KH-Vids Royale II [9th Chapter!] WARNING: The following story is extremely graphic and not intended for young audiences. Don't complain if you get disturbed by some imagery in this story, as this message is clearly forewarning you of what to come. --- The KH-Vids Royale II Fandom: A collection of stories, videos, poems, and drawings from fans of KH-Vids Royale 1 and 2. This stuff is probably best read and watched after you've read the story. Videos KHVR2 - Scene One KHVR2 - Scene Two Artwork KHVRII Galleria by Alice Rem Concept Art by Alice Fan-Fictions The Story of Matt by Cin --- KH-Vids Royale II Boys 1. Xaldin 2. libregkd (Breg) 3. Darkandroid 4. rat 5. Zexion of the Twilight (Zexion) 6. Fayth 7. Soushirei 8. Darkness Kingdom (Darkness) 9. RoxasvsRiku (Rorik) 10. cloudfinalfantasy (CFF) 11. sweqsora222 (Sweq) 12. /D/J/_!DaNgEr_*MOU5E* (Mouse) 13. no_reality_allowed (NRA) 14. riku sora kairi own (Risk) 15. Lithium Girls 1. Alice 2. Anniexo 3. Hissora 4. Jade Rhade 5. kitty_mckechnie (Kitty) 6. hikki_kairi (Hikki) 7. Guxas 8. Rufus 9. 2Foxxie4U (Foxxie) Previously in the KH-Vids Royale saga: Deathspank, the former owner of kh-vids.net invited the forum to meet in California for fun and games. Fifteen boys and fifteen girls showed up to the event, but were drugged during a meal and hoarded on planes that flew to Michigan. From here they flew to Mackinac Island, located between the Northern and Southern Peninsulas of Michigan. The members awoke in a small classroom, dazed and confused. Deathspank marched in to tell them that they were the guinea pigs in a new neo-aged game. Each member would be given a random weapon, food, and water, and would be sent out on the island. Once outside, they’d have three days to kill each other until only one was remaining. If you tried to escape, a collar around your neck would explode. If the three day period ended without a winner, every collar would explode. Several members were brutally killed near the beginning of the game. Cin and Roxas-chan fought Boris the Blade at the Mission Pointe hotel, which ultimately led to its demise. Boris the Blade continued to mercilessly kill people, his next target being Mish who attempted to ban the players together. Sara and Arc ran away from the gory scene to find themselves lost. Later, Boris the Blade kidnapped Sara and raped her. Arc began a frantic search for Sara amid the island’s forests as members began to die in their own fights. Friendships were formed, but each ended brutally. Meanwhile, Roxas, Cin, and Roxas-chan started to build a bomb that they would crash into the school where Deathspank was located. Their mission was to deactivate the collars by blowing up the school, leading to the escape of many members. After building the mobile bomb, their attempts at destroying the school failed. Their collars exploded and the three died. Two members attacked Boris, who held Sara captive, but failed. This led to Sara, Boris, and Arc being the only three left in the game. Sara’s bonds were cut during the battle with Boris and after the dust settled she managed to kill Boris. With only minutes remaining on the three day time limit, Arc shot himself in the head to allow Sara to win. Crowned the Royale champion, Sara desperately tried to stay with Arc as she was pulled away from him. Deathspank and his fellow soldiers burned the bodies of the dead and left the island. In a helicopter on the way back to the Michigan mainland, Sara killed Deathspank and jumped into the lake with his body. The United States Government labeled the game as a failure, and the subject has not been touched upon since. 1: Ace Silently, patiently, I yearn, I wait This boiling anger turns into hate She says as if I won’t understand “I can’t be with you because I love him.” A splattering of applause met the end of Xaldin’s (Boy No. 1, new kh-vids.net administrator & owner, kh-vids.net) poem as he returned to his seat. Speaking in front of the class had never been his specialty, and he was glad to see that most of the students had already fallen asleep out of boredom. His life was mundane at best, a twisted road of typical days and dreamless nights. All he hoped for was a bit of excitement, something to spark his imagination and get his adrenaline pumping. For years he had lived on the Bermudian Islands. He knew the names of everyone on the island (as did all the other islanders) and hadn’t met a new person in eight months. “Thank you,” the teacher said before going back to her crossword. Another bored, frowning student shuffled his way up to the front of the room to read his poem. I am a poet And I don’t know it. He hobbled back to his seat and began to snore once again. “Thank you,” said the teacher, her eyes pasted to the puzzle in front of her. Obviously she hadn’t noticed the awful poem that had just been read and a few of the students that were still awake giggled at this. Xaldin crossed his arms on his desk and nestled his chin on his elbows. When does this routine end? he asked himself. His mind came up blank, so he made up an answer to please his curiosity. Tonight! Something amazing will happen that will switch the boring with the exciting! Xaldin closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, unaware of the helicopters that were touching down outside the school. --- A tall, blonde woman sat by a window on the 47th floor of the Trefalgar Building in New York City. The window overlooked the devastating ruins of what had once been the Empire State Building. Smoke still wafted from sections of charred, twisted metal. Bodies were found daily amid the wreckage. Sara sat with a sniper rifle laid across her lap. The window was open just enough to get a clean shot at the President of the United States. Today marked the 1st anniversary of when she and the terrorist group Wild Seven destroyed the Empire State Building. It also marked the 8th anniversary of the first ever “game” run by the government to kill worthless youths. President Bush III would be reading a speech to “honor the lives lost” or “continue to fight for freedom” (Sara laughed at the ridiculous things said by the President, who hadn’t the slightest grasp on the terror of fighting for freedom). She only had one bullet to kill the president, the words “Wild Seven” engraved into its outer shell. The one bullet was all she needed to blow out his brains, and when she did she’d change her clothes and run outside to join in the gathering crowds. The sound of drums slowly began to filter through the glass. Far down the street, a parade of golden instruments, silver flutes, and flying drumsticks approached the ruins of the building. Behind them was a black limo surrounded by police cars and motorcycles. Flags spun and twirled behind the car as the President approached the stage overlooking hundreds of New York citizens. It wasn’t long before he was standing behind the stage’s podium, smiling and waving at the clapping drones that filled the expanse in front of him. “Citizens of New York, and people of America… I stand before you today in front of this horrible sight today to give you a message of peace. It has been a year since the horrific incident where terrorists attacked the Empire State Building, and since then, many more attacks have followed. But because of these attacks, America has united as one. We have taken grand steps to rebuild this shattered city, and…” Sara removed the President’s excited voice from her head, focusing the sniper’s scope on his forehead. She didn’t move, she didn’t breathe; every muscle focused on the President’s moving head. Her finger wrapped round the trigger, and she smoothed it across its comfortable edge. ‘The world is better if without him,’ she thought. ‘His reign ends…’ Sara pulled the trigger. ‘…now.’ There was a small thud, and the bullet spiraled from the sniper’s barrel. It spun through the hole in the window and down toward the President. The President’s words ended with a sickening crack as the top half of his head exploded behind him. Red waves splashed across the white wall encompassing the stage .This mixed with a gooey, black sponge that ran down his cheeks like tears. One eye hung from its socket as the President fell forward and into the crowd. The word “peace” on the wall behind him now said “ace”, the “pe” covered in thick, red liquid. ‘Ace,’ Sara thought, smiling, ‘how funny. I guess I have quite the ace shot.’ Policemen rushed to the President’s body. Half of his gray, gooey brains hung from the microphone he was previously speaking in to. Sara stood up and turned away from the chaos. Her smile never left her lips as she exited the building to watch the people scream and run in terror. A black car drove up in front of her, and she opened the door and stepped in without another word. --- Darkandroid (Boy No. 3, kh-vids.net moderator) dropped his cup of ramen and fork. They clattered to the floor, but he took no notice as he gaped at the television in front of him. The President had just been shot in the head. Blood and brains had splattered all over the stage he had been presenting on. The rest of his family sat in silence, shocked at the events that were unfolding on the screen. The channel flicked to a message saying “We are temporarily off-line.” “W-W-What?” stuttered his mother. “I can’t believe it,” frowned his father. “Did the President really just get shot?” Darkandroid wasn’t even American, and had never been a fan of the Bush family, but he had just witnessed the assassination of a historic, political figure. The scene replayed in his mind endlessly, the flash that ended with the President’s head exploding in a mass of blood. “I’m sorry you had to see that, son,” his father sympathized. “That’s nothing anyone should see. I bet it’s that Wild Seven terrorist group…” His words ended softly, speculating things no one would ever know. An unfamiliar whir of blades began to grow louder and louder, droning out the news reporter who kept repeating “we are temporarily off-line” on the television. The trees outside the living room whipped wildly as a helicopter touched down in Darkandroid’s back garden. Soldiers charged from the copter, smashing through Darkandroid’s door and charging into the room. “All of you, hands up!” screamed one of the soldiers. Darkandroid, his mother, and his father all put their hands up in unison. The soldiers parted as a man wearing a camouflage suit, an army beret, and an eye patch walked through them. “We’ve only come for the young one,” he said gruffly. He handed a sheet to Darkandroid’s father, who stared at it before reading it aloud. If this sheet is being read, then the President of the United States of America is dead. His last orders were to obtain anybody related to Sara, the leader of the Wild Seven terrorist unit and winner of the first Reformation Act. The only group with the power to do this would be Wild Seven, and if the President has been assassinated then dual punishment should be inflicted upon anyone related to Sara. This includes children. Darkandroid’s father looked up. “What does this mean?” he asked the official-looking soldier. “Your son used to be in contact with Sara,” he grinned. “We’re taking him. Now.” The soldier waved his hand and several soldiers rushed forward and grabbed Darkandroid. “Son!” screamed his father. “Shut up!” a soldier commanded, smashing his father’s face with the butt of his gun. “Dad, I don’t know what they’re talking about!” Darkandroid pleaded. “Help me! Help me!!!” One of the soldiers carrying him smashed across the head, shutting him up. “Dear! Where are you taking him?!” pleaded his mother. She too was knocked to the ground. “I’m not with Sara!” Darkandroid shouted. “I don’t know where she is! I don’t know her!” --- Sara drove in the car with her partner, Matt. Not her “love” partner (she still remembered Arc, and loved him with all her heart), but her partner in the Wild Seven. Anti-government songs blasted through the car’s speakers as they shot through New York. Ladies and gentlemen of the underclass… the President, of the United States of America, is dead. I don’t believe in the politics Atrocious fools and hypocrites We walk a line that treads so fine Is this what glory had in mind? Oh, here we go, this is a revolution No one knows, who leads this revolution. The song “The Wild Seven” was being played. Sara laughed at the lyrics. The President truly was dead. It was almost as if the song was a news announcement. Sara wasn’t truly sure what had brought her to create the Wild Seven. All her questions led to the image of Arc, smiling, grinning, but also crying, and the night when he shot himself in the head to save Sara. She had brutally murdered Deathspank as retribution of sorts, escaping into Lake Michigan. Eight years later she was the most wanted woman in the country. It was her belief that all the blame went to the government, and that she was the good guy - the world’s savior. But the world thought differently, fearing her. Driving around in a car in the middle of New York City wasn’t her best idea, but she didn’t suspect that anything would go wrong. As if on cue, police cars jammed the cross roads in front of them. “****!” Matt forced between his teeth, slamming on the brake. He slammed on the brake and the car spun, its tires screeching and burning rubber. “How the hell did this happen?” Sara asked furiously, leaning over the dashboard. Up in the sky, a helicopter flew towards them. “This is bad,” Matt grinned, “but it’s nothing I can’t handle.” Another police car came at them from the front, but Matt swerved to his right and avoided it. He dodged more oncoming cars and took a right onto some back-alley road. Two policemen on motorcycles entered from the other side of the alley. “****, do they want to die!” Matt shouted. He slammed on the accelerator, speeding toward the cops on motorcycles. The two policemen fired up their cycles and pulled their throttles, gunning it for the hood of Matt’s car. “This can’t be happening,” said Sara. “Do they not realize what they’re doing?” The car filled up almost the entire alleyway; there was absolutely no room for the two motorcycles to make their way through or past the car. They grew closer and closer, seconds away from exploding on impact. Without warning, gunfire exploded from the front of the motorcycles. Matt’s car’s windshield shattered in the blazing fury created by the bullets. Blood spewed from his arm and glass shards peppered his face. “Dammit! I can’t see!” he said angrily. “Watch out!” Sara screamed, trying to grab the wheel, but it was no use. The two motorcycles in front of them collided into the car. One of the riders flew forward and impaled himself on a massive shard of glass jutting out from the car. Blood leaked onto Sara’s lap as she scrambled to regain control of the car. The other rider flew to the side and screamed as his body was crushed between the brick wall of the building and the car’s side. Sara heard the sick sound of crunching bones as the man was ripped in half. His intestines squashed against the window, and the stench filled Matt and Sara’s nostrils as they sped down the final stretch of the alleyway. “Almost there!” The darkness of the alleyway ebbed into a brilliant light as they soared out of the alleyway. And into a nest of police cars and helicopters. “Both of you put your hands up!” screamed a man over a microphone. “We’re ****ed,” Matt said, slumping into his seat. He smashed his hands against the steering wheel. “Dammit,” gritted Sara. “We’re going to be killed!” “There’s nothing we can do…” Matt replied in denial. The police ripped open the car doors, pulling and handcuffing the two before putting them in a solitary car, gassing it until they were unconscious. “They’re out cold,” a soldier reported through a crackling phone. “Bring them,” was the reply. They were put on a plane and shipped to San Francisco. There, their bodies were taken by boat to Alcatraz, the most renowned prison in the world. It had been abandoned for years since. Upon entrance, the other five members of Wild Seven sat, waiting for them, blindfolds around their heads. The soldiers ripped off the blindfolds to reveal a wall that read: Welcome to hell. 7 Wild Seven members remaining 2: Monkey “Welcome,” quipped a man who stepped in front of the wall, smiling broadly. He was dripping with false enthusiasm, bowing and spreading his arms. “We’re currently on Alcatraz, but it’s only a temporary location. You’ve all been gathered here for a specific reason, and it’s not execution; at least not yet.” “Who are you?!” screamed Matt frantically. “I’m the one doing the interrogating!” growled the man, all enthusiasm dropped from his tone. “One of you may find my name familiar. It’s Monkey. I used to moderate at the forum Sara did but was knocked off my position. To be honest, I could care less now, but when I was contacted by the government I thought it’d be a fun little venture. Does anyone know the date? Anyone?” Monkey looked around to see blank faces. “Well, a week ago Sara shot the President dead, so it’s sometime in June. I don’t keep track of dates. Maybe I should use todaysdate.com more often. You should have seen the look on the face of the old lady the President fell on!” Monkey was strolling around the room, cracking jokes in front of soldiers and high-ranking officials without a second thought. The Wild Seven members were bound to their chairs by tight chains, unable to act on instinct with control of only their feet and arms. “You’re quite an organized group,” Monkey began, “killing the President, blowing up the Empire State Building, you all have a part in some sort of grand scheme to do what? Kill a President that will only be replaced by a more stupid one? Destroy a building full of innocent people to prove a silly point? You’re all pathetic.” “It wasn’t a ‘silly point’!” screamed one girl in outrage. She was the second member of Wild Seven to speak up in front of Monkey. “What’s your name?” Monkey asked, tilting his head. “You know what, scratch that; let’s start the presentation.” A white board fell from the ceiling, covering the words “welcome to hell” written on the wall. Behind the Wild Seven, a projector showed the image of a girl with long, silver hair. Her eyes were big, and she had a frown pasted across her face. “Acolyte, is it?” asked Monkey. “That’s right,” the girl, or Acolyte, answered. “Then what was your ‘silly point’?” Monkey grinned. “What did destroying the Empire State Building accomplish?” “We’re giving hope to the youth!” snapped a boy with short, blonde hair. He had a small scar on his cheek and his eyes squinted in anger as he spoke. The picture on the overhead projector flickered to a frame of the boy. “Zel,” smirked Monkey. “What a dumb code name. Let’s see who else is up here.” The picture changed to a child, 12 years old at most, wearing a sideways cap. He had short purple hair that jut out from his head. “Crum,” Monkey laughed. “Last year’s winner, huh? Just a boy, you were. And look at you now, all dressed in rags and loaded with guns. You could have used this rage for something else.” Sara’s picture came up next. “Our little Queen Bee,” taunted Monkey, swiveling round to face her. “We don’t need to talk about you. All you’ve done for the past eight years is put yourself in the spot-light, so let’s move on to another member of your group.” The picture of another girl appeared. She had shoulder length brown hair and hazelnut eyes, a steely stare, and a fringe that hung about her beautiful face. “Your name is Saint,” smiled Monkey. “I quite like that. ‘Saint.’ You don’t look that bad, either.” He put on his most creepy smile and turned to her, “If you don’t comply with what I’m about to tell you all, I’ll just have to take you out back and give you a saint’s blessing of my own.” Saint spat at him, but Monkey easily side-stepped the saliva. “You’re just inviting me to do so,” Monkey said flatly, narrowing his eyes. The next slide revealed Matt, who sat smiling. “Thought you’d be funny, did you?” asked Monkey. “Give the camera a smile, huh? I don’t think it’s funny. Sounds rather immature, if you want my honest opinion.” As he ended, Wild Seven burst out laughing. “What’s so funny?” he inquired. No one said a word. “Tell me!” roared Monkey, anger filtering into his eyes. “Your face!” shouted Acolyte. Wild Seven fell into another fit of giggles. “Monkey,” began Sara. “Most of us are just kids, like you; fighting for the freedom and energy this world needs to begin anew. Stop acting like you’re better than us. I know what’s going on. We all do. We’ve all been in the government’s “game”, and we’ve all won. I’m sure by now we’ve all realized that this is going to be another silly game or you would have killed us by now. And by stooping to this level, Monkey…” She paused. “…You have become just as bad as one of us.” Monkey’s eye twitched. “So,” Sara said. “Why don’t we hear about Rem? Enough talk of Monkey.” “Monkeys are hairy,” Crum said. Monkey, his face still splattered with a bizarre expression, turned to the board behind him. This time it showed a young girl, about 15 years old, with curly blonde hair and a cute, petite face. She had an unmarked, tan face and a smile that would infatuate any boy she laid eyes upon. “You’re rather nice as well,” Monkey noted. “I’ll be sure to watch you during the game. Oh, yeah! The game!” Monkey smacked himself on the forehead. “That’s why I brought you guys here!” “He’s a ****ing lunatic,” Matt whispered to Acolyte, who smiled. “I’m sure you’ve all noticed the collars around your necks,” Monkey said. “You know the drill, try to escape, they explode, try to take them off, ramble ramble done and done.” He was rattling off random speech in what seemed to be a very formal setting. “Anyway,” he continued, “this game is different. Your battle will take place in a desert; the Sahara desert, to be more precise. You can try and run away, but we’ll just blow up your collar. The Wild Seven will be located in a fortress atop a mountain…” A picture of a sandy desert appeared on the screen. Miles of ruins surrounded a large mountain of jagged rock, upon which sat a castle made out of shrewd pipes and boxes. “Is that the fort?” interrupted Crum with an incredulous look. “Yes,” replied Monkey. “It may not look the best, but inside you’ll find it’s rather nice. Now, onto the rules of this new game.” A sheet was handed to each of the Wild Seven members. It read: 1. You will have a choice of weapon(s) during this game. The weapon you choose will be the only weapon you choose, so choose wisely. Once you have chosen your weapon, it is the only one you can take into the game with you. Discuss with your team mates who should take what. 2. There is a three day time limit to complete the objective. The game leader will give you your objective shortly after explaining these rules. 3. If you do not complete the objective within the time limit, the collars around your necks will explode. The time limit is 3 days. 4. If the objective is completed within the time limit, you will be given new identities and will be allowed to roam the world under extreme surveillance for the rest of your lives. If you are involved in the slightest crime, you will be murdered. If you tell anyone who you truly are you will be murdered. It is a small punishment for the crimes you have committed against humanity. You will never be allowed to see your families again. When they had all finished reading the rules, Monkey began, “Any questions?” Zel raised his hand. “Yes?” “Uh… so, if we complete the objective, we can live under your jurisdiction?” he asked. “Precisely,” replied Monkey. “Live your lives with no freedom, but you will be allowed to live. Also, you can never see each other again.” “I don’t see any reason to want to win,” asked Rem. “You’d rather die?” grinned Monkey. “Well, I guess not…” The rest of Wild Seven nodded in agreement. “So what’s the objective?” Sara asked. “The objective is simple,” explained Monkey. “The objective is to live for 3 days!” Monkey stopped himself, rather pleased with his dramatic announcement of the objective. “Is that it?” someone said. “Dammit, I was trying to be exciting!” Monkey complained in a whiney voice. “Nevertheless, to answer your question, yeah, that’s it. There will be two teams, team L and team D. Let me rephrase that; team Light and team Dark. They will be coming at you from two sides, the front and back of the mountain. These teams of soldiers are fighting because if their team kills all of you… they go home. Team Light and team Dark are also technically fighting each other, so you have two warring teams trying to kill you, also trying to kill each other, being killed by you… it’s sort of confusing, but does anyone not understand?” Saint raised her hand. “Yes?” “So, team Light wants to kill team Dark so that team Dark won’t get to us first?” “Precisely!” answered Monkey. “If Light can eliminate Dark, or vice-versa, then Light won’t have to worry about Dark getting to you guys first. Then, Light just has to kill you guys and they can all go home! Don’t forget that Light and Dark could even temporarily team up to have more power against you.” “And if we kill all of team Light and all of team Dark, we’re done?” asked Matt. “Yeah,” Monkey said. “You’re done, finished, ‘cleansed’ as my grandfather used to say… Well, anyone have any more questions?” Wild Seven just sat there. “Then I guess it’s time to hand out weapons!” barked Monkey. A door behind them slammed open and soldiers marched in with racks of bags. “I’m sure these look familiar to you, as they’re the same type of daypacks you used in your previous games!” Monkey grabbed one and ripped it open. “This time it’s a bit different,” he began to explain. “You have the food, and the water, and the weapon…” as he said this, he pulled these things from the bag and laid them on the ground. “And here’s a new little accessory. It’s a tracking system that shows the whole playing field. It’s even got outlines of ruins. The gray dots on here are you. The white dots are team Light, and the black dots are team Dark. If you wander outside the boundaries presented on this PDA, your collar will explode. Thanks to this tool, you can track your position on relation to certain bases and other things, and you’ll also know when a team mate is in need of help.” Sara was thoroughly impressed by this little device. It would make it much easier for them to kill the attacking soldiers. She knew what they would do if they won; somehow, they’d find a way to contact each other and reunite to begin destroying other world figures who didn’t do anything about the games. With devices like these, there would be no way she or her friends could lose. “Now,” Monkey said, “choose your weapons. You have a choice between a sniper rifle, an automatic