Sinner's Run Ch. 04

Noah screwed his eyes shut, waiting for the strange woman to kill him. When she didn't he opened them back up again. The rifle was still in his face, the barrel still pointed right between his eyes. "Uh, friendly fire much?" he tried, fully aware of how lame it sounded.

"It's not friendly fire unless I pull the trigger," 32 said, taking her eye away from the sniper scope so she could look him square on. "You're not from here, are you?"

Noah swallowed. "I mean, none of us are from the same place at all, so-"

The rifle barrel jabbed him lightly between the eyes. "Don't play dumb with me," 32 said, her voice growing more hostile. "You're not from this universe, this reality, whatever you want to call it."

She'd hit the nail right on the head, but Noah wasn't sure how to respond. If he confirmed it, would the world around them collapse into a singularity from him breaking some unspoken law of physics? If it didn't, would she still shoot him? Moreover, how in the world did she know, or suspect anything?

"Yes!" Noah blurted out. "Yes, I'm not from here!"

He waited to be shot in the face, or for the Big Crunch to happen and compact him out of existence. Neither did. Though 32 did wait a very long time to lower to the sniper rifle out of his face. "Tell me everything. And talk quick, we're in the first zone, but there's no guarantee we're going to be in the second."

Noah composed himself. "Okay, this is going to sound incredibly fucking weird."

"I woke up a week ago in an alley wearing almost nothing with no memory of who I am and were I came from with only a scrap of paper in my hand," 32 deadpanned. "Try me."

"Ah. Right. Well, okay. I'm not from here. Not here as in the Run, I mean here as in this...reality I guess? It's hard to wrap my head around."

"Tick tock," 32 said.

"Alright, jeez!" Noah forced himself to relax. "So I come from Earth, but not the Earth you're familiar with. I'm from the year 2019, and it's..." He wracked his mental rolodex of SInner's Run lore. "2232 right now."

"So you're a time traveler?"

"No, God no." Noah laughed, and it sounded like he was on the verge of losing his mind. "I wish it were that simple. See, where I'm from, all of this isn't real." He gestured around them, then pointed at her. "You aren't real. You're a character in a video game, a playable avatar for people to embody in a virtual competitive environment. On a base level, you're literally just a bunch of ones and zeroes."

He waited for a reaction. 32 merely nodded. "Keep going," she said.

"Right, okay. So, you, Quirrel and Iago were new characters added to the game a few days ago. I sat down and played a whole bunch of it with my friend, and went to bed that night feeling a bit weird. Next thing I know, I wake up strapped to the harness of the dropship with no idea how or when I got there, dressed in armor with that weird announcer in my ear telling me I have to fight other people to survive. And then I squeak out a win, and suddenly discover that all the characters I've been playing in the game are now very very real, as evidenced by Nala punching me in the mouth and Larka being so..." Noah clamped his mouth shut before he rambled on and spit out embarrassing details.

32 dipped her head and didn't say anything for a few heartbeats. Her finger flexed against the trigger guard of the sniper rifle a few times. "Alright," she said after a time. "That is actually quite a bit more weird a story than I thought it would be."

"So you believe me?" Noah asked.

Her gaze searched his face. "Your eyes are too honest. Either you're the best liar in the galaxy, you're loony enough that you've convinced yourself your whole story is real, or it's actually true." 32 looked down at her arm, then tugged the sleeve of her jumpsuit up. Noah hissed through his teeth. The wiry young woman's arm was dotted with agonizing looking scars, and mechanical bits that looked like lugnuts jutting out of her forearm. "But at this point I don't know what I can and can't believe."

"Do those hurt?" Noah asked.

"Not at all, actually." 32 tugged her sleeve down. "When I use my powers it actually feels euphoric. I'd guess adrenaline plays into it or something."

Their conversation was interrupted by the announcer voice. "Round One has ended. Combat zone contracting."

"We have another four minutes," 32 said. "At least." A look crossed her face. "If you're right about this all being a simulation, and this is all by design, it would explain why I don't remember anything from before a week ago."

Noah scratched his head. "That would make sense, except for Larka seems to remember and have experienced all the things that the game's creators said she experienced."

"How would you know that?"

