Deep in Ancient Dalek City
(Kowalski's POV)
I can't help but feel like we're in a game. The unexpected Ambush back there, the difficult to move through areas, and blank spots. And the feeling that time is moving much faster then it should. And the feeling that there's some kind of goggles on my face. Even though I can't see one on any of the reflective surfaces in this place. And also I had a splitting headache for the last thirty minutes. Plus occasionally I feel like I'm walking on a omni-directional treadmill instead of solid ground. Maybe the darkness and the fact that Daleks could ambush us at any time was making me go crazy. Wait a minute I wasn't holding a mug a second ago? Or was I?
I took a sip and immediately did a spit take, "Seriously Kowalski?" Skipper said, "you want to take a drink now?"
"Sorry," I said as Rico ripped the mug out of my flippers.
"You weren't holding that a second ago," Classified said.
"Neither were you," I said pointing to the #1 Agent mug in his paw.
"Forget the randomly appearing Objects," Skipper said though it was clear he wasn't forgetting it.
"Yes sir," I said as my mind started to mull over the possibilities.
We can't be in a simulation... can we? I didn't notice a wall glitch behind me or a random Penguin appearing for a brief second. I though I saw a line of code and the area behind us disappear. But I turned and saw the area we just left behind me.
I turned back to Skipper who looked at me oddly, "Odd..." Skipper said, "I don't remember that door being there.
A Door was indeed in the wall that was solid a second ago, "Maybe we overlooked it," Eva said.
"It must be the stress we're under," Classified dismissed.
"Move!" Skipper said, "We can't afford to waste anymore time."
Skipper opened the door and we rushed in. We entered a wide open area with a high ceilings windows in the ceiling showing the sickly polluted skies of the planet. I though I saw It glitch for a second to Earth's blue skies. I looked up to get a better look only to see ugly skies and acid rain. A bunch of deactivated ancient Daleks on a higher platform silently 'look' down on us from above.
We exited the vast chamber through a destroyed door and entered a abandoned lab area. A gun that was mounted on the ceiling fired causing us to shatter to the edges. We ducked and dove to avoid the barrage of lasers. The gun stopped firing a we left the room and entered a corridor. An explosion goes off and we run to the end as the corridor collapsed. We made it to the next room barely escaping being crushed.
"Now this feels like a video game," I breathlessly exclaimed.
"This isn't a game Kowalski!" Skipper said, "This is real life get with the program!"
"You sure about," I whispered to myself.
Skipper was too far away to see me. But Eva with her highly evolved hearing did and turned to give me a odd look.
Skipper accidentally hit a activator in the floor, "Uh oh," He said.
A giant heavy metal ball rolled off a track above us. We ran for our lives from the ball and headed towards a heavy bulkhead that was slowly descending. We rushed up and slide under the door with seconds to spare. The bulkhead slammed shut as the ball impacted it. We all jumped at the loud bang and looked at the massive dent in the door.
"That would have probably crushed us," Kowalski said.
"Uh what's the zapping sound?" Private asked.
We all turned to the end of the long corridor we were standing in. We could see the vast open room beyond but blocking us was a wall of electricity. Three lines of electricity "stacked" on top of one another. Every couple of seconds the electric barrier shuts off allowing a brief window to run through before reactivating about a minute later.
"Skipper," I said, "If we time our run at the second those barriers shut off..."
"We can make a break for it," Skipper said the sounds of the barrier turning on and off filling the air.
"We have a minute to get through once the barriers turn off," I said, "I suggest going one at a time."
"See you suckers!" Short Fuse said as he sped forward in his hover tank( which came out of nowhere).
"Short Fuse no!" I shouted as Short Fuse flew towards the barrier.
The Barrier drops but Short Fuse was a second too slow and got electrocuted.
"No!" Classified screamed as soon as the barrier dropped.
Corporal make a run for it and stood over Short Fuse, "CORPORAL GET OUT OF THERE!" Classified screamed.
Corporal went to pick up Short Fuse the second the barrier reactivated. Corporal was electrocuted and dropped to the ground Short Fuse still in his hands.
"NOOOO!" Classified screamed.
"Well now passage through there is impossible," I said.
The door behind us exploded revealing our Dalek pursuers, "Run!" Skipper screamed.
The Daleks fired causing Classified to fall to the ground dead. The Daleks caused the wall to explode however allowing us passage to a parallel corridor. We jumped through the hole and bypassed the electric barrier of doom. The Daleks paid no mind to their dead enemies and continued the chase. Shortly after the last Dalek left Classified, Corporal, and Short Fuse faded away.
(Classified's POV)
VR goggles are ripped off my face as I let out a gasp. Two North Wind Agent helped me up. I look around at my surrounding in shock and confusion. I turned to see Corporal and Short Fuse looking at their VR headsets in confusion. WAIT A Minute...VR Headsets!?
"What is going on here!?" I demanded, "The GPC? The Daleks!? Skaro? The Penguins!"
