Belinda found herself in an awkward position when she exited her dorm, only to be confronted by a bevy of girls in the hall. More specifically, three girls she wasn’t currently on good terms with.

“Oh. Belinda.” Alesha smiled. “What’s up?” The other two, Neka and a Martian girl, Liiim, were less friendly, their eyes judging her.

She crossed her arms, shrugging. “Nothing.”

“Going to train?”

“Yeah… maybe get something to eat. I dunno.”

“You want to come with us? We’re getting Chinese food,” Alesha offered.

“No, thanks.” Belinda went around them and started down the hall.

“Come on, Bel. What’s going on with you?” Alesha stopped her. “Why are you so mad at us?”

“She’s still bitter about that Wipeout Tower thing back at school, probably,” said Neka.

“It’s not that.”

“Then what?”

“It’s nothing. I’m just stressed, okay?” Belinda insisted.

“You don’t seem too ‘stressed’ when you’re with your bestie.”

Belinda almost scoffed. What was she, jealous? She wasn’t even her friend!

“Bel, talk to me. You’ve been so mad at us and we don’t know why. You can’t expect us to guess,” Alesha pleaded.

“That makes you pretty glitchy,” added Liiim.

She sighed. She knew she was being petty by not communicating, but after hearing what they said about her, she couldn’t bring herself to confront them directly about it. Not to mention their treatment of her had worsened since then.

She couldn’t reveal she overheard them talking cache about her without getting in trouble. Even though she was on Earth, being half-Martian, she was still under the Martian Moral Code. She’d broken it countless times by using her super-hearing to eavesdrop.

Super-hearing was only meant to either be a self-defense mechanism to listen for any incoming danger, as a way of communicating from afar, or as a tool in covert operations for governmental agents. The moral code kept Martians from misusing it for selfish purposes, such as eavesdropping on private conversations, which was a habit Belinda had tried to quit for years.

She couldn’t trust these girls to keep the secret. They’d contact the Moral Monitors and report her for sure.

Neka raised a brow. “Well? What’s going on with you? Did your Socializer bestie tell you rumors about us?”

“Her name is Calista, Neka. Enough with the Socializer remarks. They’re getting old. She doesn’t even know you guys.”

“Then talk,” she demanded.

“I…” She took a deep breath. “I know what you said. I heard every word.”

“What I said?”

“That day at Guild Training. I heard you talking cache about me with Seema and Hillena. About me being ‘invisible’, ‘unremarkable’… ‘pathetic’. I heard everything.”

The Seeyastearthian girl’s face paled. She swallowed, biting her lip nervously.

“And I heard you say Alesha was my friend only out of pity. After the way you all blatantly excluded me from Wipeout with cache excuses, I realized it was true.” She looked at Alesha, whose face was coated with guilt. “I even heard you say you ‘dodged a bullet’ by not having me train with you.”

“So you broke the Code?” Liiim said.

“Wait, you eavesdropped?!” Neka exclaimed.

“No, I was right there when you were talking. Because I was so ‘invisible’, you didn’t even realize I was there until I moved,” Belinda lied. She hid her fingers behind her back to hide her nervous habit of twiddling them. “Either way… I realized how all of you have been treating me like a stray dog rather than a part of our Guild. We’re supposed to be a team.”

“Don’t take it so personally, Bel,” said Neka. “You misunderstood us.”

She scoffed. “Misunderstood?”

“We just think you could be better, that’s all. I mean, you have to admit, you’re no Legend.”

“Neither are you!” Belinda retorted.

“Okay, calm down,” said Liiim.

“Calm down? You’re over here downplaying my Versus career, and you expect me to calm down?”

“We’re not downplaying anything, we’re just telling it as it is. You can fight and all, but if anyone hears your name, they’ll be like…” She shrugged.

“Oh, and you guys are very famous, aren’t you?” Belinda shook her head, chuckling humorlessly. “If I’m such a no-name, why am I on the team? Why is my name still on the list while yours is taken down?”

