“Players. Welcome our head game maker and creator, Howie Huata, to the platforms,” Suddenly a hover flew up to the floating circle, and came back carrying a woman.

Howie was a legend in the SCOPE community. She created this game to bring people together through games and explore immersive worlds. And there she was, smiling at the crowds on the screen. Eniola’s jaw unhinged and fell onto the floor. Howie never showed up to games or championships, probably because she was in her lab cooking up another legendary game feature. This was a tremendous deal.

“Welcome to the official SCOPE Championships of 2056!” she announced, and the crowd went wild. There she was in the flesh. Her dark brown hair was woven into two long, tight braids that ran down her back. They emphasized her ears, which held glittering patterned earrings. She had deep tan skin and a sharp angular face with light brown eyes.

“Welcome, SCOPE players and fans!” she yelled out to the arena. “I was always so imaginative as a kid. My parents would always tell me to stop or do something with it, which led me to create SCOPE 16 years ago. I wanted to make something people could connect to and bond over. Something that could bring even the most opposite and unique people together like you all are right now. Then the idea of SCOPE came to me.”

The arena quieted down, listening.

“I was 18 when I left my reservation in El Dorado and headed to San Francisco to make it happen,” Howie told them. “And from that day on, that became the reason all of you are here today.”

The arena roared in response.

Despite the excitement, Eniola couldn’t bring herself to cheer. She glared at Jay who wore an expression that looked confused, sad, and angry. Looks of curiosity went through the team, but she didn’t explain. Eniola tried to focus it on the screen, but she still felt so strange.

“Not only will we turn every inch of the arena into virtual worlds, but in the night we take hold of the city too,” Howie announced, sending a wave of anticipation through the crowds.

“50 teams have entered, but only one will win,” Howie said dramatically. “Every three days are main challenges, and in between side challenges. The 15 teams who have the lowest scores every three days will be disqualified until we get to the top five, where two teams will go head to head,” she announced, with visuals on the screen.

“As you go, you can win prizes, points, and even sponsorships from the audience,” Howie explained. “Hopefully we got a rich crowd here.” The crowd followed her joke with laughter.

“You will figure out and journey through clues and hints you are being given,” Howie explained. “But some clues and realizations are where you’d least expect.”

“And we will start,” Howie said, as the crowd went silent in anticipation. “Last year’s winners, the Inferno, got to choose which world we started in. Teams, prepare yourselves in Solai.”

They all came up from their seats and pushed on their SCOPElenses which divided the playing pit into 50 sections marked by every team’s disk. Then a huge chrome white landscape fell over the space, and soon Rogue was the only team they could see.

“Why that outfit?” Eniola asked, looking at Lucia. “You look like a walking disco ball.”

“I like it,” Lucia said, twirling. “And how are we going to actually do this?”

“I will give you five minutes to review your maps and to strategize,” Howie’s voice suddenly echoed from the air.

A scroll popped into the air and Theo quickly grabbed and opened it, and they gathered into observation. It was an ancient-looking map that had three different points on it, all taking their series of confusing twists and turns until it led to a place called ‘Mirror Island’. Eniola raised an eyebrow at the sight.

“What does this mean?” Jay asked, speaking what they were all thinking.

“I’m not sure,” Theo whispered, taking the view in.

Lucia took in her hand. “It’s a map, and we’re supposed to go somewhere, but I’m not sure where,” Lucia said obviously. “It’s not just a path we easily take. We have to figure it out. All three of them.”

“It could be three different paths that lead us to the clues to find the disks,” Jay suggested.

Something wicked in Eniola’s mind. She studied the blueprints and the layers, and something seemed eerily familiar to her. “This map makes no sense.”

“That’s what we’ve been talking about,” Iris restated.

“I have an idea,” Eniola began.

“What’s going on?” Jay asked.

“Iris, I need you to bring up the scan you took of the map from the dorms,” Eniola instructed as raised eyebrows were all given to her. “Howie said these clues were everywhere, even in places you’d least expect it.”

