I glare at Ufrik. Granted, it isn't him exactly. He has managed to make himself look a little different in here. His face not precisely as before, ears not pointed, skin slightly darker, but his hair is still shock white, and his glowing gold eyes are ever-present.

When he had entered the Home Base, I don't know how I didn't see it. His face may have looked a little different, but the cocky attitude and facial expressions are so obvious to me now, I feel a little stupid.

Yet, there is no point in beating myself up for it. It may have been misplaced hope, but I want answers he has about my past.

And if I had recognized him earlier, I may have tried to kill him on the spot, ruining my chances for knowledge - and finishing this stupid game.

Can I kill him in the game? Only one way to find out. Shrugging mentally, I can't decide right now. Maybe I will find out. Maybe not.

He had said something about training. If I could connect with my K'ai more regularly, without the risk of killing everyone around me, that alone could be worth letting him live. For now.

That didn't change the fact we still have a score to settle, though. The bastard sold me out.

Perhaps a little maiming would make me feel better. Is it wrong that the idea of hurting him makes me want to smile? But to the matter at hand.

"What does that mean? Give up? If you start to laugh again, I will break your nose." Hey, if opportunity strikes, I won't look the other way.

His laugh turns to a smirk, eyes dancing. His good mood makes me want to throat punch him. Why in the stars is he so fucking happy?

"Damn, Zea. Why are you always so crusty? Lighten up... Well, on the inside. You seem to have the outwards part covered." He snickers quietly.

Fuck him. I shoot lasers at him with my eyes. Not literally, mind you, but I am tempted to see if I can.

I feign indifference, shrugging a shoulder to show I could give zero fucks what he thinks. I am not about to let him know.

I have no idea why but he makes it hard for me to control my emotions. It is a matter of pride. My reaction to him is not normal. Why is he able to get under my skin so quickly?

"Hope that wasn't your attempt at humour, Ufrik. Start explaining how I get through this game... Please."

I make that sound way more sincere than I feel on purpose. The sincerity in my voice shocks him silent.

The smirk leaves his face, and his eyes get serious. He wasn't expecting a sincere, polite asshole, just a crusty asshole. Is that what it takes to shut him up? Good manners?

"This is the hard part, Zea. For you, probably harder than most. You have to let go." His eyes bore into me with such intensity I almost look away.

"Let go? Let go of what?" I have a horrible feeling creeping over me suddenly. Like I forgot to rinse the soap off in the shower. I feel gross and pissy all at once.

"Everything."

What in stars does that mean?

"Wow. Don't get so specific." He isn't exactly helping. At this rate, I am beginning to think I should just go figure it out for myself.

"You have to acknowledge you are not in control. It's like giving yourself up to the Universe and its plan."

I snort my disgust.

"Not my style."

I don't believe in an almighty plan. I won't give myself over to anyone else's schedule either. Especially the "Universe's."

"There is a plan. Can you explain why you are here? Explain the odds of you being found in that field?" He's staring unblinking at me like he is trying to touch the deepest part of my K'ai.

This is creeping me out, if I am honest—time to go. But before I turn to walk away, he continues.

"I know you've seen it. The unthinkable happening. Things magically just falling into place. There is a plan. We are all part of it."

His voice in my head stops me in my tracks. Someone dropped him as a baby. Maybe a few times.

I can't help myself. I turn back to face him once more.

"Seriously? You can't believe that. Why, then, have I been able to royally fuck up everything so thoroughly in my life? Are you going to tell me it's part of the plan? It's one stupid fucking plan then."

The Universe has a plan! Ha! Because it wasn't my choices that brought me here? I never believed the crap preached in the temples. I wasn't going to start now.

"Zea, the Universe does have a plan. How else could it keep everything balanced? Perhaps you lack the insight to see the plan is always in flux. It has to. Things are always changing. But it doesn't change the fact. We are not fully in control."

"I thought you were smarter than this."

I stare at him in disbelief. I honestly feel a little stunned. Standing here talking to Ufrik suddenly seems like a colossal waste of time. I mean, I want out of this mind fuck of a game, but I can't see how his advice is going to get me anywhere.

"Let's recap. So to move forward in this Battle of the Minds, I have to accept that I have no control of my life? Is that right? Kind of sounds contrary to the name of the game."

He rolls his eyes.

"Sort of. If you had any sort of spiritual side, maybe you'd understand. You have been disconnected from your K'ai for too long." He shakes his head at me, hanging it low.

