The Portal Crushers sat huddled in one of the smaller rooms of their newly claimed castle. The air was thick with the weight of recent events, and the silence was finally broken by Isabella.
"Who are we?" she asked, her voice carrying a mix of confusion and despair.
Wilfredo looked up, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, who are we now?" Isabella continued, her tone more insistent. "We used to be Team Portal Crusher, an SFB Arena team. Just two weeks ago, I was shooting a commercial for a sponsorship deal. And now we're killing people in the wasteland? It’s kind of messed up."
Lark, holding John’s hand nodded, adding, "I know what you mean. My job making websites didn’t prepare me for this. It's like we’ve been thrown into a nightmare we can’t wake up from. I keep thinking about how we were just regular people—athletes, influencers, gamers. Now, we’re fighting for our lives, making choices I never thought I’d have to make."
Amber chimed in, "We’re survivors, but it’s more than that. We’re something new, something forged in this chaos. We’ve become protectors, defenders of each other. We’re not just killing to survive; we’re fighting for something bigger, something we still need to define."
Isabella sighed, her expression softening. "I guess that’s what’s so hard. We’re trying to hold on to who we were, but that world’s gone. Maybe it’s time we start thinking about who we want to be now."
Alexander, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke up. “Yeah, what really got me was when I actually met Shipley. I’ve seen that fella play hockey. Heck, I got one of his jerseys hangin’ in my closet back at the old dorms. Seein’ him here just took me back home. It feels so far away, like a whole different life. None of this seems real. But it is. It’s just downright strange that I’m not gonna watch the next season.”
A heavy silence settled over the group as they absorbed his words. They were no longer just a team from the arena—they were something more, something that still needed to be fully understood.
“You know who I am?” said Barbara. “I’m somebody who misses things from home. I miss being able to walk outside of that crappy apartment dorm we were living in and just walk down the street without worrying if a skeleton’s gonna pop out and try to kill me. That’s who I am. I’m somebody who’s sick of having to patch up everybody, and getting covered in blood.”
Wilfredo added, “I miss the smell of coffee in the morning, just brewing in my kitchen. I didn’t even drink the stuff that much, but man, I’d do anything for that scent right now.”
Amber nodded, “And the feel of fresh laundry. You know, when it’s still warm from the dryer? It’s the little things like that I never thought I’d miss.”
Isabella sighed, “I miss having a bed that didn’t creak of old bones like it was about to collapse. And food that wasn’t...whatever the hell these Soylent bars are.”
Atlas listened to all of them talk, understanding what they were going through. This was something very important for the group.
‘It looks like it’s time to remind them of their purpose‘. he thought.
So he said, "What do you think they’re doing on Earth right now? I’ve lived through this portaling twice now, but I have no idea what they’re doing on Earth. Do you think they’re still watching our TV show? Do you think people are panicking? I don’t know. But here’s something I want you to think about: the portal room where we were all practising for this.”
Alexander said, “Yeah, that was a messed-up room.”
Hank nodded, “I never figured it out till now.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Atlas continued, “Remember this?” He played the sound recording that he had saved on his now decrepit phone. It echoed through the room, bringing back memories of their training days: “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, portal initiating.”
Everyone closed their eyes for a moment, then opened them again, as if transported back to that moment. Atlas’s voice was steady but charged with emotion. “Look around, you’re in the wasteland. We practised for this for the whole season last year. And I know you’re going to be ready for what’s coming up. It’s going to be hard, but you’re now part of something bigger. You’re citizens of Fort Bone. That’s who you are. You’re no longer just people trying out for a team; you’re part of something grander. And we are now part of the reason why this whole wasteland is going to be a lot safer for so many people. You’re the solution. And when we take over this wasteland with our empire, you’re going to be the reason we get those 100 tokens.”
“What about everybody else?” Alexander asked.
Atlas paused. “What do you mean?”
John chimed in, “Yeah, I was wondering about that too. We get 100 tokens, but there’s already over 100 people in our camp. Who goes home?”
Atlas sighed, “I don’t know. I was never there when Clark made the decision about what happened to the 100 tokens. He just received them when the year was over. All I do know is that those 100 tokens are a symbol of our hope. And I hope that beyond the 100 tokens, we can also take care of everyone else in the wasteland. Maybe we’ll find out more when the year is up. For now, guys, let’s have one final drink in memory of Evelynh and Kingsley. And for the new refugees that, frankly, I didn’t know much more about them than their names. I wish I had gotten more time to get to know them. Let’s think about how we’re going to survive this wasteland. No, not just survive—how we’re going to thrive and crush this wasteland.”
They raised their drinks, clinking them together. “Fort Bone on three,” Atlas said.
“Fort Bone.” they said in unison..The slogan this time wasn’t yelled. It was just a mute acknowledgment of the truth.
‘‘‘
The new refugees sat quietly off to the side, watching the Portal Crushers raise their glasses in unison. They hadn’t yet integrated fully with the group, and their thoughts were a mix of uncertainty and unease.
One of them, Caleb, a former teacher, felt out of place in this war-torn world. ‘These people are so strong,‘ he thought. ‘I used to grade papers and worry about lesson plans. Now I’m wondering if I’ll even make it to the next sunrise.‘ He glanced around, unsure of what his role would be in this group, if he even had one.
Nia, who had been a nurse before the portals opened, watched Barbara with a sympathetic look. She understood the exhaustion of constantly patching people up, the emotional toll it took. ‘I can help with that,‘ she thought. ‘But is that all I’ll be here? Another pair of hands to keep everyone alive until the next fight?‘ The thought weighed heavily on her, but she pushed it down. ‘I don’t want to just survive—I want to be more.‘
Roy, a mechanic, felt oddly at ease in the chaos. He had spent his whole life fixing things, solving problems with his hands, and while the dangers here were on a completely different level, there was a sense of purpose in being needed. ‘Fort Bone... sounds like something I can help with. I’ve always been good at patching things together,‘ he mused. ‘Maybe I can help keep this place running.‘
Meanwhile, Sophia, an artist in her previous life, felt out of her depth. ‘I don’t know if I can fight like them,‘ she thought, fear gnawing at her. ‘But maybe there’s still something beautiful left to create here. Maybe I can help people remember why we’re fighting—not just to survive, but to keep something human alive in all this.‘
They each nursed their drinks in silence, thoughts swirling, wondering where they fit into this new world, and whether they had the strength to find out.
Several of the Earth children were particularly affected by this set of deaths. They knew that if Atlas hadn't kidnapped them forcefully, the bodies on the pyre, the names on the monument, could have been theirs. "We have to do something to pay tribute to them, to those souls that are gone," said one of them.
"I still have my bagpipe that I brought from Earth," said another.
"Then let's get to work." Hours later, they had crafted a new song.
[Verse]
We mourn for the gone
For the lives lived strong
They gave all they had
Now memories prolong
[Verse 2]
In heavens they rise
Hope shines in our eyes
Eternal in stars
Watching from the skies
[Chorus]
We remember you
In everything we do
With this monument
Our love stays true
[Verse 3]
Life given for us
No need to discuss
Their legacy bright
In memory's trust
[Verse 4]
Their spirit won't fade
In stone they are made
A symbol of light
In our hearts they stayed
[Chorus]
We remember you
In everything we do
With this monument
Our love stays true
https://suno.com/song/bb8ed80d-8bea-4441-9ac1-aef09f638da1