“Alesha and I are still in.”

The other two gave Liiim obvious glares.

“I’m obviously a better fighter than you, if I’m there and you’re not,” Belinda continued.

“It was a Chaos Round, Bel. Anyone can get eliminated. Don’t flatter yourself,” said Neka. “And we weren’t treating you like a ‘stray dog’. We just noticed you liked to hang out more with that human, that’s all. You rejected us first. Obviously, you can’t really make a name for yourself, so you wanted Medley to use her Socializer skills and make a name for you.”

“That’s absolute cache. I’m with Calista because I felt better with her than I did with you. I still do. She’s more of a friend to me than any of you in Gamma ever were. That first day she came to the academy? I didn’t sit with you guys because you were already giving me dirty looks. I had to sit on the other side.”

“You can’t blame us,” said Alesha. “You know what kind of person she is.”

“Yes, I do. She’s a better person than you. A better friend. She supports me and treats me like a being, unlike you. Just… listen to yourselves!” Her frustration built up rapidly. “Telling me I’m an invisible fighter that can’t make it?”

“Well, it’s true. You don’t even have a good reason to want this,” said Liiim. “You’re here because of your mom. Making her proud, following her footsteps… all that. Whatever. You’re just trying to be her because she’s gone.”

Belinda had to take a moment to process her words. “What?”

“It’s a sob story. Your mom was a fighter, and everything, then she got sick and died, so you want to make her proud. Sob stories are the worst motivators, Belinda. Your mom wasn’t even that famous or anything. No one remembers her. I guess it runs in the family.”

“Liiim, take it easy.” Alesha glanced between them. “That’s enough. You’re going too far.”

“Yeah, Liiim, stop it,” said Neka.

Belinda only stared at her. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She drummed her fingers on her bicep, taking a deep breath through the nose.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Okay. No one will remember me, right?” Her fist clenched. “I’ll make you remember.”

She lashed out at Liiim, punching her in the nose. Alesha and Neka quickly held her back, getting between her and Liiim. “That’s enough!” the Mercearthian exclaimed. “Liiim, shut up. Bel, you’re going to get all of us in trouble. Stop it.”

After a few moments, Alesha and Neka released Belinda. The Mearthian girl glared fiercely at all of them, then pointed at Liiim.

“I’ll see you in the next round, glitch.”

===

“Light stress-reducing martini, easy on the alcohol, one lemon slice, please.”

Lisa’s drink appeared before her. She took a sip and sighed. Her muscles ached and protested against every movement. Between training the students, dealing with those eliminated, and sending her reports back to the academy, she was beat. The PR part of the job was the worst. Hopelessly trying to dissuade rumors about Fistborn being ‘rigged’ while being a controversial fighter herself was a very taxing mission.

Her opinion of Calista had risen during the training period, seeing her discipline and commitment throughout the months, but she wasn’t so sure about her surviving the preliminaries. The Chaos Rounds were actually harder than the one-on-one rounds, working to eliminate as many fighters as possible to not prolong the tournament. This was the system’s way of filtering out the extras and focusing on the best of the best.

Or the luckiest.

Calista really should have been eliminated. The technicality keeping her in the game was a cosmic fluke. It wasn’t like Lisa or Harrison, who worked to stay in the game by their own skill.

Lisa didn’t think the girl was completely hopeless. She knew she had potential. But potential wasn’t enough.

“God, what are you doing?” She looked to the ceiling, massaging her forehead. “Seriously, what are you doing?”

She’d tried to contact the Ruhirian, anxious about what was to come for Calista in the competition, but the line they’d used to communicate was deleted. She sold illegal visions, so maybe she was discovered by SECURE. Lisa didn’t want to risk herself again by trying to contact another Ruhirian. After the woman had refused to reply to her, Lisa had deleted her malware line, cutting off any malicious messages that could’ve been sent.

