Chapter 11

Layla floated in the void. The empty calm that came after a battle. The only peace she received. Moments in-between simulations. Endless simulations. How long had she been here? The question floated in the void but she had no answer. She only knew battle. Endless battle.

She did not sleep, she did not eat, she did not stop. Each completion or failure of a simulation leaving her fully refreshed in every way. As though she had eaten the most nutritious food and slept the most perfect sleep. Her mind sharp, clear, and nimble.

Something in her environment changed. It was an oddity. Something novel. It was to soon for another simulation. She opened her eyes to see a door. Her motion from seated to standing was without waste. She did this at all times now. A lesson repeatedly beat into her through countless failed and repeated simulations.

She walked to the door and it opened automatically. She continued through. In to a living room that seemed familiar. How long had it been since she’d seen it?

“Layla, your back! Looking great too.” Annoyance crept through her void at the sound of a long forgotten voice. How long had it been since she felt that?

She looked over at the owners of the voice.

“Let’s look at your stats here… hmmm oh WOW! Talk about an overachieving completionist. I’m impressed.” She remembered now. Why had she not remembered before. Her room was that way. Layla walked away from the man with the annoying voice.

“Layla?” It squawked at her. Brushing against her void and flitting away like the wind. “Layla, where are you going.”

Ignoring the man, she made her way to her room and closed the door, putting an additional barrier between her and the voice who kept saying a name she didn’t recognize. How long had it been since she used it?

Everything was exactly as she remembered. A glass half empty on the night stand beside the bed. That didn’t seem right. She had been gone years hadn’t she. The water should be gone by now. Layers of dust inside. She turned to the mirror that stood by the closet. Walking over shock pushed into her void. She didn’t recognize the face staring back at her. How long had it been since she saw it? The protection of the void shook.

How long has it been? Her face was still young but lean and mature. Removing the tattered remnants of her clothing she stood in her under garments and inspected her body. An athletic frame reflected back. Flat stomach replaced with muscular lines of abs she’d never seen before. Her stick like arms replaced with lean muscle mass. Her tube-like legs now shapely and powerful. Her back defined and strong. Her ass… her ass… now present and visible.

She moved and her frame rippled with corded muscles. She didn’t look masculine. Her muscles not bulky but tight and lithe. Every movement of her body ready for action. She had the figure of a warrior. A female at the peak of her ability physically.

That word sparked something in her. Peak. Layla had thought that at some point recently. In the silent moments between simulations. She had peaked. The simulation hadn’t given her power. She did feel powerful but not abnormally so. She had plateaued. She had reached the limit a mortal body could achieve, but there had been something more hadn’t there. Layla had felt it. She had been on the cusp of it but each time she had not been able to figure out exactly what she lacked or how to obtain it. The desire to search present, ever present. Why had she not questioned it?

The void groaned at the thought. Her empty calm straining.

Why had she not questioned anything? Memories of countless times of limbs being hacked off while she fought on unconcerned. Pain a cursory after thought in the miasma that was battle and death. Each time, failure or completion, her body restored and ready.

How many times had she fought till her muscles started to break down. Her body unable to move. How many times had she felt her heart stop only for it to beat once more, steady, and calm as the simulation started over. Hundreds? Thousands?

She wasn’t sure, the memories empty. The mistake and then she was starting the simulation again. Like pieces had been erased. Only a few left to remind her of failure. So many failures. Why had she not resisted it?

What had she fought? Races she’d never seen or even heard of before. Each with fighting styles and racial advantages she had to overcome. Most had required weapons to take down. So many weapons. Had she mastered weapons? The hanbō. Only learning the basics of how to kill with the rest as efficiently as possible. How had she managed it?

How many years had she just focused on the staff? One, two, more. The void wavered.

How? Why? So many how’s and why’s. No rational explanation for either. Had it even been real? Was she real? She pinched her arm. It hurt. She watched the redness fade away in the mirror . Real then. She must have been controlled.

