Versus (Parts I and II)

Chapter 1- Dead End

5 months before the Versus 2350

Ding. Ding. Ding.

Calista heard her sleep capsule whir as it opened.

The Artificial Intelligence for Domestic Assistance started its morning narration. "Good morning, Miss Calista Medley. It is now 10:00 in the morning of August 16th, 2349 in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana."

The 17-year-old girl groaned, rising with a black bird's nest on her head. The AIDA immediately fixed her hair for her, leaving it in a perfect, shiny waterfall. "Morning," she yawned, a bit disoriented from the weird nightmare. Since when did she have nightmares like that? "Any messages?"

"You have a pending message from... The SociaLights... which arrived at 10:00 PM on August 15th, 2349."

A screen projected in front of her, showing all three of her childhood friends; Danica, Rebecca, and Elizabeth. Three girls that drained the life out of her every waking moment.

"Hi, Cali," Danica said sweetly. "We're thinking of doing a special anti-Versus broadcast soon. Let us know what we can say. You should have a lot, since you got rejected by them so many times."

"Also, you should tell our viewers how you've changed since you decided to stop applying," said Rebecca. "Tell them how you realized it was a killer game and that it wasn't worth it. There's a lot of people still deciding if they're for the Versus or not."

"It's good timing, too. That fighting school's almost done with apps. Liza's gonna see if she can get her little sister to talk about it. She got rejected last year for the Junior Versus, like you."

"Yeah, um... you could maybe give her some advice, Cali," said Elizabeth, twirling her ginger red hair around her finger.

"Advice about moving on from that game," Rebecca added, flipping her blond hair back.

"Yeah... that's what I meant." Elizabeth forced a smile.

"We'll see you tomorrow!" All three of them flashed their signature hand signs— a heart, a peace sign, and wings— and saluted. "SociaLights out!" The screen closed.

Calista couldn't help the uncomfortable guilt in her stomach. Love, Peace, Freedom... and her sign was Loyalty, a fist on her chest. With the thoughts she had about the Versus, she felt incredibly... well, disloyal.

Unbeknownst to them and her family, she'd been following the Versus. She'd told everyone that she quit, that she wanted nothing to do with that competition, that she'd given up on training and studying martial arts. For almost her whole life, she'd dreamed of earning a spot in the United States' fighting school, Fistborn Academy. There was a fighting school in each of the participating countries of Earth, but Fistborn was one of the absolute best on the entire planet.

Twice, at 12 and 14, she'd applied for the school's Junior Versus program; a smaller version of the competition that featured younger fighters all over Earth. Both times, she was rejected, despite training so hard for a spot. Now, she was within the age range to apply for the real competition and compete in the Games, or at least have a place in the academy. But after giving up all those years ago, she doubted she even had a slight chance of getting in.

She suffered in silence every day, withstanding the daily broadcasts she did with her friends, set on the path to become a Socializer— influential people on Earth that showcased various talents and interacted face-to-face rather than behind a holo-screen, which was the usual norm for human society. The SociaLights was a growing channel, with over 10,000 Earthians following them, but that was nothing compared to bigger Socializers that actually made thriving careers.