I patted myself down, not trusting the “virtualization” software to put everything in its original place. As far as I could tell all my limbs and digits were intact. Still, this BIOS system running on the bootleg network of a black market entertainment group wasn’t much to put my faith in.

“Congratulations on your victory! Your kills were most entertaining and your cunning quite refreshing to watch.”

Oh, that’s right. She’s still blabbing on. Better listen, this might be a tutorial of sorts.

“Yeah, thanks,” I replied absentmindedly, watching the colorful passerby interact with a variety of vendors, touchscreens, and distribution machines. There must be over a thousand people jammed in this circular plaza alone.

“In the Hub, you can take time to replenish after a hard-fought battle, purchase upgrades and equipment, interact with your fellow contestants, and gain insight on the rounds to come."

A female Retan argued with a spectacled human vendor just down the street from me. She used her upper two arms to gesticulate and her lower two to grip the edge of the poor man’s countertop aggressively. Though the rest of her body was a pale beige, her face had turned a bright red. The corded braid that fell from the base of her head swung violently as she made her case. The mismatched pair were just out of my earshot but if I had to wager a guess she had taken issue with the vendor’s prices.

She must have gotten too close because a roving drone puttered over to her location and issued some form of warning. When she shook her fist at the levitating machine, it fired a dart into her neck that sent her crashing to the ground. A tractor beam emanated from the drone’s occipital lens and carted the bulky body away into the crowd.

Even a massive body like hers could be swallowed by this many people. Thousands of Retans, Dralids, Humans, and Undu swarmed the Hub commons, which took up maybe a square mile of surface area. I didn’t spot the pulsing form of any Varna here, but they were the rarest of the Five Prime - I doubted how many even competed in a gameshow like LimeLight.

The Hub commons, as far as I could see, was composed of one stone-brick circular pathway about 15m wide at any given point. Mismatched sheet-metal vendors and concrete-walled storefronts bearing multi-colored neon signs laced the outer edge of the walkway. Roving security drones marched the streets here, apprehending the violent and unruly. Monitoring optic-drones puttered overhead. Probably taking footage for the livestream, but I couldn’t be sure.

There appeared to be several places for contestants to relax and catch their breath. White painted benches were situated around grassy patches in the monotony of stone. Even a few bushes and trees were planted in these zones. A pair of bulky speakers were erected here, as well as on the side of buildings every few streets. I wondered why LimeLight needed such a system when information could be provided via the HUD.

In the center of the plaza stood an ivory fountain that streamed a constant flow of sparkling water. The luminous fixture seemed awfully out of place surrounded by these cheaply constructed buildings. A golden dais sprouted from the center of the fountain, looming above the rest of the Hub. Maybe a speaker’s platform?

Behind the fountain, a prismatic jumbotron was suspended in the air by a black cable that vanished into the sky-dome. On each of its sides, several semi-transparent screens displayed a live feed of the contestants still fighting in Round 1. Scenes of violence unfolded on nearly every display. It seemed that the LimeLight cameras prioritized contestants based on how exciting their current situation was - in this case it prioritized bloodshed. I averted my eyes when I witnessed a Retan ripping the body of a woman in half and bathing in her blood. Not what I wanted to see.

I turned to look down the avenue I initialized on. The stone of the center plaza melted into black asphalt. Boarded up buildings lined the streets here. Nothing for a contestant to explore. It stretched on for miles before fading into a light gray fog - some kind of “out of bounds” zone, I’m sure. Not much seemed to be down this way anyway.

“...and from this menu, you can examine your current strength and audience approval rating, as well as your contestant rank! The more weapons you find, upgrades you purchase, and battle prowess you display the greater your strength rating among the remaining contestants will climb. As your daring feats wow the crowd, more esteemed members of the audience will voice their approval of your continued success. Both of these ratings are measured by what percentage of contestants are rated better than you - so the lower number the better!”

I quickly booted up my HUD to follow along, tracing my finger along the blue interface to open up my rating screen. My percentiles had been fairly high at the start of the round. That was to be expected, though: I had no combat history and I certainly wasn’t renowned enough to enter this freaky competition with a following. After killing two people last round I’m sure I’d proven myself enough to rise through the ranks considerably.

