Chapter 2: Training
Braxton picked himself off the floor and noticed he was now in a hallway. The table and chairs remained. Braxton unleashed his rage on the table and flipped it. Then kicked the wooden legs, one broke off. This would make a good club. He thought to himself. He reach down and picked it up.
"Table leg acquired. Weapon type club. Would you like to place in inventory?" A voice entered inside his head.
"Who's there?" Braxton called aloud.
"Alpha interface model 999. I am here to assist you in completing this assessment." He voice played in his mind.
"Wow that's pretty cool. How do you work?" Braxton inquired.
"I have interfaced with the nanites inside your mind and can read your thoughts. You can think about equipping a weapon and I will place it in your hand. Skills you acquire I download. Provided your fitness meets the requirements. If you think it, I can assist you in preforming it." Alpha replied.
"Ok, make me do a backflip." Braxton replied.
"Fitness insufficient to complete this task. You need to hit the gym or acquire lifeblood of creatures in the furnace." Alpha stated plainly.
"How do I obtain the lifeblood?" Braxton responded.
"Killing creatures is the most common way. You can also find vials of blood that has been synthesized at times." Alpha's voice remained calm and monotone.
Braxton thought about placing the table leg into his storage and it vanished. "Too cool!"
Then he thought about returning it to his hand and it reappeared. "Awesome!"
He returned it to and from with his mind several times to get a feel for it. Then he picked up the chopsticks and put them into his inventory too. Next, he took the salt and pepper shakers too. Then he grabbed the tablecloth. It was thin, but the material was thick enough to be used as a lightweight blanket. He stuffed it into his storage as well. "How much can I put into this storage space?"
"There is space for one hundred items. The storage space will increase as you go up in levels. You can trade with other players upon contact." Alpha responded.
"What other players? I thought they were all dead." Braxton asked tentatively, hoping he would not be alone inside this place after all.
Alpha seemed to pause briefly. Braxton felt and heard a humming sound coming from the watch on his wrist. Then Alpha said "I have located five other players within five miles of your current location. Would you like to be directed to their locations?"
"Sure!" Braxton replied.
An arrow appeared in the top of Braxton's vision. It was a light green color. It did not effect his vision and was something he could easily ignore if he wanted to. The arrow pointed down the hallway.
Braxton followed the arrow. He quickly walked three hundred yards before the hallway ended. There he encountered a T intersection. The halls extended as far as he could see in either direction. He refocused on the arrow and it directed him to the left.
Braxton was taken aback at the size of the underground structure he now found himself alone in. The hallways were twenty feet wide and of similar height. The floors had yellow painted walking paths on either side. These were each three feet wide, leaving fourteen feet for vehicle travel. He could see tire marks indicting the path had been frequently used at some time in the past. The place seemed completely barren and devoid of life or exit doors.
Braxton decided to follow the arrow. It indicated he cross the roadway and get on the path. He began walking and traveled another mile before the wall vanished. It was there one second then gone when he reached it. He backed up a few steps and the wall appeared again. He reached forward touching the wall and backed away. The wall reappeared and felt solid to the touch. He was unsure why this was happening, but walked forward anyway. It was the only exit he had encountered in the last half hour of traveling. As he walked into the area behind where the wall had been, he saw a door. The door opened as he approached.
He entered a small room with a bunk bed. The room was spartanly outfitted. There was a small nondescript desk across from the bed. On it sat a book. The book was a registry book. The current page had room for two more names. He flipped back to the beginning and found nine other pages full of names. Most of the first page was filled with names that started with ranks like Major and Captain. There were a few with the title Doctor as well. The second page was filled with Sargents and other military ranks.
As he went further into the book, he noticed that many names had numbers following them. These indicated they were prisoners. Prisoners were stripped of their family names to remove their shame from the family. This was instituted after the world came together following the third world war. Cultures blended and wars ended. People lost themselves inside games to unleash their need for killing.
This facility must be a remnant from the war. Repurposed for this experiment. Braxton thought to himself. I guess, I should sign in. I can't use my family name, so I'll just use my gamer tag as my last name.
He signed the book, Braxton Ace.
He opened the drawers on the desk. Inside he found another book. It was titled basic combat manual for hand to hand combat. He sat down at the desk and began reading the contents. It had many pictures showing grappling techniques, killing thrusts and punches. The book also showed critical striking points on the human body to execute these moves on.
Braxton read through the book quickly. As he finished reading and voice played in his mind. "Combat Manual uploaded. Practice required, proceed to gym to exercise." He heard a latch click on the wall to his right and a new door appeared. He got up and approached the door. As the previous door had, it opened automatically.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone