Escape from Metal
Chapter 21: Part 1: The Trial

Jake was nervous he was about to be thrown out of the only harbor of safety he knew. Although he was considering how safe it was with Akilina breathing down his neck. She was still staring at him across the room like he’d kill her long lost aunt or something.

Dan sat next to her with a neutral expression. Thankfully so too. Jake was pretty sure he was the only thing keeping Akilina from tossing him down the pit.

After more back and forth with Akilina. Mostly just to tell Jake how she would throw him to his maker down in the pit, whatever that meant. Lee would occasionally interject mostly just to act as a wall between Jake and Akilina when things got too heated.

As Jake quickly discovered she made threats and they sure weren’t idle threats. He had to wonder how she could be one of the founding members to lead everyone here. Did she nearly kill everyone that was new here? It didn’t seem like the others got this treatment.

Jake would do something next that he would in hindsight recall to be one of the dumbest or bravest thing he would do in sometime.

“I get why you want to throw me out of this place.” Jake said as he started slightly chuckling to himself.

“It’s because I beat you in that fight and not only did, I beat you, I beat you badly. Aren’t you supposed to be one of the best fighters here?”

Akilina’s face snapped to meet Jakes eyes in a second.

“What did you say to me?” She said as she opened her eyes wider.

Jake’s momentary lapse in character quickly faded as he shrunk back into his shell.

“I…uh… well what I meant to say is that…”

“I heard you the first time. So, you think I’m not the best fighter here?”

“Well, lucky for you. I don’t have to prove myself to you.” She said standing up and moving behind her chair. “You however have a lot to prove. Tell you what I’ll give you a chance.”

“Tomorrow, we have the second phase of the fighting corp. If you can pass the test and join the fighting corps, not only will I let you stay. I’ll even give you a promotion but if you don’t pass not only can’t you stay here but I will personally throw you down the pit.”

“Sound fair squirt?”

Jake’s mind was overloaded with stress if he made the wrong choice now, he’d be done for. She was giving a pretty good offer but if he didn’t pass, he probably be dead. If he got left outside, he be dead anyway.

“One question before I answer you. How am I supposed to prepare for the trial in a day?”

“That’s the beauty of it, we’re testing your innate ability not your preparation.” She said as she kicked a chair towards him.

“Tomorrow. Dawn. At the firing range, don’t be late otherwise you’ll be disqualified, and you know what that means.” She said as she walked out of the room.

“But I didn’t answer you.” Jake said as she walked away. Too late she was already out of earshot and even if she wasn’t it’s not like he had much of a choice.

“She’s friendlier as you get to know her.” Dan said with a half-baked smile.

*

Jake had been inside so long he had forgotten how blinding the sun was in this sector. He quickly put his helmet on as he walked outside. It had been quite a while since he’d been outside. All that kept running through his mind was that he had beaten Akilina in a fight. He was in utter disbelief.

How would he have beaten her in a fight. Just by looking at her he was intimidated now they were telling him that he almost killed her. It wasn’t the first time his memory lapsed since he woke up.

Was he actually a machine-like Akilina said? Maybe he was some programmed robot in a human body. If so, his programming was faulty, and he was the fault. When he blacked out that was when he really became what he was made for. To kill. That was what he thought at least.

Right now, he was nervous. He could barely hold the coilgun from last time. How was he going to pass the test? He didn’t even know what the test was. They could ask him to fight a machine for all he knew, if that were the case he was certainly doomed to fail.

He got even more uncomfortable as he got closer to the podium Akilina was standing on. Everyone surrounded her eagerly waiting for her to tell them how they were going to pass the test.

As he inched closer people started noticing him and started staring at him. Most carried an expression of concern. Others looked scared of him, and a few were smiling? Guess, some people liked the show he had put on. Even though he couldn’t recall what this show was.

“Listen up everyone, here’s how this works.” Akilina shouted at everyone.

“You will each receive four tags. They’re these circles that you can stick to your body. Each of you must stick your four tags in any visible place on your body. The tags are equipped with RFID receivers. These receivers when activated turns the tag red, if all four of your tags turn red you will be disqualified. The tags are activated by these dummy coilguns.” Akilina said holding up one of the dummies.

“They aren’t real but work in more or less the same fashion. We reduced the range to make it more challenging. If you are 10 meters or closer to some and can aim the coilgun at your opponent for three seconds their tag will turn red but if they lock is broken it will not count. The coilguns must have line of sight with your opponent otherwise it will not count.”

