„Tonight maybe we're gonna run
Dreaming of the Osaka sun
...
Dreaming of when the morning comes…"
Coldplay: Lovers in Japan
*Now, more rules and then it finally begins...*
Chapter 4
"That's all for now about the watches. If I forgot to mention something, I'm going to tell you later. And now, let the draw begin!" the soviet man talked more and more faster as his motions became such urgent.
The anxious feeling the class had felt before was sensible in the atmosphere again.
"Take your watches and press the right button down there... yeah, that red one!" he replied with a sniffy look to Anri Kimura, who hesitated and glanced at him often - she wasn't brave enough to ask, which button they have to press. But Moskvin caught sight of that and shouted before the girl.
Sonoko like all the others, involuntarily obeyed and pressed the button. For most of the student's surprise, a tiny keyboard came out from all the watches, in the same way, when the tray comes out from the DVD ROM, if you push "reject". That keyboard was only ca. 10 millimetres wide, its diameter was as long as a dial of an average mobile phone. The buttons had also the same size and the same place on it.
"Type your name, then press 'okay' on the keyboard. Yeah, that one in the middle!" Moskvin styled the last sentence expressly for Anri, even if she didn't call anyone for help at present.
Sound of pressing buttons filled the room for the next few seconds. It didn't take long, everyone finished soon, still Asuya Fukuda could make it quick. Then a whistling sound came from the watches and when those sounds quietend down, the kids saw a big green number on the middle of their display, filling the whole screen.
Boys and girls started to whispering with their friends in the near, they were showing the number they got by drawing, to one another. They all acted with odd obedience, what Moskvin himself stressed the best during he was waiting for the result. Maybe the fear from the 'Teddies', the compulsion made the class to obey the commander or it was the disbelief, wherefore the teenagers wanted to make sure of the soviet's statement.
Sonoko had a look around, is there someone in her near, who had the same number. She, Nana, Midori and a few others have contrasted their watches - meanwhile Rumiko had sneaked among them in silence, for fear, Moskvin would take objection to her action.
Unfortunately, the watches of every girl showed something else. Sonoko had the number 11, Midori the '12', Rumiko '15' and Nana '14'.
' Great. What a shaft.'
"So... I'm going to list the numbers beginning with one, and those, who has the same in their watch, will walk into those elevators over there. Not to worry, it's not a gas chamber." said Moskvin and then showed out his white teeth. He couldn't hide his wide smile, seeing the student's astonished face.
The elevators he mentioned, opened out immediately on the opposite side of the wall of that another door, which has bears behind it. Actually Moskvin opened it with a remote control, he got it out from one of the inner pockets.
"Partners number one!"
Dan and Rena stood up out of the 34 sitting kids, then walked hand in hand toward the first elevator. The central computer or what does the drawing, arranged, that they were drawn for each other. Incredible! Those two could never ask for a better partner.
While they were having toward the elevator, Dan suddenly left his girlfriend - she snatched at him in vain, but grabbed only the air - and the boy stopped only ahead of Moskvin. He didn't say a bloody word, just stared at him with rigid face. The soviet wanted to speak, but Dan was quicker and spit into his face.
The reaction was a stunned silence. Rena yelled a little, while she covered her eyes. She couldn't bear to see, what will happen next. Most of the 3/e expected the sound of the pistol-shot they had heard, when Moskvin killed Fukashi Tenzai. Instead of that, Moskvin laughed. Rena pulled her hands off out of the eyes and listened apprehensively. Like the others.
There is no need for more death before the 'game'! They can team up and figure something out to escape or something... the members of the 3/e know each other for a long time. For too long to harm one another so easily, right? Right?
Instead of 'Aren't you afraid? You're playing with your life!' and other similar cliche-affrights, Dan got a different response.
"I like your style, Nomura. We're going to make a gamble with my comrades and I think I might bet on you. But after that... I'll suffocate you with my own two hands, because you spit me on." the commie - unlike his words - spoke with such a 'from ear to ear' smile, as if he had just told some friends about the Saturday party.
"Morons like you deserve much worse than that!" Dan said with full of scorn.
