(a/n): Hello everyone. I'm finally back. I am alive and not dead. It feels good to be alive!!!! I apologize for the long delay. There were many problems, and they happened to be one after another another. Here are some thanks.
Miranon: Hello. Long time no hear. Well it will be quite sad if Tanya is worn out from the needles. I have much more torture ready for her. Hehehehe. I'm joking. Not too much anyway. And I will make sure she will make an appearance in UT2004. Xan will be more than just pancaked by Tanya. I hope my message reached Xan with a good redeemer in his face.
Dynamis: I really love your plotting and I have considered it. Be easy with Lostis, he really is a good guy...kinda. And no he doesn't make a living for whooping prisoners. Although he is very good at it. But you will find out what he really does soon. Not in this chapter, though.
Poddy: Thanks for your compliments. This chapter contains Trinity's first match. And I am honored to hear that I'm an idol. I never thought that I would encourage anyone. Well thanks once again and make sure you continue the good work with your story.
Slash, the Ironman: Hahaha. Somehow, you always see that I"m plotting something. Good thing you don't know what because I have evil plans for everyone. Hehehe. I'm glad you don't hate the-know-it-all bastard so badly. Although Lostis ranks as a better person on my list.
Alex: Sniff. Yes, that was a great moment between Trish and Dess. And don't worry. Trish will kick ass hard. "Lossie-bunny" is one of my favorite too. And good to see you disagree with Tnaya. She's just too blind to see the real "Lossie-bunny." By the way that's a cute way of calling him.
Majestic 12: Xan has influenced you , my friend, but yes. Tanya needs to witness Zack's perfection. And yes she happes to be a big contradiction.
By the way. I do hate it when the announcer says 'Denied' especially when it is me in the air and then the next instance dead.
Well that's it for now. Enjoy!
Chapter 9 -Training Day-"In our country the lie has become not just a moral category but a pillar of the State." – Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Lostis had no choice but to leave me in that same rat hole with other participants. But something was different about it. It was nearly empty. I counted eight people, Romulus being among them.
I was still shaken from that torture chamber and I didn't feel like talking to anyone, but Romulus came to me on his own. "I figured you'd never come." He said sweetly and sat beside me. "You know, it feels like people up there don't really like you do they?" He asked me. I looked at him with surprise. "People?" I asked and then chuckled. "No, no, Romulus. Those things are not people. They are monsters." My voice sounded disgusted.
"You're right." He agreed with me and looked towards an individual that was in this place. I followed his gaze and my eyes found that stranger who appeared to know everything about me.
"Tell me." I told Romulus, forcing him to look at me. "Where is everyone?" I studied his eyes, carefully, almost seeing my own reflection in his green eyes.
"They were filed out of here. Everyone who stayed here needs to go through the qualifications." Romulus stood up. "Basically, we have to prove ourselves that we are worthy enough for the tournament." He offered me a hand, which I accepted, and he helped me up.
"So what happens if we don't win?" I asked dusting off the sand that was on me. "I don't know." Romulus said with a curious tone. "All I can say is that everyone who didn't pass the qualification rounds was never seen in the tournament." His eyes studied mine.
"So…what are you doing here? I thought you're here almost for a year?" I asked as I leaned against the wall. "I am here for nearly a year. But I was not allowed to participate. I had to go through many of the tests here. And trust me, they were horrible." He joined me and rested his back on the solid rock.
"Tell me about it." I scoffed. "This place has changed so much since the last time I left it." I studied the ground and tried to look back.
It was a giant building, a hundred floors above ground and nearly twenty below. They had vast hallways for the Blue Team and Red Team. The bottom floors were used for prisoners and interrogations. I've only been down there once. It was…the first time when I talked to…him.
I quickly looked up from the ground into the distance. "Everything has changed in fact." I added.
"Really? Well that's not a surprise. What is a surprise is that you are entering the qualification rounds so quickly." He stared off into the distance again. "In fact, that guy is also new. He's been here only for a couple of weeks and he's already entering the tournament."
I followed his gaze to see that man once more. "Who is he?" I asked.
"Dunno," Romulus said as he pushed himself off the wall. "I never asked him."
I smiled. "You mean, you never much cared," I slyly said. His gaze met mine, and by his eyes I could see that he was smiling. "That too," He said. I pushed myself off the wall and stood by him.