Contestant Name: Contestant #45,590

Rank 3 Human

Class: Gambler

Title: Unassigned

Strength Rating: 90th percentile

Audience Approval Rating: 95th percentile

Oh.

“At the end of each round, your contestant rank will increase proportionately to the development that the BIOS system detects after a given round. Pay attention to these metrics, they are vital during your time at LimeLight!”

“As you progress in LimeLight, higher rarity weapons and upgrades will be made available to you. You will even be able to purchase customized equipment later in the competition as new tiers of the Hub are unlocked, provided you survive a sufficient amount of time to be worth the investment!”

How the robot chick managed to make the most callous sentences sound so cheery and warm was beyond me.

“Excellent! You are now free to explore the Marketplace. The Marketplace is home to dozens of vendors that have partnered with LimeLight to provide high-quality goods and services to our valiant contestants. You can purchase weapons, armor, tech upgrades, and consumables in this tier with the credits you have earned. In later tiers, you will be able to test out genetic augmentation and cybernetic implants on the upper floors of the Hub. Exciting!”

Genetic augmentation and cybernetics? That does sound exciting.

I checked my balance.

70,000 Credits

I wasn’t sure if that was considered a lot by LimeLight standards, but it was a lot for me. I approached the nearest stand, one occupied by a friendly salmon-colored robot with pointed ears. A yellow neon sign with the image of a raygun flickered overhead.

“Welcome to Dally’s Emporium! From shocks to shells, and brass to bows we’ve got it all!

A prompt popped up on the bottom of my HUD to interact with the store. I tapped on it.

Columns of different categories of weapons filled my screen. There were ballistic pistols and rifles, a few submachine guns, and assault rifles too. Some energy weapons were listed, both plasma and laser, but none of the Common weaponry laid a finger on what I already had. The prices were outrageous too. 15,000 credits for a common ballistic pistol? 45,000 for a ballistic assault rifle? Yeah right.

I noticed an option to charge my weapons and refill ammunition for 10,000 credits. That is the only thing I purchased from Dally’s. My Tenderizer and Thurma charged completely, and I received 13 shells for my Saker 55, taking me to 20 total.

“Thanks, Dally.”

“Come back any time!”

I snorted. The weapons here were all trash. Maybe that was by design. It encouraged people to loot and explore in the rounds for better items. The shops seemed to be more of a failsafe for the underequipped.

Speaking of which.

I headed to the vending stall with the image of a helmet depicted in flashing red overtop. I had no armor or special clothing yet. Even a piece of common padding would be better than the sopping wet office apparel that clung to my skin.

A tired-looking man shuffled over to the counter. He looked surprised to see a customer.

“I’m Parnell. I sell clothing, armor, and protective gear. What do you need?” His beady eyes appraised me under a thick set of eyebrows. “Probably everything, right?”

I nodded.

“Something light and flexible, but that can take the edge off of a glancing shot. Ideally, deter ballistics and plasma, but I’m not too unrealistic with my expectations here...Parnell.”

“Ahuh. I can get you a full suit of Carbon Fiber Light-Weave Marauder Class armor for 50,000 credits. You game?”

“Let me see it.”

I looked over the hologram of the full-suit of blackened weave armor. It looked breathable enough and would allow protection from light plasma fire and smaller caliber ballistics. It wouldn’t perform miracles but it was better than nothing.

The design was a bit off-putting, though. Black leather straps bound the spiked shoulder pauldrons together in an interlocking pattern around the chest and abdomen. The pants hiked up around the waist, held up by a cracked leather belt. The sable boots finished off the outfit with a punk flair. Dirt caked around the worn rubber edges hinted at its extensive use under a previous owner. Looked like something a biker dude straight from an old apocalypse movie would wander around in. I bought it anyway. It was practical enough for what I needed.

The armor replaced my clothing and a notification appeared.

Equipped:

[Common Light-Weave Armor]

Marauder Class I

Offers light Plasma and Ballistic Protection. Smells like gasoline.

Stored:

[Common Apparel]

Techie Garments

Suited for life in an air-conditioned office. Doesn’t do well at parties.

10,000 Credits remaining

I thanked the shopkeep for his help and left to explore the rest of the Hub. I had only taken a few steps when ATHENA interrupted me again.