Rubbing the back of his neck and looking like he is carrying a significant burden, he says, "But, to win, you have to convince the computer that you truly accept you are not in control of your future."

He looks back up at me, eyes showing hope and is that sadness?

It makes sense, though. A game advertised as minds battling it out having a catch like this to win. Accepting your fate or some shit.

So I have to convince the computer monitoring the brain waves in my head that I have given up control of my destiny. That probably isn't going to happen any time soon. My brows furrow as I think through this problem.

I suddenly have a thought. I don't have to convince myself the Universe is all-powerful. If I just focus on the fact I am stuck in this bloody game, with no way out, physical body chained to a gel pad, I will feel powerless. I have no control over what happens to my body here.

But will it be enough? It's just a computer, right? Worth a shot anyway. I mentally shrug. I can fake it. I think.

But for some crazy reason, Ufrik isn't done selling the "universe has a plan" nonsense.

"Zea, giving yourself over to the plan of the Universe doesn't mean you lose all control of your future. We still have choices. We attract to us what we focus on. Remember I said the plan is always changing." His face is solemn.

He stares intently into my eyes. He believes what he is telling me.

"The Universe also gives back to us what we send out. I would highly recommend you keep that in mind." He smiles gently at me.

Eww. Does he care about me?

"And here I thought that was called Karma." I snort. I can't help it. I don't do well with tender moments.

"Uggh. Call it what you want, Zea. Now you know how to win, and we are running out of time. So?"

He raises his eyebrows. A clear challenge on his face. Screw it. I can't win this game. I don't see myself tricking the computer. So that leaves the obvious question.

"Think they'll kill me if I lose?"

I want to laugh but hold it in. Not sure why this is funny. But for some reason, it is.

"No. They'll just sell you to the Iornos Star alliance. They are currently the highest bidders." Well then. There's a happy thought. No, I will kill the bounty hunters before that happens. Guaranteed. Even if I die in the process.

Suddenly an intense ringing sound explodes in my ears. I cover them with my hands, wincing in pain.

Mother of the stars, what is that?

I unintentionally broadcast my thoughts to Ufrik, who answers.

"Someone has already won this round. We are about to enter a new world. Focus on your K'ai Zea!"

"How the hell is that going to help me? Ahhh, fuck, that's loud!"

How am I going to reach my K'ai here in the first place?

"Just do it -."

Everything goes white. I can't see Ufrik. I am blind.

The ringing grows in intensity. It is going to make my virtual ears bleed at this rate. Ufrik said to focus on my K'ai. Not sure why, but anything is better than focusing on the overly intense ringing in my head.

I need to focus on the darkness. Hard to do with the blinding white light outside my eyelids. I can barely make out the crack where my K'ai is hiding.

It is hard to see with darkness not being as dark as it should be. I reach out for it. The light streaming out from the crack seems to reach out towards me in return.

I push forward even harder, just wanting to touch it. I feel my fingers warm a little in the soft glow. Then there is nothing.

***

I wake with another pounding headache. This needs to stop. I had just gotten over the last one. At least it doesn't hurt as much this time.

I am lying on the cold, damp stone again. Talk about Deja Vu. This game sucks. I had more fun mucking the cattle stalls as a kid.

Wait. Shit! I remember everything this time. I didn't forget like they said I was supposed to. Maybe there is something about focusing on your K'ai that helps keep your wits about you? Noted.

Sitting up and brushing the dirt and grime off my skin, I take a look around.

Well, isn't this place just sunshine and giggles.

The sky is dark and gloomy. Clouds that are ready to burst into rain hang heavy over the damp street I currently sit in.

It is eerily quiet.

I am in some sort of small village. By looking at the decaying shops and run-down tavern to my left, I guess I am on a main road.

I hear groaning up the street and raise my eyes to see the Dukri getting up. Not far from her is the oversized Gnarr.

This should prove to be entertaining. They won't have a clue who they are or why they are here.

Checking myself quickly, I find I am still glowing, and my hair is still dancing around my head. Yeah me. I wonder how the two up the road are going to respond to me?

I consider hiding, but I am not a coward. Besides, in this damp, dark, gloomy street, there isn't exactly anywhere to hide my glowing white ass.

I spot Ufrik walking around the corner of a building. It doesn't look like the entry into this new world affected him at all. I want to throat punch him again, just because. Yes, I have aggression issues. But keep in mind I like being paid to shoot things for a living for a reason.

I snicker out loud at the thought of punching Ufrik before I can stop myself. Something is definitely wrong with me. But it takes all kinds to keep the Universe in "balance," right?