Yes she had been controlled. Commanded to fight endlessly. But that hadn’t actually happened had it. Not at first. No, Layla had stood at the feet of Masters of the martial arts. How many had there been? How long had that taken? She stopped thinking about it. The number not feasible. What was wrong with her?

The void broke.

Layla stumbled and caught herself on the mirror. The incongruous memories failing to be rationalized by her mind. Anger, so much anger. Who had done this to her.

“Atom,” a voice whispered. It was familiar. Her voice.

How long had it been since she used it?

“Atom!” Layla said louder.

“ATOM!” Almost a yell.

“AAAATOOOOM!!” She screamed.

~~~

“I wouldn’t go in there just yet.” Atom paused from opening his followers door.

“She couldn’t be that mad surely—“

A piece of wood punched through the door inches from his face. His name began to be screamed over and over again as things crashed and shattered inside Layla’s room.

“You know. I think… Yes, you might be right. Maybe I should go for a walk or something till she cools down.” Atom tried to shift away but landed flat on his face.

“Dammit Tess,” he said, picking himself off the floor.

“You will face her Atom. You did this, and if you had done this properly, she wouldn’t be so confused right now.” Tess growled out.

Brushing himself off, Atom nodded. “I might have been a tad hasty in sending her in. Maybe some wrong buttons were pushed and I could have adjusted the setting a little, only a tad really, to harsh. I mean, it could have happened to anyone.” He laughed nervously.

“She couldn’t die in there. At least not completely.” Atom mumbled the last part under his breath. Tess was not amused.

“Well you know what they say, What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Ha ha.” Tess crossed her arms and started tapping her foot. Clearly not buying his explanation.

Atom supposed he might have pushed her too hard. The setting should have let her quit. He thought he turned that on. Did he? Yes he was certain. Well never mind that. She didn’t quit. She kept going and going and going.

Layla really had impressed him. Having to actively stop her from opening the tower on multiple occasions towards the end. He’d wanted her to start searching but not to open it. Nexus wouldn’t accept anyone who wasn’t untapped. Each time he erased her memory she only found it faster the next time. Dory had been right. Layla had pure potential.

He would need to keep a close eye on her. She needed to be held back from progressing too fast. It was always a problem with the ones who had the raw talent. Progress too fast and her journey would fall short.

She was in the perfect spot recently. Right at the breaking point. Primed and ready to break through. Just not by herself. She needed guidance. Something he could provide. He just had to convince her not to try to kill him first.

He might want to never tell her how long she had been in the Slice either. What had he set the time compression to? Best not to even think about it. Yes, better to just clear out that menu setting. Right, leave it a mystery. In a couple of centuries they would laugh about it. He was sure they would, maybe, probably.

The door flew open and a mostly unclothed Layla stepped out, heaving in uncontrolled anger.

“Where is he?” Her voice seething in rage.

“Layla! Darling. You really do look great—“

“You bastard! What did you do to me?” She barely had the words out of her mouth before the clearly mad woman came at him. Even in her rage she moved with feline grace. She lashed out hitting him in the sternum, both ears, side of his knees and an elbow to the chin. Then she stabbed him in the neck with a leg from the night stand in her room.

None of this did anything to him of course but he rolled with every blow as though they were devastating. Atom fell to the ground where Layla continued to pound on him until Tess gently pulled the crazy woman off.

“Layla honey. Stop before you hurt yourself.” Layla tried to jerk out of Tess’s grip but it was iron, and unstoppable at Layla’s level.

“I hate him, Tess. I hate him.” She screamed.

“I know love and he surely deserves it. I just don’t want you to get hurt is all. Just look at your knuckles.” Atom looked at the girl's fists and cursed. He hadn’t pulled back enough. He wanted her to get the rage out but it was difficult to manage the right amount of contact that made her feel the blows while simultaneously preventing her from breaking her knuckles.

“You stole years of my life!”

