13 First Recruitment Offer

Jayce finally made it outside. He glanced around looking for his friends and saw a sign ahead of him that read, "Please pick up competitor ID ahead". Following the illuminated signs, he curled around the outside of the Coliseum until he saw another line. This one, however, was much shorter and moving pretty rapidly.

Stepping into line behind a bipedal lizard he tried to make out if his friends were ahead of him. Swiftly getting to the front he stepped in front of another one of the box robots and it scanned his face for a few seconds. In the same spot that he had placed his watch during registration, a small plastic card was spit up by the robot. Jayce leaned down and picked up his ID card hoping that it wasn't too ugly of a picture.

His face twisted up like he had just bit into a lemon at looking at his picture. The flash had gone off without him preparing and it looked like he was jumping in surprise. Not only that but since he had slightly lifted off the seat the top part of his head was cut off in the picture. Sighing to himself Jayce decided not to show any of his friends his ID card.

He exited from the registration line and was back on the street that they had walked in on. Turning his head left and right he finally caught sight of Ralnas and Jenira sitting underneath one of the many light posts advertising next months beginning of the elite teams' competition. Walking quickly over to them he waved just as they noticed him and sat up with smiles on their faces.

"Hey, guys! Where's Micu?" Jayce looked around still not seeing their final member. Ralnas pointed to one of the sandwich shops down the road. "He went to grab us a snack, he said he'd be right back."

Jayce nodded and as he was about to ask how it went Jenira held up a hand to stop him. "Don't ask to see my ID card. I won't be showing anyone and I won't negotiate my terms either."

Ralnas stifled a chuckle before nodding, "Yeah I'm in the same boat, no one can see my ID either!"

Jayce was dumbfounded, "Uh yeah, mine neither then."

The three nodded at each other before breathing a quick sigh of relief. Ralnas then looked up at Jayce, "Your's is terrible too?" Jayce nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, they cut off the top part of my head. I look like I have a nice big bald spot at sixteen." Ralnas' eyes opened wider. "Well you gotta let me see that. I'll let you look at mine?"

Jayce weighed his options in his head. "Sorry Ral, this time I'm going to have to decline your offer." Ralnas sighed, "Well that's okay I guess. I definitely don't want to show mine around more than I have too. But if you ever change your mind, and promise not to show ANYONE else, then my offer still stands." Jayce smiled at his friend before nodding that he understood.

"Well, should we go join Micu in the deli?" Jenira filled the empty space that had appeared in their conversation. The other two shrugged and then nodded. The three walked past neon buildings adorned with huge posters advertising various clothing brands. There was graffiti decorating most of the poster's bottom corners. Most of the graffiti was about the grand prize with the most prominent one reading, "Overwatchers control your minds, the grand prize is a lie for the sheep". Jayce tried to read the other stuff but it was far too faded or illegible to understand.

Turning the corner to the entrance they saw through the windows that Micu was talking to some man who was wearing a gold jacket with various metallic trinkets hanging from the collar, sleeves, and pockets. He seemed very interested in Micu but their friend looked far more reserved in his responses. Jayce was about to burst through the door to tell this guy to leave his friend alone when Jenira's hand shot in front of his chest. "Don't. I think that's a team gold recruiter. You can tell he's just a grunt because he's not wearing all that much actual gold." Jayce raised his eyebrows in surprise before stepping back to get a better view of the conversation.

The recruiter was eagerly talking and Micu seemed to be doing his best to neither seem excited nor disinterested. He would nod slightly and then shake his head in an almost equal measure. Jayce turned to Ralnas, "What do you think he's trying to tell Micu?" "SHHH, I'm trying to watch." Ralnas shot him daggers with his eyes.

Jayce bristled with indignation but turned back to face the deli. The recruiter was seeming to end his speech and took a small pamphlet out of his pocket before handing it to Micu. He then bowed to Micu and turned towards the door to leave. The three outside suddenly panicked, "What if he notices us spying on him!" They scurried into the alley next to the deli and waited until they saw the gold jacket pass by them before rounding back into the deli to join Micu. They found him sitting at the table in the furthest corner slowly unwrapping his sandwich.

"Hey, guys! Just in time to enjoy your sandwiches!" Micu seemed normal and happy to see them. Jayce suspiciously eyed his friend bringing his face mere inches from his nose. "Uh, Jayce? What are you doing?" Micu noticed Ralnas also giving him prying eyes and he turned hopelessly to Jenira. "Can someone explain what these two idiots are doing?"

Jenira's voice betrayed her neutral face, "We saw you talking to that team Gold recruiter..." Micu opened his mouth to make a silent, "ahhhh" sound before turning to face the still inches from his face Jayce. "Yeah, he wanted all four of us to come by their office and talk to them before the exam ends. Here he gave me this pamphlet." He took the pamphlet out of his pocket and put it on the table.

Jayce and Ralnas viewed it like it was actual gold and pounced on the pamphlet fighting for who got to hold it before eventually settling for each holding down one side on the table. Jenira breathed a sigh of relief before sitting next to Micu and opening up her sandwich. She looked up at Micu, "Was it scary talking to a recruiter?" Micu sat back in contemplation before nodding, "Yeah, they don't have a class for that at school." The two laughed and then turned to watch Jayce and Ralnas. The two were barely breathing they were so excited and as soon as one pointed out something on the pamphlet the other would point out something else and their eyes would grow even brighter.

