28 No Survivors

Ralnas shouted, "Everyone get back!" He flung himself on top of the grenade. His body suddenly lifted up covered in the red paint the bullets left behind. As his body faded out of existence he shouted out, "You better win this thing now!"

It happened so fast Jayce and Micu barely had time to react before bullets raked their position. They scurried back from the edge as it continued to be peppered with bullets. Jenira was already behind one of the nearby snow mounds waving them towards her. "Hurry! I see them!" Jayce slid under her waving hand and quickly reloaded his gun. Micu ducked down behind a bank just to their right and did a quick scan over the snow as more bullets thumped into the ground near him.

"Jenira! Where are they!" Micu shouted as he quickly dropped to a prone position. "Directly east of us! They are in those ice mounds over there!" She fired off a shot in the direction which prompted a flurry of bullets in return. Micu finally saw their position and his mind started whirring. "Jayce! We'll cover you. See if you can find a spot to pin them down!" He scooted the barrel of his rifle just beyond the cover of the snow and fired shots near to where he had seen them shooting from. Jenira quickly knelt down and followed his example.

Jayce sprinted to the closest snow mound as bullets followed his every step. Breathing heavily he glanced to see if he could see anyone. "Micu I think they've got camouflage!" Jayce scanned again quickly before dashing to the next mound. The bullets came even closer to hitting him this time and he stopped to regain his breath for a moment.

Micu looked over and frowned. "Think Micu think" he yelled inside his brain as he continued to fire speculative shots towards the other team. "Jayce just hurl a grenade over there, see if you can flush them out!" He saw Jayce nod before grabbing one of his grenades and hurling it like a baseball pitcher towards where the bullets were coming from. The grenade bounced among the ice before settling and blowing a huge red spot in the white snow. The bullets coming towards them faltered and Micu quickly ducked out from the cover and fired at anything he saw moving. He saw one of the aliens fading away. Scattered bullets returned fire at him but he had already returned to his snow bank.

"Jenira how many are left?" She leaned out from her cover and two streams of bullets fired towards her. "Alright, Jayce hold your fire, anything that moves kill it. Jen you and I will back away and see if we can't lure them closer." He then dashed back towards the hill they had spawned into. As soon as he was past her Jenira followed after him. Bullets streamed past them and they did their best to avoid the deeper banks of snow that would surely be their end.

"Got one!" Jayce shouted over the headphones. Before another burst of fire from his position caused the bullets that were chasing them to cease. Micu slid down behind another snow bank. "Alright regroup at the hill. Jayce, Jen and I will tell you when it's clear for you to move." "Got it."

Jenira swiftly made her way up the hill with Micu closely watching the hill for any signs of movement. She reached the wall before glancing over and then hopping inside the bunker. "All clear." Micu and Jayce sprinted after her and reached the wall breathlessly. They climbed over and returned to their triangle formation. "So far so good," Jayce mumbled into his mic. "Jen how long has the exam been going on?" "Uh... six minutes Micu."

Micu made a grunt of acknowledgment before he began thinking again. "I don't think there's that many teams left." Just as he said this the feminine voice rang through the map. "There are only ten teams remaining. The map will begin constricting."

"Fuck," Jayce muttered and then glanced across the area he was watching. "I've got a team over here!" Jenira and Jayce said at the same time. "Ah shit me too," Micu responded. "Hold your fire until they see us. Maybe we can hit them with an ambush." He knew the odds were pretty slim of that happening but didn't see a better option at the moment.

"Uh, Micu looks like they want this position..." Jayce called out. "Same over here!" Jenira quickly replied. Micu groaned. "Well then, looks like we're going to be playing king of the hill." He then quickly checked his gear. "Jen you've still got the grappling hook?" "Yeah." Micu's brain hurt from how much thinking he was doing.

"Micu they're getting close enough to see us!" Jayce called out. "One second!" Micu felt he was on the verge of an idea. Jenira lowered herself to the edge of the wall. "Micu!" She cocked her rifle. "I know I know!" Sweat was beading down his face. Jayce readied his gun. "I'm going to fire in three seconds unless you have a plan!" Jenira also readied herself. "I got it!" Micu grabbed the grappling hook from Jenira's waist then quickly shot the rope out toward the large ice formation that loomed directly in front of them.

The three teams saw this lone warrior shoot out of the hill they had been advancing towards and all opened fire on him. He was quickly hit and faded away. Jayce was dumbstruck. "What the hell was that!" He muttered to Jenira. She looked over the wall as the three teams quickly engaged each other. "He must have realized that the teams didn't see each other and this was the only way it wasn't three against one..." Jayce glanced over the wall as he watched the battle below them take place. "He's such a smart idiot." He spat out and then leaned over the edge of the wall. "Let's clean up the survivors then."

The three teams had already done a great deal of damage to each other by the time Jayce and Jenira opened fire on them. The remaining six members faded and cries of surprise and frustration rang out from where they had just been. Jayce slumped down and reloaded his rifle. "Well, it's been a while since it's just been you and me in a competition." Jenira ducked down after checking the horizon. She smiled at Jayce, "Yeah not since dodgeball last semester." He laughed softly then glanced at her. "See anyone coming towards us?" She shook her head and then scooted to the opposite side of the bunker.