rifle, a shotgun, or two pistols.” Sara instinctively knew she’d take the sniper rifle. “Sniper rifle,” she said. A soldier threw a daypack at her feet. “Pistols,” said Rem. “Pistols,” Saint agreed. “Machine gun,” Crum grinned. “Me too,” Matt said. The soldiers threw the respective daypacks at their feet. “Uh… let’s see, I’m gonna go with machine gun too,” Acolyte said. Zel was left. “No one wants the shotgun?” he asked the group. “They’re so clumsy,” stated Rem. “Alright, pistols!” Zel roared. “Thanks for choosing,” said Monkey. “Now, we’re going to put the blindfolds back on your heads, and when you wake up, the game will have already begun.” .Sara felt a blindfold slip over her eyes. Everything went silent, and she felt her head go numb. She tried to move her lips, but they were too heavy. Her whole body moved in slow motion, and she felt herself fall asleep. --- “Sara, wake up!” Sara opened her eyes to see the blazing sun above her. “****!” she screamed, her retinas burning from the bright light. Everything around her seemed to be a shade of tan or brown. Matt was standing over her with a machine gun in his arms and a small headset clipped around his ear. The PDA tracking system was strapped onto his forearm so it could easily be seen. Sara looked down at her arm to see the same PDA strapped to it. A sniper rifle was lying on the sand next to her. She felt her ear and found a small headset. “Hello?” she asked into it. “Sara, you’re awake!” came the voice of Saint. “These things are awesome!” Matt said to her. “Anything we say will be heard by the rest of our team mates.” Sara sat up and brushed the sand off of her clothes. Next to the sniper was a box of ammo, which she instinctively opened. Inside was a note: If you are reading this, then the game has already begun. Fight with strength, and you will be the champion. Life is a game, so fight for survival and see if you’re worth it. - Monkey Sara looked at her PDA to see small white and black dots moving around, far off into the ruins. “Don’t worry,” said Matt, sensing her worry, “they’re still miles away. The desert battlefield is huge.” Sara got up and looked over the edge of the mountain. In all directions, all she could see were ruins and hills, broken sandy huts and twisted masses of iron. “Are you ready?” asked Matt. The two were in a tower jutting from the top of the fortress. In front of Sara was a massive window that gave her a view of one whole side of the mountain. She sat her sniper on the edge of the window, and turned to Matt: “Ready as I’ll ever be.” 7 Wild Seven members remaining 3: Light and Dark Xaldin felt his body being shaken back and forth. “Xaldin, wake up!” someone said, their voice filled with terror. He blinked open an eye to see a crowd of people he didn’t know pulling themselves off the floor. Half of them looked asleep. Some were being helped up by others. “How… do you know my name?” Xaldin croaked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “It’s on your nametag,” replied the mysterious boy. Xaldin lifted his head to see a boy leaning over him. He had long, brown hair that was brushed to the side before it hit his brow. On his shirt was a nametag, and typed onto it was the name ‘Darkandroid.’ “Darkandroid?” piped Xaldin, instantly awake. He looked around the room to see more familiar names; Soushirei, Hissora, and libregkd. “Yes, that’s me,” replied Darkandroid. “Do you have any idea what’s going on?” Xaldin was stunned. He had fallen asleep in English class and woken up in some classroom in the middle of who-knows-where. “It’s Xaldin!” exclaimed a boy from the corner of the room. He looked slightly Hispanic, with short black hair. His nametag read “no_reality_allowed (NRA)”. NRA (Boy No. 13) rushed over to Xaldin, followed closely by Zexion of the Twilight (Zexion, Boy No. 5). “Do you know what’s going on?” asked Zexion. “I’ve been asked that twice,” moaned Xaldin. “Check your neck,” said Darkandroid, feeling his own. Xaldin noticed a thin, chrome collar with a red LCD panel on the front. He felt his own neck and there was, unsurprisingly, the same collar. “Well, if we want to know what’s going on, let’s ask that man,” suggested Xaldin, pointing at a man at the front of the room. “What the hell?” exclaimed Darkandroid upon seeing him. “He wasn’t there before! That’s the guy who took me away from my family!” “Me too!” said Zexion. At this point, the whole room’s attention was focused on the man with the green beret. He hadn’t had a shave in weeks, and smelt like onions. A large, toothless smile spread across his face. He stood with his legs spread, hands connected behind his back. On his arm was a tattoo of a giant snake breathing fire. Scars littered his body. “I put you all here,” said the man. “My name is Colonel Ray Bishop. You’re all here to play a game organized by Our Great Government. I’m sure you’ve heard of the reformation acts they fund.” Everybody nodded. “So,” the Colonel began, “You 24 members of kh-vids.net have been chosen to fight again. It was eight years ago that members of KH-Vids fought against each other. The winner was the woman we all know as Sara. She’s now the leader of Wild Seven. That’s where the game begins…” Xaldin looked around to see his fellow members staring at the man in disbelief. “You will each be given a daypack containing a random weapon, food, and water.” “We know!” screamed a girl from the back. She had long, brown hair, a round face, and black eyeliner. Her nametag said ‘Hissora’. “We are all aware of the awful game the government has put in motion.” Everyone agreed with her. “Well, in that case, I’ll get to the rules you don’t know,” Ray smiled. “The rules that are only going to be in effect for this game. You will be fighting in the Sahara Desert, amid many ruins of houses and buildings. Leave these ruins, and boom!” He threw up his hands as he said “boom”. “I’m sure you all know what I mean by ‘boom’. Those collars contain a lethal force powerful enough to blow off your head. But enough about the collars, as I’m approaching the first new rule of the game. The thing that separates this game from previous ones is that you may not have to kill each other until one is left.” The room broke into chatter. “Yes, you heard me right, for you see, you will be placed in two teams that must attack a single target; the base of Wild Seven.” The chatter instantly died. “There will be team Light, and team Dark. The first team to destroy Wild Seven and the other team can go home. You will pick a small ball from a bag, and if this ball is white, then you are on team L. If it’s black, you’re on team D. Also, if your ball has a skull on it then it means you’re the team leader. You can direct orders to your team with a handy headset. If Wild Seven manages to kill you all, they get to go home. It’s rather scary, isn’t it?” He laughed at this. “Well, I digress,” he chuckled. “There’s more to it than meets the eye. You’ll have two targets in your sights, so fight with honor and you will come out the victor! Are you ready for your teams?” The Colonel gave off his fakest, largest smile. “Faux for the win,” Darkandroid whispered to Xaldin. “Yeah,” he replied. “Hopefully, we’ll be on the same team. That way we can take down Wild Seven and go home together.” “You wouldn’t mind killing other members?” Darkandroid questioned. “I don’t truly know these people,” Xaldin said. “And we only have 3 days…” “Boy Number 1, Xaldin!” shouted the Colonel. Darkandroid gave him a pat on the back as he got up and made his way towards the bag at the front of the room. The Colonel held out a small, black bag. Xaldin reached his arm inside and grasped a small ball. He pulled it from the bag to see that it was the color white. A pattern of endless skulls encompassed the miniature marble. “Light team leader!” roared the Colonel. He pushed Xaldin into a separate room, but still visible from where they were standing. A soldier threw him a daypack as he entered the room. Xaldin heard the rumbling of an engine as he was pushed inside. “That’s the hold of a truck,” explained the Colonel. “As soon as you have been put into your teams and their respective trucks, you will be driven to your team starting point. When the truck’s back opens up, the game begins. Now, next, Girl Number 1, Alice.” An Asian girl with long hair and a black headband walked up to the Colonel. She reached into the bag and pulled out a black ball. “Team Dark,” barked the Colonel. She was thrown a daypack and shoved into the van not occupied by Xaldin. “Boy Number 2, libregkd.” Libregkd (Breg, Boy No. 2) slowly lumbered to the front of the room. His ball was white, and he was shuffled into the truck with Xaldin after receiving his daypack. “Girl Number 2, Anniexo!” Team Light. “Boy Number 3, Darkandroid!” Darkandroid gave Xaldin a smile as he walked up to the ball bag. He reached in his hand and pulled out a ball. The smile was wiped from his face immediately, his eyes moving back and forth between his hand and the bag as his bottom lip began to quiver. “Ah!” said the Colonel, “it seems like we have our Team Dark leader!” Darkandroid was thrown a bag before being pushed into the room with Alice. He looked at Xaldin, who simply looked at the floor. Hissora (Girl No. 3) wound up on team Dark. She didn’t know whether it was a bad or good thing; none of them knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Then again, they were all Kingdom Hearts fans. How good could any of them be? Rat (Boy No. 4) and Zexion of the Twilight (Boy No. 5) found themselves on team Light. Fayth (Boy No. 6), Jade Rhade (Jade, Girl No. 4) and kitty_mckechnie (Kitty, Girl No. 5) were placed on Team Dark. Hikki_kairi (Hikki, Girl No. 6) was placed on Light. Soushirei (Boy No. 7) was next. He walked to the front of the room and pulled a ball from the bag. It was the color gray. Several members gasped, and Soushirei asked, “What is this?” “The gray ball!” exclaimed the Colonel. “You, son, get to choose the team you would like to be on.” Soushirei peered round the room, examining the two teams. ‘Well,’ he thought, ‘Darkandroid is the oldest of the men, so he might know a bit about what he’s doing… Fayth looks good too. Plus, that team has more members. Alice seems to look like she could kill a man with her bare hands.’ His gaze was averted to team Light. ‘Xaldin, he’s composed very well. Both Zexion and Rat seem foolish but not bad. Anniexo is old, and if she chooses to fight them I’m sure she’d be a threat. And as for Breg, he just looks like he could take out a gun and shoot someone right now…’ “Um…” Soushirei mumbled. “Hurry up!” ordered Colonel Ray, yawning in boredom. “I guess I’ll go with team Light,” decided Soushirei. He liked Breg’s demeanor, and the team had a charisma about it that Dark lacked. “Then take your daypack and go,” said the Colonel. He turned to Guxas (Girl No. 7) and pulled her over. She got a white ball. Darkness Kingdom (Darkness, Boy No. 8) also received a white ball, “Rather ironic…” he muttered, wandering into the truck with Xaldin and the others. Girl Number 8 was Rufus, who seemed disappointed to receive a dark ball. RoxasvsRiku (Rorik, Boy No. 9) was put on Dark, and 2Foxxie4U (Foxxie, Girl No. 9) joined him. “Well, looks like we’re out of girls. It’ll just be boys from now on,” stated the Colonel. “Next up, Boy Number 10, cloudfinalfantasy!” A small boy, 11 years old at most, wandered up to the bag. He pulled out a dark ball. “Team Dark!” he exclaimed. “Oh, lord,” Darkandroid rolled off his tongue. “I think I might kill myself now.” “Don’t be so mean!” cried CFF. Tears began to form in his eyes. “I just want a friend, that’s all!” “Alright, sorry,” apologized Darkandroid, who wasn’t in the mood for apologizing. “Next,” began the Colonel, “is sweqsora222 (Sweq, Boy No. 11).” “What?!” exclaimed the room in outrage. “Don’t be mean.i just want friends. please.be my friend,” he said. “He talks just like he posts!” laughed Hissora. “I’m just kidding; I don’t really speak like that,” Sweq said. “I may look like a small boy to you, but inside of me dwells Sora. Sora is in all of us today.” No one said a word. Everyone just prayed that he wouldn’t be on their team. Sweq reached into the bag and pulled out a white ball. “YES!!! The LIGHT!!!” he screamed, jumping up and down. Over in the truck, Xaldin sheepishly raised his hand. “Yes?” asked the Colonel. “Is it against the rules to kill our own team members?” Xaldin asked. “I… guess not,” replied the Colonel. “Yes!” said Xaldin, high-fiving Zexion and Rat. “You guys will realize that I am the best!” pouted Sweq, walking into the truck. /D/J/!DaNgEr_*MOU5E* (Mouse, Boy No. 12)shortly followed, finding himself on Team Dark. No_reality_allowed (NRA, Boy No. 13) was placed on Light. Colonel Ray called out the next person, “Boy Number 14, riku_sora_kairi_own. I’ll call you Risk. You’re up next. Whichever ball you pick, Lithium gets placed on the opposite team so that they are even. Choose now.” Risk grabbed a ball from the bag. It was white, and he screamed as if he’d been bitten by a snake. “No! But I’m emo! I want team DARK!!!” “Oh, shut up!” roared Colonel Ray, pushing him into the truck with Xaldin. Lithium walked into Darkandroid’s truck. “Are you ready to play?” asked the Colonel. “The game begins when these doors open. One last thing; have fun!” Soldiers walked in front of the trucks and closed their sliding doors. As the doors