I got teleported along with Grik into a small, surprisingly mundane waiting room. The walls were painted a neutral beige, adorned with generic landscape paintings that could have been found in any doctor's office back on Earth. A few uncomfortable-looking plastic chairs lined one wall, facing a coffee table strewn with magazines. The titles were in languages I couldn't comprehend, their covers displaying bizarre alien scenes.
A potted plant sat in one corner, its leaves an unnatural shade of purple. The air smelled faintly of disinfectant and something vaguely floral, reminiscent of a dentist's waiting room. A water cooler gurgled softly in another corner, the liquid inside an unsettling shade of green.
As I was taking in my surroundings, the door opened with a soft hiss. An alien who appeared female stepped in. She had iridescent skin that shimmered with each movement, and large, almond-shaped eyes that blinked vertically. Her voice was melodious as she spoke.
"Welcome, honored guests. If you'll follow me, I'll escort you to the green room."
The green room, huh? Is it really called that or is that just the translation software in my system?
We followed the ‘woman’ out into a corridor that was just as unremarkable as the waiting room. The normalcy of it all was almost more unsettling than the chaos of Infernum.
“I was expecting something a bit more… alien,” I whispered to Grik as we followed the alien woman to the green room. “This all seems so—”
“Earthly?” Grik offered.
“Yes.”
“Well, Kade, that’s because it is, in a way. You have to remember that much of your Earthly culture was engineered by the Overseers, as they have engineered much across the galaxy, so naturally certain things will look the same to you.”
The alien woman, who was carrying a clipboard and had a mic in her ear that she was speaking into in a different language, led us to the other room. It was a medium sized room with light green walls, a dressing area that had a large mirror with lightbulbs all around it, and a table that held plates of weird looking food and drinks.
There was also someone else in the room. Someone I never expected to see again.
“You,” the other person said with barely disguised disdain. “How’d a pussy like you end up in here?”
It was the gruff man I met while talking to Cooper after we all finished the first Trial, the burly psycho who fancied himself as a real murder hobo.
“Well,” I said, looking at him as he gnawed on what might or might not have been a chicken wing, “I’m certainly not surprised to see you here. Let me guess, you have the biggest kill rate of any player and that’s why they want to interview you. Am I right?”
The bearded murder hobo grinned before taking a bite of his ‘chicken’. “You bet your ass. I’ve killed more mobs than you’ve probably had hot dinners, boy. Not to mention other players,” he added with a fiendish grin, bits of meat sticking to his beard.
“Nice,” I said. “Real fucking nice, bro.”
“Player Derrick Savage, you will be going on soon,” the alien woman said to the murder hobo, who was apparently called Derrick Savage. A fitting name if ever there was one. “I’ll be back shortly to escort you to the studio.”
“Thanks, doll,” Savage said. “I’ll be waiting. I’m looking forward to showing this shithole galaxy how a real man acts.”
“Yes, I’m sure. Enjoy your… chicken.”
When the alien woman left, I glanced over at the food, considering eating something, but I didn’t like the look of any of it. Besides, my stomach was doing backflips at the thought of being interviewed in front of billions or even trillions of people, all of them judging and criticizing my every word, analyzing every slight tic I made as if it might give away something significant about my psychological makeup. And who knows, certain ‘people’ out there might use said information to decide if I was worth betting on. If the rest of the galaxy was anything like Earth, I was sure the betting networks were in full swing.
Despite my nerves, I was no stranger to being interviewed. After I became Lightweight Champion, I was interviewed several times by TV and print journalists. But the interviews were usually short and didn’t delve much further than my fight performances. I got the impression the upcoming interview with Azazel Flameborne would go a little deeper, and would probably be much more uncomfortable.
Savage didn’t seem to have any nerves at all. He looked like he was champing at the bit to get out there and show the galaxy the type of psycho he was. After crunching on the bones of his chicken wing, he got up and grabbed something that looked like a fried lizard, then sat back down and started eating it.
“What are you even doing here, boy?” he asked me. “I didn’t think pussies got asked to be on TV, unless they’re gonna get fucked.” He laughed at that.
