Gods of Arena
Power Braces

He had flexed his fingers about a million times, since he returned from the gym. His hands felt just the same. There was nothing special. Nothing different. From the look on Dylan's face, he must have done something astonishing. The ice that covered his hand didn't look like it was from Dylan's Shin Zhu. He sat up on the bed, leaning on the wall and wondering how it'd feel to have the ability to control ice, just like Rico.

Kang stood up from the bed, still flexing his fingers. He needed to get the exact pose he had made with his hands during the fight. That was probably the key to activating his Shin Zhu.... If he wasn't hallucinating.

He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, concentrating his mind on ice. He threw his arms forward and opened his fist. He felt some energy leave his body, leaving behind a minor headache. He opened his eyes slowly to check out the possible "damage".... It was just the door and the room. Nothing happened.... And the headache was just him being weak and tired. He fell on the bed and slept off, quickly.

****

"Hey, Dennis. Any info?"

"Where's Alexa?", Dennis asked, as he walked into the lab.

Ana stood up and walked closer to him. "I thought you guys were communicating", she replied. "She didn't tell anyone about planting you among the fighters" "And you guys didn't find out? Even when I had to fight with one guy called the Blank?"

"That happened? Alexa's sudden appearance was pretty stunning", Ana replied and glanced at his arms, as he rolled down his sleeves. "What are those things?"

"Power Braces. Alexa gave it to me", Dennis said and sat down, as he took of the braces on his arm. "She told me to join the fighters as Dylan. The power Braces make me able to use a Shin Zhu" "You want to show me?"

"No, I don't want to. Where is Alexa? And why did you call me back?", Dennis asked. "Just yesterday, she told me to watch out for any fighter with the ability to control technology"

"Let me guess; you didn't find any 'cause it's definitely not a Shin Zhu option?"

"That's a known fact and I wonder where she got her idea from"

"King called her, this morning. She left for the Other Side", Ana said. "You said something about the Blank. What happened? Is he alright?"

"Why the interest? Is he your boyfriend?" "Just answer the question, will you?"

"I used to wonder why the gamblers and virtually everyone loved him. I stopped wondering after the fight", Dennis said, wearing a look of admiration. "I think there's something special about him. I can't explain it but I'm sure there is more to be learned"

Ana smiled for a second, toying with the golden bracelet on her wrist. Her smile slowly faded, as she remembered Crane. Fred had hyped his creation so much that she didn't see the tragedy coming. "Ana? Are you alright?", Dennis asked. "You look worried"

"No, it's nothing.... Where is your gold strap?", she asked, as her eyes fell on his wrist. Every of the Larger Figures were compulsed to wear the gold straps at all time, so they could walk through the invisible barriers without revealing the secret of the breach.

"My...?", he muttered, touching his wrist and trying to remember. He had taken it off, on the first day of his mission, when he got to the room. "I must have forgotten it. I should probably go back"

"No. You can't go back there. You should get another one", Ana said. "The soldiers will go get your stuff"

******

Dan stood there, with arms folded, staring at the wall, as one of the fighters scrubbed paint off. "You see what I'm capable of, right?", Todd's voice invaded his focus. "I was never bluffing" "You probably got Kang but you're never going to try this with me", Dan said, threateningly, and moved his face closer. "You don't want to"

"You think so?", Todd whispered back. "Cause I think I really want to"

"You can go ahead, Todd", Dan smiled, mischievously. "I will keep my eyes on you and if you make any suspicious move-..... if I just THINK it's suspicious, trust me Todd, I will kill you like a coward" Todd giggled and walked backwards. "Alright, Dan.... Alright"

****

"Dylan?", Leon called, as he entered the room. He had been waiting for a perfect moment when Dylan wouldn't be nearby. Ever since Dylan joined them, they hanged out almost everywhere. Leon could feel his hot breath against his neck, at times. "Dylan?"

He opened the door and looked out. The fighters moved about the hall. There was no sign of Dylan. He closed the door swiftly and walked to his bed. He grabbed a small polythene bag under his pillow. He had kept it there for days, waiting for the perfect time to bring it out. He slid his hand into the bag and pulled out a golden bracelet. Similar pictures reappeared in his head, just like they did when Dylan first came around. The bracelet seemed to have pulled his eyes. He could barely keep his eyes off it.... Till Dylan forgot it on the nightstand. It fell on the ground, slid under the bed, and Dylan had totally forgotten about it... Then Leon picked it up. Those pictures in his head; they were images of similar bracelets on the wrists of the soldiers. He had a feeling it wasn't for the sake of fashion. The door creaked.