“One kilometer from here there is a derelict building where the test will take place. We’ve checked it as best we can to make sure its relatively safe but remember we are still in the machine’s territory so stay alert.”

“Now, I know some of you are more psychopathic than most.” She said glancing towards Jake.

“So, you’re probably wondering how far you can go to tag your opponents. You can do anything except seriously injure them. Remember we want to fight the machines not break each other in the tests.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you the test starts now and there are not enough coilguns and tags for everyone and if you don’t get both of those you’re out.”

Without skipping a beat everyone scrambled to get to the coilguns. They were neatly laid out on a few tables next to Akilina. There was probably a couple of hundred people all in all. Jake had no idea how many guns there was, but this wasn’t the time to think. He would have to act now or die.

His blood was thumping through his ears as his adrenaline kicked in. He pushed and shoved through the crowed as they all struggled to get to the coilguns.

It was extremely hard to move through, everyone was like animals. Jake couldn’t understand why they were so eager to pass the test. They weren’t going to be thrown to their doom like he was. Through all the pushing and shoving someone must’ve accidentally let one of the coilguns fall.

Jake quickly got on his knees at the risk of being trampled and swooped up the coilgun. Now he just had to run all the way to the testing grounds to hopefully get any tags if there was any left.

“I thought we supposed to let them go in groups?” Lee said as he tilted his head to the side.

“We were supposed to yes but this way we get the people out who can’t fight early. Besides it’s a lot more entertaining.”

“Don’t come crying to me when half of the new recruits have got injuries.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just keep watching them and make sure no one tries to kill anyone… again.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Akilina grumbled as she started walking towards the test building.

“Don’t call me ma’am.”

Jake kept thinking as he ran. There were way too many people for him to beat them all to the tags. Maybe they just said that so they would actually try their best. Just as Jake was starting to spiral into his usual panicked deep thoughts. He almost tripped and fell on a protruding piece of metal.

He had forgotten this entire place was falling apart. It didn’t help his motivation when a couple more people ran past him. He decided to focus all his mental energy on not falling behind as much as he already had.

He wouldn’t be able to outrun them or catch up to the leaders of the pack. He had to be smart than them. He was at a much greater disadvantage than they were. Everything scared him and he had no idea what his physical limitations were.

As Jake continued running for a minute or two more. He could feel his body starting to urge him to stop. Jake had to come up with a plan and fast. He started looking around as he ran. After scanning left and right.

He saw something with potentially either that or it would kill him. The side of a buildings frame had peeled off. The test sights outer frame and the plating on it seemed relatively intact.

Jake had to act quick. If he wasted too much time climbing or falling, he’d fall to far behind to get any tags.

He quickly changed his direction as he snapped to the left and ran away from the rest of his opponents. This way could be quicker, but the path had a lot more rubble and pieces of the fallen frame scattered about. If he took a wrong step or jump, he could easily be impaled or just fall through the floor to who knows where.

“Hey man, where are you going?” One of Jakes opponents called out to him. “You’re supposed to go around the hill not over it.”

Akilina and Lee had reached a vantage point where they could see the entirety of the mad scramble.

“Aren’t you supposed to be making sure they don’t kill each other?” Akilina asked.

“Yeah, I am but I thought I could see more of what was going on up here.”

“Suit yourself, don’t know how you could get all the way down there to stop them fighting though.”

“I’ll figure something out.” There was a slight pause between them. Only the only sound was the whispering wind as it blew past their faces.

“Say Akilina, what is that guy doing?”

“Not sure.” She said as she started carefully observing him.

Jake’s stamina was reaching its end point as he clawed away to reach the top of the hill. Push pieces of loose metal out of his way and pulling on those still sturdy enough to hold his weight. Nearly losing his balance a couple of times.

For a moment a thought entered his head ‘What are you doing? It’s time to stop.’ The thought threatened everything he knew. The only thing he knew. Running away, he always ran since he woke up. He had not really thought much about it. He just did

He speculated that he didn’t just run away from physical confrontations but those in his mind too. He let Gwen’s friend die and because of his recklessness she got captured by the slavers. To push others aside. Because of the choice he had made. Those last words rang through his head.

For a brief moment his petrifying fear returned he almost turned around and ran straight to his death. Then he thought about it once more as he pushed aside another piece of metal. He ran headfirst onto the path no one else did. Perhaps there was a part of him that could move forwards.