“And…?” Lucia asked, trying to meet her thinking.

“I think Howie based this map on the dorm room map,” she said, pointing to the everlasting and confusing scrolls. “These paths and maps are similar, and I’ve realized it’s scrambled. We need to work fast, we have five minutes.” She explained without stopping to breathe, let her excitement jolt through her.

Iris looked to be searching through her head, and suddenly an image flashed outside of her eyeball. The image of the map.

“Lucia, I know you have the sword,” Eniola said, and Lucia scanned through her inventory and the knife appeared. Eniola hauled the gigantic sword that was almost as huge as her in this context and carefully tipped the blade at the map, drawing a large cut down through the middle and then through the sides, dividing the map into four pieces.

“We have two minutes!” Jay warned, staring at the timer.

“Help me arrange this,” Eniola said, and they each took a piece and matched it up to Iris’s vision. Suddenly a yellow light flashed, and the map fused.

“We made it!” Theo exclaimed, bouncing.

“We still need a strategy!” Iris warned. Theo took the new map into his hands, and a location that wasn’t there before suddenly came up.

“The Outlanders Area, outside the wall,” Theo read out, and they all gazed into it. “I think this might be where the disk is.”

“But wait,” Lucia said, pointing at the circle surrounding it. “This is where the game ends. There is no simulation beyond there.”

“Or so we think,” Eniola said ominously. “Howie would’ve put the disk somewhere where nobody would think to look or would write off. And we have map evidence. The only way is to trek through.”

“What happens then?” Jay asked.

“We need to make sure we aren’t being followed and all of us stay in the game,” Theo said. “We still have time to update our inventory, make sure everyone stocks up on extra cloaking cubes.”

They all nodded and proceeded. Eniola looked back at the timer, and for a second the chrome white room fizzed and jolted like it was glitching.

“Did you see that?” Eniola said.

“See what?” Theo asked.

“Never mind,” Eniola said, her gaze lingering on the room. Probably a minor glitch.

“And we need a distraction,” Theo continued. “We’re going to do things that other people might not be doing, and in SCOPE, there is a track record for following others instead of finishing the clues. Eniola and Lucia, I want you to create a distraction and pretend to follow the crowd while Jay, Iris and I go ahead with finding the disk. I then want you to join us at the end.”

They all nodded simultaneously before Theo made one last point. “And remember—”

An alarm sounded and the white quickly receded into the Solai landscape, revealing all the teams arranged in a circle between the familiar crumbling ruins, ready for action on their bikes. Another horn that she immediately recognized as the start horn blared, and everyone took off in one direction. Iris, Theo, and Jay took off and divided themselves immediately.

Lucia and Eniola sped through the arena on their bikes, weapons in hand. Theo was clear. Create a distraction and take everyone out. The first clash was deadly, taking out players and having them respawn. For special competition rules, you could only respawn three times before you were out. A bike she recognized from team ULTRA crashed into her and she quickly sped away and flung her hoplon into the crowd, knocking people off balance forcing them out of the game, until they respawned a mile away. Theo told them they needed to follow the herd and create a distraction. Standing out would draw too much attention and reveal what the map looked like, which, based on the way everyone was going, nobody knew.

The golden shimmering fence outlined the entire city and was believed to be where the simulation ended. It bordered all of Solai. But with their inkling, the disk and their ticket to winning were behind them.

Lucia vigorously sped to the front, outpacing all the other racers, prompting them to chase her. Then suddenly, a wave of Spartans came and crashed into players like wild surf on a beach.

Free yeons. Eniola uncovered the hoplon and did her signature flinging move to them and drove into all their coins, adding up her value.

Suddenly, something attacked her from the back, sending her flying from her bike and onto the ground. She called her bike back in and peeled herself from the rocky sand. Her bike sprang out before her and she drove straight for the ruin. Her energy bar had just taken a major blow, draining all the energy she had. She’d soon have to respawn.

