Hey! bestknight32 here! super tired right now so im going to end this quick. Id like to thank dahliingg for making the base of the story and Tim Baril for making this chapter! Until next time! "Its a bird, its a plane, no its the next chapter!"


Today was the day.

The cafeteria was packed with Rhodes Island residents. Every table was a game station, and all were ringed with eager spectators. A large digital screen on the wall posted blank matchups and times for the first round. Voices clamoured in the air, filling the wide space with excitement and anticipation. It seemed much of Rhodes Island had turned out to watch.

Hayden found himself unexpectedly nervous and feeling silly for it, given his age. He was no teenager. Standing on edge of the room as he waited for events to begin, his palms were a little damp. He wiped them on his lab coat and shook himself. It was just a games tournament.

But, actually, it wasn't just that, was it? There were things at stake. His reputation with many of these people had been soured by the previous version of himself, and he wanted to improve that, wanted to show them the new him, this version of him that he had been building. He wanted to show them who he was now, not just who that other version had been in the past. And that this version was better.

If he did well…maybe his role here at Rhodes Island would expand. As terrifying and heartbreaking as his first memories of this world were, the smoke and battle and death, a growing part of him wanted to be back out in the field. There was something tangible and real in being out there that made him feel more immediately useful than he did in the lab.

Of course, the lab work would always take priority, and he couldn't risk limiting RI's ability to find a cure for the plague eating away at the people around him. But if he could get out of his windowless lab and into situations where he could put his mind and skills to use saving lives now, not just in the future, well, he found himself craving that experience.

And after a year of struggling to bond with others, becoming a part of field operations might finally allow him to really integrate himself with the group. He was growing a little tired and lonely, cooped up in his lab, always studying alone.

The door to the mess hall opened, and a trio entered: Amiya, Eyjafjalla, and Ansel.

Amiya looked around the room, craning her slender neck until she spotted him and smiled. She enthusiastically grabbed Effy's arm and led the other two towards him. "Hey!" she greeted Hayden in her usual, chipper voice. "There you are. Are you ready for this?"

He reflexively smiled back, happy to see all three. "I hope so." He chuckled.

Effy spoke with passion, not quite looking at him, but her face bright. "You'll do great! I know it!"

"Yeah, Doctor Hayden," Ansel added. "We're all excited to see you back in action."

Hayden ran a hand through his hair. "Let's just hope I don't embarrass myself out there."

Amiya bumped her shoulder into his arm. "You'll be fine. I mean, it's you, right? If you're as good as you are during our practice sessions, the first round should be easy enough."

Hayden nodded.

Ansel pointed up at the screen on the other side of the room. "Matches are up!"

Hayden looked up at the list, going line by line until he found his name. He saw it and groaned. "Oh, oh."

Amiya, however, laughed. "Perfect!"

They headed to the designated table, and Hayden lowered himself into the seat on the open side of the game board.

Steward glared back at him from the other side of the table.

Hayden tried to be friendly. "Hey there. I'm looking forward to our match." He reached out a hand to shake.

Steward looked like he was about to refuse but glanced up and saw Amiya looking expectant. He sighed and shook Hayden's hand. "Time to show everyone who you really are when things are on the line."

Hayden nodded. "That's my hope too." Only, he hoped to show everyone something a lot better than what Seward seemed to be expecting.

The young man sniffed disbelievingly. "The only way to win this tournament is to do whatever it takes to win. You won't be able to pretend to be a nice guy on the field. We'll see your true self when it's do-or-die time."

Hayden felt a bubble of amusement and smiled. "Don't take this the wrong way, Steward, but I hope to disappoint you." He was still nervous but also excited now as well.

The game board lit up.

Hayden studied the board. There were various types of games that could come up, all mirroring different field operations. The one chosen was a type of tower defence, and it looked like he was on defence. A list of his pieces emerged on the side of the screen, with names of people along with their abilities. He'd have to place those pieces and move them around as Steward attacked him with his own pieces.

To win, he'd have to defend until all Steward's pieces were exhausted, which meant killed or captured, or until reinforcements arrived to make his own side too strong to attack. Killing a character was straightforward but capturing required different skills and not doing too much damage, making it much more difficult.

Steward evidently had no desire to give those reinforcements any time to show up. He came out bold and fast, placing his strongest heroes on the board and driving right up the middle of the map.