He thought about Gwen being captured and an inexplicable deep fiery rage surfaced itself. The kind that makes you not want to destroy or scream at someone but the kind that makes you push yourself.

Jake’s stamina returned and he doubled his pace as he climbed further up the hill. He was climbing faster and faster and moving more and more rubble. He would get to the top of the hill, and he would finish in time.

As Jake climb further and further, he screamed. Not out of pain but the out of the rage he felt. It was now fueling him as he climbed further and further.

“Akilina did you see that. That guy just sped up he’s actually going to reach the top but what is he going to do there?”

Akilina didn’t say anything but instead stared ponderingly at Jake climbing. Akilina quickly took out her binoculars to get a better view of who it was.

“Well, whoever it is they sure have they sure want to get in the fighting corp.” Akilina said as she raised, her binoculars to her face.

“Well, fancy that. It’s our local pro fighter. He’s lost it I tell you. Seems the machines didn’t program this one too well.”

Jake was just about at the precipice of the hill and with one finally tug on the metal he had made it to the top.

Hopefully the winding route that the others had to take and the sheer amount of people on such a narrow road would slow them down. Now it was his turn to be the one to show someone how something was done.

He tore out a flat piece of metal from the cluster of rubble and laid it down on the ground.

“Well, I hope this works.”

He sat down on the metal and pushed himself forward. Until he was far enough that the gravity tugged him down.

He flew down the hill bumping and bouncing all the way down. It was difficult to steer when he was constantly hopping about but at least he was moving fast. Maybe a little too fast.

“I’ve got to figure out a way to slow down or I’m going to end up crashing” Jake grunted as he hit another bump.

Jake was going to finish in time. At the speed he was going he had to. His problem was how was he going to stop. He was going to be traveling for several hundred meters at the mercy of the planets gravity not to mention all the jagged metal in his way.

Jake tried swinging from left to right and back again as much as he could without going off of the hill, but it only seemed to make the way down bumpier. Every time he hit a bump he would slam back into the hill. As fractured pieces flew up around him.

He quickly put his arm in front of his face to stop the splintered pieces from blinding him, but it would momentarily disorientate him as he had to readjust to the incoming metal shards sticking out of the ground.

Jake could already make out glimpse of the first few people arriving. He could not see anyone else arrive so either they were so far ahead. That he wouldn’t be able to see them, or they were the last ones to arrive. That thought frightened him. If they were the last ones to arrive, then not only would he be thrown into the pit, but he would have made himself look like a fool. By going on this detour.

He was almost there but Jake wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold on. The constant bashing against the floor was putting a strain on his hands. With every bash it got worse, but he had to hold on… just a little longer. This wasn’t just some game this was for his life.

With one final crash he hit the ground. He hit it hard but that didn’t stop him. The momentum was still there until he smashed into a pillar. Jake was only a couple meters away from the tags. He started crawling towards it. Coughing and barely being able to see.

Pulling himself forwards with his arms and pushing with his legs. It felt as if he was pushing against the weight of a mountain. More of his opponents arrived and grabbed tags. They were almost finished.

With a final push he managed to get to the table where all the tags were. Jake however couldn’t get up. So, he latched onto the side of the table a pushed himself up.

He was lucky there were barely any left. He paused for a moment feeling all the blood rush from his head and the dizziness set in. Then he grabbed his prize.

The gravity of it set in. The trial hadn’t even begun yet this was just to get to the trial, and he almost got himself knocked out.

Jake heard a voice slowly fade in as he stared at the fourth tag in his hand.

“Dude? Are you alright.” One of the men distributing the tags said. “That was one hell of a ride.”

“Yeah uh, thanks.” Jake said, he was barely aware of what the man was saying.

Jake couldn’t waste any more time talking. He had to finish his trials quickly. He would need a plan before he rushed in. He quickly crouched so that he could recover from his dizziness and think of a plan while he was recovering.

From what fleeting glance he could get inside the building. It seemed to be a smaller building than most of the tower buildings and had degraded much faster than the ones he had seen. Giant holes were scattered across the roof of the building with loose cables and wires dangling dangerously from it.

It was hard to say exactly what the building was used for. Perhaps some sort of storage or sorting facility. The condition of the inside of it made it nearly impossible to determine. With pillars and giant metallic rectangle like structures strewn about.

Similarly, to the roof of the building both the walls and flooring had degraded and started to fall apart, not to the degree that the roof had but still posed a challenge to navigating it none the less.