“Eniola?” Lucia’s voice spoke into her helmet. “We’re nearing the wall, can we have you here soon?”

“Yes,” she responded. All eyes were probably on her now, the formerly excellent team of Rogue. And now one of their players had just taken a devastating blow. But she wasn’t going to where everyone else was.

She scanned her inventory and selected the power-up needed in this situation. It was the cloning power-up. It would make a false copy of the player to fool other players while you were invisible. Eniola had to make this count. She let everyone else think she was going through the ruin. But she was going to win.

Eniola sped away from the ruins, and into the faraway realms of the walls. She had to drive through the villages and the empty stone ruins and hilltops for effect. She was caught up when she found the bikes that had been driving away from the gameplay.

“You’re finally here,” Jay teased, and she already knew he had the same annoying smirk even though his face was covered. She swiftly ignored him.

An army of Spartans materialized and they went full ambush. Theo drove into them from his side, having a joy ride at their demise. Eniola had a thought.

“Spartans don’t attack this far in the game unless they’re knocking the players off course. This confirms we’re right. Something is on the other side.” she said, flinging her disk at them.

One came at her from behind, and immediately she felt her energy waver. A flaming sword cut through them as one exploded into coins on her back. She looked up at Jay, still in his helmet. His hand latched around hers and pulled her up quickly.

Eniola was pretending to ignore the fact that she felt anything different.

Jay was a master with the sword; he used it as if it were an extension of his arm. Armies, who was ambushing him at all sides, fell victim to his impeccable sword work swinging it and cutting through the threats.

“You’re staring,” Lucia teased through the headset.

“Very hard,” Iris added.

“Focus on the mission,” Eniola said, ignoring the reluctant heat that came to her cheeks. The Spartans kept spawning, and it felt like for every spartan they took down, twice the amount appeared, stronger than before.

“I prepared you for this,” Theo said. “You all know what to do?” And all at once, they activated their cloaking power-up and they disappeared into thin air and ran through the Spartans still mindlessly attacking.

“The wall isn’t that far away,” Iris recalled and they all raced to it like it was the last cookie. And then they were at the wall, blinded by its golden glow.

They had nothing to get up. Cloaking could make you disappear, but not completely immune to obstacles. Which meant they were stumped.

“How do we get up?” Eniola asked, gawking at the immense wall. Lucia attempted to get a foothold, but the wall was solid and so smooth she slid right off. Theo quickly stabilized her.

Iris brought up her inventory. “There’s nothing in my inventory we could use. Power-ups don’t provide you with that.”

“So we’ll have to improvise,” Jay said. He turned to focus on me. “Perhaps we could stack.”

“What?” Lucia responded in disbelief.

“If we could stack from tallest to shortest, maybe Eniola can climb up and see what’s on the other side.”

“That’s…” Eniola paused, considering “Actually, a good idea.”

You couldn’t feel real pain or strain in the simulation, due to the infiltration of the electro signals always in the air. So they didn’t struggle.

Jay lifted Theo onto his shoulders, but they looked like a wobbling giant who’d just learned to walk. Lucia tried climbing up them, and warily balanced on Theo before Iris made her attempt. She was fast and kept her balance well. Now all Eniola had to do was climb up all four of them and throw herself over the edge.

Eniola came to Jay first and easily scaled him, then Theo, Lucia, and Iris. Climbing was her strength.

She lept off of Iris and quickly her hands latched onto the top of the wall with her feet dangling into the air.

“Come on, Eni!” Lucia called up. Using her remaining strength she lifted herself up and with the momentum, she tipped over and fell down the other side.

She tumbled to the ground and landed with a thud, only to get up and see she was back in the centre of Solai. She had respawned.

“Where did you go?” Theo’s voice yelled into her helmet.

“I respawned,” Eniola said. “I have to get back.”