"There are only three teams remaining. The map will be constricted." The feminine voice spoke up again. Jayce groaned loudly. Jenira shot him a look. "Shut up!" He smiled sheepishly and then glanced over his side of the bunker. Jenira had put her head to the ground and was trying to listen for any noises. Jayce scanned the area when a thunderous explosion collapsed the ice formation that Micu had died to try and reach. It collapsed into huge sheets of ice and a team of the blue squids that they had seen during the potential exam day was floating towards them with speed. They floated a few inches off the snow as they zoomed towards Jayce and Jenira. Just as they reached the base of the hill the last of their members faded away with a loud cry of frustration.

Stepping from the mist that had been whipped up from the collapsing snow a large hoofed foot stomped towards their snow bunker. "It had to be them didn't it." Jayce mused to himself as the minotaurs he had taunted stepped into view. "Jayce they still have all four members!" Jenira was shocked. "Of course they do because the Overwatchers hate me." He smiled a wry smile and then checked his equipment. "We've got three grenades and our guns left?" Jenira nodded. Jayce glanced back at the minotaurs who were marching directly for them.

"I think it's time to play a little dodgeball..." He pulled the pin from his grenade and tossed it towards the minotaurs. They saw it fall and scrambled back. Jayce then unloaded his gun towards the one in the front of their group. Jenira quickly slid next to him and began firing as well. The lead minotaur went down and faded away. The other three quickly got behind cover and began returning fire.

"Can you hold them?" Jayce asked in between reloading and firing again. Jenira nodded at him. "I'm taking your grenades." As Jenira continued to fire at the scattered Minotaurs Jayce looped the grenades off her waist and then slid down the backside of the hill. He took a circular route towards the minotaurs as three rifles fired unceasingly towards Jenira's position. Jayce saw that no matter how wide of an angle he took to attack them he would still be exposed for a while if he didn't knock out at least two of them before they saw him.

With a puff of smoke, the same shadow he had seen in the first exam appeared in front of him again. It ran in the opposite direction he had been planning on going. Jayce hesitated for a second before following the shadow even further away from the minotaurs. Jenira saw him moving while she reloaded.

"Jayce where the hell are you going." She muttered as she slammed another cartridge into her gun and began firing again. The shadow led Jayce to a crevice and pointed inside. Jayce nodded and then slipped into it. At the end of it, he found a tunnel sloping up. He began climbing as the shadow zoomed past him. He eventually popped out of a snow bank and looked around.

He saw the two minotaurs firing at Jenira's position while the third was making his way up the snow banks towards her. Gasping quietly he quickly pulled the pin from both of the grenades and tossed them next to each of the minotaurs. The minotaurs had enough time to look down and make surprised shouts before they dissolved in a red mist. The third Minotaur whirled around and looked at Jayce.

Seeing the one who had taunted them earlier the minotaurs eyes turned red and he quickly began shooting at Jayce. Jayce ducked back into the tunnel and looked around for any kind of cover. Bullets scraped the ice next to his head and he ducked even further into the tunnel. He then let go of the sides and slid down the ice back to the crevice he had climbed into.

The minotaur was approaching the top of the tunnel and jumped next to it and unloaded it's rifle into the tunnel wildly. It stamped it's foot in frustration as it saw that there was no one in the tunnel. A clicking noise caused it to turn its head towards the hill it had been attempting to assault. Jayce stood there with his pistol pointed right at its horned head. "Told you I was going to shoot you." Jayce smiled and then ended the competition with one bullet.

The ice planet melted away back to the white room that they had started out in and Jenira looked at Jayce before shouting happily and running to embrace him. "We did it! We did it! I can't believe it!" Tears of joy flowed down her face as she held Jayce. Jayce smiled and hugged her back. He was looking past her as he watched the shadow man move towards him. It stepped inside his body and he heard a powerful voice in his head. "Well well well," the voice said tauntingly, "Jayce Good can see the shadow of potential futures." Jayce's face paled but Jenira was too happy to open her eyes. She continued to hold him but Jayce heard nothing she said.

The voice in his head continued to speak, "I'm removing you from the field of play then. Just to keep things fair of course." He watched as another shadow was pulled into him. A searing pain hit his body and a pained groan escaped his lips. This groan caused Jenira to look up at him. "Jayce? Are you okay?" He was trapped in his mind and couldn't answer her no matter how he tried.

"I do hate you humans so much. It really shouldn't be this fun to torture you but every time I just get giddy from the experience." Jayce felt like he had heard the voice before somewhere but couldn't place it. "I wish I could destroy your entire race but alas that would put me in hot water with my brothers. Oh well, this will at least make things a little more interesting." A laugh that sounded like a forest blowing in the wind echoed through Jayce's mind before diminishing. Every nerve of his body burned and he tasted blood in his mouth. Then Jayce realized where he had heard that voice before. Earth. His face twisted with rage before Jenira's voice finally made it into his brain.

"Jayce! Answer me! Please..." She was pounding on his chest and Jayce came back with a start. He looked down at her worried face and winced. "Sorry Jen..." He trailed off as he returned to his thoughts. Jenira let out a sigh of relief and let go of him. "Where were you just now?"

Jayce looked at her with disbelief on his face. "I think I just got a visit from one of the Overwatchers..."