"Do you know when the matches start?" I asked, changing the subject. That man over there didn't make me feel too comfortable. In fact, I better keep my eye on him. He is a very suspicious individual.
Before Romulus answered me, the gates screeched opened with two Liandri guards stepping in. They carried what looked like automatic weapons. They were both big and tall, towering over nearly everyone in here.
For the first time I heard the announcer speak through the speakers in a feminine voice, "Welcome to Unreal Tournament. Before you enter the tournament ladder you must prove yourselves in the qualifying rounds. The first qualification match will be a one on one deathmatch. The competitors will be Trinity and Prism. Will the competitors please step forward?"
I looked at Romulus and he nodded towards me. "Go on. Kick her ass." He said as he looked at my opponent who stepped forward.
"How did they know to call me Trinity?" I sounded confused.
"Man, this is your first match, and your asking about your name?" Romulus asked me as he gave me a soft nudge on my shoulder. "Probably someone signed you in like that. Now go. You don't want to be late." He said and pushed me lightly towards the Liandri guards.
I looked back at Romulus to see him nod at me. I took a deep breath and nodded back with a smile.
There is nothing to be worried about. It's not like I never been to the tournament before. Plus, my opponent; Prism, doesn't seem to be that tough. She is a little bigger than I am, since my figure is slim. But she seems to be new to this tournament, and doesn't look like a fighter. But her hands are wrapped around with metal and they look strong; I don't doubt that she will not have a problem gripping onto any weapon in the tournament.
The two soldiers cuffed us and lead us out of the cavern. I took a final look back at Romulus who nodded once again. I smiled and took a deep breath in. There was nothing to worry about. I had done this before I could do it again.
The guards quickly pushed us towards a small room with my opponent. They threw two bags at us and ordered us to put them on. When we were done we were given a gadget that I placed in the pocket that was specifically designed for the respawn tool. The metallic pocket slid a cover over it with a snap. "Respawn defense system detected," A female computer voice said into my earphone.
The contestant next to me just snapped it onto her belt on the side of her hip. She quickly looked up at me, the first time when our eyes met. If you asked me, it seemed she was going on a fashion show instead of the tournament. Her eyes were shadowed green, her hair was dyed green, and her lips were colored with brown lipstick. Prism looked down at me with confidence. She probably thought she was going to win.
When we were ready the guards led us to a two-way hallway. She was forced to go right and I was forced left. The guard pushed me on the lift and stood there.
Suddenly the announcer spoke through the speakers in that same feminine voice. "Welcome to the qualification rounds. You will be facing your opponent, Prism, in a one on one death match. The first to gain ten frags wins. Good luck."
When the announcer finished the Liandri guard pressed the switch and the lift took me up into a quiet area. It was a small arena with a couple of spectators. Strange enough they were all human. The same species that would get enslaved if they would as much blink wrong.
In front of me was a short walkway that met up with the opposite walkway where Prism stood. The two of us slowly walked towards the middle with eyes watching us.
A male announcer started to introduce us to the viewers, "Welcome everyone to yet another beginners' match. Today's opponents are Trinity and Prism. That's right, the same Trinity who managed to escape this tournament a couple of years ago. It says that if she would have stayed, she might have had a chance to fight this tournament's former champion, Xan Kreigor."
What, I thought as the two of us came up to the circular area that connected the two walkways. What were they talking about? I defeated Xan. I killed him, I watched him die…
"In fact she was the first and last to escape the tournament. And here she is today, arrested not too long ago." The announcer continued, causing many questions to flood my mind.
A small, square piece of the floor shifted downwards and slid sideways. From the floor a stand came out with a button on its top. As soon as it settled, I heard the locks shift in place that held the stand.
The screen above us flickered on and many pictures started to pass by. It suddenly made me feel uncomfortable; images of my past appeared before my eyes.
"Good Morning everyone and welcome to Nuvision where you can watch all of the Unreal Tournament matches!" The T.V screen showed a young man in blue armor with navy pants standing in front of a huge crowd. That man was my father.
He was in a stadium surrounded by many people. He was standing in the middle of a circular platform where a stand stood with a large switch. On top of the stage was a huge screen with different images passed by quickly.
