"Time Dilation set to 20 Minutes,” the systems voice announced.

Cindybot looked over at me with a confused look on her pale face. It turns out Greenie and Juli’s AI were still within her and appeared next to her in the white room. Greenie had conjured an iced water for her which I immediately snatched and drank while he glared.

“That shouldn’t have been triggered, you did everything right this time,” was all she said.

I looked over at Moto Moto and noticed he was even taller than last time, nearing 7 feet at least. His eyes now glowed with a golden hue instead of blue and he looked down at me pensively.

“You don’t even regret it?” I asked him regarding my father’s fate in the last game. Greenie's water was delicious somehow.

“I don’t master. I would have rather have you here with me, even if you’re furious at me,” the dark gorilla responded.

I knew he was right in a way, but I feel like I’m the one that had the right to make the decision and I said as much.

“I have your face and your voice. I’m just another part of you. You’ll see. Eventually,” he responded.

I noticed Kevin getting up about some yards away with his AI and enormous symbiote. His symbiote was a giant black orangutan and fit him very well. It was a monster of an ape, the largest symbiote I’ve seen yet. It looked like a dark elephant-sized version of Maurice from the Planet of the Apes movies. The AI on the other hand looked like a small fast food employee.

“Jesus man even your AI?” I asked incredulously.

The AI looked like it wanted to cry in response. Kevin on the other hand was furious.

“What the hell is this place? You really just SHOT ME? I was in the middle of my speech. You can’t just interrupt someone while they’re explaining themselves-“

“I’d like to register the trigger ‘Peer’ for the Reflect command in case I need that this time,” I said to Cindybot, finally remembering while he droned on.

I completely missed someone, I noticed while looking behind me. Juli was sitting there looking gloomier than ever with her knees pulled up to her chest.

“Yay we’re back here,” she said with fake cheer and a pointed middle finger at me.

“TAKE. ME. SERIOUSLY!” Kevin yelled.

“You called people into work during an alien invasion and still forced them to work once you got your mind control powers. You take yourself seriously enough for both of us man,” I replied.

“There is a LOT more going on that you interrupted me before I could get to. You heard nothing about the radio messages, what the government has been doing, and the maps we have with factory locations,” he retorted.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Don’t worry we’ll know all about that soon,” I said as our notifications pinged.

Cindybot came to a realization as I was checking my system screen.

“Jon he has an auto Minion Heal. That’s a command the system can usually develop at over 500 minions. That’s how we didn’t consume him automatically,” she said in realization.

“Five hundred? Between the warehouse and my restaurants I’m close to 700 employees under me now. That’s why I said you don’t stand a chance. I’m sorry you have to go this way,” Kevin said while shaking his head. “If only you learned to listen to your betters.”

“You’re not even paying them idiot,” Juli said loudly from behind me.

“Who even are you???” Kevin asked.

I tried to focus on my screen and not the enormity of Kevin’s legion.

Mind Game: 013

Contest: King of Florida

Info: Complete the maze ahead and get to the crown as soon as possible while utilizing your symbiote. Whoever holds the crown has to hold it for three minutes total, your interface will display total time held. The crown may change hands until one party reaches three minutes. Whoever gets through the maze first will earn this game’s bonus skill that will be granted immediately, giving them an advantage while wearing the crown.

Warning: Whoever holds the crown cannot physically attack anyone.

Result: The winner of this mind game completely consumes the other.

Starts in 11:34

“What the fuck is this???!” Kevin screeched as he finished reading the rules.

I turned to Moto.

“You’ll have to split into separate symbiotes and go along the other maze paths to help guide us...can you do that yet?” I asked him silently.

“I should be able to but they won’t be strong, or last long. You’ll have to be quick master,” Moto responded.

“Good thing I’m all rested up and have had a relaxing few days then,” I said with a grimace. We came up with a few strategies for crown cooperation as well but nothing that truly stood out. They would have to rely on the inexperience of their opponent yet again.

Kevin’s symbiote was looking at me with a deep hatred behind its glare.

“I see you challenger. You’ve killed two others of my kind. You’ll find I’m not so easy to discard," the giant orangutan said in a deeper version of Kevin’s voice.

It took me a second but I got there.

“Wait the little macaque is really dead??” I asked Cindybot in shock. “Is that why Juli seems so upset?”

“Yes and no,” Cindybot and Juli said at the same time.

“Begin” the disembodied voice said.

Cindybot and her minions disappeared and two entrances to a giant stone maze stood before us. Kevin’s symbiote divided itself into 10 smaller apes and ran into his entrance immediately.

Moto divided himself into three symbiotes and they looked a bit sickly as we hobbled in the maze at a jogger’s pace.

“These are always such a fun time,” I said to no one in particular.

****

The drone footage Yemenis Ixtra was obtaining was hard to believe. Many of the challenger humans were scared and doing nothing or already killed off, but some of the monsters out there were terrifying. The “boy emperor” in the city with all the tall buildings and the fancy metallic bull already had a few hundred thousand under his command. Another woman in a city surrounded by a giant lake had her minions building her a gigantic metal temple while she easily eliminated all of her competitors. Scores more were scheming and plotting around the globe while Yemenis' drones watched.

And then for some reason that she couldn’t understand, one of her drones wouldn’t leave a young man in a rolling metal cage alone. She would have to update all of her drones' AI with Earth's nomenclature soon so could understand the drama better. But her drone’s AI system insisted this boy with an old blanket was special.

Sneaking her drones down to the planet was a miracle by itself. While she was watching the invasion ships and hiding some thousands of miles outside of earth's atmosphere, one of the smaller pyramid ships suddenly broke formation and started to head down towards the planet. That was the distraction she needed to send a portion of the bug sized drones after the ship and down to the planet without anyone picking up their trace quantum signature.

Yemenis then cautiously sent one tiny bug drone to follow said ship, which led to the biggest payday of them all so far. Actual footage of an injured Kwitle body surrounded by a team of special forces in some type of human outdoor entertainment area. This alone would easily make back the million credits by itself.

With her four sets of hands shaking violently, she pulled up the ship's systems to edit the footage and get it ready for broadcast. It was hard to not imagine the new clan home this would bring them soon.