“Wait,” Iris said. “Eniola put yourself on team view.” She looked at her SCOPE lenses and saw that many other teams had permanently been booted out of this round. She called up the team view and then saw through Theo’s lenses, which showed Iris, who had fallen to the ground.

“Iris went up the wall but landed back here,” Theo explained. “It’s a loop.”

“Maybe there is something, another way to pass the wall,” Theo suggested, feeling around the gold.

“Maybe the loop is a distraction to make players think the simulation ends, but if we can find another way to cross, we might get there. Howie wouldn’t make it that easy. The map fused for a reason,” Eniola reminded them.

Eniola stared at the wall, looking for a way they could get in. Suddenly a spot of the gold wall began flowing and liquifying like it was melting. Theo turned over to Lucia, whose outfit seemed to do something.

“Lucia, turn around,” Eniola instructed.

“Why?” she asked. “Are you having one of those realization moments?”

“She’s pretty into it,” Jay comments. Eniola shivered.

“Just do it, Lucia,” Eniola prodded harder.

Lucia raised her eyebrows but did it, anyway. The melting stopped, and the wall solidified again. “And back again,” Eniola told her. Lucia turned and her mirror outfit caught the sunlight again, melting the gold.

Eniola pointed to the melting spot. “You see that?”

They all turned to observe. Iris squinted her eyes, “Is the wall… melting?” The wall started dripping gold onto the sandy ground.

“Yes,” Eniola exclaimed. “I think the wall melts when sunlight is directed at it by a reflective surface.”

“It’s going to take us forever to melt this though,” Lucia said. “This outfit can’t do anything”

“I know where we can get another one,” Theo exclaimed from afar, staring at the map. “One location here is called Mirror Island. This was one of the original locations of the map.”

“So what are we waiting for?” Jay exclaimed. “Let’s go win this thing!”

“Someone should come and respawn over here,” Eniola said. “Other players are all at Mirror Island and it will take you forever to come back.”

Lucia looked in view before Jay got on his bike. He revved it before driving straight at Lucia, who immediately disappeared from the game.

In an instant, Lucia reappeared back at the respawn point beside Eniola, smiling. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Eniola responded, as they hopped onto their bikes and made for mirror island, where everyone would be. Lucia snatched powerups from the air as they travelled, stockpiling them.

Mirror Island was what they expected it to be. It was an island full of mirrors.

There were endless battalions of Spartans, but nothing their seasoned team couldn’t handle. Mirror Island was in the recreation spot of Solai, a nice sandy, reflective beach with stone ruins overlooking the peculiar shores.

Teams all over were here, fighting and trying to figure out how to find the disk and glancing between the mirrors in confusion. Someone even tried to jump through them. All they needed to do was grab the biggest one while defending themselves, and leave.

It was perched at the top of the sandhill and currently being battled and searched for by various teams. Eniola wondered if they also knew what they were battling for. Maybe they thought it held some clue.

“What’s our strategy?” Lucia asked Theo.

“Smite them,” he said, as Lucia biked through the crowd. They cloaked themselves before they approached. Eniola had 30 seconds to make this count.

She and Lucia zipped through the edge through the crowd, ambushing teams and taking them out on the way through. Then her bike began skidding on the unstable sand, and Eniola had a realization.

She’d have to complete this on foot. She trudged up the sand to where the mirror stood. This was the only one big enough to melt a sizable portion of the wall. She reached out to grab, but then her figure began flashing and soon she was visible to the entire arena.

“Surround her!” She recognized the chilling voice of Keone. Eniola immediately called her bike away, before taking a dive hiding by the mirror. She slowly peered out.

“Where did you go?” Lucia asked.

“I’m trying to sneak through,” Eniola half-lied. She was, but she couldn’t just be out there while Keone was there. She breathed heavily before daring to peak out.

“I’ll create a ruse!” Eniola said, thinking quickly. “You just need to take it!” Eniola dashed for it, then Lucia took it. But nobody else knew that.

She called up her cloning, only to be told she had none left. All she could do was run when people were coming up towards her.