I shook my head at him as Grik walked to the food table and started helping himself, completely ignoring Savage. “Maybe I’m not as much of a pussy as you seem to think I am. Derrick.”
“I doubt that. Everybody I’ve met in this game has been a pussy.” He bit the head of the fried lizard thing and crunched down on it, turning my stomach as I watched the juices run out his mouth and down his chin, soaking into his already filthy hobo beard.
The bastard looked even worse than I did, his leathers completely covered in dried blood and god knows what else. He looked like a crazed Hell’s Angel who had just got done butchering an entire gang of rival bikers.
“Where is your guide?” Grik asked Savage as he munched on the food. “Shouldn’t they be here with you?”
“Fuck that guy,” Savage spat. “He got on my goddamn nerves, always hovering, offering shitty advice, trying to tell me what to do.”
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“So you…”
“I killed the fucker, yeah. He was high level, but I took him by surprise.”
Grik shook his monstrous head. “I’m shocked you got away that.”
“Hey, these fuckers know I’m the star of this shitshow. They aren’t gonna punish me for giving them what they want.” He looked at me then, bad intent in his dark eyes. “By the way, I came across that other pussy you were sweet talking that time. Cooper, wasn’t it?”
My eyes narrowed. “Cooper. What about him?”
“Well,” Savage said, after licking the grease from his fingers, “that little pussy was about to get killed by a buncha mobs, so I helped him out. I killed all the fuckers for him.”
“Kind of you,” I said, knowing there had to be more to this story. And there was.
“Yeah, but I mighta killed your friend too. He sorta… got in my way.” He smiled like the evil psychopath he was. “You see, kid, when I get to killin’, I sorta see red, if you know what I mean, and I just get to killin’ whatever is in front of me.” He started laughing before going back to eating his fried lizard. “He never woulda lasted anyway.”
My hands balled into fists as I stared at him. Then I just couldn’t help myself. “You motherfucker!”
Savage was straight up as soon as I took my first step toward him. My arm was cocked and ready to pulverize his bearded face, but then Grik was between us, shoving Savage back in his seat before pushing me back.
“Kade,” Grik said. “Do not let this man get to you.”
“He’s a fucking psycho!” I screamed, channeling all of my nerves into anger now. “He killed Cooper!”
“He was easy,” Savage taunted me. “Went down like the little pussy he was. Same as you’d go down, I imagine. Kade.” He chuckled as I strained against Grik. All I wanted to do was smash his fucking face in until it was nothing but hamburger meat, but Grik was ridiculously strong, and he easily pushed me across the room, well away from Savage.
I was about to protest more when the alien woman walked into the room again. She paused for a moment, as if to read the tension in the room. Then she looked at Savage. “Player Derrick Savage,” she said. “It’s time for your interview. The other guest is about to finish.”
“Sure thing, doll,” Savage said, standing up and tossing away the remains of the fried lizard. “I’m ready to show the galaxy what a real man looks like.” He looked over at me then and grinned. “Good luck following me, Kade. Maybe when you go out there, you can cry about your dead friend. I’m sure the audience will lap it up. Get that sympathy vote, right?”
“Fuck you!” I spat at him. “You’re fucking dead, you hear me? Dead!”
Savage just kept laughing as he walked out of the room with the alien woman. “Be seeing you, Kade.”
“Kade, you need to calm down,” Grik said when we were alone. “You can’t go out there in this state. It probably won’t be a good look. Remember why you’re here.”
“Why I’m here?” I shouted, wrenching out of Grik’s grip. “Why I’m fucking here? I’m here because I’m a goddamn puppet! A plaything for the Overseers! Entertainment for all the sick fucks who watch this show!”
Grik just stared at me with his empty eye sockets. “No, Kade. You are here so you can transcend all that, become something more.”
“Oh, like what, Grik? A fucking monster like that psycho Savage?”
Grik paused, considering his words carefully. “You have the potential to become a champion, Kade," he said solemnly. "Not just of the Trials, but of something greater. The way you've fought to maintain your humanity, your loyalty to your friends—these are rare qualities here. They make you stand out."
I scoffed, choosing that moment to take out my cigarettes and light one up to try and calm myself down.