“Disum on the rocks, please.” Benson slid into the stool next to her, taking a nice, long draft out of his mug when it appeared. He looked at Lisa, who hadn’t spared him a glance. “Hello to you, too,” he said.

“When did you get here?” she asked.

“Just now. Josephine is convening with the other school heads. I got a lucky break. I hate meetings.”

“Why?” Lisa turned in her seat to face him.

“Because most of them are convinced that Team USA is stealing their students’ places.”

Lisa’s stress rose again and she took another sip of her martini. She held her head as her muscles contracted. “God, this is all my fault. I’m such an idiot.”

“How is it your fault?”

“I glitched with time, that’s how. Because I wanted to know what would happen.”

“You? I’m the one that picked her.”

“I…” She knew she would regret this, but he was the only one she trusted. “I hired… a Ruhirian,” she said quietly.

It took Benson a moment to respond. “You what?”

“I just wanted to know if there would be any humans competing, if we had more… recognition. And she told me about Calista. I didn’t know it was going to be this way. I feel like if I hadn’t…”

“Lisa, this would have happened regardless. Whether you saw the Ruhirian’s vision or not, Calista Medley would be here. She’s a good fighter.”

“I know she is. She has so much talent. I know. It’s just the way everything happened.” She tapped her fingers on the glass, making soft, almost inaudible music. “We’re not the only school that’s done something ‘unfair’. All those other countries have viruses behind their firewalls. But we have to be the big ‘cheaters’. The other planets will have a field day with Earth if she winds up on the team because of some unwritten rule.”

“Have you contacted the Ruhirian?” Benson asked.

“No. I don’t plan to. I think she got arrested or something, because the line’s gone.”

Benson finished his drink. “I feel quite guilty myself. I pulled that girl into this. I saw a lot in her, though. She just needs to… prepare herself better.”

“You’re usually a good judge of character,” Lisa said. “How’d you know her skill from that one test, though?”

“I… saw her fight before. You’re not the only one with secrets.”

Lisa looked at him curiously.

“I was at a bar on Genesis X. The girl’s sister worked there. She recognized me and convinced me to see Calista fight in exchange for secrecy about my presence there. She orchestrated a bar fight, and the girl did a good job. I thought picking her on decision day wouldn’t be that big of a deal… until it was.” After a long silence, he said, “I suppose… we’re both at fault.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Lisa smiled.

Benson refilled his drink and clinked his mug with Lisa’s martini glass. They both sipped.

“The girl is in a very precarious position. She is being hated, and she doesn’t know why. She wants a name in this place. She wants to prove that she has what it takes. And she does. She just needs polishing.” He patted Lisa’s elbow. “You were the same, weren’t you? Not… exactly the same, but you relate to one another. People hated you, called you a fraud, a fake… many still do. But you’re one of the best Legends there are.”

She chuckled. “I’m not getting you a free drink.”

“Wha-” He laughed. “I’m serious! I mean it.”

“I know. Thank you.”

There was a pause before Benson muttered. “A free drink sounds nice, though.”

“No, no way. You had two disums already. That’s enough.” She finished the last of her second martini and stood. “Who else is here besides you and Chrisman?”

“Some of the coaches, and the rest of the Versus School.”

“About time. They’re late.”

They exited the bar. Lisa noticed many people glance or gawk at them as they passed by, whether with surprise, admiration, excitement, or suspicion. Thankfully, the fourth was minimal.

“She admires you, you know,” Benson suddenly said.

“Huh? Who?”

“Calista. I heard you were her role model when she followed the Versus. She wanted to be like you.” He shrugged. “She succeeded, in part.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Maybe if she hears a word from you, she’ll do better.”

Lisa shook her head. “I’m not a Martian, Benson. I can’t make her do better.”