"As you all know, all of the contestants have battled and today we decide who will fight the almighty Jack Menace! The scores were in and only one man had made it to the top. XAN KRIEGOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Xan's name was echoed through the whole stadium.
The gigantic 'Corrupt' stepped up to the platform. The two contestants were geared up and ready to rip at each other's throats. My father was wearing the Blood Reavers' suit, his old team he used to serve, my old team that I used to serve on. My family, my home, this is how I first met you, Dess.
My father slowly looked at the crowd and raised his fist in the air. The crowd cheered wildly when he pushed down the button hard with his fist. A round arena in space was displayed on the screen. It was the same area where I defeated him. This is where I served my vengeance. Hyperspace…
"—Training Day!!!!!" The announcer woke me up from my past. It appeared that Prism pushed down the switch. "Simple, flat, and chock full of weapons and ammunition. Perfect for your first humiliation in the tournament," The announcer said. We'll see about that, I thought as the viewers chuckled at the comment.
Electricity surrounded us and my suit seemed to react. "Message received. Activating combat mode." The computer voice in my earphone said. Suddenly my metallic boots extended from the knee level to my hips quickly, my top slowly met with my metallic belt, covering my abdomen with metallic sheets, and my arms were covered with the metallic substance to my gloves, as well. I felt something crawl behind my ear and onto my temples as blue sunglasses covered my eyes and a mask covered half of my face.
I had to admit; Cripton put a lot of work into this. I would need to thank him—properly this time. This suit is a work of art.
Slowly the stadium melted away and lights quickly passed my eyes. "The match will begin in five—four—three—two—one." I spawned in a small corridor with my old best friend in front of me; the Flak Cannon.
My hands gripped for it as I stepped into the middle of a catwalk with railings on both sides. Lava burbled below the gratings with a hungry sound. I slowly neared the Minigun that was lying near the opening of a pathway to my right, and suddenly Prism jumped into view from the passage further down.
Green plasma burned through the air and into the armor of my left shoulder. I quickly back flipped, creating more distance between us. I landed on my knees and quickly shot a ball of flak into her. Her body split into pieces from the direct hit with screams. Blood painted the dark walls and what was left of her burned into oblivion.
I stood up and ran up to her weapon and swung it around my shoulder. A blue laser hit the wall right next to me. I spun quickly, as I dropped my Flak Cannon onto the floor and swung the Plasma Rifle into my hands. I crouched, aimed and let out screaming bits of death into my opponent.
She hid behind a wall as my shots neared her. I slipped the strap of the Plasma Rifle to my shoulder and grabbed the Flak Cannon into my hands. I quickly and quietly walked across the catwalk and turned right at the first corner. I circled the corridor and found Prism's back pressed against the wall. I quickly ran at her and delivered a hard blow with my foot across her shocked face. Her head met with the metallic floor. I stepped on her right hand, which held the Shock Rifle, and I buried burning metal into her body.
She spawned right in front of me, and quickly grabbed my Flak Cannon and pushed me against the wall. I rolled to my left as hot metal exploded behind me. I took the Plasma Rifle as I ran out of the rectangular corridor. My metallic boots made contact with the metallic catwalk with loud noises.
Another hot sphere of metal exploded behind me. I dived forward while turning to my opponent and unleashing bits of plasma into her. She hit the ground, melting, as I landed on my back.
I blew out a long breath and quickly jumped on my feet. Bullets quickly hit me in the back, burying inside my armor. I fell from the impact and quickly turned to aim at my enemy. I fell on my back with pain as I shot out a clean hit into her head which melted away, quickly. Her body shook and crumbled to the floor.
I pushed myself up and suppressed a scream from my burning back. I had to get my Flak Cannon back, it is much more efficient in close combat. I heard a spawning sound behind me. I turned to face the Flak Cannon. Just when I was about to make my move for it, Prism appeared in the corridor and let out a beam into my tattered armor of my left shoulder. The beam easily penetrated the armor and burned through my left shoulder. I screamed from pain as my hand dropped to my side. I backed away as I tried to aim the Plasma Rifle at Prism, but it proved challenging to aim the weapon without support.
She shot an energy ball into me. I rolled to my left, but I was thrown against the railing of the catwalk from the explosion of the combination of energy. The railing snapped and fell down into the mouth of death. Before I stood up, another energy beam hit my chest and I was pushed down. I let go of the Plasma Rifle and grabbed the edge of the catwalk. The leash that curled around my arm slid down to my shoulder.