After that, he turned round without any word and went back to Rena in his regular sleaziness. Rena took his right hand immediately, slightly clipped his boyfriend's ears, then looked at the beloved face with the harsh look of the worried people. They just stood there for a while, but finally proceeded to the elevators. During that time, when they disappeared in the deep dark of the lift, they were speaking about something, which sounded like a solid argument: it was a mixture of Dan's cursing, commination and Rena's try to calm him down.
At least they are together. There's no doubt, Dan will defend his girlfriend to the last ditch.
'Dan is a nice dude, even if he is a butt sometimes. Well... most of the times. And Rena can see that hidden feature within the boy and stand it very well. They're so cute together... why is this goddamn "game"?'
Sonoko managed to make herself angry with her own thoughts again, she had unwittingly Shinji Kudo in her mind. If he could but be here and protect her. Whut? Hell no! Sonoko shook her head. It's better for Shinji not to get involved in such horror, no matter that she is uninterested at him (Shinji goes out with Fuyuki Egami's younger sister again). Sonoko was always afraid of that, but she felt in heart, that one day this will come. He was supposed to be a hardcore "fan" of the girl.
Thanks to Moskvin's voice, Sonoko came back to reality: the man was iterating the number '11' at least third times. At the same time, Rumiko was poking her shoulder for a while to warn about the calling.
"Sonoko! Now you go!"
Sonoko stood up, turned round and quickly whispered to Rumiko.
"See you soon! I'll try to find you!" according to her plan, or rather to her hope, there won't be so much difference between the fight in BR and this Project, so irrespectively of the partnership-rule, pairs can team up with another duo. Whoever will be her mate, he probably won't attack his friends. Well... maybe the Ryusaki-twins are exceptions.
In her big excitement, as she chew over these things, she realised, that she missed checking her boy-mate. She was just thinking and when came to her senses, was already standing in the dark elevator cabin. Her legs automatically took her into there. To a totally empty lobby, which - let's say it out dirty - was f*cking dark. No light, no lamps, or anything at all. Only the other student, whom she got for partner. And she forgot to see his face.
"Who are you?" she asked into the darkness, but the answer didn't come.
She was ashamed by that reason; so, the classmate didn't like the idea of being her mate. Sonoko remained in silence and stood lost in sad thought.
When all of them went into their lifts, the 'fight' has started officially, they stepped into the battlefield together. Sonoko wasn't afraid, she just couldn't tell its cause to herself.
'It's time to prove something? To prove what? To whom? Rather... maybe now we'll see the real personality of the others ... I'm sure they'll show their true colours.'
Beside that uncertain excitement, she felt a deep sense of guilt. Because of her, instead of a 'simple' hostage-death, they are going to die by the hands of one another, like the gladiators in the arena. That was more depressing, that most of the class thought the same way. That's why she could be the premier target in their black list.
She convinced herself without any success, that they would die anyway. It is something else after all, since they have to leave this world with killing their best friends. Sonoko was near to cry, when suddenly something happened. Or it rather shouldn't have been?
The elevator doors closed up with a creaking sound, then a diving feel in every member of the 3/e signed, that they headed downwards.
Sonoko made a last attempt to find out, who is her partner - or rather she just wanted - because before she could speak, they've heard Moskvin's voice. It came clearly, without any strays from a built- in-speaker of every elevator.
"Now, that you have your partners (And what if I don't... - she thought ironically), I suggest you to take care of your mate, 'cause neither can live without the other. For example if the person Nr. 10 accidentally dies, his or her partner will die immediately with that one." a short break of thinking, then the commander continued:
"I don't know if it is worth to tell... maybe you won't be so motivated in fight then, but... ah, very well! So, sometimes... our scientists had played a bit and made a little twirl in that system, which means, the partners won't die together in every case. The computer decides it randomly 'to be or not to be', haha! But it has a very little chance, so take it very seriously! You might ask, how can we execute a healthful person from afar, when the mate dies, yes? Well, it's quite simple: a chip is being operated into your nape ( - as it was expectable, everyone touched their napes immediately - ) don't worry, you can't feel it, but if you poss it too much or too strong, it can explode ( - now the kids stopped touching their napes right away - ). Very sensitive, you know. Believe me, it's not worth the risk! Anyway, you can freely do, whatever you want, the chip will be only activated, when the computer can't sense the watches on your wrist. Or your partner dies. Or we decide to explode it manually. Yeah... Any questions? Oh! Haha, I can't hear you!"
