Freak Weather

Adam had never been scared of the rain, but this time… something was very wrong. The wind still felt normal, but it was slowly picking up speed, blinding him from the rest of The Renegades.

"What to do?" He said to himself, already realising the sort of pickle he was in.

The wind turned into a typhoon out of nowhere, its form irregular and humanoid for some reason.

What's wrong with everything here?

Adam couldn't tell. The pocket world didn't mirror the real world; it was trying to eat him alive and make a grand show.

"I'd be damned if I die to something like this," Adam raged at the typhoon, his will ironclad.

"S, are you there?" He asked, flexing his arms.

"Yes. What can I help you with?" The hologram's voice came almost immediately, but it had a hint of… sassiness. Could the holograms truly become sentient?

"No time for that now," Adam screamed and slapped himself to get his bearings. It stung, but it did the trick and helped him focus.

"Is there a way to survive this typhoon? If there's any, please tell me." The typhoon was steadily heading towards him, picking up giant boulders and pebbles along the way.

[ANALYZING PATTERNS. YOUR INTELLIGENCE IS TOO LOW]

Adam felt like he'd been stabbed once he heard that, even though it was probably true. He had just 10 points in intelligence, and his stamina was shit. But he couldn't be hung up over that now; he had a typhoon to fight.

"Come here, you big ugly, you want a piece of me?" He taunted the typhoon, and at first, nothing happened. Then, the typhoon turned its gaze at him, increasing its pace.

"That thing is alive!" He screamed, but there was no one to help besides S. Somehow, the hologram had reverted to the default mode of being just a screen. But it didn't matter; he had a lot riding on his actions, and he wouldn't hesitate when it could mean the difference between life and death.

[INITIATING SAFE MODE]

"Not that again!" Adam protested, his voice filled with trepidation. He didn't have a good memory of the so-called safe mode.

[ALL COMBAT EXPERIENCES ANALYZED]

[PENALTY WILL BE GIVEN FOR LOW INTELLIGENCE]

[SAFE MODE ENGAGED: USURPER]

And Adam felt his body system shut down. He panicked, but the typhoon was barely a foot away, and the rain began. It came down in sleets of arrogance, and every hit felt like being pinned down by a powerful force and flogged within an inch of your life.

It was the rain that even Crystal feared.

Adam moved, his body no longer his to control. But he noticed the fluidity of his movements and how every step was light and relieved pressures on his joints.

So, this must be Capoeira.

It felt like being a ballet dancer; none of his movements were extraneous, and he moved purposefully. He was outside his body, watching himself in the third person, if that makes sense.

Evasion became his watchword as the rain came down in little drops of fire, and the typhoon spread the disaster far and wide, but it was only desert and rocks, so there was hardly anything to ignite.

Ah, this sight is beautiful.

Adam stared at the fiery sky and the typhoon that lunged for him like the hand of a vengeful god. The rain felt like precious stones were falling, shimmering in the light. But every drop set him afire within, and it wasn't the good kind.

"Don't dally, RUN!" Crystal was hidden deep inside a cave, appearing with an outstretched hand, mouthing the words that even if Adam couldn't hear because of the typhoon, S made him able to understand.

[SAFE MODE DISENGAGES IN T-30 SECONDS]

Adam ran. He ran like hell was on his tail, focused solely on his goal. He had no idea where S got a dome, but he was safe from the rain and the typhoon for now. Now, he had to make it to Crystal, and he'd be home free.

[USURPER DISENGAGES IN T-15 SECONDS]

"Don't rush me, dammit!" Adam noticed that he was already in control of his body again, and every move seemed sluggish compared to when S took over. But adrenaline burned his veins, and the desire to survive cleared his mind.

I won't fall here.

[10. 9. 8. 7..]

Adam tuned it out, and as the dome over him fell off, his palm touched Crystal's, and she yanked him inside the cave. Darkus and Gilgamesh rolled a giant boulder over it, sealing them in.

"What was that? Do you have a death wish?" Crystal's eyes looked panicked and as she hit his chest with her fist, he noticed that her body was shaking uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know…" Adam trailed off because his excuse sounded bogus even to his ears. He didn't plan to make a big deal out of it, but he didn't expect such a thing to happen. His life flashed before his eyes on various occasions, and it felt… exhilarating.

What are you, a battle junkie?

"You survived. That counts for something," Cincinnati said and walked past him, returning to the rock where she was seated earlier.

Darkus nodded at Adam just once and didn't look at him again. It felt like being acknowledged by a higher power. Before, Darkus didn't even show regard for Adam's existence, and now… he got a nod of approval.

"Will you die if you go outside again?" Esme was tugging at Adam's trousers, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

Is she actually worried?

"I won't; I'm sorry if I worried you," Adam replied, unsure how to relate to her. Esme had kept her distance and always saw him as someone who came to pull their group apart. But seeing her reaching out evoked a powerful emotion within him.

"I don't want you to die," she said and started bawling her eyes out. Adam awkwardly patted her head even though he was out of his depths and didn't know what he was doing.

"You survived, that's a surprise." Gilgamesh came from behind him as soon as Esme was done crying, and she'd left to lie down on Crystal's thighs.

"Why? You told me nothing," Adam tried to rein in his anger, wondering what Gilgamesh's play was. He almost died, and there was no sign of unease on Gilgamesh's face.

"Would you have believed me if I talked about the rain of fire? Or a typhoon that could pinpoint your location? Be honest, and answer me." Gilgamesh asked, and Adam wondered.

Would I have believed him?

Since coming to the pocket world, he'd learnt that the physics in that world didn't follow anything in the real world. Crystal's bike was one. Sentient weather was another. Even the night seemed to be gunning for his head.

"I don't know, but you could have tried," Adam said, realising that Gilgamesh wasn't to blame and life was just messing with him as always.

"Do you know why Esme worried about you? Why everyone act like you did something unimaginable?" Gilgamesh asked a question that Adam hadn't even thought about.

"No, why?"

"Because you survived. We have been over fifty that'd be thrown here. The weather takes some; the night takes some more. The Graveyard steals the rest. When you returned alive… it felt like our luck was starting to change. This is what it's like here. This is why nobody can settle down long enough to think of how to get out of here. Come with me,"

Gilgamesh pulled Adam along, and Adam noticed that the others were fast asleep, probably due to the mental strain of the situation.

Gilgamesh rolled the stone away, and Adam peeked from behind his shoulders, unsure what to expect.

The ground was on fire. And the heat was searing. Adam blinked and took in the landscape in its full glory. A world of fire burned before him, yet he'd never seen anything more beautiful or mesmerising. It threw him for a loop.

"Sometimes, I stare at this sight and wonder who created this and why. The fire doesn't come close to our shelters, as though deliberately keeping us alive. In a day or two, a flood comes around, and the landscape is restored to its natural form. After a few days, we go out to inspect the world. That's when we see clothes, shoes, and even animals."

Gilgamesh gave Adam a pointed look.

"Someone is trying to recreate the genesis of existence. Someone is playing God."

Adam couldn't sleep for a few hours after that, every single thought of leaving blotted of of his memory.

Someone is playing God.

"But who?"

No answers came.