Jake realized he had two options he could either wait until more people got weeded out and only left with minimal opponents possibly worn down by the one, they had to combat. As no rules were giving concerning when they should or could enter the decrepit building.

This presented a problem however the remaining opponents were undoubtedly the strongest out of everyone present if they had made it to the end. The constant engagement in the simulated combat could also have the opposite effect of wearing them down and make their sense more aware than his. Not to mention getting used to the weapons they had to use and navigating the treacherous terrain.

His second option would be to go inside the building immediately and try to claw his way to the end of the trial. A problem arose as he thought of this. If only a handful of people remained, then they would barely be getting any more people to fight. So, they must’ve implemented a unspoken rule for those who got knocked out of the trial most recently. Perhaps they would be allowed to join as well, surely having more fighters than less would be better, but Jake knew that would just lead to the same problem. The teams will probably get split up at the end.

Even if this was true, he couldn’t take any chances. Some of the internal collapsed structures could provide excellent cover on the low ground and perhaps good hiding spot or he could try to reach the highest point and maintain a good overview of his surroundings.

Even in the ideal area he was still at a major disadvantage while the others where most likely familiar with the weapons and the general topography of whatever this hellscape was. He couldn’t remember past the last few months that, and he had just climbed up the hill and wasted energy while everyone else had a leisurely jog around it. He would have to be smart and use the strength he had left accordingly.

He now had two plans he could use but he hesitated something was pulling him. Telling him to run. To hide. To run and not look back. It was screaming in his ear. If he ran and got away, he was dead, he couldn’t survive out there not alone. If he failed this, he was dead. He had to act.

Without another thought he dashed into the building. He wanted to scream but he knew it would be better if fewer people knew exactly where he was. After all he apparently almost killed one of their leaders. Surely, some of the recruits would be gunning for him.

His awareness would be key in this battle that much he knew. An overwhelming surprise attack from either side could easily knock him out of the trails and ensure he would end up in the pit. Jake had anticipated the worst happening to him. If two or more enemies appeared in front of him, they could tag him completely. That’s why he put the tags on different locations one on his right shoulder and on his chest. Two he placed on his upper and lower back. This way if he got ambushed from one side, he would only lose half his tags.

Jake scoured the inside of the building for a place he could have cover and a wide visual range. His best bet would be replaceing one of the collapsed rectangular structures. The problem was that most of them were in the middle and that’s were the most intense fights were taking place and where most people naturally converged to. His other alternative would be the exposed high ground and he was not going to take that risk.

Jake slinked around the testing field from cover to cover. Most of what he could hide behind was some ruined pieces of the building barely enough to hide his entire body. Jake felt a sense of familiarity as he walked heel toe to keep his noise to a minimum. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread.

Not the sense of dread as he felt earlier about falling into the pit, no. This, this was something else. His soul felt as if it was collapsing in on itself. He was terrified. All he could hear was the distant grunts and shouts of his other opponents.

He pushed forwards meter by meter he would survive.

“Superfuerat diem.” The soft whisper of these words had escaped his lips before knew it. He had no idea what he had just said but somehow it gave him courage to move forwards. As he continued to one of the rectangular structures he had been eyeing.

This one was on the edge compared to the others. It had completely collapsed on its side but offered enough cover behind him. That he would have less to worry about his backside. That and it was far away from where the real action was.

Finally reaching the collapsing triangle. He quickly started taking cover and checking all the spots people could attack him from. Almost immediately he saw a group of four approaching him. They were far and out of range, but they were closing fast and greatly outnumbered him.

They seemed that they had seen some action already as several members of their party already had a few tags lit in red. That would make it slightly easier for Jake, slightly. He had to think fast.

They had split up into pairs and started flanking him on opposite sides and with their superior numbers he had next to a zero chance of beating them head on.

“I see one of his tags sticking out from behind the wreckage.” One of them yelled as the got closer to the wreckage.

Jake hadn’t fired back or attempted any form of defense. The four men cautiously rounded the corner where his tag was. The ground crunched under their boots as they walked from heel to toe. Making sure to keep the mock coilguns at its tightest possible angle.

“What the hell is this?” One of the men said as he tightened his grip on the coilgun and started looking around him.

“Where did he go?”

Jake had taken off one of his tags and placed it against the wall to bait his attackers in. He knew it was a risk as it was basically a guarantee that it would get tagged but he would have one of the few things that could swing a battle in favour of the loser. Surprise.