I turned to see a Agent-bot standing in a corner hooked up to another VR set up, "The Agent-bots!?" I snarled, "WHERE ARE THE PENGUINS!"
"Are you okay sir?" The Agent-bot said.
"DIE PENTRON SPY!" Corporal screamed smashing the robot with a angry yell.
"Hostile intent! Hostile Intent!" Another Agent-bot said.
"I'll show you hostile intent," I said.
Suddenly Agents 200, 201, and Nigel appeared, "Whoa! Calm down no need to get hasty!"
"A Agent-bot has been attacked," One of the Agent-bots said.
"Stand down!" Nigel shouted causing all the robots to deactivate.
"I take it your all very confused," Nigel said holding a VR headset.
Behind was the others also in VR headsets. A screen in the background showed them still wandering around the Dalek city.
"Let me make you a spot of tea so I can explain," Nigel said.
"Forget the tea!" I screamed, "What on Earth is going on here!"
"Americans," Nigel muttered, "can never just sit down and enjoy some tea."
"There's no time for tea!" I screamed.
"I'm British," Nigel scoffed as he sipped a cup of tea, "there's always time for tea."
"Answers now!" I shouted.
"I'm sure your very angry," Nigel said, "but the board wanted something new for this year's Elitist of Elite Competition."
"What!?" We said.
"Why didn't you tell us that we were in a simulation!" I said.
"I'm afraid my simulated self does not have that information in his code old chap," Nigel said.
"Don't you think it would be a good idea to tell us!?" I screamed.
"Sorry Agent," Nigel said, "and I apologize for any trauma you may have endured."
"So what about the rest of the competition?" Corporal asked.
"You shouldn't worry about that," Rockgut said, "As the three of you were just eliminated."
"So we could have 'died' at any point in this!" I said.
"Such a shame you just had a quarter of the simulator to go," Rockgut said.
"But why all this cloak and dagger," I said, "if we known that this was a simulation..."
"You wouldn't have tried as hard," Rockgut said.
"But the Daleks, Pentron, Skaro, the traps, the ambushes, the Cyber-men, the triple crosses, you being mind controlled..."
"Was all part of the simulation," Rockgut said.
"That was the cruelest video game I was ever forced to play against my knowledge and will," Short Fuse said.
"First of all," Rockgut said, "This is the ELITIST OF THE ELITE COMPETITION! Did you think this was going to be easy?"
"And second," Rockgut said, "that was no game. That was the IPSA's latest and most advanced battle simulator to date."
"So none of the points in the simulator counted!?" I said, "We worked our simulated butts off in there!"
"We got to help The penguins and Eva," Short Fuse said.
"Put us back in there," I said.
"We can't," Nigel said.
"The threat may be fake but they still need our help!" I said.
"How are you supposed to do that?" Rockgut said, "Your supposed to be dead!"
"Oh right," I said.
"We can not break the illusion of reality," Nigel said, "not yet..."
"This was a beta test," I said as understanding dawned on me.
"IF you knew that your were in a simulation that would have invalided the test. Again we apologize for the deception."
"We needed a controlled test environment," Nigel said, "also we found that people who know that they're in a simulator usually 'die' during the surprise attack of 'Ultima Pentron' during The Aerial Combat Drill."
"Of course that only happens when one or more of the 'players' decide to 'investigate' the competition."
"So if that didn't happen?" I said.
"Then the Daleks would attack during The Awards Ceremony and you would all lose," Nigel said, "the bad ending if you will..."
"Of course the only other bad ending is dying which ends the simulation for you," Nigel said.
"The Last 'Player' standing will win the competition for their team," Rockgut said.
"No points?" I said.
"No points," Rockgut said, "The simulator was designed to be the ultimate test of eliteness! Their no need for any other challenges. Also we wanted to use this as the launching point of our new simulation program!"
"And you need to test the crown of that program," I said.
"We call it the "Games of the Daleks" simulation," Nigel said, "where trainees take on the personas of 'team penguin' or the "North Wind" to do battle with Daleks who had infiltrated the Elitist of the Elite Competition!"
"So we can't go back in or the Penguins would no longer take the simulator seriously," I said..
"Kowalski is already starting to not take it seriously... so we're probably going to get him out of there soon," Rockgut muttered.
"Also you would have to start over," Nigel said.
"Well that explains the Jumanji reference," Short Fuse said.
"So what do we do now?" I said.
"Sit back and watch the show," Nigel said, "Plus I think you going to be happy you won't continue..."
"What did you do?" I said.
"It's a surprise," Rockgut said.
"I really want to punch you right now," I said.
Rockgut actually gulped, "um...Sorry can't stay. I have to uh... track down a led on the uh... Green Widow... the ninja snow monkey... in... um... Oldfakeplacerstanland... bye!"
We all groaned at Rockgut's obvious lie as he fled.
"And he freaks out when The Penguins do that," Nigel muttered as we turned our attention to the screen.
"I hope Skipper is more... uh... forgiving about this," I said.
(end of chapter fifteen)