Footsteps were heard against the catwalk, and I saw Prism's green armor through the grates. I gritted my teeth as my left hand went for the tangling Plasma Rifle. I shot at the metallic floor and it slowly disintegrated in front of Prism. The floor became uneven and she fell. She quickly grabbed onto the edge, facing me. I smiled and melted her head away. "Killing Spree!!!" The announcer roared through the stadium.
I let the Plasma Rifle tangle and I pulled myself up with one hand. My chest burned from the laser that nearly penetrated my armor. I forgot how hard this was. This is what I get from not working out just as hard as I used to.
I heard a shot of plasma, and when I looked up I saw an energy sphere burning my way. I dodged right as I grabbed my Plasma Rifle into my hands and shot at Prism. The green substance burned through her left leg, causing her to hit the ground. More shots neared her body and she was smeared with the floor.
I took a deep breath in and let it out quickly, as I pushed back the long bangs out of my face. I walked up to the Flak Cannon and took it with my hands. I held the heavy metal in my sweaty hands. Let's finish this.
I quickly turned around at the sound of shooting, and let out a ball of burning metal in front of Prism. The metal shrieked as it hit the catwalk and splintered out into millions of piercing flak. Prism yelled as one hit her face. She quit firing her Minigun and looked at me with hatred. Her face had a cut on her cheek and her armor was bruised with flak sticking out of it.
She knelt on her knees and got ready to fire at me. I ran in her direction and fired another ball of flak straight into her. She rolled away and stood on her knee. Her finger curled around the trigger of the Minigun, but stopped short as one of the flak rammed into her forehead. Her mouth dropped opened as blood oozed out of the wound. I closed my eyes and pressed my lips together.
I have forgotten how this feels like. It feels so real. Every bullet that hits me and her, it feels so real. Because this is real. Her body fell to the floor hard with a thump.
Footsteps behind me alerted my senses, and I sprinted towards the Minigun the corpse dropped, and rolled while turning to my opponent. I pressed the trigger and bullets rammed out of the barrel and into her armor. The impact caused her to back away, each bullet eating their way towards her. Blood began to spurt out as the bullets made their way through her ribs, causing her to scream. Soon she fell to her knees, shaking. She fired one last beam into my right leg, eating through the armor and into my skin. I screamed as I fell on my knee as she hit the floor.
I dropped the Minigun against the floor and pressed my hands against the wound. Blood wet my fingers as I felt my wound sizzle. It went right through my thigh.
"You might as well, just let yourself get fragged." A voice said behind me with metallic footsteps. "It'll ease the pain." She said again.
"Whatever happens, Tanya, don't get fragged, don't die." Lostis voice echoed through my ears. "Trust me." He said.
I heard her power up the weapon, and I quickly picked up the Flak Cannon from the ground and fell on the ground with my left side and fired off yet another ball of flak into her. It was a perfect shot, but getting rained down by her blood didn't feel good, either.
I stood up, trying to ignore the pain in my thigh. I saw her run out of the passage, holding the Shock Rifle, and I quickly dropped the Flak Cannon and rolled for the Minigun. I supported my aim with my left knee and fired into her head. It was a quick kill, and I didn't feel any remorse for her anymore.
"Trinity has won the match!" The announcer screamed. I dropped the Minigun and found enough energy to stand up. I closed my eyes as I raised my hands proudly in the air, screaming, "Let's Rock!!!!!!!!!!!"
When I opened my eyes I was back in the stadium with screaming people. They were all chanting a name, my name. What a thrill it was. I have forgotten how nerve wracking this is, but then again I also forgot how great it was to hear the crowd cheering.
After the match, I was sent into the medical area with my opponent. I was put on a medical bed and a very familiar woman came up to me. Blond hair in a bun with short bangs on either side of her glasses that covered her bright blue eyes, she had thin eyebrows and big lips, a woman in her thirties. "Dr. Ross?" I asked quietly, and she quickly hushed me.
"Yeah, its me." She softly said as she studied my wounds. "Zack sent me." She said as she took my arm and moved it up and down. "Does this hurt?" She asked, and I nodded in return.