“You have a call request from your Agent. This is not an optional meeting. Shall I take you there?”

My… agent? I wasn’t aware I had one. I suppose the gentlemen that put me here in the first place hadn’t wanted to leave me to my own devices. I was an investment after all.

“Uh. Sure.”

A blinding white light filled my vision and cleared after a few seconds of weightlessness. I now stood in a cramped room furnished by a lone table and set of chairs on either end. The white tiling flooring reflected the pale light emanating from a single fluorescent bulb swinging overhead. The room was bare otherwise.

A man encased in a suit of silvery armor sat in the chair opposite me. His broad forehead and chiseled jaw appeared cut from the same material as his heavy chassis. He had his elbows on the table, and his head rested upon his interlocked gauntleted fingers. They pulsed with red energy that ran along his knuckles.

“Sit down, Mallory.”

His rumbling voice could command a statue to move out of the way, should it choose to be so foolish as to stand in his path. The taut, bronze skin of his face was young and without blemish, but an icy hardness emanated from his brown eyes that aged him past his years.

My ass found the bottom of that aluminum seat before he could take another breath.

“I am your Agent. You may call me Tyrus.”

He paused, and I thought for a moment he expected me to say something.

“You are one of a few candidates that The Organization has put forward in the LimeLight competition.”

One of a few? I was under the impression I had been the only one privy to this “deal.” I wonder how many other saps got roped into this hellish circus.

Tyrus brought his head up from his hands and pointed his index finger upward.

“One piece of our puzzle. Though by no means a single point of failure. We have more foresight than to send one techie to win gold.”

He couldn’t read my thoughts, right?

My agent smiled.

“You have made it past the first round - the great filter. This shows more promise than I expected from you, Mallory. Though, each round will be far more difficult than the last. It will remain to be seen if you can turn a profit yet.”

“Nothing would disappoint me more than not lasting long enough to pay you people back for your generosity.”

Tyrus’ smile faded. His eyes bored into mine. Without a word, he seemed to threaten my very existence.

“I know everything you do here Mallory. As your agent, I have 24/7 access to your point of view camera, the LimeLight spectator camera, and all transcripts of your interactions. I trust LimeLight’s security and insurance policies, but I will inform you now that you will be expected to perform to the best of your ability and with compliance to my orders.”

I swallowed the saliva pooling in my mouth.

“What is it I am ordered to do?”

I replied in a straightforward manner. Tyrus did not seem the type to appreciate my sense of humor.

“Pay off your debt through victory in this competition.”

“You owe us 15,000,000 Credits. For winning Round 1 you earned 50,000 Credits towards your debt. This brings your remaining total to 14,950,000.”

My stomach blanched. 15 million credits? At this rate, I would have to fight my way through hundreds of rounds to pay off my debt. ATHENA hadn’t mentioned any scalability in the rewards system, but I desperately hoped it increased as the rounds went on.

The imposing man leaned forward in his chair. The shadow cast from his form made me feel like a cornered rat.

“You will not be allowed to depart the competition until we have been paid in full. You are allowed to purchase approved upgrades and equipment with the Credits you earn from a round, though I encourage you to delegate any extra funds you have after purchasing your necessities towards your debt. Upon the fulfillment of your debt, payment of interest and the conditions of your release may be discussed.”

“Interest?”

“I said it would be discussed.” My agent replied flatly.

“I assume you have no further questions for me, so I will release you at this time. Round 2 should be starting shortly. Do not die. We are not done with you yet.”

Tyrus’ concern for me warmed my heart. I really did have the best agent this side of the Pontus system.

Another flash of white light brought me back to the Hub square. A sizable crowd had begun to form around the plinth I had spotted before over the fountain. The loudspeakers situated in every corner of the Hub repeated the same message:

“All contestants make their way to the fountain. Next round’s briefing will be provided shortly.”

This voice didn’t belong to ATHENA, it was more masculine. It had a high pitch to it, though, almost falsetto.

After a few short minutes of mustering the contestants, an innumerable crowd surrounded the golden dais. The recording stopped playing. Murmurs from the congregation rose to a deafening level, making ordinary conversation nearly impossible.

