Aella slowly walked down the long hallway of doors that made up the twentieth, and top, floor of the Beta Game dorms. She had been assigned a small, simply furnished and decorated room at the end of the hallway. Fox and Seashell had been given rooms next to hers, Leon's room was across the hall, while the rest of the six rooms were occupied by the guards assigned to them.

She flipped over the paper in her hand, memorizing the room numbers of the places she was to visit. She jumped as she saw the guard appear next to her, quickly apologizing. She glanced over his uniform and paused for a moment, noting the Diplomatic Corps badge on his left arm. "Which Quadrant?" she asked, pointing to his uniform.

He grinned. "35th."

"I'm from 56th, new graduate," she said. She glanced up to the high ceiling as the Computer blared instructions through a loudspeaker.

"Attention, Beta players," it said. "All players are required to attend the informational session in their assigned auditoriums in fifty minutes."

She turned back to the guard, noting the grin on his face.

"It's always nice to meet a fellow Diplo--where were you assigned?"

She smiled, glancing down at her hands. "Security Advisor branch."

He whistled. "That's pretty advanced. You must have gotten a much better score than I did on the testing."

Aella smiled. "Thank you. Do you mind telling me where the Auditorium is located? I wasn't given a map in the folder that was on my desk."

"I can take you there, miss," he said, nodding his head down the hall where the elevator was located. He waited until Aella had started to walk before following at her side.

"Please, call me Aella," she said, smiling.

"I'm Derrick," he said, pressing the down elevator button.

As she walked out of the elevator into the Atrium, she felt the hair on her body stand up. She glanced around the empty room and frowned when she saw that it was empty. I must be hallucinating. She took a deep breath as the guard led her up the sloping hallway and to a small door next to the archway, a small plaque on the wall noting it as the correct room.

"After you," Derrick said, holding open the door.

"Thank you," she said, walking into the smaller room. All of the seats were empty save from a few in the front row, and she chose one near the back.

"Hi," a voice called to her. She glanced toward the front of the room and recognized Prince--Leon--as he stood and waved to her. She smiled and nodded her head and he turned back to a small group of people that were sitting around him, a quiet hum of voices from their conversation filling the room.

She glanced back at the end of her row as the thin, tall man who had spoken at the welcome session the day before came in a different door and entered her row. What was his name? Ender.

She sat down and folded her hands in her lap. Maybe I shouldn't have shown up thirty minutes early. Now I have to wait with nothing to do. She sighed as she saw movement in the corner of her eye, and heard the rustle of fabric.

"Good morning."

She turned her head and nodded to Ender, who had made his way down the row and was sitting next to her.

"You look nice today. Here for the informational session?"

Aella chuckled. As if anyone would look nice in a metallic one-piece that looks like it came from a 1940s horror film. "I'm glad to be out of those formal clothes" she admitted. "This getup at least reminds me of my uniform."

"Uniform? You must one of the Facility kids. We have fifty of them this year and y'all are going to change the Game's dynamics-I will bet my rank on it."

Aella turned her head to face him, taking in his relaxed position and easy smile on his face. "I don't have to imagine how." His gray eyes carried a life to them, mirroring the blue blood veins that pulsed beneath his pale tan skin.

He laughed, holding out his hand. "I'm Ender. You are?"

"Aella Rynnex" she answered, shaking his hand, then pulling it back as she crossed her arms.

"Real or Game name?"

She turned her attention to the doorway as a few more players came into the large room. "Both."

"You know, most people choose a different name when they go into the game. It helps to keep them anonymous when they get back to the real world."

Aella nodded as she turned back to Ender. "I'm a Diplomatic Corps Facility member. Like the members of the Military Corps, we are called by our rank and identity number. First and last names aren't used unless you are off duty and talking to a friend."

Ender shrugged and smiled. "In any case, welcome to Beta, Aella Rynnex. What do you think of the Game Center so far?" He motioned with his hand to the seats in front of them.

She looked around the room, seeing Derrick watching Ender with a stern look on his face. "I still don't know much about how the pods work or where things are in this place."

"You'll get everything you need, but in general, Alpha and Beta players are separated by color" Ender said, pointing to his uniform. "White for Alphas, navy for Betas."

"At least you don't have to worry about choosing what to wear."

He chuckled, nodding. "Do you know much about the game?"

Aella shook her head, her eyes wandering over the rough edges of her fingernails. She was getting careless about her appearance. "My friend was the one into the Game. I spent most of my time training or studying."

