Respawn in Reality: Game Over, Player One

Chapter 17

Leo looked at Raphael coldly. He did not answer. He tossed the pool cue onto the broken table. 

Maya walked over to Leo. She holstered her smoking pistols. She reached up and grabbed the edge of her dark hood. She pulled it back, revealing her face in the dim light. 

She was young, maybe a year or two older than Leo. She had sharp, beautiful features, pale skin, and short, dark hair. But her most striking feature was her left eye. It was not human. It was a complex mechanical eye, glowing with a faint, pulsing blue light. Silver metal lines ran down her cheek, connecting the eye to her jaw. 

"You learn fast," Maya said, offering Leo her hand. "The system chose well."

"Who are you people?" Leo asked, ignoring her hand. He was exhausted. The serum was starting to wear off. The burning heat in his veins was turning into a cold, heavy ache. 

"We are the mistakes," Maya said smoothly. "We are the test subjects of Project Prometheus. Years ago, a company paid poor, desperate people to take a drug trial. They injected us with military nanites designed to create super-soldiers. Most of the subjects died. Some went crazy. A few of us survived, but the nanites stayed asleep."

"Until we were in danger," Leo realized. He remembered the fight in the alley. 

"Exactly," Maya nodded. "Stress activates the machines. But the company that created the nanites does not want us running free. We are walking billion-dollar prototypes. They want to extract the data from our blood. And to do that, they have to kill us."

"The Iron Wolves," Leo said, looking at the fallen mercenaries. 

"Yes," Maya said. "But these men were just the scouts. The real army is coming. The system in your head acts like a beacon when it is active. They tracked your location. We have to leave the city tonight. If we stay, we die."

Leo felt a heavy weight settle in his stomach. He had fought so hard just to pay his rent. He had fought to survive so he could get revenge on his esports team captain, Mike. Now, he was being told he had to run away from his life. 

"I can't leave," Leo said stubbornly. "I have money now. I have a plan."

Maya looked at him with deep pity. "Leo. Your life is over. The moment the HUD turned on, you stopped being a citizen. You became property."

Before Leo could argue, a sound echoed from outside the bar. 

It was not the sound of a police siren. It was the deep, heavy rumble of a massive engine. The ground began to shake. The glasses behind the bar rattled violently. 

"They're here," Maya whispered, her cybernetic eye glowing brighter as it scanned the wall. "Take cover!"

Maya tackled Leo, pushing him behind the heavy wooden bar. 

An explosive, deafening crash shattered the entire front wall of the building. 

The heavy brick wall exploded inward. A massive, black armored military truck drove straight into the bar, crushing tables, chairs, and the unconscious bodies of Raphael’s gang. The truck came to a stop in the center of the room, dust and debris falling all around it. 

The back doors of the armored truck opened smoothly. 

Six soldiers stepped out. They did not look like the Iron Wolves mercenaries. These men wore sleek, pure white tactical suits. They held advanced energy rifles that glowed with a deadly blue light. They moved in perfect, terrifying silence. 

They formed a line, aiming their weapons directly at the bar where Leo and Maya were hiding. 

Finally, a man stepped out of the armored truck, walking slowly between the white soldiers. 

He was not wearing armor. He was wearing an incredibly expensive, tailored black suit. He was an older man, with graying hair and sharp, intelligent eyes. He held a black umbrella over his head, protecting his suit from the dust falling from the ceiling. 

Leo peered over the edge of the bar. His breath caught in his throat. His blood turned to ice. 

He knew this man. 

It was Arthur Sterling. He was the billionaire CEO of Titan Energy Drinks. He was the man who was sponsoring Team Apex. He was the man whose son, Julian, had stolen Leo's spot on the team just a few hours ago. 

Arthur Sterling looked around the destroyed bar with a look of mild disgust. He saw the defeated mercenaries. He saw the broken walls. 

Then, Arthur looked directly toward the bar counter. He smiled a warm, fake smile. 

"Hello, Leo," Arthur Sterling's voice echoed through the silent room. "I must admit, I am very impressed. Julian told me you were a good gamer. But I never imagined you were this good at the real thing. It is a shame that I have to kill you and take my property back."