As soon as the timer hit 00:00:00, the whole room stopped. A sharp chime rang out, and the system's voice filled the air like it was standing right beside us.
"Participants. Your alignment period has ended."
The room shook once, and then the voice continued:
"Welcome to Game Two."
The floor ahead of us split open with a heavy metallic grind. One after another, tall booths rose from the ground, forming a circle around us. Each one had a door, two chairs facing each other, and just enough space to stand or move a little.
The system didn't pause.
"This Game is simple. Each booth will host one Participant from Red… and one Participant from Blue."
A cold rush ran down my spine. Not just mine—Laura's grip on my arm tightened, Jude's jaw clenched, Blaire's eyes went wide. Everyone who had followed me to the Blue side froze for a second.
We had all thought… that this would be about teamwork, about sticking together, maybe even surviving by helping each other. And now this.
One-on-one. Face-to-face. Controlled by some twisted set of rules we hadn't seen yet.
I could almost hear the silent calculations running through everyone's heads, the same thought moving through all of us: I don't even know who I'll be paired with.
We were no longer a group. Each of us was about to become a single target in whatever nightmare the system had cooked up.
The system didn't care, it simply continued.
"Inside every booth are Cards placed at random. Each Card contains an instruction. Think of it as an engineered version of Truth or Dare, where the Dares are commands, and the Truths are... not optional."
People started whispering. Someone cursed under their breath.
Then the voice continued, almost amused:
"Blue will read the instruction. Red must do what is written. If Red refuses to obey, Blue may press the shock button located on their seat. This will deliver an electric shock strong enough to force compliance."
Laura's fingers tightened around mine, but the system wasn't done.
"If Blue refuses to read the Card, Red is allowed to press the shock button on their own seat. The shock will be delivered to Blue."
Voices rose. Some panicked. Some tried to stay calm. No one succeeded.
The next part was worse.
"Both sides may choose not to press the shock button… but only three times. After the third, mercy will no longer be allowed."
My breath caught. Three mercies. That's all?
"If either Participant refuses their role after three mercies… both will be terminated."
Silence. Cold, heavy silence.
Then the final line came, smooth and almost cheerful:
"Booths will open in two minutes. Prepare yourselves."
The booths clicked as the locks opened, waiting silently for the game to begin.
And every single person in the room knew that this, wasn't a choice. This was the system stripping us bare… one sick rule at a time.
My Player ID blinked on my palm, along with the one I'd been paired with as it also showed up on the screen in front of us.
P-123700FQ-M … and … P-450271AA-F.
Laura's hand squeezed my arm. "Hey… you'll do just fine, okay?"
I nodded, even though I didn't believe it myself. If I'm being honest, I had no idea how any of us were supposed to survive this next game. And judging by the looks of things, Red was the side I didn't want to be on.
The booth had two lights on, Blue light on my side, Red across from me. I stepped into my side of the booth, keeping my eyes forward. My partner was already there—a woman with black hair, probably in her early forties, staring at me with wide eyes, like she was trying not to vomit.
I glanced at the screen again. IDs ending with M were all male. Ending with F, all female. Laura was F. I was M. Easy enough.
We both got in and sat down as the timer counted down the two minutes. Too long, but not long enough.
She cleared her throat. "Hi… I'm Catherine."
"Erwin," I said, keeping my voice steady.
She gave a small smile, one that didn't reach her eyes. "I'm a lawyer. Back on Earth, I mean."
I forced a small smile that felt like chewing glass. "Math Lecturer."
"Smart, huh?" She tilted her head.
I knew what she was trying to do. Make things feel lighter than they actually were. Fake a normal conversation in the middle of a room built to destroy you. Even though she was probably scared out of her mind, she wanted to act like she had a grip on something, anything.
I nodded slowly, letting the silence stretch just long enough to let her know I noticed. It didn't make either of us feel any safer.
I finally blinked at her, trying to measure her tone. "You… okay?"
Her gaze dropped to her knees. When she looked back, a tear streaked her cheek. "Not really. I… I've got two kids. My husband's probably waiting for me to get back from court."
I opened my mouth, but the system's voice cut through, sounding as mechanically mocking as ever:
"Let the Game begin."
I swallowed. There was no comfort here. Only the booth, the timer, and the cold realization that nothing about this was fair.
I looked down at the box in front of me. Completely sealed, with only a single hole just big enough to fit a hand. My stomach tightened. I knew what it meant.
I slid my hand in and pulled out a card. I froze the second I saw what was written.
Catherine must have noticed too, because she leaned slightly forward. "W… what does it say?"
I didn't answer. I couldn't. Not to her. Not to a mother of two, not to a woman whose husband was probably waiting for her back home.
I dropped the card into the other box labeled "Drop Used Card Here."
Because the words on it… word for word said: Blue to tell Red to strip. To take off their shirt.
I swallowed as my mind spun. If that was the first card… I wondered what the rest had in store.