Matt, One, and Astoria were standing still in the middle of the road, and the disbelief on One's face was unmistakable. Sector D, the poorest sector of Nexdria. Did Matt truly think they could take it? Even if they did, what value did it hold? One was trying to figure out the answers to these questions in his own head as Matt finally spoke again.
"One… I know where you come from. They forced you to fight and do hard labor every single day! That kind of life is worse than what anyone deserves. I know you want to free your people, and create a new country founded on equality! Let me help you do that."
Matt was right, and his words took One back to his childhood.
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One was born outside of Nexdria, but he has no memory of life outside. Eighteen years ago, at just four years old, he was abducted after his family was likely slaughtered. At that time, Nexdria required bodies for harsh physical labor, and didn't want to leave that to its own citizens. This was right after Anthony Westbrook became president, and it's something that Renji Tamura would never have done. Children and adults were taken from towns and villages outside the walls and were enslaved in a labor camp, located in Sector D.
Ten years later, when One was fourteen years old, Anthony Westbrook made an announcement that the camp was going to begin holding an annual tournament among the strongest people there, where they would fight to the death with their bare hands. This tournament would be televised and viewed live for entertainment, and the winner would be given a large financial reward, as well as a choice between two options. The first choice allowed the winner to become a Nexdrian soldier. They would live a "free" life outside the labor camp but would be forced to fight on the front lines against the outside threat, slaughtering their own people. The other choice was that they could give their reward money to the government, who would match it and put it towards food and other resources for the struggling people of Sector D and their fellow slaves. For the next seven years in a row, One would enter this tournament and win it. And every single time, he gave his prize away in order to feed and shelter the people. He became a hero among the entirety of Sector D, known as "The Gladiator".
The reason One kept entering the tournament was because he wanted to save his people from being forced to murder their own. He knew that just about anybody else would choose their own freedom, and he also knew that "freedom" just meant a new hell. Most importantly, he knew there was nobody who could beat him in combat. He was absurdly strong and had very sharp instincts. By winning the tournament every year, he was able to shield the others from staining their hands with blood. Providing resources was also a great reward, but One's focus was on carrying the burden of his people's continued existence. Without him, the tournament would be an annual bloodbath that sends the winner to hell. Unfortunately, one year later, Sector D was robbed of its legendary hero.
One year before meeting Matt, One had entered into the tournament like he always did. This year, only eight total people entered. It was the lowest total of any year, and this infuriated President Westbrook. The tournament was a necessary spectacle, and One had turned it into his own personal game. In order to combat this, Westbrook announced a rule change. After winning the tournament, the victor would no longer be allowed to stay in the camp. They would be forced to join the military and slaughter their own people. One's entire reason for existing was snuffed out instantly. He no longer had a way to save his people from hell.
The night before the final, One hatched a plan. The soldiers assigned to the tournament arena generally had no reason to be scared. The slaves kept inside were all humans, after all. What could they do against Nexusites? But One was no ordinary human, he was confident that he had what it took to break free and end this tournament. He originally intended on waiting until he won to launch his attack, but now he was faced with murdering the only woman he ever cared about in order to win the final. That was the single line that One would never cross: killing someone he loves for his own gain. He had no idea that Grizz was participating this year, she never told him and she waited until the last minute to register. Was she really that desperate to be "free" from this place?
The time was 11:55 PM. Five minutes before One's escape plan was to begin. He stood up from his bed and stretched before walking across the barracks underneath the arena. The people fighting to the death here were always treated much better than those stuck in labor camps, the beds and food were both humane and accessible, and that was already an advantage compared to normal. But soon, that would all end. The people here were going to be free. One had arrived at the foot of Grizz's bed, and took a moment to appreciate the peace she was currently experiencing. Her pretty blonde hair, her freckled face. All these years he has appreciated everything about her, down to the scars on her muscular arms. It was truly a shame that their circumstances made a relationship impossible, he would give anything to get just one week with her, living without worry. After a few moments lost in thought, One lightly tapped Grizz's shoulder. She woke in a panic, ready to attack whoever disturbed her, but One quickly shushed her with a finger to his lip.
"Grizz, you and I are going to get out of here. The guards are on low alert, we can take them." he said.
"One, are you insane?! We'll both die for nothing!" Grizz responded.
"No, I have a plan. The people here in Sector D see me as their hero, they will support us. If we can just make it outside of here, I'm sure we'll be able to rally them behind our cause. We've talked about this for years, Grizz! We will finally be able to beat Nexdria!" One said, getting more and more excited by the second.
Grizz looked at One, and the only expression he could read behind her beautiful green eyes was pity. She sighed, shifting to rest her chin on her hand. "The great Gladiator of Sector D, the hero of the people. How could a man that has been through so much pain for the sake of others possibly be so naive? You can't force people to be free, One. You've been trying to do it for all these years… fighting with every bit of your soul, to your very last breath. If the people truly wanted to rally around you, to help you free them, they would have done it. The sad truth is that it's more convenient for them to remain as is. Think about it, let's say you somehow pull off a legendary miracle and defeat Nexdria. Now what? They're still going to be poor, hungry, and tired. That's why I'm trying to win tomorrow and leave this hellhole alive. I want to be free, so I'm going to fight and earn it. Clearly, the people in Sector D don't feel the same as we do. Why fight a battle for them that they won't even fight themselves?"