closed, the Colonel waved and smiled at the two teams. --- Xaldin peered around at his comrades. They were all examining their weapons. His was a small pistol. He’d loaded it after putting his earpiece into his ear. “Does anyone have a battle plan?” he asked them. Everyone looked dismal. “I don’t want to die,” said Guxas. “I don’t want to kill,” said Soushirei. “I don’t want to be on team Light!” complained Risk. “Oh, shut up!” exclaimed Zexion. “Do you think your attitude is really helping us? We’re riding to our ****ing deaths and you’re complaining about shades of color.” The mood in the air was sickening. Something splashed against the floor, and Xaldin turned to see Anniexo doubled over, vomit lying in a puddle at her feet. “Why?” she croaked. “I’d never have thought that I’d be one to be put in this awful game. Why do we have to do this?!” Xaldin sighed. His team had broken down before the game had even begun. “Look,” he said. “We can all complain about death, or fight back against it. Do we really know each other? No, we don’t. So why not kill team Dark? And I’m up for killing the Wild Seven. They think they’re right, but no one likes them.” “Ditto,” agreed Breg. “We fight or die. It’s simple. Let’s fight back and destroy Wild Seven. I think they’ll be the main problem. Whether there are 2, or 7, of them, they’re trained to kill. We’re just kids from some internet forum.” “So was Sara,” NRA said. “At least, I heard she was. It’s been eight years since she was admin. Look how she turned out. Maybe we can be like her, and take down Wild Seven!” “I have one question that I think we can all share,” Soushirei said from the corner. “What’s that?” asked Rat. “Where will we be? Who will be there when we open the door? I mean, I know it’ll be the Sahara Desert but where? And what does that message on the door mean?” On the inside of the truck were the words Don’t leave the ruins. “I think I know what it means,” said Breg. “I think it means “don’t leave the ruins.”” Soushirei rolled his eyes, “Oh, good call! But honestly, will we be fighting in ruins?” “I guess so,” guessed Xaldin. “We’ll see when we reach out destination.” The truck hit a bump in the road before screeching to a halt. The door slid open and sunlight streamed into the dark vehicle. “This is it,” said Zexion. “Life or death.” The team stepped onto the sand, looking around to see the ruins of hundreds of houses and buildings. A decayed church, its cross shattered at the mast, looked as if it had been caught in a fire. Chunks of clay houses lay cracked on the barren sand. Jagged spires soared above tangled masses of iron. “Life is a game,” crackled a voice through their earpieces. “So fight for survival, and see if you’re worth it.” There was a click and the voice stopped. Everyone stood facing the maze of destroyed ruins, awaiting the unknown to show itself. “Risk, are you coming?” asked Rat. The team turned to see Risk sitting inside the truck. His head was between his knees, and he rocked back and forth. “I hate this! I’m not going with you!” he screamed. “You might as well. You’ll probably just die if you don’t,” stated Soushirei. “I never will!” he screamed. The truck’s engine chugged to life and it began to move away from the team. “Say goodbye to him,” Guxas said. “You’ll see! Team Dark and I will storm you and kill you all! Go die you mother fuc-” His rant ended as the collar around his neck exploded. There was a brilliant flash that lit up the dark interior of the truck. Blood soared in all directions, coating the wall and the sand below. His body fell out of the truck with blood exploding like a fountain from his neck. He hit the ground and twitched. The body instantly started spazzing out as he lay face down. There was a small thud as his head landed next to him. His eyes were rolled into the back of his head, and blood trickled from his forehead. “And that, team,is why we fight,” Xaldin said with one eyebrow raised. “Heh,” stuttered Breg. “Let’s go…” Team Light turned and ran into the twisted ruins of the Sahara Desert. 7 Wild Seven members remaining 23 forum members remaining 4: And Then There Were Six Wild Seven was crowded round a spot of sand on the inside of the fortress. The seven of them made a small circle, their weapons leaning against odd walls and precipices. “Do they have PDA’s, too?” asked Rem. She was making small piles of sand with her feet. “I hope not,” said Matt, the only one standing up. He paced around the outer edge of the circle, shaking his head. “If they do, then it’s going to be a lot harder than we first planned.” “What we need,” began Zel, “is a battle strategy. I think that we should all go our separate ways for now, picking off people on our own. Sara can watch from the tower or use her PDA and radio us their locations so we can spend less time studying our PDA’s and more time attacking team Light and Dark.” “Maybe it would be best if we were to just concentrate on one team at a time,” suggested Acolyte. “If we got rid of all of team Dark, it would make team Light’s job a lot harder. It would also get rid of the chance of them teaming up for double the power.” “If they were to team up, then it’d be 7 of us against 24 of them,” calculated Matt. “We can’t afford to let them do so. I’m with Acolyte on this one.” “But if that’s what we choose to do,” Sara said from the shadows, “then what if we get killed by team Dark? For all we know, they could be highly trained soldiers armed with grenade and rocket launchers.” “I’ll scout ahead,” Rem interrupted, standing up. The rest of Wild Seven stared at her. “So… I’m leaving,” she said with finality. “You’re just running out there?” asked Sara. “You could easily be killed.” “I’m going to probe myself,” Rem replied stubbornly. “Crum’s twelve and you’ve allowed him to do more than me! I’m going now, and I’m taking out all of team Dark with me!” “Rem…” sighed Acolyte. “You’ll be killed.” “No, I won’t. You’ll see,” said Rem, picking up her pistols. “I hope you’ll be here when I get back.” Rem stormed from the fortress. “Is anyone going to get her?” asked Matt after half a minute. “I will,” opted Acolyte. “No, you won’t,” said Sara. “If she wants to prove herself, the let her try. I doubt she’ll die. She has a fighting spirit and yearns to prove it runs her mind. Let’s let her attempt to do so…” --- Rem ran through meters of rubble. She was rapidly approaching team Dark, the black dots and her gray dot moving closer and closer. One of the dots was separated from the rest, so she thought she’d start her killing there. The black dots moved toward her, fairly close. She didn’t know if they could track her or not, so she winged it to the right, sweeping around the outside of the barrier. Team Dark didn’t turn around and attack her as she run past out of view, so she assumed that they couldn’t track her. “Sara,” she spoke into her earpiece. “They can’t track us. At least, if they can, they didn’t come for me.” “Excellent, Rem.” She slowly crept through the ruins until she saw a moving figure in a house near her. Ducking into a nearby building, she looked out of the window to see a shadow staring right back at her. Gasping, she ducked below the window. This wasn’t her time to die. She clenched the pistol’s handle and shot up, turning and pointing it out of the window. The shadow was gone. “Huh?” she said aloud. The shadow had been there seconds ago, but was gone now. She peered around, wondering if it had walked off. “Hello.” She screamed, turning to see a boy with long brown hair that was swept to the side before it hit his eyes. He wore a nametag that read ‘Darkandroid.’ Rem’s first thought upon seeing Darkandroid was ‘kill him!’ Her second was ‘Wow, he is gorgeous!’ “Rem, are you alright?” asked Sara over the microphone. “Tell her you’re alright,” said Darkandroid. He held a pistol to her forehead. “Oh, and drop your gun too.” Rem dropped the gun. “I’m fine, I got him,” she said. “That’s good, over and out,” Sara said. Darkandroid took the earpiece from her ear and ripped it out, chucking it to the ground. He stomped on it until small pieces of metal were simply a vestige to the communication device that had been lying there before. “Do you have any other weapons on you?” asked Darkandroid. “Um, uh…” “Why can’t you answer me? You do, don’t you. Take it off.” “What?!” screamed Rem incredulously. “Take off your shirt.” “I’m fifteen.” “I’m seventeen.” “Child molester.” “Take off the shirt, girl! I am not afraid to pull this trigger!” Rem reluctantly pulled off her shirt, her large breasts bouncing as he pulled it over her neck. “I’m sure you’re happy about this, you sadistic *******,” she spat. Darkandroid looked her up and down. She was absolutely beautiful. Her blonde hair fell in curls around a beautiful face, and she had very large boobs (‘a plus!’ thought Darkandroid). Rem was the perfect body size, and had smooth, unmarked skin. “Checking me out, are you?” she glared. Darkandroid almost fell over from the mental force of the evil look she gave him. “I’m just looking for any weapons,” he replied carefully. It wasn’t long before he noticed where she was hiding the weapon, but he was too afraid to reach for it. “Um, heh, found it,” he said, reaching up before snapping his hand back. With one quick motion, he grabbed the second pistol from between her boobs. “Got it.” “****,” spat Rem, stamping her foot. “Sara’s going to be so pissed at me, now!” “You’re from Wild Seven, huh?” asked Darkandroid, already knowing the answer. “No, you think?” “What’s your name?” “Call me Rem.” Darkandroid turned to look at the sun. It was as if god had cast an angel before him. “W-Well,” stuttered Darkandroid, “I’ve got to keep you with me, so let’s get moving.” He grabbed Rem and started pulling her along. She quickly slipped the PDA on her arm into her pocket before he saw it. “Can I at least put my shirt on?” she asked. “No,” said Darkandroid. “I mean, yes, yes, go ahead…” Rem scoffed and pulled on her shirt, allowing herself to be pulled by Darkandroid. “So what’s it like to be in Wild Seven?” Darkandroid asked her. “We do bad stuff,” said Rem. “No way?” laughed Darkandroid. Rem smiled. The two walked through the ruins, Darkandroid pointing the way to his teammates. They walked through a house and into a clearing, where the team was sat. “Holy ****!” exclaimed Fayth, shooting up from his seat. In his knife was a switchblade, his random weapon. Hissora was pouting in the corner, her weapon having been a can of Axe Body Spray (“At least you can spray the enemies in the eyes! I’m sure that would sting like hell!” Darkandroid has said). “Woah!” shouted Rorik. “Who’s she?” “She’s from Wild Seven,” explained Darkandroid. The team gaped at him. “The Wild Seven?” Foxxie said incredulously. “Kill her! Let’s turn Wild Seven into Wild Six!” “Yeah,” agreed most of the group. “Are you kidding?!” laughed Lithium. “She is so freaking hot! Let’s all have a go at her!” All the boys cheered. Rem looked at Lithium and put her tongue between her teeth. “Don’t even joke about that,” said Darkandroid. “For now, we can use her as a hostage to hopefully coax out some of the members of the Wild Seven.” “I’ll be a good girl,” added Rem. “But for now, as team leader, I say we create a battle plan.” “I can’t argue against that,” said Mouse. “Alright, this is what we’ll do,” began Darkandroid. Alice, Hissora, and Fayth; you guys all received heavy duty weapons, well, not Hissora, but she can take one of these guns. I want you two to form a pack and make your way toward that huge mountain. That’s probably where the Wild Seven is located.” Darkandroid handed Hissora one of Rem’s guns. “Is that so?” Alice asked Rem. “Yeah,” said Rem. “But don’t think you’ll just be able to walk up there. I doubt you’ll get within a football field before being shot dead.” “I’m not too happy with that,” Hissora whined. “Oh, shut up and do as you’re told,” Alice said, smacking her. “Um, well, that’s good. Does everyone agree that we’ve got that much settled?” asked Darkandroid. The team nodded. Fayth, Alice, and Hissora waved to everyone before trudging off into the ruins. “Jade, Kitty, and Foxxie, I’d like you three to make your way around the right side of the mountain. Hopefully you’ll run into team Light and you should be able to take them out. Even if it’s a small pack, that’ll make it all the more easier. Just remember that if you have the chance to kill someone, take it.” The trio followed Darkandroid’s orders and charged into the ruins. He, Rem, Rufus, Mouse, CFF, Rorik, and Lithium were the only ones remaining in the clearing. “Mouse, I have direct orders for you,” Darkandroid smiled. “Find Xaldin. Got it?” “Got it,” saluted Mouse, who ran off. “Rufus and Rorik, make your way around the left side of the mountain. Don’t get romantic on me. Lithium, you go with them. Try not to rape Rufus or anything.” Rufus shuddered. “This could be goodbye, Darkandroid,” said Rorik. “Try not to die,” Darkandroid said, giving Rorik a comforting smile. Rorik and his teammates ran off, leaving Darkandroid and Rem staring at each other. ‘She’s so beautiful,’ thought Darkandroid. ‘I just want to… to… kiss her! Everything about her is just stunning. If only she’d let me get a little closer…’ ‘He is the hottest guy I have ever seen!’ thought Rem. ‘Should I play it tough? Should I make it easy? Wait, I don’t want to come off as easy to get, but still-’ Darkandroid grabbed her