“Hearing encouraging words from role models or admirable figures is very motivating. You can help, at least a little bit. Perhaps take her aside after training, when no one is watching, and offer her some positivity. With the way people are talking about her, I can’t imagine the mental strain.”

Lisa looked down thoughtfully. Calista was a human, just like her. She was controversial, just like her. Benson was right. The last time she’d helped her back at the academy, she seemed to improve a lot. Maybe she could give her a little motivational boost.

Of course, she’d need to be discreet, since her talking with Calista would attract unwanted suspicion. Maybe she could send her a Coach message of advice.

“Speak of the Trojans.”

They passed a window overlooking the lobby below. Calista could be seen with her family, laughing and clutching her belly. Her parents and siblings laughed along with her. She seemed very happy— in fact, Lisa had never seen her that happy. At the academy, she always seemed so lonely, spending her time in the Studitorium reviewing, or training alone at the gyms. The only friends she really had were those two girls and her Student Coach.

And to a lesser extent, Lílitha. At least the woman treated her decently.

Lisa was Calista’s role model. Her hero. She gave humanity hope in the Versus. She could give this girl hope to become like her, a beacon of hope for their species.

She only prayed that her being in the Versus was the right decision. Not because of her lack of training, or the gossip among Versus fans.

She just had a really ominous feeling about how this girl’s future would pan out. This year… it was weird. Too weird.

===

In the lecture hall provided for them in the Arena, the remaining members of Team USA sat, watching Lisa White closely.

“The pair rounds won’t be in a few days, but based on our observations during your time at the academy, and your training here, we’ve determined the best partners for all of you,” she was saying. “In your AIDA bands, you will receive your assignments.” Their bands beeped, as if responding to her, and the students opened them. “Teams will be decided after the third pair round. If your partner is eliminated before the pair rounds start, we will pair you up with someone else who doesn’t have one, or merge you into a trio. With your teams, there may be changes after the third pair round.”

Calista opened her assignment. She got Harrison as her partner. While part of her expected it, she still felt a bit relieved, half-expecting Lílitha to be his pair. She was his fighting partner the previous Versus.

She glanced at the woman in question, who sat next to her. “Who’d you get?” she asked tentatively.

“Damaris Delario,” Lílitha said flatly.

“Oh, yeah, I remember her.”

“I’m guessing you got Harrison?”

“Yeah…”

Lílitha shrugged, closing her assignment. “You guys work well enough together. Just make sure you contribute enough. It’s easy to let your partner do all the work if they’re more advanced than you are. You don’t want people accusing you of piggybacking.”

“Totally.”

“If anything, try and take over.” She smirked a bit. “He doesn’t like that. He always got annoyed with me when I would try to do everything. It’s fun irritating him. Of course, rely on him as your partner, but show that you’re able and willing to do your share of the work. That’ll make both of you look better in the eyes of the reporters. Remember, during every round, their drones are everywhere, recording everything you’re doing.”

“Coded.” Calista chuckled to herself. “What did he do? Whenever he got annoyed with you?”

“He’d sulk like a baby. Drama queen.”

Calista looked around at the team, mentally matching some of the pairs. Rosalina was obviously with Reilly, and Bark with Hillary. Cam had paired with a girl in her Guild the previous Versus, so maybe they were paired up again. Belinda… Calista wasn’t sure who she’d be with.

Harrison turned in his seat down below, looking up at Calista. He smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. She smiled in return. A few students noticed their exchange and began to whisper.

“Your Duo training will begin tomorrow after the second Solo round, provided that you haven’t been eliminated. If you have any problems with your assignment, you come to me or Gina with valid arguments as to why you may not fit together. Also remember, depending on the games you get, elimination can work differently. Some games will eliminate you both even if one half of the team failed; some won’t. Prepare for anything.”

Calista was sure she and Harrison would work well together. She just hoped that she wouldn’t be the one to screw anything up if they didn’t make it. Both her and Harrison’s reputations were at stake.

All she could do was train.