Chapter 84 War games

Words : 1149 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Noah barely slept after his rooftop conversation with Lucas Grey. The revelation about Micah kept him tossing and turning, his mind spinning through possibilities and implications. When morning finally came, he dragged himself to homeroom. Miss Brooks stood at the front of the class, her presence commanding attention despite the early hour. Her red lips curved into a slight smile as she surveyed the sleepy faces before her. "War," she began, her voice carrying to every corner of the room, "is never won by a single soldier, no matter how exceptional that soldier might be." Her eyes lingered on Noah for a moment. "Victory requires coordination, trust, and most importantly, teamwork." The class stirred, sensing something different about today's lecture. Even Kelvin, who usually spent the first hour either tuggling with his tablet or fighting sleep, sat up straighter. "Today," Miss Brooks continued, "we're doing something special. Everyone, gather your things and follow me to Training Facility Three." The facility turned out to be nothing like what they expected. Instead of the usual combat arena or beast containment chambers, they entered what looked like a modernized cinema hall. Sleek tables were arranged in a grid pattern, each bearing what appeared to be high-tech visors. Kelvin's eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store. "No way," he breathed, practically vibrating with excitement. "Those are Mark VII Neural Interface Visors. They can simulate complete sensory immersion!" "Correct, Mr. Pithon," Miss Brooks said, looking amused. "Today, we're going virtual." A murmur of surprise rippled through the class. Noah caught Lila staring at him, her expression vastly different from yesterday's cold anger. Now she was all smiles and eager glances, as if the core extraction incident had never happened. The sudden shift made him uneasy. "The exercise is simple," Miss Brooks explained. "You'll work in your established teams to defend your base while capturing enemy flags. Each team creates their own room before entering the main lobby. Last team standing wins." "Finally," Cora cracked her knuckles, grinning. "Something fun. I'm tired of theoretical exercises." Their team gathered around one of the table clusters, Kelvin already examining the visors with barely contained glee. "The neural interface on these is insane," he gushed. "It'll feel completely real once we're in!" "No hacking," Noah warned, knowing his friend's proclivities. "Please," Kelvin rolled his eyes. "Give me some credit. Besides, the security on these is military-grade." Lila moved closer to Noah, her shoulder brushing his. "We should pick a good room password," she said softly. "Something meaningful." Noah subtly shifted away, remembering her unsettling behavior the day before. 'How can she act so normal now?' he wondered. 'Like she didn't completely lose it yesterday?' "How about 'Eclipse'?" Lila suggested, batting her eyelashes. "How about no?" Cora interrupted, saving Noah from responding. "We need something less obvious." They eventually settled on "PhoenixRise" – neutral enough not to raise eyebrows, but specific enough to remember. As they donned the visors, Noah caught one last glimpse of the real world: Miss Brooks watching them with that knowing smile, Kelvin practically bouncing with excitement, Cora looking ready for battle, and Lila... Lila's eyes fixed on him with an intensity that made him grateful they were about to enter a virtual world. The visor activated, and reality dissolved into code before reconstructing itself. Their avatars materialized one by one: Noah with his dark hair and standard combat gear, Kelvin sporting his usual brown hair but with added tech accessories, Cora with her practical short dark hair and reinforced armor, and Lila, her blonde hair now flowing dramatically in a virtual wind. 'At least in here,' Noah thought as the virtual world solidified around them, 'she can't actually kill anyone.' He hoped. The game was about to begin, and with it, perhaps the true test of their team's stability. After all, in virtual reality, people sometimes showed their true colors more clearly than in the real world.@@@@ "How many?" Cora asked. "Three visible. One probably hanging back for support." Noah and Kelvin shared a look. "Time to test our defense," Noah said. "Kelvin, ready to run our capture plan?" "Born ready. Let me just—" The air sizzled as an energy bolt struck near their position. "They're starting aggressive," Cora commented. "Lila, do you have a shot?" "Multiple," Lila's voice had that edge to it that Noah was learning to worry about. 'But they're not my priority right now,' she thought. Looking out, she could see two avatars advancing dangerously. "Noah, two hostiles are trying to flank around your position. The trajectory of their approach suggests they've done recon. They know exactly where they're going." "The flag is the other direction," Cora said sharply. "We need to protect our objective." "I am protecting what's important," Lila murmured, so softly it might have been meant for herself. A series of precise shots rang out. Noah watched through the bridge's barrier as two avatars from Jensen's team crumpled, their forms pixelating before disappearing - eliminated from the game. Neither had been anywhere near their flag. They had, however, been on a perfect trajectory to ambush Noah. "Lila!" Cora's voice was stern. "The flag is our mission. You just exposed your position for—" "Hostile team eliminated," Lila cut in smoothly. "Their fourth member retreated after losing visual contact with their squad. Mission accomplished." "That's not the point," Cora started, but was interrupted by new movement on their tactical display. "Two more teams incoming," Kelvin reported. "Looks like Martinez's group from the south, and... is that Taylor's team trying to scale the cliff face? Bold strategy." Noah stared at the spot where Jensen's team had disappeared, remembering the cold precision of those shots. He'd thought being in a virtual world would make Lila's intensity less unsettling. He was starting to think he'd been wrong. "Noah." Lila's voice came through their private channel. "Don't worry. I won't let anyone get close enough to hurt you," "Girl, it's just a game." Cora muttered shaking her head and wondering why Lila was acting like that. The worst part was, Noah believed Lila completely. He had no reason not to. The girl was acting out of hand but nobody seemed to be seeing it. "New plan," Noah said on the main channel, trying to keep his voice steady. "Kelvin, we're adapting our strategy. Cora, I need you to provide cover fire. We are not letting them get our flag. Let's give them hell!!" The game continued, but Noah couldn't shake the feeling that they were playing very different versions of it. While everyone else fought for flags and victory, Lila was fighting a much more personal battle. And she was winning.

Chapter 84 War games

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