During he was explaining all of this, the elevators landed on the ground floor (every single one in a different corridor) without any problem, but the doors haven't opened yet. Or rather not that door, in which they came through. Another door opened in the other side of the lift and a seemingly endless corridor appeared. Somewhere in the far, soft light flickered. That light lightened a pen with strong greed, it looked like, there were animals therein. Whether there were or not, the passage was silent. That doesn't mean anything, but... who knows.
Sonoko had a bad feeling about that place. So alone, she didn't trust her classmates anymore, maybe just Rumiko. She was sure, that she can't carry this through alive, but she settled, that her murderer will pay firmly for trying to take her life away.
Moskvin didn't let more time for thinking, the built-in speaker sounded again for the last time.
"Well folks, fight though, because only the last one can go home. The ONE and ONLY, who survives. Not thirty-idunnohowmany, not three, not two. ONE. If you'd like to see your beloved homeland again, you have to work for it hard! For now, watch out for your mate, and... what else did I want to say?" Moskvin sighed, then remained in silence for about a minute.
After a sharp creak of the speaker, he continued.
"Da! I remember! As I mentioned before, you will be informed about the tasks via text message - yeah, there will be such curiosities - and about everything else we want you to know about. That's why keep an eye on the watches sometimes, please. Besides, the list of the names can be found also there, if you select 'menu' then 'list'. You can check, if someone is already dead and as an extra gift: when and how did he or she died exactly. It might inspires some of you ( - Sonoko would bet on a certainty, that the commander winked by that sentence - ). The main computer is programmed to refresh the database per six hours, I repeat: six hours, thus it won't turn out immediately, if somebody dies. That would rule the game, haha. All these things are another improvements over the old loud-speakers system. No deadline, at least one dead person needed to continue the fight, otherwise every chip in your nape is going to... I guess, you've already figured it out." a short laughing "we won't using danger zones yet, there will be some, but a bit later. In this first battlefield - we can calmly call so - we've set "moving" traps along the standard military traps. I hope you catch the pun... But why would you chew upon these stuff, take a look at those traps by yourselves!"
Sonoko has started to think about it before, that if this is a game like Battle Royale, then where are the weapons? Moskvin forgot to share them out, or they have to kill one another with their pure hands? Like in pogo 1?
"To start up the game properly, I give you some boost. My last hint: watch your back, and let the game begin! Dasvidaniya!"
The speakers became speechless, Moskvin was out. Instead of that, the original doors of the elevators opened out and they could go away from the building in the open air.
'I wonder what is that douchebag meant by watching our back?'
Sonoko took a glance backwards and saw flabbergasted, that the door of the pen disappeared. It might was opened out at the same time as the elevator door. With electric guiding of course. And the pen had "residents", a lot of half-starved, seedy wolf was running along the corridor to her direction. From the sudden came surprise, Sonoko chilled. She was just standing and watching the wolves as they tried to reach her. She could barely grasp, what she was seeing, she was so confused by reason of the events of the past hours. And her brain fucked up now, at this moment and decided to refuse any other thing, which seems unbelievable.
'This is a terrible dream, isn't it?'
Yesterday they all discussed about the excitements of the class trip, none of them would have ever imagined, that they'll end up in a massacre like that. They had faith in the "enemy" as they relied on their own Emperor. Yoshiro might have nothing to do with the exploded soviet harbour, but unfortunately, the Union has proof from it's inverse.
The girl had a plenty of "why" in her mind, she looked into the wolves' yellow, demon eyes with glaze. Suddenly she felt a push on her shoulders and from that, her legs started moving again. The boy partner of hers took Sonoko by the wrist and laid the girl into the dark, open air with great speed.
The number of students: 34
[1]pogo= mainly in metal concerts: jumping, shouldering and laying into one another for fun. Sorry for explaining that, but I didn't find any sign on Google, that it would be a used word in English.
