Chapter Four: A Trial of Nerds
CH 4
The sun hung heavy in the sky, beating down on them as they arrived in the cluster of people. Pushing past a fancily dressed ninja and a reddish-orange haired buff guy, Cody saw it. It wasn't exactly what he had expected, a bit smaller too, but seeing it renewed him with confidence, he knew he could do it.
Before him stood an average looking arcade system, entirely black but for the red flames on the top that read "The Eliminator". It's screen was blank, fitting since there didn't seem to be anywhere to plug it in.. Although Cody didn't really see any plug in cord...
"Hey you coulda just asked me to move, ya?" The man to his right with the crazy long quiff laughed at him.
"I'm Wakka, your new here ya?" He spun a bright blue ball on the tip of his finger while smiling wide at Cody.
"Uh well yeah.." Cody replied, interrupted from his thoughts and somewhat confused as to why this random fellow was talking to him.
"Well welcome to the team, ya?" He smiled almost wider and threw an arm around Cody's shoulder, shaking him vigorously.
"Ur - hi ..." He slunk out under Wakka's grip to move towards the arcade machine, more to get away from the creepy buff guy's arm touching him then to head towards the 'trial'. Getting away from the big athlete kept his mind away from the stage fright of his next announcement.
"I'll do it. Don't worry guys, I'll save all of you." He said loudly at the team of people, conversing with each other about their options. As he stood in front of the arcade game, he was encouraged by the sudden happiness that was shown on the face of their leader, Rose. She was a little ways away talking to one of her crew, but her joyous look gave Cody the impression she must've heard him anyway.
"Hah, I got it." She announced, her happiness apparently an epiphany and not to do with Cody. Immediately she pulled a phone out from - Cody wasn't really sure where - and began to dial it, then turned away and repeated 'pick up, pick up' over and over. The rest of her team just stood in confusion as to what she was planning.
A bit disheartened by the lack of response, and his encouragement now found to be false, he tried to repeat his statement for the hope of a better reply.
"Ahem-" He cleared his throat loudly, "I said I'm gonna beat the trial!"
"No- you can't-" Trunks came up from the crowd towards Cody, apparently the only person who seemed to notice Cody say anything at all. "If one of us loses to the trial, we all lose- we only get one try, we can't let you waste it.." He was coming closer now, and Cody was more determined then ever. He knew if Trunks got to him he'd pull him away and he'd never get to save them by beating the trial, he was sure he had to be the one to do it, to save them all from a terrible fate.
To Cody, though, it was easy to look at it as if it was a movie or a story, something so weird and so horrible couldn't possibly be actually happening to him, it was all just- some made up TV show. It was easier to be calm and keep going that way. He certainly couldn't freak out in front of all these people, faced with being dead or trapped on some mystical island surrounded by weirdos. Never leaving wasn't something he had been bargaining for, and that's why he had to win this trial. Only him.
He whipped around and hit the big red 'START' button on the arcade, and a ring of flames enveloped him. At first it shocked him, flame surrounding him, but he decided to ignore it, thinking of it as just special effects to make the game seem all the more epic. It wasn't too hard to ignore either, for no extra heat seemed to affect him, and there was more then enough room to stand in several different comfortable ways.
Trunks leapt back, the unnatural heat of the flames pushing him back. Nearby him, he now noticed Dyo, also leaping away from - well somewhere - moving in a direction away from the flames. The roaring sound of the flames shooting up actually made a lot of people jump, including Rose, who whipped around in surprise.
"WHAT is going on?" She said, iterating her displeasure.
"The kid who just got here started the trial, ya?" Wakka answered pointing at him.
She shook her head and disgustedly labeled him an idiot under her breath, and crossed her arms to wait.
Cody didn't hear her. He was too busy playing this really cool game. The whole beginning was all this random spam about how totally impossible it was, and how there was no hope and no chance and blah blah blah. He enjoyed the cool and interesting way they presented it with all the explosions. He also liked one point where they played this short video where a guy is standing in a field, and another man walks up and shoots him in the side of his head, and the shot guy falling quickly to the floor, hitting on his side and then rolling around on his face a bit. Then it follows with a black screen and all this text scrolling down, the gist of which says that this video was an example of what you were, the guy who got shot, comparing just playing the game to being the guy getting shot. it then followed with a skull and crossbones flashing different colors over the same one second of the guy getting shot and starting to fall over and over and over and over... a bit hypnotizing actually, Cody thought. Except for the evil laugh that usually accompanied the picture of a laughing skull and crossbones, the word 'jester' came to Cody's mind for some reason.