hand. “Let’s go,” he smiled. “What about me?!” Darkandroid and Rem’s picturesque moment was cut short as CFF started running around Darkandroid. “Oh, god, oh, um, yeah, well… CFF, I appoint you, uh… Charge Leader! You lead the charge on the Wild Seven base. Go! Charge! Now!” “I, am, POWER!!!” roared CFF, sprinting into the rubble. “He should be dead within a few minutes,” smiled Darkandroid. “That’s good,” said Rem. “Hopefully he won’t bother us.” An awkward silence fell upon the two. “Um, what should we do?” asked Rem. “Let’s just sit together and talk while I wait for my teammates to call in,” suggested Darkandroid. “Fine with me,” Rem grinned. The two sat, smiling and looking at the sun. “Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?” The voice came from the earpieces, crackling through static to reach them. “Uh, yes, this is Monkey, here to bring everyone my first announcement! First, I’ll start with the deaths; Risk died due to his team leaving him behind. He’s the only dead person so far.” “Oh, lord,” Darkandroid said, rather surprised. “I’m surprised Xaldin would leave behind someone on his own team. “Also,” Monkey continued, “I have some new information for you all.” He paused. “In these ruins are hidden two chests. One of these chests contains a walkie-talkie. When used, it will allow you to call in an air strike on any part of the field you want.” “Woah!” exclaimed Darkandroid. The head-honchos were pulling all the strings to make this the most exciting game yet. “Also,” Monkey said. “The other chest contains a bomb. When it is opened, it will explode and kill the person who opened it and anyone around them. The chests are very hard to find, and if you do find them, choose carefully whether to open it or not. I’ll see you all again in an hour.” --- “Rem?! Rem, come in!” Sara was screaming into her earpiece. Rem hadn’t answered for ages. She could see Rem’s dot on her PDA and next to her was a black dot of someone from team Dark. “Zel!” she called, and he wandered over. “Go get Rem. I believe she’s been kidnapped by someone on team Dark.” Zel grabbed his pistols and shoved the magazines into them with a loud click. He spun them on his fingers before stuffing them into his pockets. “Already done,” he grinned, and jumped out the window. 7 Wild Seven members remaining 23 forum members remaining 5: Memories With you always in my sights, I can manage to breathe. And that ought to be enough for me. All I ever can do, is repeat old mistakes How much strength do I need before I don’t end up hurting anything? I will not stray from you, This love will carry far, and with it I’ll keep on living right. I’ll take these open wounds, and cleanse them with my heart. The ones that will not close I’ll squeeze tight. The two of us can never return, we’ll keep walking to the end. Even now, deep within my heart, I still feel this indelible sin, friend. Mr. Heath turned off his radio as he turned into the parking lot closest to the Empire State Building. Outside, he encountered the familiar hustle-and-bustle of the New York City morning. Men stomped about with their coffee and briefcases. Women marched to work with their cell-phones stapled to their ears. It wasn’t long before Mr. Heath found himself walking into the doors of the Empire State Building. He was greeted by the usual attractive secretary before getting into the elevator. Inside was a short Japanese woman, and as he reached to press the floor button she screamed at him, “Hey!” He jumped and turned to her. “Yes?” “Do not! I must go to my floor!” “Yes, but can’t I just-” “That is what my husband says to me last night! But I tell him, no, you may not. My spaghetti noodle vagine hair is for me, not him! He tell me, he says to me, no, it is for me to make children with. But I tell him that I am 78 years old and that his rods will crumple my skin.” Mr. Heath just stood there in stunned silence. The elevator made its typical ding! noise and the woman left. Before the door closed, she turned around and said to him, “Good job, man. You nice. I give you gift.” She handed him a crossword puzzle book. “Thanks!” he said, waving his hand. The door closed and he flipped open the crossword book to see that every puzzle was complete. “Oh…” he moaned. Finally, the elevator reached his floor and he stepped out to see a wide office building. Through an entrance to his left was the ‘Relax Room’, filled with workers drinking coffee and watching the television. Ornate desks littered the carpeted space that was encompassed by wall-high windows. “Hey, Heath!” a joyous man shouted, running up to him. “Hey, Ozar,” smiled Mr. Heath. “How’s your wife?” “Ever since she’s been pregnant it’s like Cupid had an army fire their arrows on me! I just want to grab her stomach and feel the baby and AHH!” “That’s great,” Mr. Heath laughed. “Would you like to come with me into the Relax Room?” “Sorry, but I’ve got loads of paperwork to file,” chuckled Ozar. “But I’ll get in there if I can.” Mr. Heath sat down in a big couch that was spread out in four sections. Women were busily talking about calories, and the men chatted about NASCAR. Mr. Heath was not a fan of NASCAR, nor did he worry about his current calorie intake. Ever since the year before, Sara had been in his thoughts and prayers. She hadn’t come to visit him; at least not yet. The government had given a list of the dead, and Sara was not among them. It had become general knowledge that she was wanted and hunted by bounty collectors. For all he knew, she was dead, but the nation was aware of how she had killed the ‘game’ leader and fled into the water. ‘Sara,’ he thought. ‘To just see you again, it would please me so much.’ “What’s that!?” said a boisterous woman. She pointed at the screen, which had turned to static. “Just some bad frequency!” cajoled another large woman. “No, it can’t be, it’s happening on these screens too!” shouted a man from the work area. Every screen or monitor on their floor had turned to static. Mr. Heath looked out the window to see that a giant television on an equally giant building that normally displayed advertisements was now static, too. “It’s happening outside,” he announced. The women waddled over to see what he was talking about. The telephone rang, and Ozar picked it up. “Yes?” “Are you getting the static?” “Yeah, every screen and TV up here!” “They say it’s happening all over the world!” “The whole world? Are you serious?” “Yes, every screen in the world instantly turned to static. What do you think is going on?” “I dunno, but whatever it is-” The static stopped, and every screen in the world changed in unison. The sound quality was itchy at best, with random static flashes flaring up on the screen. A camera slowly panned along the words ‘Wild Seven’ that were written on a giant flag. The camera panned back, and in front of the flag were seven warriors. They all wore bandanas covering their faces, and weapons of all sorts. What caught Mr. Heath’s attention most, though, was the woman in the middle. It was his daughter, Sara. Unlike the others, her face was in full view, and she held an old Russian Draginov in both arms. “It has been one year since I lost my life to the game. My family, my lover, everything, shredded, torn away from me. I am physically alive, but to be dead would be an honorable sin.” Mr. Heath’s lip began to quiver. He dropped his coffee, which splashed on the ground. His daughter was live. “I escaped from that helicopter, able to take the life of the one who tore me apart. Victims of the Reformation Act have continued to increase, and now, war is inevitable…” Mr. Heath looked at the road below him. Every car had stopped. For miles, the only thing moving was Sara’s mouth on the screens. “This war was inevitable…” She paused, and the camera moved closer to her face. “And the dice was rolled. We… we cannot forgive the adults who made us kill each other. Let us get together, and let us fight together. From this time on, we declare war against all adults.” An explosion rocked the floor. The windows shattered and fire consumed the workplace. Glass splinters showered the workers’ as they ran from the gaping edges of the Empire State Building. One woman was sucked out by the air pressure. Mr. Heath watched in horror as she was tossed onto a massive pole jutting from a nearby building. The pole ripped through her body, sending a mass of blood gushing like rain to the road below. Her legs were ripped from her body, and they began to flip and spin towards pedestrians running on the sidewalk. Mr. Heath threw up on the floor and turned to see Ozar calling him. “Let’s go, Heath, we’ve got to get out of here!” Mr. Heath ran up to him, fire burning his skin. The intense heat forced him to close his eyes, and he covered his mouth with his hand to protect him from the black smoke that crept in from all corners. Ozar grabbed Mr. Heath by the arm and ran him into the nearest stairwell. Here, the smoke wasn’t as bad, so they began to talk as they ran down the steps. “Do you know what happened?” asked Mr. Heath. “Someone said they saw a missile slam into the building. I bet it was that Crazy Sevens group or something!” “Ozar, there’s something I must confide in you.” The two kept running, nearing the 13th floor. “Yes?” “Do you remember my daughter, Sara?” “The one who you said died in a car accident?” “Well, the thing is Ozar… she isn’t dead.” Ozar stopped. They had reached the 9th floor. “Why are you telling me this now?” “Keep going,” said Mr. Heath, and the two began to run again. “Well, you see, the reason I’m telling you this is because I lied to you. I shouldn’t have, but I had to hide my painful past. The memory of Sara still burns strongly in my mind, and when I saw that video just now, it burned even stronger. It was a year ago, when the government passed the Reformation Act. I’m sure you’re aware of it. The first group of participants was a group from an on-line website. My, daughter, Sara, was part of that website.” The floor rumbled and a piece of the ceiling crashed down behind Ozar as he ran. “The building’s collapsing, we’ve got to go faster!” he shouted. Mr. Heath continued without interruption, “She was part of the first Reformation Act. Ozar, my daughter, Sara, was the first winner of the Reformation Act. That girl from the terrorist group… that was Sara.” This time, Ozar stopped for good. “That… girl, she was your daughter?” “I’m afraid so, my friend.” Ozar stared at him. Mr. Heath stared back. There was a growl as a piece of stairway collapsed above them. “We’re on the 3rd floor, we can make it,” sighed Mr. Heath. “Let’s go.” The two ran to the second floor quickly. Mr. Heath spotted dead bodies crushed beneath rubble as he ran past. Dust began to pick up in the air. Mr. Heath spotted light a he entered the lobby of the enormous skyscraper. “That’s it,” said Ozar. “We’ve made it.” As if mocking him, a massive piece of ceiling collapsed and landed in front of him. A mass of dust swelled beneath them, rising into their nostrils and clogging their lungs. What followed was a horrific sound. It was a roar accompanied by the screech of twisting metal and screaming people. Ozar disappeared from sight as he was consumed by a wall of powder. “Sara…” gasped Mr. Heath, falling to his knees. The ceiling to his right hit the ground next to him. The roar above him grew louder and louder. “I knew that you were alive. I’m so happy to see your face again.” A picture of Sara in her childhood fell from his pocket onto the ground in front of him. Come on, let me hold you He gently picked up the picture, tears forming in his eyes. Sara had a massive grin pasted across her face. She was holding a baseball bat, and on her head was a ‘Happy Birthday’ hat. A tear fell onto picture, covering Sara’s face. Touch you, feel you “I never thought you’d be the death of me,” cried Mr. Heath. The floodwall containing his emotions burst, and he screamed at the ceiling. Tears poured from his eyes, lost in the swirling dust that whipped around him. Always His mind wrapped around the fact that Sara was a terrorist; a wanted terrorist who had blown up the Empire State Building. She had already killed people higher up in the building, and he was next. The roar was directly above him. The ground shook violently and he dropped the picture. Kiss you, taste you Ozar was dead. His wife was dead. For him, the world was dead too. All night The ceiling above him collapsed inward. He looked up to see a mass of steel falling towards him. Time stopped, and he was back at home with Sara. “Daddy?” she asked, her voice young and childish as he dimmed her lights. “Yes, sweetie?” “Where’s mommy?” He sighed, wondering how to explain to her that her mother was dead. “Sometimes…” he began, “People… make bad choices. Mommy has to go away for a little bit because of this, but we’ll see her again someday.” “That’s good. It’s kinda hard to love someone when you only see them in pictures.” I’ll miss your laugh, your smile He was at the park with Sara. She laughed as he pushed her on the swings, up and down, his arms tiring but her attitude only growing more ecstatic. “I’ve had enough!” he laughed, falling to his back. The sun loomed overhead. Sara dropped next to him, looking at the sky. “What’s the sun made out of? Oranges?” “No, honey,” he smiled, “It’s made out of lots of things you wouldn’t understand… gases and other complicated things that not even I know of!” “Oh…” she frowned, slightly disappointed. “Daddy, do we go there when we die?” “The sky?” “Yeah… some boy at school said when you die you go into the clouds.” “Maybe, if that’s what you want to believe…” “Is mommy in the clouds?” So here I am, I’m trying Sara was standing at home base, ready to hit the ball. The pitcher lobbed it at her, and she swung the bat with all her might. Mr. Heath screamed and jumped as he heard the bat crack on the ball. “YES, Sara!!!” He looked around to see that no one else was cheering. Most parents were reading their newspapers or on their cell-phones. “Daddy!” she called from the plate. “Daddy, I hit the ball!” “Yes, yes, Sara. Good job, now RUN!” She took off running, her stick legs and arms wildly spinning as she rounded first. The other children, unaware that she had hit the ball, stood around talking and picking grass. Sara sprinted around second, making her way to third. “Go!” screamed Mr. Heath. She whipped through third base and dashed for home. The final few feet ended in an awkward slide, but Mr. Heath took no notice as he screamed and jumped. So here I am, are you ready The world spun back to reality and Mr. Heath found himself back in the Empire State Building. Tears on his cheeks instantly melted under the burn of the fire that flared around him. “Sara…” he said one final time. The air turned to ash and his eardrums burst from the roar of the falling building. A smile spread across his face as he was crushed beneath the ceiling. Always 6: Fighting Those Who We Protect Rat stumbled through a smashed wall. His weapon, some nun-chuks, clattered to the floor in front of him. “****,” he seethed, trying to be as quiet as possible. He couldn’t let Wild Seven see him as he snuck towards their fortress. In his pocket was a single grenade, which, according to Xaldin, could be used to psyche out Wild Seven if Rat was able to throw it into the tower on top of their hideout. ‘What am I doing?’ he thought. ‘I’m not going to make it out of here alive! But, wait, if I am stealthy enough then I should be able to get by this without a problem. There are plenty of buildings to hide in.’ Rat decided to leave the nun-chuks behind. If Wild Seven was to get to him, they’d be useless anyway. He traveled through more buildings and came upon a glassy sheet of water. It lay on the sand, perfectly untouched by human hands. “Water!” he exclaimed, and bent down to sip it. His throat was parched and his head was getting dizzy from the heat. The water that ran through his dry mouth was a huge relief. They’d only been given 2 bottles of water in their daypacks; barely enough for one day, let alone three. Another way for them to kill us faster. He got up and looked towards the tower in front of him. It wasn’t too far away, and he’d been traveling for awhile. The earpiece crackled in his ear, and he recognized Soushirei’s voice. “Rat, are you holding up well?” “Yeah, I’m not dead yet,” he whispered. “Good, Xaldin told me to let you know that he’s surprising a plan attack around the perimeter of the fort as soon as you throw the grenade. Can you have it done by 3:00 PM?” Rat looked at his watch, which read 2:47. Soushirei’s request was perfect. “Yes, I can do it by then.” “Alright,” Soushirei began to explain, “After you throw the grenade, look for a red flag flying in the air. It’s just a piece of one of those daypacks. Run towards it and we’ll give you a better weapon to attack the fortress with.” “I’ve got it.” There was a slight pause before Soushirei spoke up again. “Be careful, Rat.” Click. Rat looked towards the fortress of Wild Seven. The tower he was attacking loomed above the rest of the battlefield. A small window was visible from where he stood. Something was off. The window was completely black, but something was sticking out of it. It was long and thing, and was pointed towards him. ‘****!’ he thought, diving to the ground. There was a flash at the top of the tower. A small pop rung out across the ruins and dirt sprayed up behind Rat. “Did you see that?!” he screamed. “Yeah,” said Soushirei. “How are you still alive?” “I saw it before it shot,” he replied. More dirt exploded from the ground as Rat crawled towards a wall. “How do I get in there?” he asked. “You should get back to us, or you’ll be killed,” warned Soushirei. Rat turned and looked over the top of the ruins to see a red flag billowing in the air. “I’ve got your position,” he said, turning to run back. He turned around and gasped. Behind him was a boy with short, blonde hair. His eyes were squinted in anger, and a scar crossed his face from eye to mouth. Two pistols were held in his hands, both pointed at Rat. “Don’t move a muscle,” said the boy. “Who are-?” “I said don’t move! My name is Zel. Pick up the nun-chuks and throw them towards me.” Rat bent down slowly and grabbed the nun-chuks, tossing them at Zel’s feet. “Do you have any other weapons on you?” Rat shook his head. “Then what’s that lump in your pocket?” Rat looked down at his pocket, where a large lump was clearly visible. “Oh…” he began, “That’s a grenade.” “Take it out!” commanded Zel. Rat slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out the grenade. “Soushirei,” he said. “You’ll never see me again, but you’ll only have to worry about six Wild Seven members now.” “Huh?” murmured Zel. In one swift motion, Rat ripped the grenade from his pocket, pulled out the pin, and chucked it at Zel. “****ing hell!” Zel jumped backwards and fired the pistols. One of the bullets connected with the grenade as it flew towards him. The grenade exploded, a wall of fire flying towards hid body. His body was turned into an indistinguishable flower of flesh and blood as he was torn apart by shrapnel. Rat turned away and felt his skin melt under the intense heat. He looked at his hand to see it turned to goop before a piece of grenade lodged into the back of his head. It flew through the bridge of his nose, and it was the last thing he saw as his brains erupted from his eyes. --- Xaldin stood up and looked at the explosion. A massive ball of fire tore above the tops of the ruins. Dust and rock flew in all directions. “Rat!” he screamed. “Get down, you idiot!” screamed Soushirei. “The sniper will kill you if you show your head!” Xaldin knelt back down, tears I his eyes. “That kid was just killed, Soush. He was a kid!” “It’s going to be okay, Xaldin. He gave me some good news before he died…” “Good news?!” Xaldin screamed. “How could him dying have anything to do with good news?!” “He took out a member of Wild Seven.” Xaldin stopped shouting. “Oh…” he said, “That’s good, I guess… He made a sacrifice for the team that I’ll never forget.” --- “Zel? ZEL?!” Sara screamed into her earpiece. There was no answer. “Have we lost him?” asked Matt. “**** this!” Sara screamed. “We’re stuck in this ****ing game and we just lost a member. ****, Matt, we’ve never lost a member in all of our existence! And to see ****ing kid? With a ****ty grenade!” “Calm down…” clamed Matt, stunned at Sara’s use of language. He’d never seen her more furious. “There’s something I’m angrier about, Matt, and something we need to figure out before we kill any more.” “What, Sara?” “Did you not hear me say kid?” “…Kid?” “Yes, Matt, the person I was shooting at was a kid. We’re fighting those who we’re trying to protect.” 6 Wild Seven members remaining 22 forum members remaining 7: All Lies It was fifteen minutes after Zel had been killed, and Sara, Matt, Acolyte, Saint, and Crum sat in a circle round their weapons. “We have a problem,” said Sara. “Let’s recall why Wild Seven was formed. Acolyte, why did you join?” “Uh…” she stuttered. “Well, after the game I was put through, my mind was going wild. All my friends were dead. Unlike you, I was put into the game with the rest of my classmates. Having to kill them, and watch them be killed… it was awful, Sara. Then, after the game, I saw what you were doing. I saw what you were fighting for. You were fighting for children like me, and I knew that it was my duty to help you defend the honor of the youth around the world.” “Does anyone agree with her?” asked Sara. The rest of the group nodded. Sara turned to Crum, the youngest member at twelve years old, “Crum, what about you? Why did you join Wild Seven?” “In my game, I never actually killed anyone,” he said softly. “But I watched my friend walk into a danger zone. I saw them all get killed, most driven crazy by the three day time limit. It all happened in one night. Everyone banded together and slept in the woods. During the night, one boy took a sickle and slit everyone’s throats. Those who survived ran away. The boy with the sickle was shot by someone just before they fell into a danger zone. I didn’t deserve to win. I screamed and watched. When I got home, I had to have revenge. I think that’s why we’re all here; revenge.” “Revenge driven lunatics…” whispered Matt. “That’s all we are, isn’t it? I know now, without a doubt, why the government put is into this game. They don’t care if we kill these kids, or if these kids kill us. They want us to kill ourselves! Don’t you see it? The government wants us to fight against those who we are trying to protect!” “What’s he talking about?” asked Saint. “That’s why I gathered us here,” replied Sara. “Team Light and Dark, they’re, well… they’re all made up of children. The government is forcing us to fight children, guys. We need to decide whether we fight here today, or not.” “I’ve made a list of what will happen,” said Matt. “If we choose to fight, I’m sure we will defeat these kids. That’s all they are. We are trained warriors who have seen combat. I know that we’ll be able to win. Then, as you know, we can go home. But, it’s a completely different case if we choose not to fight them. They want to fight us, so I we choose to not fight, we’ll be killed. For all we know, they just want to go home. So do we, and I think that if we attempt to make negotiations they’ll just kill us. Also, we’d end up dying from the three-day time limit if they didn’t get to us first.” “We have to fight,” sighed Acolyte. “Fight or die. Even if we’re killing them, I’d rather live. And I don’t think that I’m being selfish by saying this, either.” “So, is it decided?” asked Sara, looking at the five. “We fight. Raise your hand if you agree.” All four of them raised an arm. Sara waited before raising hers. “It’s settled,” she said. “But before we begin this, there’s something we have to do. All five of us are going out on this mission. We have to rescue Rem. Right now, we have three machine guns, two pistols, and a sniper. Obviously, we won’t be taking the sniper rifle out onto the field. Crum, Matt, and Acolyte will take their machine guns. Saint and I will split the pistols. Are you guys cool with this plan?” The team nodded. Sara grabbed one of the pistols and through it at Saint. With the other, she began to trace a map into the ground. “Using our PDA’s, we can easily find Rem and avoid the enemy. Just to be safe, I’ll go with Crum. Acolyte, Saint, and Matt; you three will travel together. We’ll leave in ten minutes. Check your PDA’s at all times to make sure you’re not near Light or Dark. Kill the person with Rem as soon as you have a clear shot.” “Ready,” said Acolyte. “Then let’s go.” --- Rem moved her hand down Darkandroid’s chest. Her lips pressed against his, her tongue sliding over his own. “How… did this… happen?” mumbled Darkandroid between kisses. “I… don’t know, but… I love it.” Darkandroid felt his hand across her chest. He would never have believed that he’d be in his current situation during the game, or that it would be with such a beautiful girl. “Wow, that is disgusting.” Darkandroid looked up from Rem’s chest to see a silhouette standing in the sun. It held a large sword towards his chest. “What are you two up to?” The voice was extremely childish. It was as if a small boy was speaking to him. “Sora would never allow that kind of behavior.” “What?” spat Rem. “Who is this kid?” The silhouette stepped forward, and Darkandroid gasped in horror as he saw who it was. “It is I, Sweq, seeker of darkness.” “…” Darkandroid whipped around his hand and wisped up a pistol off of the sand. He pointed it at Sweq, who simply laughed. “Sora is in me today, and he will help team Light overcome Dark. You see, darkness can never prevail.” “How does he know words like ‘prevail’?” whispered Rem. Darkandroid prepared to pull the trigger, but a voice interrupted him. “Don’t do it,” said the voice. “Let me handle him.” From the shadows stepped CFF. In his hand was another sword, and he pointed it at Sweq. Sweq gasped and stepped backward. “I’ve come to save you, Darkandroid,” he said. “I knew that trouble would find its way up your skirt. Looks like I’ve gotten to the trouble before it’s gotten to you.” “Worst analogy ever, but kick his ***!” Darkandroid shouted. CFF charged at Sweq, he put his sword up on front of him. “Guard!” shouted Sweq. “That’s a move Sora uses to stop attacks!” “Oh, shut up!” cajoled CFF, swinging the sword at Sweq’s legs. Sweq jumped and hit the wall behind him. Using his legs as momentum, he launched himself at CFF. Their swords clashed and clanged as the two went at each other with all their might. “You can never win,” snarled CFF. “You’re just a stupid newbie!” “You’re one to talk,” laughed Darkandroid, watching the battle in amusement. Sweq turned and ran into the ruins, disappearing