“Distract them, Lucia!” she whispered nervously into her helmet. She flung her hoplon, which tragically missed every single person she targeted. A sword came swinging at her, and she barely ducked in time.

Lucia had the mirror. Now all she had to do was get it back. But Eniola had to fight off these teams to leave the islands.

A bike she recognized as Keone’s came rushing towards her and she couldn’t help but act on impulse. She swiftly ducked behind another mirror, heart beating nervously. She had to make it out, but she couldn’t just leave. Her body wouldn’t let her.

Suddenly the bike lurched right in front of her before a similar avatar walked out. Eniola held back the urge to scream.

“Eniola, get out of there now!” Lucia screamed over the audio.

Eniola nervously stood up, as they moved past each other in one gait. Suddenly, the bike appeared under him, before he swerved right for her. Eniola prepared to run before a sword suddenly impaled the air in front of her. She ducked surprisingly, before sliding out from under him. Eniola took her hoplon out, but Keone was suddenly coming for her again on the bike. She couldn’t hit him well from here.

She stayed still bracing herself for the imminent threat of being hit. But she wouldn’t be.

Keone kept speeding to her wheels, rolling with fire. The bike lurched dangerously close.

“What are you doing, get out of there!” Jay shouted.

“Wait and see,” she said, maybe a bit too overconfident. “Everyone stay back. I’m getting out of this.”

The bike came lurching to her, and right as she should have been hit and spiralling, Eniola leapt onto the front with both her hands and knocked Keone in the head with her feet. She could feel the impact by the way he was now struggling to control. Then his bike folded out on him. At that moment, Eniola then rolled over through the sand and back down from Mirror Island.

“You did that?” Iris said, shocked. “You did it!”

Eniola got her bike from out under and sped away, feeling the adrenaline course through her. She just did that. And she was proud. But that feeling didn’t shake the uncertain one she had, fighting Keone under the mirror.

She joined up with Lucia, and once again headed to the wall. The wall still stood in its shimmering gold.

“The mirror?” Theo asked, and Lucia brought it out of her inventory. It was huge but they propped it up and Eniola took it from the sides with Lucia.

The gleaming sunlight hit the reflective mirror and bounced, hitting the gold wall. Immediately a large swathe of the wall began melting and running down to the floor.

“It’s working!” Jay exclaimed, as the top of the wall collapsed in. The last panel melted to reveal a huge opening into a spiral staircase.

“Let’s get it!” Eniola exclaimed. They all rushed down the alcoves of the, where a faint glow drew them in closer. As they reached the bottom of the stairwell, they finally saw it.

The glow of the first disk.

They rushed to it, happiness on everyone’s faces, including Eniola who was ready to claim it, and she stepped forward to take the disk. Suddenly, Eniola’s SCOPElenses glitched again in a technicolour blur, and then suddenly she felt a hand clamp around her mouth again, and pin her down onto the ground in one swift motion. She tried to scream, but the hand forced her down onto the ground.

The world was melting into some technicolour glitch blur that almost blinded her in her SCOPElenses. She continued to be pressed down hard, as a figure took place in the middle of those glitches like they were in control in some twisted way. The figure was dressed in dark green armour and was looming closer and closer to her.

Eniola wanted to let a scream rip out of her until it did loud and clear. She was suddenly standing again on her own two feet, except she was out of the simulation and into the real arena. She glanced around in confusion? Did they get the disk? Did they get eliminated?

“Eniola!” someone screamed. Theo. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just blanked out,” Eniola said, before moving past the people still in the simulation. A hover came down into the playing pit next to them. The 5 of them stepped onto it before getting on it and riding away.

“It’s fine,” Lucia said. “I got the disk. If I counted right, I was the 8th person to do so. I was going to be first but then a bunch of people just came in. I guess we didn’t crack the code fast enough.”

Eniola was still frozen in place. What the heck just happened and why?

“Of course,” Eniola finally replied to Lucia. “We should be faster next time.”