Perhaps it was his nerves, but Hayden felt his grasp of the game momentarily slip. He blundered and put the wrong character on defence, then put his second one down a split second before realizing he should have put her in a different spot. He groaned.

Steward smiled for the first time, a mildly nasty sense of anticipation in his eyes. He continued to press, dumping heroes on the board as fast as he could, taking almost no time with each turn, putting pressure on Hayden to perform.

Of course, Hayden had his own turn timer, which was entirely independent of Steward's actions. Yet, faced with Steward's lightning-fast moves, Hayden's tempo increased in response, and his breathing quickened as he tried to force himself to play faster.

Until Steward destroyed one of Hayden's pieces and grinned like a shark.

Hayden blinked, realizing his own foolishness. He was allowing his opponent to dictate the terms of their engagement. Rookie mistake. Losing that piece hurt; his entire strategy was built around not losing anyone. Taking a deep breath, he made a conscious effort to slow down and breathe and be more aware of his own turn timer, not his opponent's speed.

He played his next three turns far more methodically, changing the tempo of the game to his own pace.

Steward saw the change, and the smile left his face. But he didn't let up, playing a relentlessly aggressive style, putting pressure on Hayden and hammering his units.

Unfortunately, his reckless style of play was coming at a cost. Hayden saw that he wasn't the only one making mistakes. He saw openings in Steward's attacks and struck back. His strategy was hampered by the fact that he was absolutely determined to only damage or capture Steward's heroes, never kill them. That meant using select units of his own and an extra layer of difficulty that required a lot more strategy compared to Steward's blind attempts to destroy at whatever the price.

Hayden found himself up to the challenge. He removed one of Steward's pieces, then a second.

Steward frowned. In response, he switched one hero out and used another with even more firepower, likely intent on blowing Hayden to smithereens.

Hayden had guessed that would be exactly the move against him, correctly predicting Steward's aggression. He used that hero's weaknesses against them, easily capturing them without a shot fired.

Steward frowned. And a moment later, that frown deepened as he suddenly found himself outnumbered on the field—and Hayden's reinforcements had yet to arrive. "You…" He looked blankly at the game field as if unable to believe he'd gotten into such a horrible position.

Other than that first piece, Hayden hadn't lost anyone else from his team. He'd carefully overlapped abilities and flanked Steward's pieces at every turn.

Steward attacked once more, but the end result was obvious to all.

The watchers had respectfully been quiet the entire match so as not to reveal any insights about either player's strategy. But now, a few whispered and bodies relaxed. They knew it was over too.

Amiya whispered updates on what was happening to Eyjafjalla from behind her hand, and Ansel looked confident of Hayden's victory.

Steward scowled and hit a button to give up and end the game. He looked up at Hayden and opened his mouth to speak.

"Hey."

Steward hesitated and looked to the side.

Melantha stood there, hands on her hips. She must have joined the spectators after the game had begun, so Hayden hadn't noticed her while concentrating on his moves. "Don't even bother getting angry. This was all on you."

Steward angrily snapped back. "What?"

She cooly nodded to the board, speaking plainly, but without hostility, just giving him the facts. "You played a bad game. You made a bunch of mistakes and gave him everything he needed to win."

Steward looked back at the board. "I—" He broke off, then glared at Hayden again. "You got lucky."

Amiya placed a consoling hand on his shoulder, giving him a friendly smile. "Come on, Steward, she's right. I've seen you play way better games than that."

He sullenly closed his mouth.

She continued in her kind voice. "You know what I think? I think maybe you let your anger cloud your judgment. You're better than this. I know it; we all do. But when we let our hostility blind us, who suffers most? We do. And," she gestured to his captured pieces, "our friends and allies do too. If this had been a real-life operation…?"

He scowled again but said nothing. Eventually, he reluctantly nodded.

She squeezed his shoulder. "Isn't it about time we made peace? We're all on the same team. We need to act like it if we're going to survive out there."

The muscles in Steward's jaw flexed. He seemed to look inward, closing his eyes a moment before sighing. Sitting up straight, he squared his shoulders. This time, he was the one to offer his hand. "Good game."

Hayden felt a burst of elation as if this were the real victory, not the game won a moment earlier. He shook back. "Thanks, Steward. I hope we can play again in the future."

"Sure." Steward rose and moved away amidst a circle of friends who pressed close to console and support him.

Hayden stood up to stretch and noticed a figure leaning on the wall, watching over the tournament.

