The world that Rena enters is a monochrome, filled with broken down buildings, empty cars of the earth torn apart. Her heart flops seeing the scene before her. Rena scans the area, walking alongside Minvera. Her hands tremble slightly; she feels more and more uncomfortable as they move deeper into the desolate city.
“Um… so…” Rena speaks to break the tension and ease her nerves. “What kind of tests will I take here?”
“A survival test.” Minvera answers. “I’ll explain the rules momentarily, but I’ll tell you more about this zone.”
Rena holds her breath, slowly nodding as she cautiously wanders the streets.
“This is Simulation Zone Desperatio,” Minvera elucidates while she flies next to Rena. Her expression focus tattered city. “This Simulation is based on destruction that occurs during the war that happened a century ago.”
“I remember learning about this in high school,” Rena recounts with a nod. “I could never imagine a horrible incident to happen before I was even born.”
Minvera stops in the middle of the city where it was piles of debris and a fallen moon lays in the center of it all. Rena’s eyes widen at the sight of the moon. Maybe this is part of the world that differs greatly from reality. Minvera turns to Rena before conjuring a small, electric green and black blaster that’s in her hand.
“For this test, you will face up against a simulated version of an Aethioppcam. There are two conditions that you can meet in order to pass the test. Condition one: You defeat the monster. Condition two: You must survive until the timer runs out. ”
“And what happens if I don’t clear either?” Questioned Rena while she examines the blaster within her hands. It reminds her of what the patrollers use when dealing with extremely low-level threats of monsters that breeches through their security system.
“In a real life experience, you’ll die.”
Rena feels her blood running cold. The thought of dying terrifies her. The fact she promises to risk her life sinks in. Can she really do if her life is endanger in the real world?
“But since this is only a simulation,” Minvera reassures, “It’ll be the regulation from the prior test. The simulation will end and I’ll escort you back to the real world.”
“I-I got it…” Rena stumbles over her words, fidgeting with the blaster in her hand, yet careful not to pull the trigger.
“Good luck,” hovering away from the gruesome scene, Minvera gives the young girl her encouragement. “I will be close by in case of an emergency.”
Once again, a timer appears within the sky with the clock displaying 15:00 near where the moon that is crushed within the earth. Rena inhales and exhales as she walks around the demolished city alone. Each steps she takes feels heavy against the panel. Her heart drum against her chest as she scans around the area.
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It was too silent. Rena loiters about in the city. How long has it been? One minute? Or just a few seconds. For the time being, Rena didn’t run into any Kaibutsu. Still, she scans around, cradling the blaster close against her chest like a cherish newborn child.
Rena hears the rumbling sounds from a far, darkened corner of an alley inevitably breaks the silence. The rumbling gets louder, the sound of something herculean roams near where she is standing.
Her eyes widen like a deer caught in the headlights when the creature’s form is within her sights. A large eldritch abomination with a rock-like form, a large weird shape head that resembles a cut off finger. It was white with a hole in the center of its chest, and strange symbols marking all over its body. Dragging on its side are long, disfigured arms and legs in the shape of a ram.
Her body freezes completely except for her legs trembling. Her color drains from her face with her mouth agape at the horror she is seeing. It doesn’t help the creature gave off a foul stitch that clogs her sinuses and almost makes her feel like vomiting.
What the hell is that thing?
This is the first time that Rena witness a Kaibutsu in the flesh. The creature lacks a face or any eyes, but it seems to see Rena nearby. It’s not long before it turns its “head” towards her, gazing in her direction. For a moment, it doesn’t move. It just sits there in place.
Move! Rena pleads to her body that is still stiff as a statue. Come on, damn it!
“REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” The abomination screeches that unleash a sonic boom of sound waves throughout the empty streets. The earth quakes, knocking Rena onto her back from the pressure.
Rena moans in pain, struggling to get up as she grabs her blaster. Her finger frantically grasp around it, picking up her weapon, aiming it with a shaky grip around the arsenal towards the beast.
She fires her shots, each one missing from her lacking nerves. This draws attention to the monster that focuses in her direction. It imprints heavy footsteps upon the shattered concrete, making its way towards the frighten young woman.
“Please… Please… hit…” Rena begs with her eyes brimming with tears.
Forgetting this was a simulation, Rena falters as finally forces her legs to pushing her off the ground and takes off in an unsteady sprint.
The only thing she could do was run. Run far away from the creature. She can hear the mighty sounds of its feet thrashing across the pavement behind her. Rena doesn’t dare look back.
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Trembling like a leaf, Rena covers her mouth, holding her breath as she hears the monster lurking close by. She is lucky she escaped the creature. But she isn’t out of the void yet. The thing is still lurking close by, searching for her.