He quickly started tagging the two closest attackers. He had climbed up into a hole in the wreckage while they were distracted by his plan. It didn’t give him great maneuverability but all he needed was time.

The had been fully tagged before they could even react and now counted as ‘dead’. Now he only had two of them to worry about. They knew where he was now, and they were at a difficult angel. Jake quickly leapt down from his heightened position.

He hit the ground with a groan and had to take a second to steady himself before almost falling over. The two attackers were mere meters from him. He rolled quickly as they tried to tag him. Quickly trying to close the distance between them.

Jake reached a grabbed whatever was closest to him, in this case a metal shard. The attacker flinched he had his chance and fully tagged him as well.

The last attacker was right next to him and tagged the remaining tag on his chest but couldn’t quiet reached his back tags as Jake lay on the ground. The attacker grew increasingly frustrated as he tried to roll Jake over. Much to his dismay Jake was far too persistent to move. The attacker couldn’t reach his final tags.

Just as the attacker was about to attempt to knock him out and flip him over, Akilina came running into the testing grounds, coilgun in hand. With a serious and somewhat concerned expression on her face.

“Everyone evacuate now!” She yelled as she turned to face the way she was coming from aiming down her sights.

Just as she had said that four hunters burst through the wall.

These seemed different from the one Jake had seen before these seemed deadlier somehow. They were sleeker than the one Jake encounter previously. They had a soulless brutality in their eyes that far exceeded the one he met before. These didn’t just hunt. They destroyed.

Jake and the other four men that had been hunting him moments before instinctively took cover. Jakes grand ideas of how he would defeat his opponents all mapped out in his head, quickly dissipated.

The ounce of courage he had quickly vanished along with his plans. He was terrified. He couldn’t believe that he had to face hunters again. He couldn’t help himself but think of his last encounter with them and how he’d let his friend die.

He pushed himself against the ragged piece of metal behind him as he clenched his mock rifle.

“Hey man, are you… are you ok?” One of the other men said as he slowly crouched walked over to Jake and put his hand on Jake’s shoulder.

Jake ignored his question. He started breathing faster and faster. He tried not to think of the hunter. He tried not to think of dying. He tried blotting out the soulless machine staring into his eyes.

Jake started holding the mock coilgun tighter as he put the gun’s side against his forehead. Surprisingly, the cold metal of the side of the gun was comforting in the scorching heat of the testing grounds.

“I…I just can’t… I can’t do it again.” Jake kept repeating this as he stared into the distance.

“Is he ok?” One of the men asked.

“Not again, not them again.”

The men were silent for a moment.

“Wait, you mean you faced a hunter and survived?”

Jake seemed to snap out of the strange state he was in.

“It… it wasn’t just a hunter there was a woman with it.”

The four men visibly recoiled as they heard this.

“Are you joking? There is no way someone like you could survive her.”

For a moment Jake said nothing he finally looked up from his far long stare and looked the closest one in their eyes. His eyes were empty in that moment. Terrifyingly so.

“Do I look like I am joking.”

The four men didn’t say anything. Their faces were wide with surprise. Scared even, the man who they had considered a weakling had survived her. She was probably the most dangerous person on the entire planet.

Those people were the ones who chose the machines over the humans. The machines gladly utilized them to replace the other humans who had betrayed them. They were the psychopaths, the broken and the bloodthirsty.

Alone they were deadly, with hunters they were unstoppable, and Jake had survived this unstoppable force. Not just any of them but the deadliest there was.

“She’s…” One of the men started.

“Why are we talking about me, we should help Akilina.” Jake said as he stood up. Akilina had been fighting all four hunters on her own while they were talking. She was holding her own but he wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to keep it up.

“What are we going to do we only have fake coilguns.”

“I’m not sure but I won’t be sitting here.”

“How are you going to help. You’re shaking so much you can barely stand still and even if you did have a working coilgun. He couldn’t hold it still.

Jake started running towards Akilina he wasn’t sure what he was going to do but he had to do something, anything. He couldn’t stand by while she was fighting. He wanted to turn and hide or scream and cry. He wasn’t sure which, but he had to keep running he had to help her.

Jake was quickly stopped when a hand on his collar stopped him in his tracks. Jake turned back with both surprise and a pained expression to look who was holding his collar. It was one of the four men.

“What are you trying to do, choke me?” Jake asked as he straightened his collar back to where it wouldn’t be suffocating him.

“You are crazy you know that. Look at what you were running into, without a coilgun no less. I was saving your life Is all.”