Kal'tsit had her arms crossed, her expression cold.

He swallowed, wondering what she was thinking. Hopefully, he'd made a good impression.

The second round began. This time, Hayden found himself facing Adnachiel.

The young man was buoyant, his smile sly like a fox's. "You made it to round two, Doctor Hayden! Too bad you won't make it to round three."

Hayden's brows rose in response to the teasing. "I don't see why not."

"Why not? Cuz you have an appointment with me, and I don't plan on letting you get past me, old man."

"Old man?" He laughed at the brazen words. "Kids say the funniest things, don't they?"

Adnachiel playfully rubbed his hands together. "Come on, let's get this started. I'm sure you have to go and nap or knit a sweater or something, right? I'll end it swiftly."

"Oh? Are you going to play that badly?" Hayden teased back.

"Ha ha! Look at that confidence. I like it." Adnachiel slapped the table, amused. "Enjoy it while you can. I love him like a brother, but I'm way better at this than your last opponent."

"We shall see," Hayden intoned.

They began.

Like Steward, Adnachiel came out hard and fast on the attack while Hayden defended. Hayden felt himself on surer footing this time, confident from his first win and in a groove after having played a game already.

But while Adnachiel's good friend had attacked clumsily and emotionally, Adnachiel was like a practiced surgeon. That sly smile never left his lips and only grew wider when some of his admiring fans, especially the female ones, gasped or silently bounced on their feet at his bold moves.

Hayden was hard-pressed again. This time, however, he maintained his composure right from the start. He placed a defensive piece here, then there. He avoided a trap and placed one of his own. When Adnachiel feinted left with his attackers, Hayden was ready for the inevitable follow-up on the right.

"Gotcha!" Adnachiel crowed, placing an arts user on the game board, right where it would be able to split Hayden's defence. He sat back, waggling his brows, victory assured.

Hayden fought a smile. Then he moved a nothing piece that few people took seriously because it had very limited abilities.

Abilities that were super useful in this exact situation.

The smile slipped off Adnachiel's lips, replaced with a stunned expression as he watched his key hero get tied up and removed from use. He lashed out with his next move in an attempt to recover it—and failed. He desperately tried another tactic, sacrificing a pawn in order to destroy Hayden's defensive hero.

But Hayden yanked his hero back before it could die. And then countered.

Three short moves later and the game was over.

Adnachiel looked bewildered at the sudden change on the board. A surprised laugh burst out of him, and a respectful smile blossomed. "Wow. I did not see that coming at all."

Hayden bowed his head. He'd practiced numerous strategies over the past few days, trying to memorize a few important ideas in case they became useful in the tournament. This had been one of them. Having expected others to play him aggressively, he'd tried to use that to his advantage. And it had paid off.

He looked around and saw the way others were looking at him, a few congratulating him.

Melantha nodded, face serious. "Nice play."

Amiya finished whispering game updates to Effy and clapped her hands. "Well done!"

Effy beamed. "Congratulations! And it sounds like you played well, too, Adnachiel."

The young man ruefully stood and offered a hand. "Nice game, Doctor Hayden. You have my respect."

Hayden felt a swell of pride and tried not to let it dominate him lest he become arrogant. "You too. I look forward to our next match."

"Definitely. Next time, I'll be sure to take you a little more seriously," he joked. With a wave, he departed. Steward had apparently been watching, and Adnachiel threw an arm around his shoulders. "Come on. Let's get some drinks!"

A number of excited, young females trailed in the handsome pair's wake.

Hayden spent a half hour feeling good about himself and enjoying the support of well-wishers as he watched other games wrap up. He got a skip in the next round as one player dropped out. To his surprise, that put him in the semi-final.

He was already seated when his opponent sat down. His brows rose in surprise and wariness. "Doberman. Good to see you."

She gave him a wry grin. "We'll see if you still feel that way in fifteen minutes."

He coughed a laugh. "You're going to be a rather more difficult opponent, aren't you?"

She only smiled.

This game turned out to be a very different beast. First of all, Hayden was on offence for the first time. He'd be the first to tell you that he felt more natural on defence, especially given his desire to limit casualties in the game. Offence was more dangerous and riskier.

Secondly, Doberman was nothing like his previous opponents. She was thoughtful and experienced, and she obviously knew the game pieces and their possibilities very well. It was no wonder that she was a field commander.