from sight. “That’s right!” taunted CFF, “run away like a baby!” “ROAR!” Sweq came out of the sky, thrusting his sword towards CFF. Without a second to spare, CFF raised his sword and defense and blocked Sweq’s attack. “Like I said, you can never win,” he repeated. “I won’t repeat myself when I say this,” grimaced Sweq. “But I am better than you.” “You’re what?” “Better than you.” “Ha, you repeated it! You said you’d never repeat yourself!” “NOOO!” screamed Sweq, raising his fists into the air. CFF took the chance to slice at Sweq. The sword pierced his stomach and intestines exploded out of his back. Blood splattered to the floor as Sweq screamed in pain. CFF ripped the sword from his body, sending more blood flying to the sand. He then reached a hand into Sweq’s body and ripped out his lower intestine. “Eat it, fatty!” he screamed, shoving it into Sweq’s throat. “Stop!” mumbled Sweq, feasting upon his own organs. CFF then took his thumbs and pressed them into Sweq’s eyes. He heard popping sounds as he pushed his thumbs in further. Black liquid spurted from Sweq’s eyes as he screamed in agony. His eyes popped like grapes beneath a shoe. CFF picked up his sword and stabbed it into Sweq’s throat. The back of the sword exited Sweq’s neck, his spinal cord instantly severed. “Pith,” laughed CFF. He then sliced open Sweq’s chest and ripped out his still beating heart. Sweq’s breaths grew slower and slower. “I doubt you can see it, but I hold your heart in my hand… the Kingdom Heart.” “No…” said Sweq weakly. His last words were, “Sora, I’ll… see you in heaven.” His head dropped limply before falling off his body and rolling on the sand. “Wow,” said Darkandroid, who began to clap. CFF stood in front of him covered in blood. “That, kid, was an amazing battle, and certainly a deserving death for Sweq.” CFF grinned, “I knew I was going to win from the beginning.” “Well, could you leave me alone, now?” asked Darkandroid, quite intent in getting back to Rem. “Yes, sir!” shouted CFF, who grabbed Sweq’s sword and ran off. Rem just stared at Darkandroid. “Do you honestly think we can keep doing this here, with that bloody corpse?” asked Rem. “True,” smiled Darkandroid. “Let’s move to a less smelly location.” The two got up, and began to walk off. “Don’t move.” Darkandroid froze. He turned around to see an unmistakable waft of hair, and a stare that could shatter your charisma. “Give us the girl.” It was Sara, and behind her was the rest of Wild Seven. “Give us the girl,” repeated Sara, “or you die.” Her request was very clear, but it wasn’t Darkandroid who was going to make the decision. Rem quickly ran over to Sara, topless, her breast bouncing as she ran. She hid them from the group and began to cry. “Sara…” she said. “He captured me and threatened to kill me. Then he said that he’d shoot me if I didn’t have sex with him. He’s just a horrible guy. I’m so glad you’re here to rescue me. I was almost forced to do something that I’d never have wanted to do.” Sara kept her eyes on Darkandroid as she listened to Rem. Matt twitched behind her, biting one of his fingernails in boredom. “Is this true?” Sara asked Darkandroid. He was lost for words. Rem had just been on his side, and as soon as Sara had shown up she attacked innocent and afraid. Whatever answer he gave Sara, she wouldn’t believe him. He decided to go along with Rem and see what she did next. “Yes, Sara, I did force her to do things with me.” Rem looked taken aback, but quickly regained her posture. Sara held a pistol at arms length, ready to shoot Darkandroid if he tried to escape. “Then you do realize that I’m going to have to kill you.” Darkandroid gulped. “Please, Sara, don’t kill me,” he begged. “You don’t have to kill me!” Sara snarled. “You’re dead, boy.” She pulled back the top of the pistol and smiled. 6 Wild Seven members remaining 21 forum members remaining 8: In Private Colonel Ray and Monkey sat together back at the base, sharing a pack of Oreo’s. “What’s your favorite part of the Oreo, the crème middle or the cookie shell?” asked Monkey. “Good question,” replied the Colonel. “If you want to be honest, my favorite part is the crème, just because the cookie part would be so dry without it. It works both ways, really.” “The crème is definitely the best part,” agreed Monkey. “What about Uh-Oh Oreos? The chocolate flavor is the crème and the vanilla part is the cookie!” “I don’t think I’ve ever tried one of those ones,” said Colonel Ray sadly. “We’ll have to get a pack soon.” A soldier strode into the room. “Sir!” he shouted. “Someone else has died, Sir!” “Who is it?” asked the Colonel. “Boy No. 11, Sweq, Sir! He was brutally murdered by CFF!” “Thank you,” the Colonel smiled. He turned to Monkey and said, “Things are going very well, aren’t they?” “Definitely,” Monkey said. “In fact, we really couldn’t ask for better. One member of Wild Seven is already dead. I don’t care what happens to anyone else, as long as Wild Seven is defeated. We don’t want to have to call in an air-strike if they win.” “It’s about time to make the second announcement,” said the Colonel, handing Monkey the microphone. “Go ahead and tell them about the new deaths.” Monkey grabbed the microphone, flicking a small ‘ON’ switch. “Hello, boys, girls, and adults alike! We have some new deaths for you. Rat’s dead, as well as Sweq. Even better, Zel from the Wild Seven has been killed! Team Light and Dark, fight for your honor. There’re only six more people to take out before the fight gets easy, so fight with gusto!” He laughed and flicked the switch to ‘OFF’. “Interesting update,” quipped the Colonel. “I love the enthusiasm.” “You can’t bore them,” smiled Monkey. “I haven’t asked you yet; who do you think is going to win?” “Do you want my honest opinion?” sighed the Colonel. “It’s gotta be Wild Seven. They’ve lost one person, but it was a fluke. He was on his own. But they have the PDA’s, and they can now move us a team, sweeping the ruins and killing anyone who comes across their path. As far as odds go, Wild Seven can’t lose.” “And we know what happens then,” Monkey added. “We destroy the place. Whether Wild Seven thinks they’ve won or not, in the end, they’re going down in flames.” Monkey walked in front of several large computer screens. Manned by soldiers, they showed and aerial view of the battlefield, as well as a grid map featuring the locations of every player. The Colonel stepped up beside him, looking over the screens. “People are dying at a faster rate than I would have thought,” he said. “If this keeps up, we could be looking at a new world record.” The Colonel turned on one heel and began to walk off. He entered a dimly lit hallway, ridden with doors that led into small rooms crammed with soldiers. Some were sipping coffee and talking with each other. One room was full of soldiers playing a racing game on the television. The final room contained only one boy, who was reading a book entitled “Kingdom Hearts III: The Revival”. “Is it good?” asked the Colonel. The boy perked up, exchanging a quick glance with the Colonel. Realizing who it was, he straightened up and offered a salute. “Yes, sir,” he chanted. “What are your orders, sir?” “At ease, soldier,” grumbled the Colonel. The soldier slumped back into his chair. “I’ve come here with a troubling request. Upon viewing the screens, I realized that Team Dark’s leader has been captured. He is still alive, for now. But while he is in captivity, Wild Seven can use him as ransom against Dark. That’s where you come in, soldier.” He held up a picture of Darkandroid, and the soldier gasped. “Private Mark Ringer, does this man look familiar?” Mark looked at the picture of Darkandroid… and found himself looking straight back. “M-Me?” stuttered Mark. “No, of course not,” chuckled the Colonel. “But it’s fairly obvious that this boy, Darkandroid, looks almost identical to you. Just to make you feel better, we did a background check, and you guys are not related. But it is odd that he looks just like you, isn’t it? We’ve decided that we’re going to use this to our advantage.” “What do you mean?” inquired Mark, his voice eager yet disturbed. “You look so much like this boy that we’re going to put you out there,” the Colonel grinned, pointing out the hall. “And by that I mean the desert. And by that I mean the ruins. And, uh, by that, I mean the fake team Dark leader. And by that, I finished the explanation of what you’ll be doing.” “Huh?” “Look, you look so much like Darkandroid that we’re putting you out there in the field. The real Darkandroid is currently captured by Wild Seven-” “Sorry for interrupting, sir, but I’ve got that. Do you really want me to go out there and pretend to be this guy?” “Yes,” replied the Colonel. “You will pretend to be him so that team Light lives longer. I’ve got a bet with someone high-up, and if Light loses then his dogs will be ****ing me up the *** for a long time. And I don’t’ ‘want you to do it,’ kiddo, this is an order. Darkandroid had a pistol with him when he left team Dark. You’re going out there. You’re playing the game. As they say these days, Mark; life is a game. So fight for survival, and see if you’re worth it.” “But!” started Mark. “You can’t force me to play in the Reformation Act! I’m part of the army!” “Don’t talk back to me, private,” growled Colonel, lowering his head. “You can shout at me, hit me, and curse at me all you want, but you know damn well that you’re going out onto the playing field. We can’t let Dark go crazy and attack the Wild Seven for Darkandroid. They’ll be slaughtered! You’re the balance beam that’s keeping them from going insane. Are we understood, private?” Mark Ringer stared at the table, eyeing his new novel. It was a world he longed to escape back to, but a new world was ahead of him. The Colonel left him no choice but to accept the offer. “Understood, sir…” “Then follow me, please.” Mark and the Colonel strode from the room, turning right into the long hallway. The Colonel smiled at Monkey before walking down a set of stairs. He smashed open a door to reveal a small classroom littered with desks and two open walls. “Here,” said the Colonel, taking a pistol from his pocket and handing it to Mark. A soldier behind him outfitted Mark with a receiver set to team Dark. They also gave Mark a collar. “You know the rules of the collar, correct?” asked the Colonel. “Yes, sir, I’m very afraid, sir.” “Don’t be,” laughed the Colonel. “The rules don’t apply to that collar. You can try and run, but you’ll just die in the desert. Apart from those bottles of water, there isn’t any other liquid for miles! If, private, I hear you telling anyone on Light about your true disposition, I will blow it up before the last word even leaves your mouth.” “I understand, sir,” mumbled Mark. “Sir, what if team Dark finds out who I really am?” The Colonel replied gravely, “If that happens, Mark, then you’re dead.” Mark gulped, nodded, and began to cry. “Why are you crying?” asked Colonel, a bit of sternness in his voice. “I-I’m gonna die…” “You’re not going to die!” screamed the Colonel. “Look at me! Look at me!” The Colonel grabbed Mark’s chin and thrust his head upward. “Mark, survive for three days. That’s all I’m going to ask of you. It’s not that hard. Hide, for all I care! Just keep Dark believing that you’re the real Darkandroid.” Mark asked another question, “What if the real Darkandroid is rescued, released, or escapes?” “****, I didn’t think of that,” the Colonel said to himself. “If that happens, then exclaim you were sent in to help keep peace among the team. Hopefully, they won’t kill you. No worries, huh?” “The sarcasm isn’t great right now,” Mark choked, his face turning green. “You’ll be alright, out there, Mark. Why do you think I picked you?” “Because I look like that guy!” “Oh, yeah, I was going to say your skills, but it was Darkandroid, wasn’t it. And by the way, when you’re out there, your name isn’t ‘that guy’, alright? It’s Darkandroid, and you better learn to start calling yourself that.” The Colonel gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Step into that room,” said the Colonel. “And get ready for the game to begin. If you can survive long enough, and Wild Seven does enough damage to Light and Dark, then expect some backup in the form of Destruction and Creation. Got it?” “Yeah, Destruction and Creation,” repeated Mark. “Good luck, kid.” The Colonel closed the door to the truck. Its engine rumbled and the vehicle emanated a slow whine as it chugged off across the sand. The Colonel stared at the truck until it was out of sight. “Don’t let me down,” he said, before turning back and walking up the steps. Monkey was waiting for him back at the headquarters. “A new player appeared on the screen,” said Monkey. “Was it that Darkandroid look-alike?” “His name’s Mark, and yes,” the Colonel replied. “He should be a pivotal asset in turning this game in the teams’ favor. They need all the help they get, Monkey. That’s why I think we should gather the four of Creation and the four of Destruction, or at least ready soldiers to gather them if the need arises.” “Creation and Destruction, this early?” asked Monkey incredulously. “You’ve gotta be joking, Colonel. They’re last resorts. We’re not trying to destroy the whole youth of this website, are we? Plus, Wild Seven has already lost a member. It could happen again. Let’s keep things going the way they are, and save Creation and Destruction for a more dire time.” “Your reasoning is right, but is your judgment?” asked the Colonel, without another word. “I got you these,” Monkey said, handing something to the Colonel. He looked down to see a pack of Uh-Oh Oreos. 