There were no more questions after Director Ix teleported Doug away for his punishments.
Hudson kept his eyes peeled but this Director Ix was not visible anywhere; the only evidence of its presence was the echoing robotic voice as it provided directions to the trial participants.
All of the trial participants exited the vehicle, their handcuffs automatically opening at the same time. About thirty people gathered into a single file line and walked toward the end of the hangar. Most were about the same age as Hudson, but there were a few younger and a few older. There were about the same number of men and women.
At the edge of the hanger, a hydraulic door appeared on the smooth surface of the wall. One moment, the wall was smooth, burnished aluminum and the next moment, a short door frame had opened up and disappeared into the surrounding wall with a whoosh.
After walking down a long, bright corridor, each of the participants was directed into their own room. There was a hard bed with a single blanket, a sink, and an enclosed shower in the corner. A set of tight-fitting gray clothes were folded neatly on each bed.
The most singular aspect of the room was the slightly raised platform in the middle of the room with a single, thin pillow sitting on it. There were strange symbols and patterns engraved into the edges of the circular platform.
Hudon's room, or cell, had the number 33 engraved above it, and it was the next to last one in the hallway.
He changed his clothes to the new ones sitting on the bed, and they fit perfectly. Per the specific directions of the robotic Director Ix, he threw all of his old clothes into the trash can beneath the sink. Lastly, he was supposed to either rest or meditate until told otherwise.
There was a zero percent chance that Hudson was going to fall asleep. He was anxious, afraid, and also, deep down underneath everything else, a little bit angry. He didn't want to be in this place; he had been brought here against his will. He resented the way he was being treated, but even more than that, he resented his own helplessness and the feeling of being in a dark hole he couldn’t escape from.
He was powerless, and he hated it.
After looking at the bed briefly, he decided to sit on the platform in the middle of his room and work on his breathing technique. It would help him calm down and think rationally.
Once he started his Engine Breath technique, he was able to let go of his anger, his fears and thoughts and enter a calm and meditative state. Breathe in… in further… deep into the belly … explode the air back out… and then back in again…
His steady breathing continued for several hours as he entered a meditative state. He focused on his breathing, feeling the power from his breaths push out into his body. As he let go of his negative emotions, his mind began to fill with a feeling of peace instead.
“The evening free period for participants will conclude in fifteen minutes.” The disembodied voice of Director Ix intruded on Hudson's meditation. Some of the worry and anxiety he had felt came back, but not as strongly as before.
Every time Hudson sat for a long period of time while using the Engine Breath technique he entered a meditative state, and when he came out of that state parts of his body were covered in a sticky black substance. This time was no different.
He had fifteen minutes; he decided to try and quickly take a shower and clean off the black substance. What had Chiang-sensei called it? Icker? Ichor? Whatever it was, he wanted to clean it off.
He quickly took off his clothes, hopped in the shower and scrubbed furiously. Only when he finished scrubbing did he remember that he didn't have any other clothes, and he was going to have to put the dirty ones back on.
When he stepped out of the enclosed shower, however, his dirty clothes were gone. There was a new, neatly folded set and a towel on the bed.
He hadn't heard anyone enter or exit… but someone or something had removed his dirty clothes and replaced them with new ones.
“The evening free period for participants will conclude in five minutes. Please prepare for the day's trial.”
Hudson hurriedly put on the new set of clothes – again, perfectly fitting as if they were tailored exactly for him – and tried to steady his nerves for whatever came next. Hudson’s stomach grumbled. He had not eaten in some time, and despite being nervous, he was quite hungry.
He felt like the next instructions from Director Ix both took forever and came right away.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“Please exit your rooms and stand in the hallway facing the opposing wall,” the robotic voice called out.
All of the participants stood in the brightly-lit hallway at attention. All of the rooms were on the same side of the hallway; the participants faced a bare, silvery wall across from their rooms.
“Participants. The first day of the First Trial begins.
“Initial assessments are complete. On each day, your progress through the trial will be measured, judged, and rewarded. Please review your initial assessment.”
Words appeared on the wall directly across from Hudson, as well as the rest of the participants. He could only read the words directly across from him; everyone else's were strangely blurred and disorienting to look at.
Name: Hudson Appleseed
Age: 22
Rank: 33
Cultivation Stage: Breath (Lower)
Cultivation Technique: Unknown
Trial Merits: 0
The first part seemed fairly straightforward – name and age. Rank was the same number as the one above his room. But cultivation stage? He wasn't sure what that meant. Cultivation technique might refer to his Engine Breath, breathing technique, but he wasn't sure about either, and he had no idea about trial merits.
Hudson was working up the courage to raise his hand and hopefully ask a question when Director Ix began to explain.
“At the end of every day, each participant's growth will be measured against other participants and a new rank assigned. A key element for success in this trial is your ability to improve and grow. The top ten by rank will receive trial merits each day.
“Additionally, each day will include a Challenge wherein additional trial merits can be earned.
“Trial merits can be used during the trial to exchange for techniques, skills, weapons, supplies, and services. The list of items available to exchange for your amount of trial merits will be available at the end of each day during your free period. A full list of items will not be available.
Hudson looked at his number of trial merits: zero. He would need to gain more trial merits through Challenges or by rising in rank if he wanted to see what was available to trade for.
“Lastly, each day a series of recommendations will be provided on how to improve your strength and increase the probability of your survival and success through this trial.”
A new set of text appeared on the wall opposite Hudson.
Director Recommendations:
+Increase cultivation stage by utilizing Unknown cultivation technique
+Purchase physical fitness regimen with trial merits
+Replace Unknown breathing technique with a known breathing technique
-Cease performing Unknown breathing technique
Hudson was confused by the recommendations, so he read them a second time. They seemed contradictory – should he continue using his breathing technique or not? Perhaps any technique was better than none; and because the robotic director did not recognize his technique, it thought that he could use a better one.
He remembered what Chiang-sensei had told him, though: to continue using his Engine Breath technique as often as possible, and to never change it for another one. So whose advice should he follow? The robot prison director who held him captive in a strange boot camp, or the green-haired woman who had knocked him out with a sedative in his drink?
At this point, with no trial merits, it was a moot point.
The text on the wall in front of Hudson disappeared and green arrows pointing left down the hallway appeared. All of the participants filed down the hallway, following the green arrows until they opened up into a wide, square chamber with a raised ceiling.
A ring, with a raised lip and filled with sand, occupied the majority of the room. To Hudson, it looked like an oversized sumo ring.
“Today’s Challenge,” Director Ix said, “is a battle royale. All participants, please enter the ring.”
A battle royale? Is that what I think it is? Hudson froze, his legs unable to move.
The majority of the other participants hustled into the ring, some already jockeying for position in the center.
“A reminder of rule #3: you must not purposefully harm or obstruct another participant. In the case of this sanctioned Challenge, ‘harm’ is defined as removing limbs, causing major injury or death.
“Using any means at your disposal, remove other participants from the ring. The last remaining participant will be the winner of today’s Challenge.”
Hudson’s legs were frozen. He didn’t want to fight. He had practiced karate for years, but had never been good at sparring. Then he remembered what happened to Doug on the first day for not listening to directions, and he hurried into the ring, finding a spot on the edge away from other participants.
“Begin.”