“This interview is an opportunity,” Grik continued. “Use it wisely. Show the galaxy who you really are. It could change everything."
I was quiet for a moment while I smoked my cigarette. The anger was still there, simmering beneath the surface, but a small part of me recognized the truth in what he was saying.
"Fine," I said finally. "I'll do the damn interview. But I'm not putting on an act for these bastards."
Grik nodded approvingly. "Good. Authenticity is what will set you apart. Why don’t you eat something? The food’s very good.”
“No thanks. I’ll stick to my cigarette.”
“Suit yourself.” He went back to the table and started picking at the food again, washing it down with weirdly colored drinks.
Pacing the room, my mind was awhirl with thoughts, mostly about Annalise and Snuggles, who were probably still being tortured by Floss and his insane clown posse right his very moment. And here I was, about to go on TV to an interview with a friggin’ demon.
They should be here with me, I thought. We’re a party. The Damned and Dangerous party.
Shit, maybe Annalise was right all along. Maybe this wasn’t the place to make friends. Maybe Savage was the only one playing the game as it was supposed to be played. These feelings I had, they weren’t even real anyway. Humans were made to think like this by the Overseers, engineered to be subservient and thoughtful of one another. Programmed like goddamn computers.
Well, maybe that programming needs to change.
Or maybe I should just let myself get killed and then live out the rest of my days as some mindless NPC. It had be easier than this hell I found myself in.
Before I knew it, the alien woman reappeared in the green room, closing the door behind her. I took her in for second, realizing she looked more human than I had initially took her to be. Yes, she had iridescent skin and weird eyes, but overall, she had a distinctly human shape, though I did wonder about the third breast nestled in between her other two. I also wondered if the Overseers had created her as well. Was everyone in the galaxy just some sort of ‘human’ variation?
The woman leaned against the door for a second, then sighed. “That man truly lives up to his name,” she said. “He tried to grope me on the way to his interview. Can you believe that? He said he’s never seen a woman with three ‘titties’ before.”
Well, he’s not the only one. “I can believe it. That guy is the biggest asshole I’ve ever met.”
“I’m Zara, by the way.” She smiled, her teeth slightly pointed. “I’m the show’s producer. I work for Infernova, as you probably already know.”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m—”
“Kade. Yes, I know. Everyone here knows who you are.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about that. Why would—”
“You’re on the Highlights Reel,” she explained. “Anyone who makes it on there becomes instantly well known. You become the lifeblood of the shows.”
“You mean the star of the shows,” Grik cut in, coming to stand beside me like he was my manager or something. “I’m Grik’noth, by the way. I’m partly responsible for Kade’s meteoric rise.”
“Jesus, Grik. It’s hardly meteoric,” I said.
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Zara said. “You’ve managed to stand out here. That’s not easy.”
“I’m just trying to survive and get through this.”
“But with style, Kade, isn’t that right?” Grik put one of his arms across my shoulders. “Though we’ll have to work on that humility of yours. There’s no room for humbleness around these parts. Right Zara?”
“Eh, yeah, if you say so.” Zara looked at me again. “You’re guide is probably right, though. Don’t be afraid to play to the audience when you get out there. They already think you’re a star, so act like one.”
“I’ll try my best. So what I can I expect out there, anyway?”
"Azazel can be... intense. My advice? Be honest, be yourself, but don't let him rattle you. He'll try to get a reaction, but stay calm. The audience responds well to authenticity and strength under pressure."
I nodded, wishing Annalise and Snuggles were here with me. I always felt stronger when they were around, and I was sure Snuggles would’ve done most of the talking.
Zara’s hand went to her ear for a second, as if she was listening to someone talk. Then she said, “Okay, it’s showtime, Kade. You’re on in a few. Follow me and I’ll take you into the studio. We’re on a commercial break right now. Azazel can’t wait to meet you.”
My chest tightened at the thought of going out there. “I guess I’m doing this then.”
“You got this, Kade,” Grik said. “Knock ‘em dead, my boy.” He sniffed then as if he was crying, even though he had no tear ducts. “I’m so proud of you, Kade.”
Zara gave him a queer look before taking me by the arm. “Let’s go, Kade.”