“Welcome to the Otherworld. I am the Explicator. My job is to direct you through a series of tests with the purpose of gathering data on human behavior. I will use this data to construct artificial intelligence that accurately mimics human beings. You will work alongside this artificial intelligence to navigate my maze. When you are ready to proceed, select a weapon.”

“Select a weapon?” Mira repeated, furrowing her brow. “What is this, a death maze?”

“I would assume that this is our first test,” Dr. Cay Cielis frowned thoughtfully. His gaze swept over an expansive collection of deadly instruments, displayed before him as a series of two-dimensional icons. “To get a feel for our individual preferences and methods of reasoning.” Cay had designed a wide variety of weapons for the Otherworld simulation, but he never expected to see them in the Explicator’s Maze. He had assumed that they would be used solely in digital military installations.

He hoped that this was merely a data-gathering test, and not an indication of imminent violence. But his hopes were not high, in a maze full of criminals and soldiers. Cay had spent his entire life trying to avoid conflict, avoid fighting – yet here he was, staring at an assortment of knives, swords and guns.

“This test is absurd,” he muttered to himself with a shake of his head. Unless this was some sort of personality quiz, it made no sense to offer each person a single weapon out of a list containing such drastic variety. It was an inherently unfair starting point.

Maybe that was the reasoning behind it.

While Cay deliberated, the soldiers got to work, each stepping up and selecting an identical laser rifle. They all seemed to know exactly what they were doing. It was clear that the Initiative had revealed more information about the Explicator’s Maze to the military than to the Colonists. Their captain stepped forward, moving not toward the standard laser rifle, but toward the icon of a long, sleek staff framed in red. There appeared to be a barrier around this icon, glowing faintly blue in the dim light of the room. The captain’s fingers slipped right through it, and she claimed the special weapon as her own. As it materialized in her hand, Cay immediately recognized it – it was an augmented electrostaff, one of his experimental designs. It must have been included specifically for the captain.

A young man with blue hair that contrasted sharply against his red-and-black uniform stepped forward and impulsively selected a pair of handguns marked with glowing blue lines—probably a weapon intended for Colonists. This soldier stood out from the crowd, with a half-shaven head and half-burned face. He smiled a little, beholding the twin guns in his hands.

“Private Sulos!” the captain barked. “What are you doing?”

“Sorry, ma’am! Honest mistake!” the soldier called out to her, not even bothering to sound sincere.

Another soldier, inspired by this Private Sulos’s actions, walked away from the line of laser rifles and shoved her hand through the image of a double-bladed sword.

“Kesley!” the captain snapped. But it was too late. The sword shimmered into her hands, and she smirked at her superior, twirling the weapon over her head as she moved back into the line of soldiers.

Though many of the remaining soldiers continued to pick out their standard rifle, several more departed from the expected choice, snagging unique weapons. In response, the captain shouted, “Anyone who arrives on base with an unauthorized weapon will be used as target practice! Do you understand me?!”

In unison, the soldiers shouted, “Ma’am-yes-ma’am!” Private Sulos didn’t seem too concerned.

“Is that... allowed?” Mira hissed to a nearby Colonist.

“Don’t you know who that is?” the Colonist raised one eyebrow. “That’s ‘Android’ Kravchenko. She’s basically a war hero. She can do whatever the hell she wants to those poor souls.”

“Damn,” Mira shook her head.

“She’s a total psychopath. Her last batch of soldiers hated her so much, two of them tried to kill her,” the Colonist continued at a lower volume. “That’s who we’re stuck in this maze with till next year.”

Mira seemed troubled, studying the wall of weapons. After a moment of hesitation, she stepped forward and selected a pair of folding knives. The handles were painted with geometric designs in white and blue, matching her Colonist’s uniform.

“Why those?” Cay called out to her, frowning slightly.

Mira shrugged. “They look nice,” she answered. “Besides, I don’t want something that could easily kill someone.”

Cay nodded in agreement. Maybe the young intern had the right idea. The knives said something about who she was, and how she didn’t want to fight. Inspiration struck the man, and he searched the glowing wall for a specific weapon he had created. His gaze passed over an array of axes, swords, spears, and even a chainsaw, before he found it—a nonlethal electrogun, designed to stun, not kill. Made for ending fights, not lives. He walked across the room to reach it, bending down and placing his fingertips against the surface of the insubstantial icon. The weapon appeared in his hand, and he glanced down at it with a grim smile.

He straightened up and surveyed the room, watching the rest of the group make their choices. He saw Arilus grab an electrostaff, probably to imitate the soldiers’ leader. He wondered whether the man would be disappointed to discover that the standard staff did not possess the deadly variety of upgrades Captain Kravchenko’s did. Yuli Suriova, meanwhile, settled on a plasma gun. The young woman looked like even less of a fighter than Mira. He was certain she wouldn’t last long here, with test subjects prowling the maze.

Once the last soldier had claimed his gun, a pair of imposing doors materialized on the wall furthest from Cay. The voice of the Explicator echoed through the space once more. “To reach the Armed Forces base, take the leftmost path. There, you will find vehicles, armor, and a special military arsenal. To reach the Colonists’ workshop, take the rightmost path. There, you will find technology that can assist you during your time in the maze. Do not attempt to enter each other’s territory without permission – we wouldn’t want any squabbles between your groups, now would we?”