Hayden tentatively attacked her formations and discovered himself up against an impenetrable wall. He tried to create openings by teasing her into traps, but she fell for none of it. To his growing dismay, it was looking more and more like he was going to have to allow the game to become bloody.

She seemed to sense his unease. "Can't always play it safe, Doctor. This is war, not a lab. People are going to die."

He stubbornly shook his head. "They shouldn't have to."

"You've had little enough problem with it in the past. You may not remember, but we've played many games before. You've never hesitated to sacrifice a pawn when you thought it expedient. You were the same in the field."

"I'm not the same man I used to be."

"Apparently." She revealed a trap of her own, and one of Hayden's pieces died.

He scowled, instantly furious. He countered, working hard to protect the heroes she'd just exposed.

She moved, then again, and another hero died.

"Dammit!" Hayden flushed, upset at himself, feeling the loss as if it had been a real person. He tried a different tactic, pulling everyone back—

And she went on the offensive, something the player on defence almost never did. She did so with calm confidence.

Hayden backpedalled across the game board, chased into a corner by Doberman, who had all advantages now. He fought hard, firming himself up, going into the defensive formations more suited to him. He was able to hold her off and survive.

The game drew out, each player moving their pieces slowly, thinking about their next move. But no matter what Hayden tried, he couldn't break out of the pinned position she'd put him in.

Her reinforcements arrived, ending the game in her favour. People cheered, though it was half-hearted: everyone had likely known how things would conclude for some time.

Hayden sagged in his seat, his eyes on his dead heroes. He was so angry with himself for his mistakes, for losing pieces, and then the game.

Doberman's voice was surprisingly kind and still confident. "Don't beat yourself up over it. You played very well. Especially given your lack of experience."

He waved a frustrated hand over the board. "I made so many mistakes. And…"

"And when I took out one of your shields, you crumbled. You weren't prepared for the loss, and you let it get to you. An emotional weakness that I exploited."

"I didn't want anyone to die. I was trying to capture people only."

"I know. And it's not a bad thing that you're upset over losing someone. But you have to be able to handle that loss and grieve later, or you'll end up losing more lives, which is what happened here."

As much emotional turmoil as he was in, he understood the wisdom of her words. "Yes. You're correct. Something to work on." He took a steadying breath.

She nodded and stood. "I'm impressed. It was a tough game. I look forward to seeing how you improve." A smile broke out. "And I admit, it feels good to finally get a win over you."

He was surprised. "You've never…?"

Her smile became wry. "You easily dominated everyone in the past. It was like playing a Grand Master in chess. After a while, losing that much can be hard for anyone to stomach. Even me."

"I think I'm a long way from that right now."

"Your ideology, the way you approached the game, is sound. Even in trying to limit lives lost on the other side. I respect that. Just remember that things don't always go as planned, and sometimes people die. It's the nature of war. But as long as you keep seeing people as people, not throwaway pieces, then I welcome your insights."

He cocked his head. "You mean, in regards to future games?"

"We have a mission in three days. Come by the training room when we go over sims. It'll be good to get another perspective. Or at least maybe you'll learn something."

He was stunned, then felt a rush of gratitude. "Yes! Thank you. I'll be there."

She nodded to him, then to Amiya, Effy, and Ansel, who stood next to him, before heading on to her next challenger I the finals.

"Way to go, Doctor Hayden!" Effy exclaimed.

"Nice game," Ansel agreed. "Doberman's one of the best, so don't let it get you down."

"Thank you, both of you." He took a deep breath, letting his self-loathing and frustration go.

"You'll get her next time," Amiya teased.

He laughed. Then he caught sight of Kal'tsit.

She wasn't looking at him, though her body was turned his way. For perhaps the first time, her arms finally uncrossed. She slipped her hands into the pockets of her lab coat instead, looking much less defensive. She glanced his way. Their eyes met. Then she turned and walked towards the door.

Was it his imagination, or had the coldness in her posture thawed a little? He smiled. Hopefully, he was making progress.

"Doctor Hayden, come sit with us!" Amiya called softly, as one other game was still ongoing. She and the others were sitting at another table with drinks and snacks. To his surprise, there were others seated there as well, and they looked happy enough to have to join.

He moved towards them, glad of the invite. It had taken a while, but perhaps he was finally earning himself a spot with the people here in Rhodes Island.


Now onto the guest reviews! ( Sleepy edition!)

Guest #1 Er i guess mabey?

Guest # 2 Yeah that does sound interesting! :D