Ender tapped her on the shoulder,bringing her attention back to him. "A scholastic, then. You should do well in the early testing. If you have a quick mind, original and creative thinking, are quick on your feet, and have good reflexes, you will do well in the Game."

Aella let her eyes wander over him, trying to place where she had seen him before. Maybe she had seen a relative, or a distant cousin. Maybe his doppelganger. Or maybe I'm just imagining the whole thing and I've never seen him before.

"Have you ever been near the 56th quadrant?"

He raised an eyebrow. "No, I can't say that I have." He winked and laughed. "The cold doesn't agree with me."

Aella tilted her head as she thought. " I've seen you somewhere before."

He smiled. "Well, I do have one of those faces. I still look like a lot of people even though I've gotten so pale. That's what spending so much time in a pod will get you--and why you shouldn't push yourself."

Aella stared at the wall in front of them, her thoughts running through her mind at a breakneck speed. I'm not going to have time to enjoy it. I need to finish as soon as possible--win if I have to.

"Thank you," Ender said, his voice low.

She turned to him, her forehead creasing as she frowned. "What?"

"Being in the Facility is not easy. Having to be at the top of your game, having to excel beyond what everyone else is doing, takes great courage. The fact that you are here is a testament to your skill and intelligence. But this Game will be even tougher with all of the Facility kids taking part. I guess what I am saying is, thank you for being a Diplomat so I can live in safety and peace. Thank you for keeping the world a safer place."

Aella swallowed hard, blinking as she felt tears come to her eyes. I don't understand--

"Aella," Seashell's voice called from the entrance.

Aella turned her head as the younger girl jogged over, waving her hands. Fox followed behind her with two guards, his arms crossed and a sullen expression on his face.

"It's good to see you've made friends here," Ender said, pointing to the two.

Aella moved her legs under her chair so he could stand up. He leaned over her and extended a hand to Seashell. "I'm Ender. And you are?"

"Seashell," the girl said, her voice higher than normal.

"So it seems like you have met all of the important people already," Fox said as he sat down on her left, crossing his arms and leaning his feet on the back of the chair in front of him.

Aella turned her head to the front of the room and watched as Prince made his way down to the podium in the center of the room. He was moving several sheets of paper around on the podium, looking up at several people as they brought him more folders and a digital pad. She turned back to Fox and nodded. "I guess I have."

"Nobody has seen Thanatos yet," Seashell said. "There is a bet going to on. The first Beta player to spot him is going to win fifty crystals. You want to join in?"

Aella shook her head.

"It's a waste of time," Ender said, shaking his head as he sat back down. "Believe me, he isn't going to come out into the open. I've heard that during the Alpha game, not one of the other Alpha players saw him come out of his room. He is as much of a ghost out of the game as he is in the game."

"Really? Not once? How did he eat? And how did he get to the pod rooms?" Aella asked.

Fox coughed, getting Seashell's attention.

Aella watched as Seashell turned up her nose and ignored him.

She turned to Aella and smiled. "If anyone can meet him, you probably will. You seem to have no problem making friends with all the higher-ups."

Aella shook her head. "I'm just in the right place at the right time."

Seashell laughed. "Move over. I want to get to know your friend."

"You are hopeless, Seashell," Fox told her.

Aella's lips turned up at the corners as she watched Ender shy away from Seashell as she sat next to him and started talking at a lightning fast pace. Maybe he is right. It will be nice knowing people inside of the Game. She glanced around at the four sections of the auditorium as a low hum began to fill the air as players filed into the room and began to take their seats.

She settled back into her own chair and crossed her arms, mirroring Fox's position.

Prince looked up at the seats, nodding when one of the porters gave him an OK sign. He took a deep breath and smiled. "Welcome to the Beta Game. First off, I will be reading your names and assigning you a number. After all of the names have been read, you will then move to your assigned section. The porters will be there to assist you." He waited as the porters began to move across the front of the room, each holding up a sign with a number on it.

"Section One is to my farthest left, section two to my left, section three to my right, and section Four is the farthest to the right. Any questions?"

"I hope we are in the same section," Seashell whispered, leaning over to whisper in her ear.

Aella gave her a quick nod.

"Now, for the shortest informational session I can give you about the Beta Game." He looked around the auditorium, gazing at the many faces as a peal of laughter rang through the room.

Aella frowned. He's so rigid. It's almost as if he is in pain.

