mountain that reached towards the very peak of the Hangar. Frank had set up the arena simulator to generate a natural mountain for the team to showcase their new capabilities. The sides of the feature were composed of thick rock faces, presenting a challenging and rugged surface for those who might attempt to climb. Despite being a newly created simulation, it appeared as if natural wear and erosion had taken their toll on the mountain, with numerous cracks running vertically down the sides. Looking upward, ledges encircled the entire formation, creating a series of natural shelves every 10 meters as they ascended.

“Coach, want to take part in some bets?” Will jested towards Williams. “I am assuming these three will try and climb this thing.”

“Oh no, no. I don’t think that would be wise for anyone here. I think these three already know who is going to win.”

“What? What’s the fun in that?” Will said, deflating a bit.

“We can still bet if you want?” Tuck said with a smirk as he looked towards Will.

“No… I’ll watch with Kenobi over here. I guess you guys just go and be awesome,” Will finished with an exaggerated sigh.

“Nadia, care to take honors?” Emy suggested as Nadia nodded and stepped in front of the mini-mountain.

Nadia turned to face the group and kicked off her GhostWalkers. “You all know that I’ve been working on my Regenium and Body Manipulation, but I’ve also been attempting to take a step forward in adapting to the environment around me to make me more… adaptable.”

Nadia then looked inward and isolated the Regenium kept in her core. Once just a mini ball of metal, it was now a spreading mass of liquid metal weaving in and out of internal organs, muscles, and veins. With command of her internal energy, she pushed herself to further connect with the mass as it started to spread outward towards her hands and feet. Nadia was a vision of focus as she highlighted in her mind the vision of what she requested and the movement necessary to get the newfound metal into position. Metal blended with blood, blood integrated with her skin, and the metal quickly spread all across her skin, forming mini shards across her hands and feet.

The group watched in astonishment as small black blades emerged from Nadia’s bare hands and feet. The shards resembled a rose vine, with thorn-like protrusions curving downward across her palms. Each finger was adorned with numerous spikes, and her palms were scattered with black metal jutting out from her skin. Her fingertips, once capped with nails, were now replaced by black liquid metal that extended into exaggerated tips, resembling the claws of a gecko. The transformation continued down to her feet, where long spikes replaced her toenails, and multiple claw-like shards extended downward, gripping the ground firmly.

“Please don’t tell me you're going to transform your entire body into a lizard?” Will remarked, but his face was still shocked by the transformation as Nadia rolled her eyes and faced the rock wall.

Approaching the wall, Nadia looked up at the steep incline and placed her now-clawed palms on the surface as rock and debris fell. She was expected to need a powerful punch to penetrate the wall. However, the metal composition of her claws, combined with their razor-sharp edges, allowed them to sink into the rock easily. Hand over hand, Nadia climbed up the mountain, pulling herself onto the first ledge and looking back at the group staring at her.

“Do I need to climb the mountain to prove my new skill?” Nadia questioned the group from her perch.

As the group stayed silent, Williams decided to put on his coaching hat. “No, but you probably need the practice. Get up there, Ms. Dela Cruz,” he said with a broad smile as Nadia shrugged and went back to climbing.

“Who’s next?” Coach Williams asked.

“Well, this isn’t as much fun with Coach here,” Will stated. “No bets and additional practice?”

“What was that, Mr. Weiss?” Williams glared at Will.

“Nothing, Coach,” Will said, standing straight and offering a light-hearted salute.

“I think it’s my turn,” Tuck said as he took a smaller step towards the cliff and paused.

Noticing Tuck’s sudden halt, Emy and Williams stepped back towards the arena wall. Will, James, Trish, and Frank exchanged glances, shrugged, and followed suit, moving away from the large man who seemed to be preparing for something.

Tuck stood transfixed, his eyes locked on the cliffs before him. He focused his mind, channeling his intent and leveraging his energy. Unlike the others, Tuck had an instinctual relationship with his powers. From his conversations with Emy and Nadia, he knew that Nadia viewed energy as a visual reference, almost becoming her energy through sight, sound, and projections. At the same time, Emy tactically manipulated the world around her as if she were a lead orchestrator. Tuck’s talent, however, was driven by instinct, desire, and his internal response mechanism. When Tuck’s rage flared, he could achieve incredible feats, but if he lost control, his willpower lacked any targeted direction, triggering a mass release in all directions. To channel his energy, Tuck worked with his teammates on precise manipulations of energy targeting. The closest analogy Tuck could find was stubbing your pinky toe on the side of a table—rage existed, but it was focused on a single point in the universe.

Returning to his task, Tuck’s focus shifted to the ground beneath him. Every bump, every rock, every crack seemed to conspire against him, each one a personal affront. The lack of support from his shoes only added to his mounting irritation. Why did he even have to wear shoes at all? His feet ached with every movement, each discomfort stoking the fire of his anger. The ground seemed to mock him, each uneven surface a deliberate obstacle. His frustration grew with every passing second, his anger simmering just below the surface, ready to explode. Tuck’s fists clenched, his jaw tightened, and his breath quickened. He could feel the rage building, a storm ready to break.

It was then that Tuck took action. Taking a large step forward, he pushed down and exploded with a jump as the ground seemed to repel from beneath him. A gust of wind pushed the crumbled rock to the side as dust spread around the area, and Tuck rose through the air. Quickly losing his direction mid-flight, Tuck’s hands and arms flailed as he attempted to steady himself, reaching a pinnacle before descending into the cliffside. BOOM! The rocks quaked as Tuck landed and took a stumbling fall, grasping the next wall as he sought to catch his balance.