Micu sighed, "If this is how they react when a brand new team talks to us then just imagine what's going to happen when one of the top teams' talks with us." Jenira groaned aloud. Jayce and Ralnas looked up for a second to make sure she was okay before immediately diving back into reading the pamphlet. Jenira asked Micu, 'How do you know that the top teams will be interested in us? I mean our potential is high, but we're still just kids."

Micu shifted the glasses on his face before answering, "Jen I know you're smart enough to know the answer already but I don't mind reassuring you. A team with a potential score of 800, 805, 900, and -10 is probably one of, if not the highest potential scored team of humans in the entire exam. We are definitely going to get some invitations to join top teams. Maybe even all of them..." He trailed off and Jenira could tell there was a specific team he wanted to reach out to them.

"It's team Eternity isn't it?" She knew Micu well enough to know that the only time he joined them in watching highlights is when team Eternity had played. He had brushed off the boys questioning by saying this was the only time he didn't have homework but Jenira had noticed the pattern after a couple months. Micu smiled at her, "See? I told you that you were smarter than you let on."

Jenira laughed softly, "Micu, you know they only let like 25 people in a year. Our odds are hopelessly small. But I promise I'll do my all to get them interested in us." She smiled confidently at Micu. Micu's face turned a light shade of red before smiling. "Thanks, Jen, you're a good friend." The two then dug into their sandwiches and watched the two boys continue to be starstruck by a simple pamphlet.

"Look Jayce it says that every member gets their own apartment!"

"No look here Ral! We get customized hoverboards!"

"Wait! Look, Jay, there's a starting salary of 40,000 credits per week!"

'WAIT!! Ral, look you get a promised commercial all by yourself that will show on every TV in major hub two!"

They both melted into their seats with their imaginations spinning wildly. Micu almost choked on his food laughing at them and Jenira had to slap his back to get the food out of his throat. When he finally recovered he wiped the crumbs from his lips and looked at the two boys. "You guys know that team Gold is brand new right? They have like four super rich dudes who wanted a team of their own. We probably are going to get way better offers."

Jayce and Ralnas eyes burst open and they leaned towards Micu across the table, "Way better offers than this?" Jayce didn't believe it. Ralnas was less skeptical but he was more familiar with the actual competing rather than the business behind the elite teams.

Micu nodded and was about to explain when their watches all "dinged". They all quickly opened the flashing notification and it played as one shared screen across their four watches.

"Congratulations competitors your registration has been successful and your team name of "Chiron's Chosen" has been added to the list of teams competing in the capability exam. The first exam will be held in three days. Competition number one is a simple athletic/logic exam. Your team should arrive at 4:40 pm HST to ensure you are ready to compete at 5:00 HST. Thank you and good luck!"

"HST?" Jayce looked at Jenira and Micu. They rolled their eyes, "You know without us you would really be in trouble Jayce." Jenira looked at him smugly. "HST is the human standard time you moron. Didn't you pay attention to any classes besides the fighting ones?" Micu had his sandwich inches from his mouth and took a big bite after saying this. Ralnas even felt bold enough to tease his friend on this topic, "Even I knew that Jayce! They didn't change the clocks because the Overwatchers kept our human place on the same day night cycle as Earth had!" Ralnas laughed in his friends face while Jayce frowned.

"Look you guys are going to appreciate me during the exam. Don't tease me too much or I'll join one of the elite teams by myself." Jayce declared.

Micu actually did choke on his sandwich hearing this and Jenira quickly stood up and started smacking his back. Ralnas also felt the color drain from his face as he looked at his friend. Just as he was about to apologize to Jayce he noticed a smile forming on Jayce's lips.

"HA! Got you guys! You should see your face Ral!" Jayce started laughing heartily and holding his waist to not fall out of his chair.

Ralnas sighed, "When did you start trolling me back?" Before laughing along with him. Micu glared at Jayce before continuing to finish his sandwich. After making sure Micu was okay Jenira started laughing too. The four of them finished their sandwiches with each teasing the others before making their way back to the train station.

...

"How is it possible that there's already another human with negative potential!" The being behind the third voice that had appeared on Earth shouted. His body was purple energy that had twinkling stars nestled within the vast amount of space he occupied. He formed his body to reflect his original appearance. A four-legged insect body with a thickly scaled humanoid body protruding from the center of it. He slammed a thick claw down on a nearby table and it shattered into a million pieces. The table then pulled itself back together as though nothing had happened.

"Brother, we need not worry yet. We don't even know what his abilities are." The first voice spoke calmly as it shaped continents with its will. His body was completely covered in flames and his eyes were the color of ash. His six limbs moved with frightening speed. As he created land out of the ocean he smiled happily. "We can just make the grand tournament harder than ever before anyway."

The purple Overwatcher turned to his brother. "You always preferred just creating nature and it is so noble of you." The flame clad one grinned at his brother. "But you are also the most naive of us three. If the humans win the simulation again then they may actually achieve their goal of gaining our power." He created a universe in his hand and then squashed it like a bug. "Remember how close they came with the ancient Egyptians!"

The second Overwatcher glided into the room. He was a deep ocean without end. Fish swam through his body into unseen depths. If some of the more occult humans could see his form they would call him Cthulhu. "This human is a mere boy. We can use him." He then watched his brother craft the landmasses of the simulation. "None of us can interfere. We all agreed that after the war." He lifted his murky head to look at their third brother.

"I promise I won't affect his abilities." His purple cosmic face swirled with wrath. The second brother nodded. "Good." He drifted off again to observe the simulation from his preferred area. A purple claw untwisted itself behind his back. "Oops, my claws were crossed, guess it doesn't count." He grinned a malicious smile as he zoomed his view onto Jayce and his friends riding the train.