Getting a bit bored with all the repetitive "you cannot win" statements being repeated over and over in different ways and different wordings, his mind wandered and he actually noticed something quite disturbing: there didnt seem to be any buttons at all on the arcade. Just the big red start button, and he'd already pressed that. Curious, and bored, he tried pressing the button again. Nothing happened though, the videos and scenes just kept repeating and repeating, the man getting shot in the field, skulls and big red flashing words. Cody relaxed a little bit and let out a sigh, trying to stand a bit more comfortable to wait for the long haul.
-T-R-G-
It seemed like forever had passed, but checking his watch it looked more like only 20 minutes. The videos still continued, the sound effects the random laughing, the evil voices and frightening pictures suddenly jumping up and trying to scare you, Cody nearly felt asleep.
Resting his elbow on the machine and his chin in his hand, he wasn't even sure how much more of this he could take. Maybe it really is unbeatable, he thought, because you never get to play! He lost curiosity of why there was no buttons to play with, he lost all interest in pretty much anything really. He felt like he was gonna pass out.
He gasped in air. He wasn't standing in front of the machine anymore, he was somewhere else. Somewhere he thought he recognized. Some huge open plain, looked like wheat that had grew several feet was all he could see for miles. Still in shock and still bored and tired, he nearly fell off his feet, but managed to stay standing. Before he could react to anything else, he heard a click to his left. Turning, he realized he might've been better off if he had fallen over.
For an instant, he almost thought he saw the bullet as it flew from the barrel of the gun he was looking down.
Everything went suddenly from bright red, to pitch black.
He hit the ground.
-T-R-G-
Next time oooon: The Recruiters: IS CODY DEAD?! IS THERE EvEN A NEXT TIME?!
You can only find out in the next installment of, The Recruiters!!
(Your opinion on those two matters would be helpful.)
The sun hung heavy in the sky, beating down on them as they arrived in the cluster of people. Pushing past a fancily dressed ninja and a reddish-orange haired buff guy, Cody saw it. It wasn't exactly what he had expected, a bit smaller too, but seeing it renewed him with confidence, he knew he could do it.
Before him stood an average looking arcade system, entirely black but for the red flames on the top that read "The Eliminator". It's screen was blank, fitting since there didn't seem to be anywhere to plug it in.. Although Cody didn't really see any plug in cord...
"Hey you coulda just asked me to move, ya?" The man to his right with the crazy long quiff laughed at him.
"I'm Wakka, your new here ya?" He spun a bright blue ball on the tip of his finger while smiling wide at Cody.
"Uh well yeah.." Cody replied, interrupted from his thoughts and somewhat confused as to why this random fellow was talking to him.
"Well welcome to the team, ya?" He smiled almost wider and threw an arm around Cody's shoulder, shaking him vigorously.
"Ur - hi ..." He slunk out under Wakka's grip to move towards the arcade machine, more to get away from the creepy buff guy's arm touching him then to head towards the 'trial'. Getting away from the big athlete kept his mind away from the stage fright of his next announcement.
"I'll do it. Don't worry guys, I'll save all of you." He said loudly at the team of people, conversing with each other about their options. As he stood in front of the arcade game, he was encouraged by the sudden happiness that was shown on the face of their leader, Rose. She was a little ways away talking to one of her crew, but her joyous look gave Cody the impression she must've heard him anyway.
"Hah, I got it." She announced, her happiness apparently an epiphany and not to do with Cody. Immediately she pulled a phone out from - Cody wasn't really sure where - and began to dial it, then turned away and repeated 'pick up, pick up' over and over. The rest of her team just stood in confusion as to what she was planning.
A bit disheartened by the lack of response, and his encouragement now found to be false, he tried to repeat his statement for the hope of a better reply.
"Ahem-" He cleared his throat loudly, "I said I'm gonna beat the trial!"