"In the game, there's a recreation of the Barracks that serves as the main hub for joining games and such. While players are there they can access dossiers of all the Primes."

32's head snapped up. "What does mine say?"

"Just the same thing you told me. You woke up in a back alley on some distant planet with no memories and nothing but the clothes on your back and a scrap of paper in your hand with the words Experiment 32 on it, along with a symbol you didn't know." Noah blinked as it clicked into place for him. He spun around, looking up at the high wall of the Research building's center courtyard. Etched into the wall was a symbol that looked like a diagonal letter E, with a capital T bisecting the middle. "The same symbol that's all around the Run map," he finished.

"Exactly." 32 slammed her hand against the wall, the sound echoing like a gunshot. "I keep trying to get away on my own to look into the symbols, but I keep getting paired up with that lunatic Quirrel."

"I heard that you all got matched into a three-person team during your preliminary match. Nala seemed to think it was by some kind of design."

"That was by coincidence. Quirrel and Iago are two-bit mercenary grunts trying to make it big. They're only here because I got matched with them and carried them to the win." She rolled her eyes. "Quirrel thinks he's such hot shit."

"Round Two has begun," the announcer cut in. They both looked up at the map, and saw that the next Zone closure would collapse in on a place not too far from the Research station.

"Or, was it?" 32 looked back at him. "They were added to the game - the game as you know it - with me, right?"

Noah nodded. "The creators started adding Primes to the game in batches of two or three. You were the most recent ones."

"So maybe it wasn't coincidence after all." 32 rubbed her temple. "Gah, this is making my head hurt."

"Hey, you're not the only one."

"Look, we don't have much time left. I'm going to be straight with you. I feel like the both of us are looking for similar answers, or the answers we're looking for will be in the same place." 32 held out a hand. "Will you help me find them?"

Noah took it. "No question. I want to get back home more than anything."

They shook. "We'll have to work out a more concrete plan back at the Barracks," 32 said. "Right now, let's just focus on winning this Game with what we have."

Noah looked down at the dinky N-10 in his hands. "That's going to be a tad tricky."

"Just stay behind me, and we'll pick a good moment." 32 set off at an easy jog, a pace that Noah could actually keep up with her at. She shouldered open the Research door, leading the way outside and up the slope to where the Zone would collapse.

"How many teams are left?" Noah asked.

32 pointed up at the sky. High above them was a massive holographic display screen showing the list of teams currently alive in the match. There were four still in the running - them, Archangel and Quirrel, Fidget and Abbess, and Larka and Nala, though Nala was on her own. Larka had likely been picked off in an early fight, leaving the kaldar to fend for herself. "Only a few," 32 said. "Shouldn't be too hard."

The Zone closed behind them as they jogged over the rolling hills towards Water Treatment, smack in the center of the shrinking circle. Noah kept his head on a swivel, looking for any telltale signs of their opponents. "Did it ever strike you as weird that despite not knowing who you are or where you came from, you're really good with a gun?" he asked.

"I figured it was some latent muscle memory buried deep in my subconscious or something," 32 said, unslinging the sniper rifle off her back. "But if you're telling the truth and this is all some artificial world, I suppose whoever created me simply gave me the ability. It would also explain why all the other Primes save for you are good marksmen. We were created to be, but you just kind of fell in here. Were you a civilian in your world?"

"About as civilian as you can freaking get," Noah said. "Before that first preliminary game I'd never even held a gun before."

They reached the top of a hillock looking out over a small valley where Water Treatment was. The facility was built into a cliffside, with five wide pipes jutting out underneath it with water flowing out of them. Now that they were close, he and 32 could see flashes of light inside the building, along with the staccato pops of gunfire.

32 racked the bolt on the sniper. "Let's get in there."

"Do you want to take the shortcut in?" Noah asked.

She did a double take. "The what now?"

Noah pointed at the second pipe from the right underneath the building, situated above a small little ledge that broke off from the path they were currently on. "You can go up into the facility through that pipe. It was a small change to the map made a few months ago."

32 looked from him, to the pipe, then back to him. Then she did that just-barely-a-smile again, and it made the back of Noah's neck burn a little. "Well, even if you can't shoot for shit, I'll take someone that knows the lay of the land over anything else."