“Technically I only let you age to maturity then prevented you from aging on ward.” Layla’s face screwed up in outrage.

“How many? How long was I in there?” Her voice ragged.

Atom picked himself off the floor, again, and dusted himself off. “Oh who knows. I didn’t keep count. You’ve only been gone three day’s here. So again, technically, I only stole three days. Three days that you agreed to, might I add.”

She tried to come at him again but Tess stopped her attempted assault.

“I agreed to no such thing you prick.”

“Oh but you did my dear. If you will remember. I asked your consent on trusting me to train you how I saw fit for Nexus.”

“I didn’t… I did…” Her voice faltered.

“You did. And might I say if you are not the most prepared potential in the crop this year I'll eat my socks.”

“You tricked me. Yes, you tricked me. There's no way I would have ever agreed to that.” Layla’s voice gaining confidence.

Atom decided to stop the charades. “You agreed and I delivered. I probably could have, or maybe should have given you a little bit of an explanation first. But it wouldn’t have changed a thing about what happened inside the simulations. You just might have not tried to stab me after coming out is all.”

Atom watched as Layla visibly started running out of steam as he stated the facts. Tess relaxed her grip on the girl. No, not the girl. Her physique and graceful movements giving a lie to the word girl. A fledgling warrior. He owed her that much.

“I promise you Layla. I would never do anything that I didn’t believe was necessary.” He said gently. Moving over cautiously to pat her shoulder. Layla stood there unmoving. Her eyes hooded by her unkempt hair.

“I know you feel confused about everything. But you will thank me for this. Maybe not now but you will see. You needed to be strong and this was the only way to accomplish that.”

“How long?” She asked. Atom started backing away.

“How long was I in there?” Layla emphasized each word.

He laughed, “Who knows about these things. They are so complicated.” Atom began putting some more distance between his angry little warrior.

“Does it really matter? I mean it’s done. You did great! Remarkable really.” Atom rambled nervously.

Layla watched him. Her gaze more like a predator now. It simultaneously made him proud and fearful. She would forgive him eventually. Probably.

“Well this has all been very exciting. I believe I need to get somethings ready before we have to leave tomorrow. You should probably rest. You’ve been so busy recently with training…” he trailed off as Layla started moving towards him.

“How long Atom?” Layla’s voice too sweet and off putting to his ears.

Scrambling back he said, “Oh, look at the time. I’ll see you bright and fresh in the morning.”

He shifted away, appearing in his office. “Bless that woman.” He muttered aloud.

He wasn’t sure if Tess would let him get away. Moving around his desk he took a seat and sighed. That went much better than expected. She’d only attacked him once and he’d avoid telling her how long she’d actually been inside the simulations. That was a win in his opinion.

Tess babe could you make sure her hands are healed?

“Yes. I’ll take care of your mess. As usual.” Came Tess’s voice from everywhere.

Love you!!!

A snort was all Atom got back. He sighed. He’d be in the dog house again.

“Now, where was I?”

Atom brought up his holo display. His desk lit up with multiple pages of research fanned out. The folder Dory had given him had contained all the information he needed for his persona he was going to take up at Nexus. He’d get around to reading that later, probably. He’d put it on the list.

But that wasn’t actually the important part though. The information on the missing student investigation was what he had been focusing on while his disciple got up to speed.

He pointed at a stack of screens and made a pulling motion. Tapping on the stack they organized before him in a grid like pattern. Names and profiles of the suspects that the investigation had produced so far were clear to see before him.

“Which one of you is behind this?” he mused.

Atom enjoyed a good mystery. A whodoneit. The hunt for clues. The suspense of hacking the suspects. Atom wasn’t talking to anyone if he didn’t have to. People were liars in his experience. Better to just violate their privacy and see what he could find that way.

“So many names. So many dirty secrets. What will I find, I wonder?” Atom rubbed his hands together. Yes, Nexus would be a more interesting adventure than he initially thought.