35 2780-Space City Iron Lake (044165)-Blind to the World
Gone is the day of our innocence./when we were blind to the world./ When everything was safe, and when you didn't know that the world ran on the systems of greedy people./ When you didn't notice your friend could prey on you, and devour your carcass because of hatred/ because of sadism that breeds within them. Because they liked you, /That a person could hurt you for sport, a need to feel pleasure from all your pain. /It could be the very person that loves you, that want to see you In sickly emotions, without noticing your misery. /Without noticing they enjoyed it, without noticing their need to see you cry.
Gone are the days, in which you believed, there was love in the world
....
Zatland was noticing that Isaac wasn't following him less closely, because he had been waiting longer and longer between chores. It seemed Isaac was adapting to the wait and ambush approach, that was trickier, but a better option for now.
He guessed Isaac wouldn't want to lose him in the crowd again if he was following. So if he were following Zatland, he would be too variable, and less predictable when running from him.
Zatland had probably accidentally caught him in a dilemma. If he followed too closely to the target, the target would run, and he would stand a chance of losing him in the crowd, so the target was too clever to take the chance on you catching him soon.
He had to keep his distance and watch Zatlands footsteps, unfortunately giving up the option of controlling Zatland's optimal routes.
This was a scenario in which both the predator and the prey, had an equal advantage.
Issac probably though, that if he got near to Zatland in a chase without preparation, Zatland would have a high chance of escaping.
It was a high evaluation of his abilities.
Zatland, smiled because he knew it was true, he was passing this test because of a fluke, What he didn't realize was that though he may have been right, that Issac respected him in the most minuscule of ways, has a worthy prey.
He didn't realize he wasn't the only person; both students would be tested in battle for this examination. He wasn't the only student that Issac was testing at the moment.
When he thought about it later, he would hit himself in the head for being so stupid. They were being trained as a team, him and Zion.
....
Now what you must realize is that Isaac now had a different face, his original looks that did not match with his original desperate visage that Zion saw, would make things more deceptive while not even trying to be.
For this test, some of the footage was doctored, that means it was planted to guide Zion into a certain direction of Isaac's choice.
Now Zion had the possibility of finding Zatland by looking through the footage, but he had a whole hell of a lot better a chance at meeting Isaac, and Isaac was already been coming towards him, they would meet in the center of the streets soon enough.
When they met, Isaac would have the full element of surprise. That meant when he arrived by Zion side; the boy wouldn't see it happening.
The first hit that was too come, taking the initiative, especially with Isaacs advanced strength, there was a good chance Zion wouldn't be able to react to the following upcoming blows.
This would mean the altercation would be a one-sided affair, even though Zion was bigger than him, Issac just had to be a little more brutal, in how he handled him.
He felt sorry for the kid; this test would have to be of how long could Zion remains standing, that was it beyond anything else.
....
Zion was studiously tracing the path to Zatland, researching footage of multiple areas, looking for a place that would hold the image of a familiar figure. He couldn't find it.
He went about asking people on the streets if they saw these people. Zatland and the man in the mask. He had noticed that the clues were getting harder to find he hadn't seen anything in a few minutes now, and he was beginning to worry about the time he had left.
If he were doing something and were getting closer, he would feel less stressed right now. But he was running out of time, and he suddenly couldn't find any clues after finding so much of them already.
His heart was beating rapidly, almost quivering because he was nervous, would he lose them at the last moment, not being able to search through the clues in time?
What was going on, this is the tensest moment of hacking in his life, he had ever gone through, even compared to the time he had to reclaim those photographs of himself.
What would he do if he really didn't find them on time, would he risk arriving late to the Iron lake base instead of on time.
Zatland wouldn't risk arriving late either, but if Zatland was late, he wanted to be late with him. It would be better if both of them faced hazing together if that was to happen.
What should he do, if he was to receive punishment, and Zatland didn't, or if Zatland did receive punishment and he didn't, both would be a betrayal of friendship. A failure like this could even affect their relationship. If Zion didn't choose right, Zatland and he could be forced to go their separate ways.