I’m so scared…
A sense of dread consumes her mind as she realizes this will be something she has to face. She has to fight. Now she understood why the woman and Mr. Misao have turned her away that day. Whenever there is an attack of the Kaitsubu in Neo Shibuya, she always hid amongst the citizens in the safety zone designed to protect them from harm.
That Space Guardians—including her brother—need courage to face these horrors is both admirable and worry some. Rena reflects on her last conversation with Togi. When she asks him if he was ever afraid. Togi always has a smile on her face. But he never tells her the parts of the story where he shows fear. Yet, she knows heroes are supposed to exploit bravery in the middle of a crisis.
Do I keep running? Rena weighs out her options in this flight or fight situation. But what if it finds me?
At the moment, Rena knows all she can do is pray that the timer runs out before the creature finds her.
She peeks around the corner to check to see what time she has left. The timer is ticking down with only five minutes has passed since the first encounter with the hellion.
I can’t sit here forever…
Accepting the actuality that she has to keep moving or risk getting caught. She doesn’t like the idea of the latter. Hugging the blaster close to her chest, she glances around to check the perimeters of the area. Her vision captures the distance between her and the Kaibutsu. The eldritch alien searches through the shattered asphalt aggressively. Rena can assume it’s trying to find traces of her.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Tiptoeing from her hiding spot, she examines the Kaibutsu while ensuring she makes as little noise as possible. She quickly tries to formulate a plan to attack it. She doesn’t have many options now but to confront it.
Maybe if I can find its weak spot, I can take it down.
Rena examines the exterior of the abomination first. It has a stone outer shell. She can already forgo shooting it there—as it wouldn’t affect it. The hole in the middle of its chest was also pointless to consider. It was empty, with nothing to aim for. That only leaves the opening on its head. But that means she’ll compromise her position and be open for an assault against the monster if she misses.
She makes her decision and searches for a good angle where she can take aim and fire her blaster.
Crouching down on one knee, she closes her left eye, her hands steady on the gun, while her finger is steady upon a trigger. Holding onto her breath as she only breathes through her nostrils to prevent from being found, she takes aim towards the center of its “head.” She has only one shot. Her fingers tugs on the trigger back, firing off the blaster.
A powerful radioactive beam of light shoots across the area at a hyper speed. The Kaibutsu turns towards the sound before its hit directly by the beam right in its soft spot. It topples backwards, bellowing out in excruciating pain, thrashing wildly on the ground. A strange obsidian mucus pools all over the concrete before it goes still.
Rena hyperventilates as she points her blaster downwards, cautiously approaching the lifeless eldritch alien in slow stead movements. Her heart rages against her chest, beads of sweat trickles down her face. She swallows hard, wondering if was dead or was it just pretending to be.
Her fears subside when Minvera poofs before her and the timer stops exactly 7:33. Rena’s knees goes weak and she falls onto the ground, still holding the blaster as her hands were trembling. She survived. That’s all that matter. Forgetting for the time that there was no real danger she was in.
“Good Job, you did well and set a new record.” Minvera congratulates, gently consoling Rena by gently patting her on the back.
“I can’t believe I killed it…” Dropping the blaster, she stares down at her quaking hands. “I’ve never hurt anyone before. Maybe just a few bugs here and there.”
“ But it wasn’t a person,” Minerva reminds her. “It will take some time to get used to. But the fact you fought instead of avoiding your fear shows you have more than what it takes to become the next Space Guardian.”
“Thank you, Minvera.” The words of encouragement put Rena a bit at ease. Rena stands up the moment feeling turns to her and the shock wanes. She gives Minvera a coy smile.
“You’ve passed all the tests that are required. I’ve sent your data to Professor Lucesco.”
Sprinkling her stardust, Minvera opens a portal that leads back to the real world. Minvera gives Rena one last smile and wave her tiny hand in a goodbye. Rena turns the gesture, waving back as she makes her way towards the portal. She took one last look back in the digital world, putting this experience within the bank of her memory.
“Good luck in the real world. Someday, I hope we meet again, Rena.”
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When Rena returns to reality, Professor Lucesco is already waiting for her arrival at the entrance of the simulation zone transport center. Rena notices she looks much better than when she visits her earlier. She guess the dose of caffeine really did the scientist the trick.
“Welcome back, Miss Kuromoto,” Professor Lucesco greets in her usual monotone. “I’ve received from Minvera that you successfully completed the trials. That data is still downloading your results. In the meantime, give yourself a moment to adjust. Extended periods in the Simulation Zone may cause some disorientation.”
“Okay.” Rena breathes as she enters the room with a large console and took a seat in one of the empty chairs.
Professor Lucesco follows suit and sits next to her. Rena’s attention focuses on the screen before her, watching as the download bar almost hit fully at one hundred percent. Rena turns her head to the Professor as she observes the older woman’s fingers dances across the circuit board, intensely gazing at the screen.