"...if we don't try something, one of us will be dead tomorrow." One said, his usually intimidating voice taking a tone of sorrow. "I don't have it in me to hurt you, and I don't want to live a life without you. Are you saying you're willing to kill me to make it out of here?"
"We both chose this path. I'm sorry, I truly do love you" Grizz said, wiping tears of regret from her eyes. "But I'm not fighting a war for people who won't even save themselves. Good luck escaping, but you're on your own. I'm not risking my life when I'm so close to freedom."
One scoffed at her, he was in disbelief. He honestly never doubted that she would help him. But he wasn't the kind of man to give up, so One decided to try to escape on his own.
"Grizz, I'm coming back for you. I'm not going to forget you. Ever. Even if you go years without seeing me, know that I'm out there searching for a way to help you. I love you." After saying this through his tears, One put his infamous gladiator mask on, and headed for the door.
The guard outside the door was easy, he was seemingly half asleep when One kicked the door open and grabbed his neck, crushing his windpipe. The guard fell to the floor, gasping for air, as One reached down to snap his neck, before grabbing his rifle. As far as One was aware, there were six guards here overnight. Five now. One headed down the hallway, towards the stairs leading up into the arena. The guard patrolling near the stairs noticed One, and shouted to him after raising his rifle. "HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE? GET BACK INSIDE!"
One smirked beneath his mask, and raised his hands in faux surrender. "I had to piss! Come on you couldn't expect me to drop my drawers in front of the lady in there right? Just show me where the bathroom is for you soldiers!"
The guard looked at him with untrusting curiosity. He kept his gun trained on One and said "Absolutely not. Come on, I'm going to take you back to the barracks." As the guard approached One, he noticed the rifle tucked into his shirt. The second One felt the guard's eyes shift, he sprung into action, grabbing his rifle and firing five shots into the guard before he had a chance to say a word.
This was bad, now the other four guards knew something was going on. One rushed up the stairs and into the arena outside. In order to escape, he would have to make it all the way to the other side, probably about a hundred yards. Suddenly, he spotted a guard aiming at him from directly to his right, in the stands which surrounded him in the circular arena. In an instant, One could tell that the guard was about to fire on him, so he took off into a sudden sprint forwards, making the guard miss his shots. The moment the guard ceased firing, One stopped in his tracks and took aim, firing three shots in the guard's direction, with one of them hitting. Three guards left, about 80 yards to go.
Surprisingly, One made it to the other side of the arena without further conflict. Where were the others? As One began to open the gate to escape, all three guards suddenly surrounded him, dropping from the tower at the exit. Shit. The three guards had formed a triangle around him, and were standing about five feet away, when one of them yelled "FIRE!" In that moment, One shifted so that his mask would take the brunt of the bullets. His metallic mask blocked about 75% of the shots, with the others hitting him in various areas ranging from his legs to his lower torso. He had been hit by five bullets in total, and by all means should have been down for the count. Suddenly, however, One felt a surge of absolute adrenaline push him forward, masking the pain and any hesitation. He let out a primal scream from deep within, and grabbed the soldier in front of him by the helmet, tossing his body like a ragdoll into the soldier to his right. Then, One turned to the last standing soldier and punched his face three times. The man was dead before he hit the floor. Then, One stomped on the head of the soldier he had thrown, killing him instantly, before unloading his rifle into the last one.
One let out yet another yell from the adrenaline, before falling to his knees, his breaths growing labored. As his vision began to grow fuzzy, all he could see was the light of a helicopter overhead, and his own breath in the cold night. He had lost. The next time he woke up, he was in military custody, and was being prepared for execution. As he sat in the cold chair he was tied to, with a doctor preparing a lethal injection right in front of him, he thought of Grizz. Maybe she was right, this was always a hopeless battle. But for his entire meaningless life, One always tried to simply find purpose. He had found it in becoming the hero of Sector D, but did that really mean anything? All he wanted was something worth dying for, and now, in his dying moments, it all felt futile. Suddenly, a man wearing a dark black tactical mask walked into the room. The man didn't say a word, but suddenly, the soldiers and doctor all stepped out, leaving One alone with this man.
One was shocked by a voice speaking to him from within his own head. "Hello, Gladiator. My name is Envoy. How would you like to be my guinea pig?" was what it said.
One tried to speak, but instead ended up having a coughing fit. Envoy spoke again in his head, saying "You… are a mere human. A natural, pathetic human. And yet, you just killed SIX armed Nexusites by yourself. To simply let you die would be a waste, we need to figure out how you could possibly be so strong, and make use of that strength. I'm putting together a team, The Ten Masks, and I want you to be its first member."
From that day, One was forced to live out his greatest fear, he was sent to the frontlines as a soldier for Nexdria. He had no way to stop this or rebel, since he was always being watched and escorted. This world was rotten, he had decided that himself and Grizz were the only people that deserved to be alive. That is, until the fateful day almost exactly one year later, when he met Matt and Astoria.
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"Matt… do you truly believe we can do this? Do we have what it takes to save Sector D and my people?" One asked Matt.
"I would go as far as to say I know we can, One. And you deserve this. We're going to make this world a better place, one step at a time. This is step one. Are you in?" Matt replied, extending his hand.
"Of course. Let's do this." One answered, shaking his hand.
To be continued in Chapter 4, July 17th.
Next chapter, the Battle for Sector D begins!