"Zack?" I asked as she continued studying my shoulder. "Yes. It was quiet easy. I just signed in as a doctor who transferred from the League's Lunar Medical Offices." She put down her glasses on a small table. "This is nothing, just a flesh wound. We'll need to take off your suit."
I helped her with that, and I felt pain against my body, just realizing how tight it was in that suit. It was cold in the medical area with just a tank top; everything about this tournament seems so hostile to me, somehow.
"Your friend finally got in contact with whom he wanted." Veronica told me, as she was binding my shoulder. "He told me to tell you that you should put aside your difference with that Necris. And it wouldn't hurt to make some friends within the tournament, either." She finished binding it and tied it very tightly. "I'm here to give you the medical care you need." She started to bind my thigh. "Since the other doctor they have is an alien, he figured it'd be nice if it was someone you know." She quickly finished with my thigh and patted me on the shoulder. "You are good to go."
I nodded and put on the suit again. "Did Zack say anything about meeting with Boris?" I asked as I slipped on the gloves.
"Yes. Actually, you should expect him here in the tournament." I stopped to look at her, seriously. "He's coming," I couldn't believe it. "—here?" I watched her nod. I took a deep breath and soon smiled. I haven't seen him in two years, and he's actually coming here.
Boris was an old partner of mine. He was like a brother to Dessloch. He was part of the Blood Reavers under the codename Zenith. Him and the rest of the gang officially earned freedom from the Unreal Tournament. They were once known as criminals, but that was false. I was just glad that they finally got what they wanted. And now, I'm going to see him again. Boris.
"Okay, your ready to go. The pain won't go away until sometime. Best not to carry any heavy weights, but I think you'll have no choice." She said and smiled. "Guards, escort her back to the cells." Veronica called the Liandri guards through the vidcommunicator, who came over and helped me up from the bed. They cuffed me and led me towards that same cave.
I passed the gates of the cavern and was uncuffed by the guards. I found Romulus quickly. "Hey." I said as I came up to him. "Hi." He answered and then asked, "How did it go?" He carefully observed my eyes.
"It went well." I smiled. "The opponent was an easy one." I leaned against the wall and regained his eye contact. "Did I miss anything?" I asked while folding my arms. Romulus shook his head and came to rest his back against the wall.
The words of the announcer still puzzled and were in my mind for quite some time. "—managed to escape this tournament a couple of years ago. It says that if she would have stayed, she might have had a chance to fight this tournament's former champion, Xan Kreigor." I guess I had no proof that I was the rightful champion because when I fought Xan, the viewers were evacuated when Dessloch and Zack caused trouble.
"Tell me." I turned to Romulus, staring into his deep-green eyes. I asked him a question which surprised him, "Who defeated Xan two years ago?"
"You don't know?" Romulus sounded surprised. "Malcolm, of course. He is the champion of this tournament."
I hung my head. "I see." I sounded rather disappointed. "What's wrong?" Romulus lowered his head to see my eyes.
I took a deep breath in. "How did you know I was Trinity?" I asked him. "I never introduced myself properly. How did you know?" Romulus looked confused. "You are the one who escaped the tournament. You are the reason why many contestants began to revolt." He said. "Right?" He asked, not sounding so sure himself. I nodded. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." I answered him in a bitter voice.
So no one knew the real story. Of course they didn't. Liandri couldn't say that I defeated Xan and escaped the tournament. It will cause a rebellion. So instead they decided to picture me as a coward who escaped the tournament because I wasn't strong enough.
"Those bastards," I said out loud and slammed my fist into the wall. Romulus looked at me, but was wise not to ask what was that about.
I gave out a long breath and looked straight. My eyes quickly met those of the mysterious stranger. How did he know then? He greeted me and asked if I was the former champion of this tournament. He knows what happened two years ago, but how? If no one else knows, how does he know?
"Trinity?" Romulus said my name and made me break the eye contact. "What?" I asked softly. "Did Malcolm—" He shifted. "Did you see the final match? Did you see the end of Xan?" Romulus asked me. I nodded slowly and said, "Yeah. I did see the final match. It was a close one, it was fast, dangerous, and an angry one." I took a deep breath. "It was a match where both contestants thought of one thing." I slid down to the floor and finished my thought, "Vengeance."
(a/n): So what did you think? How was the match? Did you enjoy it, hate it? Well 'till next time.
-L
The quote is about the Empire and the Liandri they control.