"No- you can't-" Trunks came up from the crowd towards Cody, apparently the only person who seemed to notice Cody say anything at all. "If one of us loses to the trial, we all lose- we only get one try, we can't let you waste it.." He was coming closer now, and Cody was more determined then ever. He knew if Trunks got to him he'd pull him away and he'd never get to save them by beating the trial, he was sure he had to be the one to do it, to save them all from a terrible fate.
To Cody, though, it was easy to look at it as if it was a movie or a story, something so weird and so horrible couldn't possibly be actually happening to him, it was all just- some made up TV show. It was easier to be calm and keep going that way. He certainly couldn't freak out in front of all these people, faced with being dead or trapped on some mystical island surrounded by weirdos. Never leaving wasn't something he had been bargaining for, and that's why he had to win this trial. Only him.
He whipped around and hit the big red 'START' button on the arcade, and a ring of flames enveloped him. At first it shocked him, flame surrounding him, but he decided to ignore it, thinking of it as just special effects to make the game seem all the more epic. It wasn't too hard to ignore either, for no extra heat seemed to affect him, and there was more then enough room to stand in several different comfortable ways.
Trunks leapt back, the unnatural heat of the flames pushing him back. Nearby him, he now noticed Dyo, also leaping away from - well somewhere - moving in a direction away from the flames. The roaring sound of the flames shooting up actually made a lot of people jump, including Rose, who whipped around in surprise.
"WHAT is going on?" She said, iterating her displeasure.
"The kid who just got here started the trial, ya?" Wakka answered pointing at him.
She shook her head and disgustedly labeled him an idiot under her breath, and crossed her arms to wait.
Cody didn't hear her. He was too busy playing this really cool game. The whole beginning was all this random spam about how totally impossible it was, and how there was no hope and no chance and blah blah blah. He enjoyed the cool and interesting way they presented it with all the explosions. He also liked one point where they played this short video where a guy is standing in a field, and another man walks up and shoots him in the side of his head, and the shot guy falling quickly to the floor, hitting on his side and then rolling around on his face a bit. Then it follows with a black screen and all this text scrolling down, the gist of which says that this video was an example of what you were, the guy who got shot, comparing just playing the game to being the guy getting shot. it then followed with a skull and crossbones flashing different colors over the same one second of the guy getting shot and starting to fall over and over and over and over... a bit hypnotizing actually, Cody thought. Except for the evil laugh that usually accompanied the picture of a laughing skull and crossbones, the word 'jester' came to Cody's mind for some reason.
Getting a bit bored with all the repetitive "you cannot win" statements being repeated over and over in different ways and different wordings, his mind wandered and he actually noticed something quite disturbing: there didnt seem to be any buttons at all on the arcade. Just the big red start button, and he'd already pressed that. Curious, and bored, he tried pressing the button again. Nothing happened though, the videos and scenes just kept repeating and repeating, the man getting shot in the field, skulls and big red flashing words. Cody relaxed a little bit and let out a sigh, trying to stand a bit more comfortable to wait for the long haul.
-T-R-G-
It seemed like forever had passed, but checking his watch it looked more like only 20 minutes. The videos still continued, the sound effects the random laughing, the evil voices and frightening pictures suddenly jumping up and trying to scare you, Cody nearly felt asleep.
Resting his elbow on the machine and his chin in his hand, he wasn't even sure how much more of this he could take. Maybe it really is unbeatable, he thought, because you never get to play! He lost curiosity of why there was no buttons to play with, he lost all interest in pretty much anything really. He felt like he was gonna pass out.
He gasped in air. He wasn't standing in front of the machine anymore, he was somewhere else. Somewhere he thought he recognized. Some huge open plain, looked like wheat that had grew several feet was all he could see for miles. Still in shock and still bored and tired, he nearly fell off his feet, but managed to stay standing. Before he could react to anything else, he heard a click to his left. Turning, he realized he might've been better off if he had fallen over.
For an instant, he almost thought he saw the bullet as it flew from the barrel of the gun he was looking down.
Everything went suddenly from bright red, to pitch black.
He hit the ground.
-T-R-G-
Next time oooon: The Recruiters: IS CODY DEAD?! IS THERE EvEN A NEXT TIME?!
You can only find out in the next installment of, The Recruiters!!
(Your opinion on those two matters would be helpful.)