He looked back, immediately, keeping his hand forward and hidden. "Who's that?"

"Where's Dylan?", Todd asked. "I checked him at the gym. He wasn't there"

"He's probably in the bathroom. What do you want?", Leon replied, plainly. "You really should knock, next time"

"Sorry. I didn't think you'd be busy... or need any privacy at all", Todd said and chuckled. "Wait! Are you masturbating?... And trying to hide your-"

"Get out", Leon cut in, throwing an angry look. "Get the fuck out!"

Todd left immediately, slamming the door. Leon wiped off the sweat on his forehead. He was slowly running out of time and he needed to find out what the bracelet could do... and probably how Dylan got it. He wore the bracelet on his wrist and flexed his fingers in front of mirror, glancing in. He could see himself clearly. There was no physical change in him. He didn't feel different either. He pressed the bracelet tighter on his left wrist for a second. There was no difference. He clenched his left fist and felt something in, like he was holding a metal object. He looked at his left hand. There was a small golden gun in his hand, just like the weapons of the soldiers. He raised his hand, staring in awe. He opened his hand and the gun disappeared. It felt like his hand absorbed the gun, right back into the bracelet. He clenched his fist again and the gun was back in his hold. "Wow!", he said, gaping in awe. He pointed the gun at the mirror, as though he was going to shoot. "This can work as a secret weapon on the Arena"

The door opened. He opened his hand quickly and covered the bracelet with his right hand, as he stared at a stranger who stood by the door. "Hi?" "Uh...", Leon muttered. "Can I help you?"

"I don't know", the stranger said, stroking the handle of the cross bag on his shoulder. "Maybe... which of the beds will be mine?" "Excuse me?"

"Sorry. I mean which of the beds is yours so I'll just pick the other one?"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, my bad", he smiled and walked closer, holding out his hand. "My name is Dylan and I am your new roommate. It's nice to meet you"

Leon stared at him, confusedly. The Dylan before him wasn't the Dylan he woke up with. That definitely wasn't the Dylan he knew and no one could convince him Dylan had just left. Leon shook his hand and forced a smile. "This doesn't look nice though"

**

It was almost a week already and he hadn't gotten a new roommate yet. Waking up alone seemed like a lot of stress. Kang turned on his side and looked at the other bed. The rough sheets reminded him of Jin. Hopefully, someday, he would meet Jin again. He sat up lazily, resting his back on the wall. He could hear rushing movements, faintly, from the hall. An announcement had probably been made.... Or a spin was about to happen.

He stood up from the bed and stretched for a second. He felt a lot stronger after standing. The sleep was a long and satisfying one, after all. If there was a perfect time for workouts, the moment was just it. He needed a lot of training, anyway. Not only might he get bullied for having no Shin Zhu but he had a fight coming. Ana had warned him about that.

He looked in the mirror, staring at his dull face. He touched his cheek and pressed it, as if admiring himself. The murmurings continued, like all the fighters had gathered in the hall for a show. He opened the door and stepped out. The fighters were walking up the stairs and probably looking at something. On the other side of the hall, a door opened and Dan stepped out. "What's happening?", he asked.

"I have no idea. I just walked out", Kang said and walked up the stairs.

Dan followed him closely. "Is the spin happening? I always hear the announcement from my room"

"Who knows if someone reduced the volume?", Kang replied, as he walked in the middle of the gathered fighters, gently shoving them aside.

They had parted a way, already, staring at something probably new. Kang got to the front. There was blood all over the ground.... And the body of a fighter. "Fuck! What's that?", Dan exclaimed, almost laughing at the gore. "The last time I saw this kind of horror, Romeo had gotten raped"

"This is no Joke, Dan", Kang muttered, staring fixedly. The face of the fighter was brutalized and bloodied. No one could recognize him from the face but the cloth was a familiar one. Kang knew him. Dan should definitely know him. After an event that happened a few days earlier, most of them should know him. "You did this, didn't you?"

"Did what? What are you talking about?", Dan asked, staring confusedly. "Who's that?" "That's Todd"