“Graceful landing, big guy!” Will yelled out from the arena floor but quickly mumbled to James next to him, “Did he just jump 10 meters in the air?”

“I think it was more like 12,” James answered in a hushed tone, his head tilted upwards at Tuck and a still-climbing Nadia, who was now on the fourth ledge and looking down at Tuck with a smile.

“Tuck! That was badass, dude!” Frank roared from the side.

“Seriously… we figured you might be able to do something like that, but that was impressive…” Trish added, clapping.

“All right, Emy, what are you going to do now? Fly?” Will asked in a mocking tone after seeing the incredible feats of his peers. But instead of a rebuttal or response from anyone in the group, Will looked around, puzzled. “Wait. You aren’t actually going to fly, are you?”

“I think you may just want to watch, Mr. Weiss,” Williams commented, not taking his eyes off Emy, who stood before him. He then directed a message directly to Emy via his Nex. “Willpower and intent. Focus on the outcome and remove all other factors. You can do it, Fury.”

Emy was surprised to hear Williams as her head turned to the directed communication. Nodding, Emy took in the professor’s feedback. Williams had not been practicing with her, Tuck, and Nadia, but he knew. Emy had not done something as extreme as this. Yes, she could hover, but this was a different achievement altogether. Emy turned back to the mountain and focused on her task at hand. Feeling for her energy, Emy pushed it outward, enabling a bubble-like formation to surround her as she maintained a stable stance on the ground.

Once the energy formed, Emy began manipulating the air within the space around her, isolating the oxygen and nitrogen molecules within her energy bubble. Instead of eliminating them, she expanded and weakened the atomic bonds, causing the air to spread out and become less dense. As the air around her became lighter than the surrounding atmosphere, Emy started to feel moments of weightlessness, her body jolting and moving with the sudden changes. Stabilizing herself, Emy again formed a solid stance with the ground, took a deep breath, and jumped.

Will, Trish, and Frank looked on in amazement as Emy slowly ascended. To the natural eye, it appeared as if she was floating in the sky. Still, through their understanding of energy, the team knew Emy was manipulating the air surrounding her, maintaining and modifying both the atmosphere within her bubble and that around her.

As Emy ascended, she transitioned from the natural force of her jump to shifting the energies above, below, and around her bubble, navigating towards the first cliff. Approaching a smiling Tuck, Emy attempted to apply another outward force to the environment around her. However, the environment shifted unpredictably, and she found herself off balance. Her body lurched as she began to descend uncontrollably.

Panic set in as she activated her Disintegration and Targeted Fusion again, desperately seeking to weaken the bonds around her. But instead of stabilizing, her movement became erratic. She started to accelerate upwards, rocketing past the first ledge with Tuck. The sudden, uncontrolled ascent sent a wave of fear through her as she realized she was losing control.

Within moments, Emy fought desperately to regain control, but her energy continued disintegrating the air and atmosphere around her. Now 30 meters above the ground, she felt the terrifying realization that she was losing control. Her vision began to darken as the air pressure inside her body greatly overpowered the external space, causing her fluids to heat up dangerously. She struggled to stabilize her surroundings, but the more she tried, the more chaotic the energy became.

Panic surged through her as darkness closed in, her body convulsing with the effort to maintain consciousness. The once stable energy bubble around her now felt like a chaotic storm, threatening to tear her apart. She could feel her strength waning, her control slipping away with every passing second. The ground below seemed to rush towards her, a grim reminder of the impending impact.

“What’s happening? Nex, what is going on up there?” Will shouted.

“Internal readings are not good. I suggest we intervene!” Nex responded urgently as Emy tumbled towards the ground.

“We need to get to her!” James exclaimed, realizing he was too late as Emy free-fell towards the ground, just meters from impact. “Emy!”

James caught the last sight of Emy as a figure in the distance moved at blurring speed towards the falling girl. Professor Williams had departed the team and was now underneath, cradling Emy before she hit the ground.

“Nadia, training is over. We need you. Now!” Williams commanded urgently. He had caught Emy and was now placing his hand over her heart, his energy enveloping hers, guiding it to function again in her absence.

BOOM! The ground rumbled as if struck by a sonic boom, cracking the floor and rattling the entire arena. Nadia immediately appeared beside Emy, her Vitalize skill penetrating deep within Emy’s body.

“Tuck!” Trish called out as the large man stumbled, his knees and legs buckling from the shared impact.

“Nadia, Tuck needs you too!” she urged.

“No… Help Emy…” Tuck wheezed, blood trailing from his mouth and pooling on the ground.

Having seen Emy drop, Tuck had catapulted to the upper levels and grabbed a descending Nadia. Without hesitation, he had dropped 30 meters to the concrete ground, protecting Nadia as he absorbed the impact with his body.

“Emy, breathe!” James cried out as his best friend’s body fought to regain control, with Williams still holding her head and Nadia unmoving from her side.

It was then that Emy’s body convulsed, and a large gust of air fought to enter her lungs as she awoke from the brink of death.

Within moments, Nadia leaped to Tuck’s side, placing her hands on his body while Frank and Will attempted to cradle the large man as he fought to remain conscious, his legs shattered from the impact.

A collective breath left the group as Tuck’s grimacing face relaxed. “We need to rebuild those bones, but you should be okay now.”

“Wha… what happened?” Emy’s head rose from the professor’s lap as she looked around, horror in her eyes at her friends now surrounding her.