A crackle of light and vibration filled the air. Smoke began to billow out of the plinth. In an instant, the background of the cluttered Marketplace melted into the dim setting of what looked like an opera theater. Each contestant sat in a red-felt chair surrounding the now glowing stage in the center of the facility. Several screens loomed over the stage, playing the scene in realtime to an unseen audience.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The sharp sound came from the end of a runway that connected to the stage. A slight figure strode gracefully out amidst the fog, tapping the end of his cane as he moved. When he reached the middle of his stand, the smoke cleared and two spotlights fixed on the well-dressed man.

His slicked black hair parted down the center and fell to the sides of his head. A lone patch of goatee floated like an island on his creamy chin. Every other area of his face was clean cut. His emerald eyes refracted the artificial light.

A stark white suit and pants combination wrapped tightly on his frame. Gold trim on the shoulders and the lapel of his jacket traced down to the seams of his trousers in a trail that led to his lavish purple shoes. His bow-tie was a similar shade of royal purple. In one ear he sported a pair of diamond studs, the other was bare.

He cradled a sparkling black cane in his gloved palm with the thickest diamond I had ever seen as a pommel. A ring of gold fastened the jewel to the tapered instrument below.

Perhaps most surreal of all was his smile, which he wore more proudly than any of his garments. His lips curled at an unnatural angle to expose two rows of pearly whites. They stretched quite nearly from ear to ear.

“Welcome to… LIMELIGHT XXI!”

He applauded, and I felt compelled to join him. Every contestant in the audience put their hands together for the bizarre man.

“I hope you had fun in that first round. I know I sure had fun watching it, and so did the people back home! And that’s what it’s all about!”

The man whirled about, the short golden cape on the back of his jacket flashing light across the gloomy theater.

“But where are my manners. I am your host, Dolos the Radiant!”

“On the 21st anniversary of our remarkable competition, I am honored to serve you, the people of the Milky Way Galaxy!”

The smile never left his face as he spoke. Don’t his cheeks get tired walking around like that?

“And let me tell you what a spectacular season this is turning out to be. If you’ll humor me, I have a few statistics for you.” He cleared his throat.

“The first round was completed in just over five hours. Five! And of the 100,000 contestants that entered, 41,578 of the strongest remain. We had 5,658 contestants kill the maximum of three other people. What a bloodthirsty crowd we have here!” He laughed. We all joined in.

“Seriously! That’s a record number right there! You can’t get this quality content anywhere else folks.” Dolos pointed at the camera mounted on a spherical flying drone as if to address the intergalactic audience personally.

“And we took your feedback to heart. This year a record number of viewers tuned in for our opener, and the bloodshed just got their hearts pumpin’. So much so, they are demanding a DUEL ROUND as the next event!” Dolos pumped his hands in the air.

We cheered in response.

“We at LimeLight always aim to please our respected audience. But, we seem to have taken a bit more casualties than usual. It’s sad, disappointing I know!” A light boo emanated from the crowd and Dolos' face contorted into an exaggerated frown.

His voice was hard to pin. In one moment it was high and energetic, in the next deep and alluring. It shifted as he spoke, inventing itself over and over again to match the tone of every word he uttered.

“So this next round will be a hybrid! A randomly selected cohort of 10,000 contestants will be thrown into the dueling grounds. The rest will partake in an Escape and Evade Round, consistently a fan favorite since Limelight VIII!”

A black screen depicting the options Duel Round and Escape and Evade Round pivoted from the arm of my chair to face me. The options were grayed out; I could not select either one.

“Contestants, turn your attention to the Round Slate before you. In mere moments, your cohort will be chosen by our randomizer algorithm and your fate will be sealed.”

A duel round? I guess that meant I would fight one other contestant head-on. I barely survived most of my encounters with other contestants in the first round, and I would hardly consider my first kill any kind of a fair fight. The only real combat experience I had came from my battle with the falconer. I didn’t feel ready at all to fight a professional in the arena - stars forbid I stumbled upon one of those with three kills to their name.

But what was an Escape and Evade Round? What would I be evading? Would other contestants be trying to kill me? Either option didn’t sound very enticing.

“And here...we...go!” A drumroll filled the auditorium and I watched in anticipation as a white light flickered back and forth between the two options on my display. When the drums stopped it settled on its choice.

Cohort 1: Duel Round