"There are four systems to the Beta Game. The first, Atlantea, is modeled with the element water; the second, Terran, with the element earth; the third, Volcan, with fire; and the last, Astro, with the element air. The element of the system will determine which spells will be more prominent in battles, as they will have the highest stats of the region. Each system has one or more planets, each with a varying amount of cities. To enter the next city in the progression, you must first find a key that will unlock the transport portal. Keys After unlocking the portal, anyone in your team may enter and exit the city as often as they wish. However, you cannot enter the next city unless you, or your team, have a key. Did I make myself clear?"

A chorus of affirming calls answered him.

"Much of the rules that applied to the Alpha Game will still apply; however, there have been some changes. To protect the incoming Beta players, Alpha players will not be allowed to enter combat with Beta players. Alpha players will be serving as mentors, to teach and train the new players. Another change is the joining of Dark and Light Beta players. They will be housed in the same parts of the cities and the only restricted areas will be guild houses and private properties. This is in hopes to cut back on some of the rampant mass killings that occurred in the Alpha game."

A murmur raced through the players.

"It's not going to work" Fox whispered. "I heard that Trinity has sent members to infiltrate the game. They won't be silent in getting their message across--death to the Consortium."

She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths as she forced the memories down. Flashes appeared in her vision and the sound of gunfire rattled in her ears. I've been trained how to handle war. I shouldn't still be affected by this. Calm down. One, two, three--I've got this. She focused in on Prince, drowning out everything else.

"Professions still apply as well. For the first city of each system, you will learn the skills needed to advance in the system. The more challenges you complete, the higher ranking those skills will reach. There are four Ranks—Apprentice is the first ranking, with Assistant, Graduate, Master, and Rank 1 through 4. Once you reach Graduate, there are several requirements you must accomplish before you can continue."

Aella frowned. This sounds complicated. I'm going to have to think ahead more than I thought I was going to have to.

Prince paused and looked around the room before he continued talking. "You will be required to formally choose a guild or go solo, pick your affiliation as a dark or light player, and be assigned to the squads that will follow you for the rest of your time in the game. After you finish training at the Graduate Academy, your squad will mean your life or death. They will travel with you, eat with you, sleep with you, and fight with you. You will protect each other and help your squadmates reach portal after portal until you clear the last one and become Legends. Are there any questions?"

A player on the first row raised his hand.

Why is it always the first row who has to answer everything? It's annoying. I just want to get out of here already.

Prince pointed to him.

"What is daily life going to be like in the Beta Game?"

Aella fought the urge to roll her eyes. Stupid question.

"I don't know," Prince answered. "Even I haven't been allowed to enter the city yet--I've only been on the outskirts. But if it is similar to Alpha, all of your weapons, supplies, and currencies will be reached via your setup menu. You will be assigned a job in the capital city of Arvium, which is the main hub for the entire game. You will be responsible for growing, hunting, or buying your own food. Also, going on mini missions is a great way to gain credits to use for advancing your weapons or buying supplies."

He looked around the auditorium. "Any more questions?" When nobody raised their hand, he nodded and continued. "When I call your name, stand, so that I can count you as present. We still have a few players from the farthest quadrants coming in on a later train today, so I need to make an accurate account of who is already here. When you receive your number, remember it. I will not be repeating myself."

***

"Aella Rynnex" Prince's voice called out twenty minutes later.

"Sir," she yelled, standing out of habit.

He looked up at her, before marking something on the digital array he held. "Section 4," he told her.

Aella was glad she had chosen a seat nearer to the aisle. She was able to make it to Section 4 fairly quickly, choosing an empty seat near the middle of the section. She sat down, taking note of her surroundings.

"Is that everyone?" Prince asked after he had called more names. He waited for a response before he nodded.

Two guards made their way to the front of the auditorium, one of them tapping Prince on the shoulder, interrupting him before he could continue. Prince covered the microphone on his shirt with a hand and frowned as the guard spoke into his ear. She watched as his face paled, and he nodded. The guards moved away as he straightened his shoulders.

"Tonight, there will be a tribute for the loss of Quadrant 56. It has been scheduled for this evening. Since you are still in the testing phase, normally you wouldn't enter the game for two more days. However, because of the occasion, you will be allowed to enter the capital city of Arvium for the event."

Aella's eyebrow raised as she watched the porters react to the news. They seem nervous. Is there something I missed?

Prince clapped his hands, gathering their attention again. "Please follow the porter holding up your section's number. They will then relay your next instructions. Section 4, you are up first."

Aella stood, taking her place in the throng of people that stood around her. She bit at her lip as she walked up and out of the auditorium.