"Uh, thanks?"

"You're welcome. Let's get a move on."

The two of them cut across the ledge towards the pipe. They scrambled up into it, boots splashing water around their pant hems as they went. 32 led the way up the pipe to the end, where a metal ladder dropped down from a grate about ten feet above them. "I'll be damned," she said.

The sound of fighting was a lot louder now. "How should we approach this?" he asked.

"Get up there, shoot at the first person we see, hope for the best." 32 started up the ladder. Noah waited until she was halfway up before following her, doing his best to try to parse out what was going on in the fight above them and not look at the flattering things 32's jumpsuit did to her rear end.

32 poked her head up into the upper level, wincing as something exploded danger close to them. "Watch my back," she said, then heaved herself up off the ladder before Noah could tell her to wait. He hurried after her, almost slipping at the very top rung of the ladder.

His ears immediately rang as a grenade went off nearby. He ducked his head away from the sound and stayed low, trying to keep a low profile. Sounds swirled around him, and he tried his best to parse out just what they were. Over the din of rattling N-99 fire and the crack of 32's sniper rifle (at least he assumed it was hers), he heard the click clack of Fidget hurriedly constructing new supplies with her active ability. A moment later, he heard Nala's feral roar as she activated her ultimate ability that put her in a permanent sprint and applied a bleed to all her melee attacks.

Then his blood froze as he heard the padding of bare feet against the metal floors, the sound growing closer with every step.

Noah scrambled away just as Nala slammed down on the spot he'd occupied a moment before. Her pupils were narrow slits, every inch of her body language radiating pure hostility. "'Sup," she hissed, showing fangs.

There were no words to be bandied. 32 would have to fend for herself. Noah took off like a shot, running full-tilt away from the angry kaldar. He might as well have tried to run away from a Lamborghini. Nala caught up to him a few seconds later, her claws slicing across his back and shattering his armor with a loud crack. "Wait, Nala, let's talk about this!" he yelped.

She responded by emptying half a clip from her gun into his back. The bullets stung like stabs from a red-hot poker along his back, but Noah found he still had the strength to keep running. At least until Nala's claws sliced across his back again, searing pain lancing up his shoulders. Noah felt his body lock up as he fell to his hands and knees. No matter how hard he tried to get up, he couldn't rise to his feet.

Nala stalked around him, kneeling down in front of his face and waggling her claws under his nose. "Unless you learn to fight back, Killer, I'll get to do this to you over and over again," she snarled. Her lips pulled back as she did, showing off her wicked fangs.

"I don't want to fight you," Noah grunted, straining to try to get up. Why wouldn't his body pay attention to him? In a flash, he realized it was another aspect of the game brought to life - the down-but-not-out state.

"Well, considering I want to fight you, that's a bit of a tricky thing," Nala said. She raised her arm and slashed at his face. Noah's head snapped to the side and his vision blurred. Her claws struck again, and Noah tasted blood in his mouth. "Better luck next time, Killer." She raised her hand to finish him off, then stilled, ears pricked up.

Noah tried to focus past the ringing in his ears for what she was listening for, then realized what it was. Or, what it wasn't. The Water Treatment building had gone eerily silent.

A single footstep sounded behind Nala, and she scrambled to reload her gun. A moment later, three sniper rifle shots struck true. "Moth-er-fucker!" Nala yelled as she went down.

Noah's body immediately unlocked. He sprang up, feeling sore but rejuvenated as 32 walked down the catwalk towards him. "You made a good distraction," she said.

"What happened?" Noah asked.

"Threw a Claret Projection into the middle of the other two teams fighting," she said matter-of-factly. "Ripped both of them to shreds, then all I had to do was follow the sound of grandstanding to find her. You really pissed her off yesterday didn't you?"

"You have no idea."

A fanfare played over the myriad of loudspeakers throughout the building, echoed across the entirety of the Run. "We have our winners - Noah Welkin, and Experiment 32!"

Perhaps this pairing will prove fruitful in the long run. Might be worth slating it to happen more in future Games.

Noah came back to himself with a start. He and 32 were back in the Atrium. He hadn't felt the light come over him, so when had they made it back?

