It had been a frustrating day for Marinus Ballack. The last of his experiments using the Omniplex serum had been unsuccessful. Omniplex worked, yet he had no way of truly testing its full capabilities. From his tall tower made of thick transparent metal, he peered from above his planet Anora A. The complex cityscapes that spanned the sky. Vehicles that drove suspended in the air, flying at speeds incomprehensible to most non-uplifted civilizations.

  Every so often from the sky he’d see a spaceship connect to one of the tether stations, offloading cargo to the space elevators, bringing a different species to the planet, with a warm welcome. His family solely created this peace. It was something Ballack took pride in. Without his lineage, war would still ravage the Valdaran Solar System.

  All it took was the creation of the Exofront, a tournament of valor between the different races, created to bring everyone together. Over the years, the Exofront had developed, more entertaining than ever, bringing more wealth for everyone. Yet for Marinus, this wasn’t enough. He needed to further his power and influence, and the Omniplex was what he was hinging his bets on.

  As if on cue, the door to his vast chamber swung open. Three figures emerged from the door. They were dressed in gray suits, perfect for space travel, but very formal in design. They waltzed over to his desk and stood stiffly, waiting to be recognized by him.

  Ballack took one last look at the view from the corner of his eye before returning to his ornate throne, carved from the belly of a Dal’Karian. Sitting down, he finally broke the silence. “Report.” His sharp, piercing eyes focused on the three, causing them to squirm uncomfortably.

  Ballack watched the man in the middle, Arius, squirm in discomfort. None of them seemed to enjoy sharing the room with the most powerful person in the solar system. Ballack stifled a smile. Arius stepped forward and took a deep bow, his head hung down towards the floor. “The Exofront is going well, the viewers are taking to the story well so far-”

  “You know that’s not what I want to hear about,” Ballack interrupted bluntly. His fingers tapped on the armrest of his throne. All three men shook with fear at the sound.

  Arius sighed. “The Omniplex needs a volatile environment for us to truly test its capabilities. It’s like the nanities understand everything is just a test. The hosts aren’t in genuine danger.”

  “Danger?” Ballack smiled. Arius tilted his head only slightly so he could see his employer’s face. His unnerving smile, in combination with sweeping white hair, caused him to look ethereal and phantom like. His eyes, while deep and scrutinizing, seemed devoid of any human light.

  “Yes, sir, a lack of danger.” Arius quickly averted his gaze back to the floor.

  Ballack couldn’t help but let out a bellowing laugh that reverberated against the walls that gleamed with a metallic sheen, reflecting the ambient light from holograms displaying countless star systems. The other two men felt as if the starry projections shook with each second of laughter.

  They watched as their boss’s face morphed back to a mask of sheer indifference that caused a shiver to run through their spines. “Introduce the Omniplex to the Exofront. Have it administered to everyone.”

  “But sir, the Exofronteers are a small sample size. While I agree they would be a grand experiment, it’s simply not substantial.”

  Ballack rolled his eyes. “Then simply increase the cast, take anyone who wants to enter willingly, and buy every slave. It’s the only way, boy.”

  Arius sighed. Ballack watched him with a scrutinizing eye, daring him to talk back. If he were to speak out of line, he would have ended up like his predecessor. Turned to ash. It seemed Arius knew better.

  “Very well. We’ll have everything prepared soon.”

  Watching his three men leave his chambers, Ballack rubbed his temples. It was chaos that bred innovation. Desperation that fueled discovery. If the Omniplex wouldn’t fully awaken in the sterile confines of a laboratory, perhaps it needed the crucible of battle. The raw, unfiltered will to survive. Allowing the Omniplex to taste the essence of life and death. Perhaps then he could control it.

  “Let the games begin.”

  ***

  Ciro awoke in pain as a sharp object entered his upper arm. His breath, after a long time without one, sounded like a vacuum sucking in air. His eyes opened frantically, all his senses felt foreign to him. It felt like he had only just taken control of his body.

  The numbness in his head felt unlike the usual headache he had become accustomed to when hung over. His vision had yet to settle, but an onslaught of colors fought for supremacy. Finally, only a faint blue hue remained, covering everything.

  Ciro swallowed hard, trying to piece together what happened for him to have ended up here. Everything came back to him in a haze. Perhaps everything was a dream. He had returned home after a day’s work and fell asleep. That should’ve explained everything, yet he still couldn’t move and he most definitely wasn’t in his apartment.

  Strapped to the table, all he could focus on were the blue lights hanging above him. A strange sense of déjà vu struck him. As if something similar had already happened. His déjà vu slowly ended, though, when he realized he wasn’t alone. Screams cut off all the sense of catharsis he was gaining.

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  There were others in the room, others like him, strapped to a table with no way to defend themselves. Ciro realized what had happened. He had been taken; he had been kidnapped, kidnapped by-

  A sudden voice cut off his realization. “Hello there, um let’s see here- oh Earthlings.”

  Aaand there we have it, kidnapped by aliens. They seem to have finally gotten hungry. He couldn’t understand what was being said, the being spoke in an indecipherable language. It did not help in easing his anxiety.