Cay was surprised by the hint of sarcastic amusement in the Explicator’s tone. The team who developed her had described her as emotionless and impartial. Perhaps after spending six months observing the test subjects, she had taken on a more human manner of speaking. Could she do that? Software really wasn’t his field of expertise.

The doors swung open. The soldiers immediately grouped together into neat rows and columns, briskly walking into the maze at a pace dictated by Captain Kravchenko. Watching them go, Cay was hit with a pang of unease. Was this maze constructed solely for the military’s benefit? There was so much about this experiment he hadn’t been told. Flashes of worst-case scenarios began to fill his mind—namely, the Colonists, AIs and test subjects being hunted for the sake of gathering data, for the sake of advancing the war. Cay had worked his entire life to avoid military service, striving for long, exhausting years until he qualified for an untouchable position in the Initiative. He didn’t want any part in a military experiment. But now he was here, for an entire year. He had made his choice, and now he had to live with it.

“Do you think we’ll solve the maze quickly?” Mira asked him, as the Colonists headed toward the door.

Cay shook his head, placing his electrogun in his jacket’s deepest pocket. “The experiment has a time limit. That probably means it’s going to be very challenging.” A flash of realization hit him, and he murmured, “I wouldn’t be surprised if this so-called ‘maze’ doesn’t even have an exit.”

The Colonists walked through the doorway, emerging into what appeared to be a flat, white expanse that branched off into a series of hallways. In the Otherworld, geometry was eerily pristine. Everything stood at right angles, in perfectly straight lines. The effect was stark and uninviting. The sky above was a cloudy haze. The uncannily smooth, featureless walls were easily ten feet taller than Cay. They glowed faintly—the area’s sole source of light, besides the vague, ambient lighting from the sunless sky.

“Well, this is freaky,” Mira muttered, folding her arms.

“Let’s make haste,” Arilus called out, waving the Colonists onward when they stopped to gawk at the maze. “We should get settled in our territory. There’ll be plenty of time to examine the walls later.”

The group slowly moved rightward, hardly able to process what was happening. Arilus took charge, encouraging them to keep walking and stick close together. Cay focused on him more than their simplistic surroundings. The man seemed oddly at home here, striding fearlessly forward, electrostaff in hand. His confidence unnerved Cay more than anything else. There was no telling what perils awaited them here. How could he face this situation so calmly?

-

Four test subjects stood near the grand double doors, half-hidden behind a jutting wall. They watched as a hundred soldiers marched into the maze, unable to believe what they were seeing.

“Holy shit,” Blake gasped. Her fingers tightened around the handle of her axe. “The Explicator wasn’t lying.”

“I... I don’t believe this...” Aster stammered. “How are there so many of them?”

Xavier peered around the corner, frowning slightly. “Would you look at that?” he half-smiled. His gaze zeroed in on the woman at the front of the small army, who was adjusting the settings on a weapon like nothing he had ever seen before. Semi-transparent red blades, guns and projectiles appeared and dissolved in a cycle, augmenting the base design, which appeared to be the same sort of staff certain AIs carried. Immediately, he knew he wanted it. Somehow, he would get his hands on that weapon. “Look what the lady up front’s got. Hurts my brain just to look at it!”

Blake and Aster craned their necks to glance past Xavier, barely managing to catch sight of the captain before she passed by. Meanwhile, the fourth subject—Nereza Rossi, Subject 14—stared at the floor, deep in thought. Her black-and-red hair hung into her eyes. It almost matched the uniforms of the newcomers. “Are they going to hurt us?” she murmured with a furrowed brow.

Xavier laughed. “We’re test subjects,” he shrugged, eyes gleaming. “Of course they’re going to hurt us.”

“Hilarious,” Aster frowned, moving to turn away from the wall. “Wait, who are the guys in white?”

“Guys and girls, it looks like,” Blake corrected, peeking further around the corner, casually invading Xavier’s personal space. He took a subtle step away from the woman. “Oh god. No. You can’t be serious. They really did it, huh?” She burst into laughter, shaking her head. “They really went and did it.”

“Did what?” Nereza lifted her head. The sheer melancholy in her eyes was enough to make Xavier vaguely uncomfortable. People with that sort of look in their eyes had a tendency to make themselves targets.

“They sent people from the Cyber Initiative here,” Blake chuckled. “What are they, stupid?”

Xavier grinned, stealing another glance. “Oh, just look at them. Look at those stupid, stupid geniuses.” Blake laughed again, and Aster smiled. “We’re going to make this place even more of a living hell for them than it’s been for us, understand me?”

“Crystal clear,” Blake nodded sharply. “God, I’ve been waiting for this.”

“Should we attack now?” Aster asked, reaching for his gun.

“No...” Xavier said thoughtfully, tapping a finger against his chin. “No, let’s follow them. Figure out where they’re headed. I wanna see for myself what this ‘workshop’ of theirs looks like.” Resentment filled his tone as he beheld the small group of sitting ducks, plodding along and admiring the scenery, completely unaware of the rules of this twisted game.

Soon enough, they’d receive a reality check—hopefully one Xavier could deliver personally.