I laugh again. That shouldn't be funny. Everyone will stare at me for other reasons than my glowing skin if I don't get a grip.

Back to the number one question of the day then, why does Ufrik bug me so much?

At the sound of my snickers, Ufrik's head comes up to look in my direction. His eyes waver for a moment. He isn't sure if I remember. I can tell.

I want to mess with him, but I don't have the heart for it right now. This game is really shitty. So instead, I decide to be charming.

"Hurry up and 'let go' so you win this round, and we can move on." A small smile tugs at my lips as I stand up, facing him. I raise a challenging eyebrow, my face saying, "Come on, do it, smart guy."

He shakes his head at me, so I know he heard me. But instead of acknowledging me, he turns to assess the other two with us. Wise choice, I suppose. I want a fight, and he probably knows it.

The Gnarr is staring at me like I am some sort of goddess. Oh, celestial stars!

I have to resist slapping my own face with an open palm. If he comes over and prays at my feet or offers me a sacrifice, I am unsure what I will do.

The Dukri, on the other hand, looks at me like I am pure evil. That or she is just unhappy in general. I can't blame her.

The four of us stand in some sort of weird standoff. No one is saying anything. Two of us are trying to decide if they are in danger or not, and the other two are waiting to see what will happen.

I can't take it anymore. I like action. This isn't getting us anywhere.

"Look, I mean no one any harm. Just passing through this beautiful shit hole." I give them my best charming smile. I probably look creepy, but I am trying here.

Ufrik chuckles. Rather he knows that I do mean him harm, or he likes my description of this decaying gloomy town. Or maybe I look like a freaky demon trying to comfort my soon-to-be lunch. Whatever.

"Are you from around here?" The Gnarr asks. Probably wanting info on the area. Smart.

"No, sorry. To be honest, I don't know how I got here." I lie. Years of working for Armada has trained me well.

"This is Grange. And you are right about it being a shit hole. We should all leave. Immediately!" The Dukri seems extra jumpy, bouncing lightly from foot to foot like the ground is burning her toes.

Now that she isn't glaring at me, her eyes dart around from building to building, checking each window and dirty wooden doorway. What is she looking for?

"Why?" Ufrik asks the obvious.

"Stay then. It will give me time to escape. Doesn't bother me. But I warned you."

With that, she turns and takes off at a blinding speed with her backwards legs. She is gone before I realized she was leaving. That is speed. Impressive.

I turn to Ufrik. He just shrugs a shoulder. It is obvious we are in her mind this time. She being the only one recognizing where we are.

This game is glitchy. I could have sworn we had been told that would not be the case.

I am a little apprehensive about her need to leave so fast. What the hell is she so afraid of?

Rolling my eyes heavenward, I tilt my head back and look up at the dark clouds. They have no answers.  Stuck in a stupid glitchy mind fuck messing with my deepest brain waves.

Fantastic.

"I can't remember who I am."

The poor Gnarr looks upset when I turn to him. He is rubbing his temples, head shaking from left to right.

I am worried he is going to start punching himself in the head. Being mindfucked does weird things to people.

He has stopped worrying about the town or where he is and is simply overwhelmed that he doesn't know who he is. I feel for the guy.

"How the stars did the Dukri know where we are? I thought everyone was supposed to be clueless?" I turn to Ufrik for an answer. I hate this place.

How had she known? The damned Gnarr doesn't remember who he is.

"They leave that part out. When it's your nightmare, you can't help but recognize it. The game makers haven't figured out how to stop it. She may have no clue who she is or why she is here, but being in her subconscious, having had dreams or nightmares about this place, she recognizes it."

"Fear is a powerful thing, I guess. Damn. Wonder what's so scary about this place?"

"I am sure we will find out sooner or later. Once this world's challenge is found, did you want to try to win this round?"

"I wouldn't know how. I still don't get it. Besides, you've done this before, haven't you?" I glare at him. He needs to stop pushing.

"I said I would explain later. Time is different here. We need to be careful. Once we are through this, I will tell you everything. Granted, that will be hard if you get sold right after." His eyes glow with his dark humour. He is trying to goad me on, and he is enjoying it. Asshole.

"We'll see."

"Hey, did you guys hear that?"

The Gnarr is looking past us, down the street. I hadn't been paying attention. Stupid on my part.

I turn to look down the street. I see nothing. It is too dark to see very far.

I train my ears in that direction and pick up on a high-pitched creaking sound, then a dripping sound echoing just after that, then the wind rustling some leaves on a tree further down, and then I hear it.