  “This isn’t good. None of you can see me.” The voice tutted as if disappointed. He then clicked his fingers, and suddenly the table Ciro lay on snapped forward. Ciro’s eyes whirled as he shifted from laying on his back, seeing upwards to now looking forward.

  The sterile, cold room trapped him. A thin gray suit was the only piece of protection he had on. Ciro questioned who changed his clothes, but he knew it definitely wasn’t the man in front of him speaking.

  “Hello, I’m sure you have many questions. I will answer them in due time, of course. My name is Arius Steiger and I’m the director of the Omniplex. I’m here to tell you the important things about your participation in the Exofront before you get teleported.”

  Ciro’s eyes shook with confusion. Were those damn brains he had seen a figment of his imagination? Not only that, but as he spoke, it seemed every other word came out as English. Allowing him to understand some of what he was saying. The man who introduced himself didn’t seem like an alien. Hell, he looked more human than he did.

  Arius was a man of average height and build. He wore a gray suit with black shoulder pads, his black boots were matte and seemed to absorb the blue lighting around them. The only thing distinct about him was his bright yellow hair.

  “You earthlings have been procured for the use of the Valdaran solar system. Rejoice, you’ll have the chance to become heroes and if you truly do well, maybe you can transcend to godhood. Anything you’ve ever dreamed of shall be yours.”

  Ciro watched him as Arius scanned the room. He paced between the rows of tables with humans strapped on. “It’s quite bizarre. You Earthlings look very similar to us Anorans. Of course, your hair colour is a tad drab compared to our own.” As he stood at the end of the first row, Ciro craned his neck to see more of him.

  “I hope the investment we made, buying you off the Zyrri, will be worth every Tekaza. For your own sake.”

  Ciro registered every other word. Some of what he said sounded muffled. He knew it wasn’t his ears. It was as if some external force was blocking the noise. Altering it.

  He made his way back to the front. “Your cohort has potential. Most specimens injected with the Omniplex are sedated. The nanites that are flowing through your blood now are merciless. In the past, life forms would become delirious. Some even attempted to die to escape the sheer pain.” His voice sounded harsh and emotionless, as if he was talking to himself rather than to people.

  “Well, those times are ahead of us now. You twenty specimens are a testament to that. None of you have died. Count yourself proud.”

  He strolled through the columns of tables, taking glances at whoever caught his attention. “Some of you may not yet understand what I’m saying. Once the Omniplex takes root in your body, every language will translate to what you understand, so need not worry.”

  As Ciro understood more and more of what the man was saying, he felt the urge to caress the area of his arm that got pricked, but before he could register why, a burning sensation ran through his body. Like lava ran through all his blood vessels all the way to his heart. With each consecutive heartbeat, the burn ebbed away, leaving him withdrawn and sweating profusely.

  A sudden wave of anger overcame Ciro. He looked towards the man that most likely caused this all to happen. He tried forcing himself out of the restraints, but it was a futile endeavor. All he could do was give him a deranged stare as he inhaled and exhaled.

  Twisting his whole body, Arius made eye contact with Ciro. He raised an eyebrow. Ciro thought he saw a flicker of fear for a moment. But Arius took a deep breath. Ignoring Ciro, he continued with his explanation. “We will place you earthlings on a planet with a simple goal. To survive.”

  “Don’t worry though, we’re not heartless; we’ve administered a serum called Omniplex to all of you. The Omniplex is your savior and is stronger than any weapon you care to imagine.”

  Omniplex System Initiating

  While listening to the man speaking, Ciro didn’t notice the screen that lay in front of him. It hovered in the corner of his eye like a message. What the hell is that?

  He heard a rustling to his left. He looked from the corner of his eye to see a stocky man fighting against the invisible restraints that held them on the table. “Get me off this fucking table!” The man screamed, a visible strain of popping veins on his neck. “Get me out of here. I don’t want to be a part of this. Let me go!”

  Ciro watched as Arius Steiger waltzed towards the screaming man. “It’s funny you say that, because I probably should’ve mentioned, you don’t have a choice.” The man’s face became devoid of any emotion, as if he was looking at a speck of dust. He opened his mouth to retaliate but nothing came out, only a look of despair in his eyes.

  The yellow-haired man began checking his nails. “Well, I think that’s enough information to meet those damn ethics legislations. You can figure out the rest on your own. Toodaloo.” He waved at them before leaving through the door.

  Wait, what did he mean? We didn’t have a choice. Shit, I wasn’t listening properly. He said something about surviving.

  Ciro lamented his inability to concentrate, but how could he when he had that blue window floating in the corner of his eye? He had a sick sense that his life was going to be flipped upside down. Well flipped even harder, considering goddamn aliens have already kidnapped me.

  A sharp sound reverberated through his eardrums. He felt his body being pulled by an invisible force, a white light enveloped around his body, pulling him away. Ah crap, not again.

  Omniplex System Fully Activated

  [STATUS] Ciro Adams Race: Earthling lvl 1

  HP: 10/10

  SE (Stigma Energy) 10/10

  STR: 3

  DEX: 2

  END: 1

  INT: 5

  PER: 2

  CHA: 1

  LCK: 10

  Omniplex Error Detected

  Cloning System