One starting their career, the other failing a year. Suddenly they would be of different social classes, and therefore have no reason to work together. A test could end their friendship for them; Zion didn't want to see that happen.
He was starting to lose his cool, freaking out a little. He started looking through footage even faster. He needed to find Zatland Soon.
His body was getting anxious, and he started sweating a little at his forehead, he looked everywhere but couldn't find them, then all of a sudden he found something. It was in the footage he had caught at a cloth store, Zatland drawing in a symbol in the side of a wall, according to the footage he saw it was directly across the street from him, where that camera was pointing near the alleyway of a restaurant.
It was a grilled fish establishment that cooked fish in a different assortment of flavors. Zion was suddenly happy. He tried to zoom in to the symbol, but the camera resolution was not good enough. Zooming that far in would require another computer.
He unplugged his phone from a store in the market area; he had followed Zatlands path too a pretty nearby area.
Zion ran down the street in a hurry; he was relieved that he finally found clues to the whereabouts of his friend, it was the footage of Zatland laying down a clue for him, so much better than the other footage.
Zion was so joyous; his mood was elevated instantly. He knew Zatland would show him how to find him somehow. It also made him realize that they were still in this together.
Zion had no doubts of Zatland's commitment anymore; they knew each other so well, so he definitely would have been able to figure out Zatlands code, whatever it was he was sure he could use it.
Everything was almost over, he was sure of it.
weird... has he began to get close to the building, he could not see any trace of it, of the symbol that Zatland left behind. He was confused as he moved more closely to observed the wall.
His eyes scanned over it from afar, more and more confused, wasn't that the way the cameras where pointing. Nothing there. He got closer still looking from afar. He didn't realize that a man had quietly arrived at his side.
There wasn't even a wind.
Bam!
Isaac suddenly jumped up and kicked the side of Zion's head.
For a moment Zion's mind went blank, like an old television turning off. He just momentarily saw a flash of multicolored light like a colorful lightning bolt.
Zion staggered, Bam! Isaac punched him in the center of the stomach raising his body. Zion rose off his feet for a moment.
So much power, Zion was already close to three hundred pounds.
Puchiii
Zion vomited saliva on the floor.
Bam!
Isaac kicked his leg. Zion tripped and became conscious again; he dropped to his knee.
He looked up at Isaac, in time to see his muscular arm swing down on his face.
Oh god, the punch landed on his nose, Zion's vision went red, then he received a blow in his jaw. His concept of time was being altered by the pain and panic, not understanding what was going on.
He received six more blows, before falling on the floor.
Issac stood by his big body, his face looking unconcerned and satisfied like he just completed a light exercise.
Zion was down, his nose didn't break, but he was bleeding from the mouth, His teeth cut the inside of his mouth, he was dripping blood on the floor.
Issac was a little disappointed; it was as easy has he expected it to be. He looked around, and the civilians had made space around him watching the show.
He looked around, and nonchalantly started moving Zion away, the boy was heavy.
Zion suddenly woke up! Issac was in his grasp, Issac slipped out and turned around to counter him.
Zion ate the blow and tackled into Issac's stomach.
Zion was wrapped around Issac like a clamp. Unfortunately, it looked more like a hug, Issac didn't back down an inch.
Zion looked up at him, from the center of Issac's stomach, his arms wrapped around him in futility.
Issac looked down in pity. He smashes his elbow into Zion's face. He showed no mercy, that's what a soldier is.
Issac had taken Zion apart efficiently and surgically. He didn't even give him a chance.
Zion fell.
…
Gone are the days of our innocence/ when everything could do us no harm/ when we where cute little puppets, instead of the masters of the universe, we beloved ourselves to be/ We thought we were smart/ we thought we would succeed/instead we realized that our logic was fraud, we were the most imperfect human being of everyone else/We loved ourselves too much/ And now our ego had been smashed/ the truth of the matter was, we were scum, and we hated ourselves for it.