6 Wild Seven members remaining 21 forum members remaining 9: Blood + Bread + Guns = Food “Get the **** down!” screamed Rorik, diving behind a pillar. They had walked for half a mile before coming upon a massive palace. It looked like something out of a Arabian film. Pale plants still grew outside its decayed walls, and they had walked inside without thinking twice. In the middle of the palace was a gigantic staircase that led up to the second floor. Without warning, machine-gun fire had opened up on them as they had entered the front door. The rock on the pillar shattered. Rorik turned to look at the balcony but saw no enemies. Across from him was another pillar, where he could get a better view of the action. “All or nothing,” he whispered, crossing his chest. He ran for the pillar, chunks of stone hitting the back of his neck as he ran. Rorik dove behind the pillar as a piece of tile beneath him shattered into an array of pieces. “You still good, buddy?” asked Lithium, who sat with a shattered beer bottle. Lord, thought Rorik, what on earth will he do with that beer bottle? Not exactly the weapon I would have hoped for. All three in his squad assigned by Darkandroid had received less than spectacular weapons. He held a butter knife, Lithium a shattered beer bottle, and Rufus a pick-axe. In the current situation, all their weapons were useless. “Do you know who’s up there?” asked Rufus. Rorik peered round the pillar to see Anniexo move from one wall to another. “Anniexo, I think,” he said. “But as far as we know, there’s more.” “I’ve got a plan,” Lithium interjected. “Let’s hear it,” Rufus said. “Alright,” began Lithium. “This plan is based on the hypothesis that Anniexo is (rock shattered behind him) the only one up there. She has a machine gun. We have close combat weapons. I will move straight at the staircase. Obviously, she’ll aim for me. That’s when you two move under her balcony and up the staircase that takes you behind her. Walk behind her, and stab her. Easy enough?” The earpieces were silent. “Are you sure you want to do this?” asked Rorik. “Trust me,” said Lithium. “I’ve got it covered. As soon as you see me run, move. Get ready.” Lithium sat waiting, listening, and trying to find any excuse to make a run for it. He peered through a bullet-sized hole in the pillar, watching Anniexo’s movements. The next time she disappeared behind a wall he’d make his move. She looked down the barrel of her gun, and inched it across the balcony ever so slightly. “Come on,” beckoned Lithium. “That passageway next to you looks inviting, doesn’t it? Just go for it, Anniexo. Run with all your might.” Anniexo turned and looked down the passageway Lithium was thinking of. Go for it! begged Lithium, just go for a quick jog and let me distract you. Anniexo turned and ran down the hallway. Not a moment passed before Lithium was on his feet, charging for the staircase. He peered at the balcony where Anniexo had just been. What?! She was back, and this time the gun was pointed at him. Sparks flew from the nozzle of the machine gun and he felt a blistering, hot pain tear up his right arm. He spun and fell to the ground, his shattered beer bottle breaking into a more indistinguishable mess than before. More bullets sprayed the ground around him. Hurry, guys, he thought, waiting for a bullet to sink into his brain and end his pitiful life. Blood poured out of his arm and onto the gray cement, staining it crimson in the afternoon sun. Another bullet hit his hand, and it was ripped from his body. Blood spewed from the end off his wrist and he screamed in pain. ---Anniexo screamed as she fired the bullets at Lithium. Team Dark just wants to kill me, she thought. At school, during college, even at work, all they ever did was make fun of me. That’s all they want to do here, too! I’ve got to kill them. All of them must be eradicated for the better of mankind and me. Life is full of pain, and they need to realize this. Anniexo was delirious; thoughts rushing through her head that she truly didn’t believe. It happened in every Royale. In 1997 it had been Vivi’s Dark Side that went mad and killed a boy with just a cricket bat. Her emotions burned and she was unable to control her desire to kill. She fired until all her bullets were depleted and the air in front of hair was full of smoke. “Ha,” she laughed. “Ha, ha… HA!” The smoke began to clear, and she prepared herself to see a bloody, twisted pulp of a human body in front of her. “Look what happens when I win,” she chanted insanely. Her eyes had become completely bloodshot, and her spiral into insanity was almost complete. The haze in front of her dissipated, and she peered at the ground. “Wha-?” Where Lithium’s “bloody pulp of a body” should have been, there was only rubble from the broken floor. “You were wrong, Anniexo,” said a voice behind her. “We can’t allow you to live.” Looking forward, she saw a blade coated in red exit her face. It was them, the ones that make fun of me. Behind her, Rufus stood holding her pick-axe, the blade stabbed through Anniexo’s head. One of Anniexo’s eyes fell from her head as her body toppled from the balcony. It landed with a sickening thud, her bones cracking from the fall. Rufus simply sighed. She’d saved the group, but she had officially killed someone in the Royale. Looking over the balcony, she saw a disgusting bloody mass attached to a twisted body. It sickened her, and she turned and vomited. Lifting her head, she saw Rorik. “It’s alright,” he calmed her. “You saved Lithium.” “Don’t say that yet,” groaned a voice from behind them. The two turned around to see a boy gasping for air, propping himself up against the wall. Lithium held his right hand, which was no longer there. What he held was a stub that was covered in sticky blood, which was dripping to the floor. Great, blood all over the place, he thought. Rorik noticed that Lithium’s face had turned a ghastly shade of white. Time was scarce, and he ripped off his own shirt, tearing it into shreds. “What are you doing?” asked Rufus. “What do you think I’m doing? I’m saving his life!” Rorik took one of the straps, wrapping it around Lithium’s bloodied nub. “I think I can save you in time if I bundle this up enough,” explained Rorik. “But we’re going to have to find some alcohol of some sort if you don’t want this to get infected. We can stop the bleeding now and you can keep going like normal, but without alcohol you’re going to be in a very sorry place this time tomorrow.” He picked up a second strap, tying this one tightly over the other. Rorik continued this process until a firm bundle had formed around his destroyed wrist. The color began to slowly return to his face. “This is going to sound odd, but do you still have the hand?” asked Rufus. “We could get it fixed up if you do.” “Let’s go downstairs and find out,” suggested Lithium. Rorik and Rufus agreed. The trio walked around the balcony and down the giant steps. “Gross,” said Rufus, pointing it Anniexo’s body. Her face had become an indistinguishable mass of jelly, the skin ripped in folds and torn around her eyeholes. A small, crimson-stained mouth was in the shape of a circle, and one of her malformed eyes rolled backwards into her head. The other was on the floor next to her, covered in cement dust. On the end of the pick-axe that was stabbed through her head was a stringy mass of gray ooze. “Let me, uh, get that,” Rufus stuttered, grabbing the handle of the pick-axe. She ripped it from the face of Anniexo’s a small spurt of blood covering her face. Pleasant. “Is this your hand?” asked Rorik from the other side of the room. Lithium trotted over and looked at the ground. What he saw was a squished orange. “I… think so.” “…Nice.” Rufus stepped up behind them. “Well, getting your hand back is a lost cause.” The three stepped away, and Rorik spoke first. “Team Light’s really getting battered.” “I don’t want to kill,” moaned Lithium. “I mean, think about it… Did that girl just there really want to kill us? She was probably acting on instinct. In fact, we were acting on instinct when we fought back. Come one of us truly say that we feel good about kill this girl?” The other two shuffled their feet on the ground, thinking about what Lithium had said. “But we are alive,” said Rufus. “I’d rather be dead than alive, wouldn’t you?” There was another awkward silence, followed by the familiar crackling static from their earpieces. “It’s Darkandroid,” said Darkandroid. “Darkandroid, we managed to take out one of Light’s members, Anniexo. They had a machine gun,” reported Rorik. “Bring it to me.” Click. “Let’s go,” Rorik said. ---Darkandroid sat waiting for them amid the ruins. “Thanks,” he said as Rorik handed him the machine gun. He had used one before, although the group with him didn’t know that. They were oblivious to who he truly was. “This looks powerful,” he smiled, trying to exert an aura of leadership. How did the real Darkandroid act? Did he smile lots? “You look off,” Rufus said. “What do you mean?” “Did something happen? And did you get a tan? It looks nice.” “Thanks.” Mark had to think of a way to dodge her “you look off” statement. Sick? “I dunno, I guess I look and feel off because I’m a little sick to my stomach right now. We’re killing other people whilst surrounded by already dead bodies, aiming to not be killed, and meanwhile hoping others are dying. It’s a horrible system of death that the government has easily placed into this game.” “Darkandroid, is there anything else for us to do?” asked Lithium. “And what can we do about my arm?” “Let me see it.” Mark grabbed Lithium’s arm, examining the bandages. “First off,” he began, “these straps are crudely made. One of the daypacks would be a better alternative, but I guess they’re good for now. What you forgot to do was tighten a strap around his elbow to stop the blood from rushing to the point of damage. Really, none of this matters if we don’t have any alcohol to dab on the wound and stop the bleeding.” Where’d he learn all this? wondered Rufus. Was he a Boy Scout? Darkandroid pulled a daypack to his feet. “Do any of you have a blade?” he asked. Rufus pulled the sickle out of her skirt, which had been tucked inside the belt to be easily grabbed. Darkandroid began to rip clean strips out of the daypack. He pulled off Lithium’s bundle of bandages and quickly tightened the daypacks pieces around his wound. He then stretched several around his forearm and bicep and tightened them. “That’s better,” he said while wiping his hands. “Darkandroid?” asked Rorik quietly. “Yeah?” “When did you learn all this stuff?” Mark zoned out. Had Rorik found out the truth about him? “U-Um,” he stuttered, trying to find his words. “I was a Boy Scout!” “Loser.” Darkandroid laughed, and so did the group accompanying him. “To answer your first question,” smiled Darkandroid, looking at Lithium, “I’d like you guys to split up and go after team Light, okay? We’re really bringing down their numbers!” “Yes, sir!” the three shouted in unison. It wasn’t long before Darkandroid was standing alone. I dodged a bullet, there, he thought. His stomach rumbled; dinner time was approaching. He looked inside the daypack he had just torn to shreds to see a small piece of bread winking at him. Bending down, he picked it up and licked it. Tastes fine. He took a bite, and the sweet taste of the bread washed over his tongue. “Food!” he cheered, not long before devouring the piece of wheat. 6 Wild Seven members remaining 20 forum members remaining
You're in it rat. Did I not say your name?
Yeah, I'm hoping Mish has it or something.
Currently, 35.7% of them are active! Yeah! That's terrible.
Yes, please stop embarassing yourself. Thanks Zexion. This is awesome so far. I'm still on chapter 1 but I love it. By the way, did anyone save the old KHVRII I wrote? Because I don't have it anymore :(.
I listened to it once and decided that the lyrics are awful and make no sense.
1. cloudfinalfantasy 2. sweqsora222 3. no_reality_allowed I cannot wait to kill sweqqy and cff!
Currently, 35.6% of our members are active.
Bring up yo mommaz post count! I'm sorry, but this is just stupid. A thread to 'raise your post count'? You post good things to raise your post count; things worthy of discussion and debate, not random to stuff to make it higher. - CloZED -
Yes, it may be a waste of time, but at least it's a good waste of time.
You're hot like Misa. But only 96% as annoying.
http://www.gofish.com/player.gfp?gfid=30-1113135 A new drunk monkey productions video. It ends at 2:08 as we're still making it.
I got L but I fell more like Light.
Thank you for all the support, everyone. We worked so hard, and we've come so far...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqq4xEzgL4M Bask in its glory. Discuss it here. And also if you're wondering the black haired dude is March of the Dogs. No wait he says he has brown hair.
It's decent, but my L sig still owns all.
I mean, what the **** is Mims? Who the **** calls themselves Mims??!?!
That is quite possibly the stupidest thing ever.
Elfen Lied is saucy one minute, not very saucy the next. Unless you like bloody bits and bobs.
Yes there will be more than just what's here. Maybe.