"Congratulations." A large paw clapped down on his shoulder and rubbed fondly.

Noah looked up into Larka's kindly face. "Thanks. Where'd Nala get to?"

"Oh, she made for the Armory as soon as she got back," Larka said, gesturing down one of the hallways branching off from the Atrium. "Moved like her tail was on fire."

"Might have something to do with being embarrassed." Experiment 32 moved over to join them. "She got a little too gloaty after downing Noah, and that left her wide open for me to shoot for the win."

"I saw on the feed. Her temper has always been her weak link." Larka shook her head. "I will need to have a word with her if she persists. I have no desire to lose. One should not let personal drama affect their performance on the battlefield." Her voice hitched a little as she said it, and Noah knew exactly why. He reached up and squeezed her hand.

32's careful eyes didn't miss the gesture. "If I may, Larka, I need to borrow this one for a while."

Larka blinked, as if she hadn't expected 32 to know her name. "Of course," she said, nudging Noah towards 32. "I will be in my quarters, finyan, should you wish my company again later." She dropped him a sultry wink as she turned and left.

Noah gaped. Now he had an open invitation from Larka? Things just got stranger and stranger. He realized 32 was looking at him with a bemused expression, and felt his face burn. "I can explain," he said.

"I'm sure you can," 32 said, inclining her head. "Follow me."

She led him down the hallway to the furthest room on the left, past where his own door was. 32 had opted for the most spartan setup possible, with only a bed and table with two chairs in her quarters. As the door slid shut behind her, she reached back and undid a snap tucked slightly under the collar of her jumpsuit. From there she drew a zipper down her back, exposing pale skin that looked like it had never seen a beach day. "Need to get out of this thing," she muttered.

Noah opted for politeness and averted his eyes as 32 stripped out of the jumpsuit, with the same noises you might expect to hear when taking off a rubber glove. Underneath she wore a tight undershirt that went to her waist, along with compression shorts that ended at mid-thigh. 32 pinched the shirt and fanned at herself to cool off. "Much better."

"Why do you wear the jumpsuit if it's so uncomfortable?" Noah asked.

32 looked down at the bundle of material in her hand. "Dunno, honestly," she said, tossing it to the side. "It was what I woke up in. Feels comfortable, so I had that clothing robot make a bunch of them. It gets the job done of keeping all of my..." She gestured to her bare skin. "Enhancements covered up."

The crazy assortment of mechanical bits that Noah had seen on her arm earlier were far from the only mechanical bits woven into 32's body. There were so many more of the lugnut-like nodes dotting her skin, in no real discernible pattern or meaningful configuration. 32 looked down at her hands and arms, turning them over so the metal bits caught the light from the ceiling.

"That's unreal," Noah said. He felt a compulsion to reach out and touch them, just to see what they felt like, but held back.

32's fingers curled into fists. "You know what? I could accept that I was a normal person and somebody, or some organization or whatever, did this to me. But the possibility that somebody designed me is unreal."

"I mean, you seem real enough to me," Noah offered. "That handshake earlier felt real enough."

32 nodded. "I think the first step to all this is determining what's real and what's not. Or rather, if your reality is the real one and this is all some fucked-up simulation, or if this is reality, and you're the one who's crazy."

Noah made a face. "I don't know which I'd prefer."

"Same. But we have to figure it out somehow." 32 put a hand over her mouth and paced back and forth a few times. "Any ideas?"

Noah sat down on the chair and tapped the table. "If this is the game from my world, maybe there's a way to contact someone from the outside?" He scratched his forehead. "Though I'm at a loss for how that might be a possibility. The players of the game only connect to a game server when they're on the Run itself, and there's probably a thousand or more games happening at once. The only person I could think of contacting is a guy I play with who goes by Garthex, but again, how to get a message to him specifically..." Noah thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "Maybe we don't have to contact him specifically though."

"What do you mean?"

Noah stood up, feeling excitement as an idea coalesced in his mind. "The both of us were part of a whole community dedicated to sniffing out whatever hidden lore we could find in the game based on evidence on the map itself and hidden things we pieced together from the Prime dossiers. There's a few hundred people watching for any weird change in the map and trying to extract hidden meaning from it."