She looks away, glancing down at her fingers as she fidgets, recounting the trial with the Kaitsubu. How terrifying it looked and what it was capable of. She bites her lower lips with her troubles close to her chest. The image of the monster still haunting in those moments.
“Miss Kuromoto, let’s head back and discuss the conclusion of your examinations.” Professor Lucesco tells her as she leads towards the elevator to return them to the lab.
Immediately, Rena watches the Professor loads heavy on the coffee as she refills her mug and gestures Rena towards an empty conference room. In the room, there was a digital projector. Rena pulls out a chair, rests her cheek on her palm while she waits for the Professor to finishing fiddling with the projector.
The digital projects power on, flickering out a holographic window on the screen with several smaller pop-up windows off to the side with some charts and other information unknown to Rena.
“Based on the data collected, you excel beyond my expectations,” Professor Lucesco explains, taking out a metal pointer as she points to the window with the equalizer bar graph. “The endurance test measures of your strength of critical thinking rather than your speed. However, you are physically faster than most average humans even without the assist of the suit Minvera provided.”
“I don’t get it,” Rena frowns. “I thought endurance test were based on physical. Isn’t that what you told me before?”
“Yes, but I intentionally omitted some details of what I am researching as far as a candidate for a Space Guardian.”
“What exactly are you looking for?”
“I shall give a standardized elucidation once we conclude the rest of your test results,” affirms the Professor as she moves her pointer from one window towards the next one. The survival measures your reaction when experiencing a crisis. Becoming a Space Guardian is not for the faint of hearts. You’ll be a place often where survival of both yourself and those around you takes priority. Even if you were to pass the examination without taking action, it would have been evaluated as a failure. If you were to fail by allowing yourself to get caught, but took action, it would be evaluated as a pass.”
“So, in other words, I was being tested on whether I had the courage to fight back. Not necessarily if I could survive.”
Professor nods at her conclusion, compacting the pointer before placing it back inside the pocket of her lab coat, and turns off the projector. Rena takes a moment to allow all the information to sink in. She doesn’t understand Professor Lucesco’s perspective regarding her research, but she is slowly understanding who the Professor may be as a person.
I thought she was someone shady, but she seems to really care about others.
Although, Rena still can’t read a single thought. The older woman lacks the ability to express her emotions. Rena can never tell if she’s happy, sad, or angry. Maybe over time, the Professor might open up to her a little. Rena will just put her trust in the woman.
“Professor Lucesco, thank you so much for helping me.” Bowing her head slightly, Rena feels she should give her gratitude.
“You shouldn’t thank me, Miss Kuromoto,” Professor Lucesco professes, keeping her attention away from the girl as she makes her way out of the conference room. “I have something to gain from this transaction, just as you do. It’s better to keep a reminder that I am only using you to achieve my goal.”
“Oh…” Rena breathes while she gets up from the chair. Rena feels the heat rise within her cheeks. She clings onto the hem of her hoodie. In a way, she feels silly thinking that maybe the Professor was helping her out the kindness of her heart. Wordlessly, she follows the woman not knowing how to respond to her.
It is the Professor who breaks the awkward silence.
“We should prepare for the compatibility test,” Professor Lucesco tells her. “However, we will not do that today. I still need to confirm a few more things with the data I’ve collected and begin preparations. Go home and retire for the evening. I'll contact you within three business days.”
Rena’s averts her attentiveness at her reflection in the glass as they reenter the main lab. Many mix feelings stirs inside of her. Confusion of what to expect from the woman. Dismissing the idea of intruding on her with a series of questions, she keeps her worries under restraint.
“Okay, Professor. ” Answering with a half-hearted agreement.
Rena feels her chest twists in knots. It wasn’t because she was nervous, but she feels so disconnected from her guarantor. It reminds her of growing up without a single girl her age to call as a friend. The Professor seems akin to being alone. From her remarks to how little she interaction with others. Rena would expect a large facility to have many people collaborating on a project. But Rena notices for the few days she went there that it was empty. It feels so deserted.
Does she ever feels lonely, I wonder?
She ponders, letting out a sigh as she stares at Professor’s Lucesco’s back once more before she reluctantly follows her order.
She gathers her TSUNAM-E hover board as she makes her way towards the double doors to exit. Rena pauses at the entrance with an earlier conception she recalls. It was perceiving how drain the scientist looked when she first arrived. Looking back with her eyes soften with concern for the other, who was still tapping away at the computer and reviewing data.
“You should rest too, Professor. Drinking coffee isn’t always healthy.” Rena conveys her intimate concerns. “Have a good night.”
A smile reforms on Rena’s face as she can feel the other’s gaze on her back just for a moment. Rena hopes that her empathy reaches the other—even it’s just a little—she wants to feel closer to the solitary scientist.