“And who is going to save hers?” Jake said as he looked over to Akilina.

The man was right, he hated to admit it, but he was. Those four Hunters would tear him apart and probably get Akilina killed in the process. He needed a plan a real plan.

Akilina was holding her own fairly well against the Hunters. She would alternate between low-voltage shots and taking a few steps backwards. The hunters didn’t give her near enough time to fully charge her coilgun. Not enough to fry them anyway but enough to stun them for a few seconds.

“I’ve got an idea. The hunters need to see to hit their targets. We’ll all the coilguns that have flashlights on them for night trials. So, if we form a semi-circle around the hunters, we can incrementally flash the Hunters. It won’t blind them completely but it be should enough to disorientate them.”

The other men smiled as they checked their coilguns for their flashlights.

“It’s better than just sitting here let’s do it then.” One of the men said as they started running towards the Hunters.

Truth be told Jake wasn’t the only one who was terrified. The others were afraid too. Not just because they were literally running towards machines made to kill them but very few people had actually seen Hunters and lived. These Hunters were not only killing machines they were far more refined than the one Jake had seen before.

Quickly following Jake’s plan, they formed a semi-circle around the Hunters. They didn’t even pay them any attention as they continued to focus their attention on Akilina.

“What the hell are you doing? Get away from here.” Akilina said as she fired off another under charged shot.

“We are here to give you a chance.” One of the four men shouted as everyone stated flashing their flashlights in a only de-synchronized harmony of light.

The Hunters reacted like Jake had hoped they couldn’t move for a few seconds. Their red eyes seemed to be flickering as they took a few steps backwards. Sensing an opportunity Akilina started charging a coilgun.

Stray strands of electricity started flying around the coilgun as they gun whined with more and more charge building up. Set let loose what can only be described as a micro bolt of lightning.

The Hunter was on the receiving end of the enormous blast of energy. Instantaneously stopped in its tracks. Twitched for a few seconds as the electricity bounded inside the Hunter, lumbered forward for a few steps and collapsed onto the ground.

The other Hunters must have realized what had happened and quickly retreated a couple hundred of meters. “Now is our chance.” One of the four men said as he motioned the others forwards.

Jake and Akilina followed suit and charged towards the Hunters. Just before they could get within range to start blinding them again. Six more Hunters burst through the wall behind the three remaining Hunters.

Before any of them could react one of the Advanced Hunters charged at them with lightning speed and knocked Akilina a few meters away with the blunt end of its blade arm. She landed with a thud and wasn’t moving.

Just as quickly as Jake’s fear had disappeared as he saw the flash of light and the tumble of the Hunter. It had come back two-fold of what it was. The only person who could do anything, who could save them couldn’t help them anymore.

Before Jake knew what he was doing he was shouting for the others to run away. They must’ve seen the madness in his eyes and did exactly as he said. As he got closer to the Advanced Hunter, he flashed light it in its eye and slid on the ground and grabbed Akilina’s coilgun.

In that moment something had shifted in Jake his fear disappeared. A solemn peace had overcome him. The kind you experience before you died. Time had slowed as he powered up the coilgun. It seemed to stretch on forever. Jake instinctively turned off the safety on the coilgun.

With that the energy resurgence was much more than when Akilina had used it. The Hunters realized what he was trying to do and all nine started rushing over to him. One tried to hit Jake, but he moved out of its first strike as it narrowly missed his head.

At this point the coilgun was operating way beyond it normal limits and the lightning-fast Hunters had surrounded him. Jake screamed as he pushed the coilgun to its limits.

Sparks and electrical webs surrounded him as they dangerously started flying out of the coilgun, it was barely able to contain its own power. Time seemed to stop. It was as if Jake had taken a photo of this moment his last moment.

With a release of the trigger something akin to actually lightning emerge from the gun with a blinding flash. All the Hunters were caught in a chain of lightning as it danced through their circuitry. Ripping their systems to shreds indiscriminately.

The coilgun being far beyond its limits caught Jake in a small piece of the lightning.

Strangely, he was okay with this being the end. At least he had saved them. He was probably going to die anyway there was no way he could have beat the top competitors in this competition.

Time seemed to be moving faster again and suddenly Jake was propelled backwards. He flew through the air and in an instant, he hit the wall.

His vision faded as the Hunters crumbled to the ground, twitching and electricity dancing on the surface of their bodies. Akilina and the other men rushed over to him.