Non-Contender 17: A Short Story

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Relocating target to [coordinates]…

Designating plane: Non-Contender 17

Rebuilding laws…

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Beginning Race Assessment: Human

Please State Your Name Clearly

Mason felt an instinctive blink, as if he were trying to process the light he was seeing, but he could not feel his eyelids move. As he tried to turn, he found that the black letters remained suspended before him, while the normal sensation of movement was missing. There was no air, he couldn’t see his hands and body beneath him.

The voice repeated its demand.

He felt his initial um filtered from speech, and all that was left from his statement to linger in the air was, “Mason Nevels.”

These words appeared in red underneath the black letters, then …show more content…

Choose a door between one and three.

“One.”

Door three is revealed to be the incorrect door. Will you remain with door one, or switch to door two?

“Switch to door two.”

Correct.

His mind struggled to question what was happening. He had the vague notion that whatever was happening was forcing his mind into submission, trying to prevent him from doing anything but answer the questions honestly or perform in the challenges.

What bothered him the most - his mind choked out through a series of sputtering half-thoughts - was how often he had seen the word excellent. He was of middling fitness and he liked to believe slightly above average intelligence. But every question seemed to be something he already knew, and every physical challenge seemed to place him exactly where he needed to be to react safely.

He could barely struggle to conceive of time, but hundreds of questions had flown at him, more dangerous threats than he could count had presented themselves to him, and yet he got through it relatively unharmed.

Analysis Complete

Subject: Mason Nevels

Status: Healthy

Racial Aptitude: Excellent

Initializing Stats…

Human