Out in the middle of nowhere, a massive city occupied nearly the entire depth of a deep crater. The city was surrounded by high, black walls and had dozens of sky scrapers in its center which barely poked out over the crater’s ridge. Surrounding the tall buildings were others much smaller, but there was a pattern to them. The further out from the middle you went, the shorter the buildings. And these shorter buildings were also separated from the core spires by an inner wall. Along with being cut off from the inner section, the city was broken up into eight districts by walls. Though, there were dozens of connection points so it seemed as though the barriers were just to drive the point of separation. Containing it all? A massive, transparent dome.

“Welcome to your new home.” Jake’s Master muttered, as if noticing his staring. Jake huffed and relaxed into his seat, taking in as many details as possible.

Each district obviously had a reason for its being, so he focused on their differences. First, each district had a different arena-like building. One had a stadium like a concert hall, another had a sports dome. A third had a massive race track, another a casino like building. Fifth, there was a huge battlefield in the middle of the city with six different terrains and likely more if Jake assumed that they could be changed out. The sixth district had a track, much like the race track in the third district, but it was a lot trickier and its floor was made of some kind of glass material. And it was floating. The seventh and eight districts had similar concert domes, but they were much smaller. Not only that, but they lacked any sort of major attraction aside from the large buildings. Likely, seven and eight were housing districts.

“It’s a battlefield,” he declared. The woman flashed him her devilish smirk.

“In some ways, you’re right, but it’s not a battlefield. This is a warzone,” she said. Jake didn’t understand the clarification.

“The difference is…?” He asked.

“A battlefield would assume there is only one. A warzone is multiple. In this case, there are multiple places to fight,” she said. But of course, it still sounded dumb. Jake shook his head slightly and just accepted the answer. He still thought they were the same thing.

The next difference between the districts were the color themes, and their levels of activity. Each district was numbered, had a specific color painted across most of the buildings, and different sectors had different levels of lights and visuals. In particular, the fifth sector looked relatively dull, while the sixth district was alive with lights, floating buildings, and bustling energy. These stark contrasts made certain districts more appealing than others and he instinctual found himself gravitating towards the sixth district. But, he had a feeling that even the sixth district had its dark alleyways.

The cars clipped the edge of the crater and followed the road down in a straight line to the outer wall. Rather than being greeted by guards, they were instead greeted by massive turrets. The things were likely twice the size of normal battle tanks, and four of them were located around the entrance; two on the top of the wall, and two flanking it on the ground. The cars stopped for inspection and moved up one by one to be fully scanned by some sort of digital device. A blue light swept over the vehicle and a pad illuminated the underside of the car. Once the outside was checked, a light scanned through the inside of the car. Once finished, the solid blue wall of light in front of them flashed green before disappearing. One by one, the cars were inspected then given access through the wall. Jake could only imagine what would happen if inspection was failed.

Passed the first digital door, the cars drove down at an angle to what Jake assumed was a tunnel leading to a lower portion of the city. The incline steepened for a while before suddenly flattening out again. Just a hundred yards or so in, the road in split in two. Another turret was waiting at the intersection. There, the cars split up. Three turned right and two went left. Jake’s turned left. The road illuminated and an array of white lights guided the drivers around a curved tunnel. At a certain point, the other car veered off to a connecting inner tunnel while Jake’s kept going. His went for another two tunnels before finally turning right. By his judgment, he was likely in the district with the large battlefield arena. Though, he couldn’t truly tell.

The road ended after some time and the car pulled into a receiving dock of sorts. A small pool of similar black cars were already parked, and at large group of other teens were standing in four lines. Adults flanked each teen.

“Second tip; keep your mouth shut for this part. Talk, and you’ll get in trouble.” The woman’s words came out as an order, so Jake played along. As the car stopped, he sealed his mouth and stepped out after her. A large portion of eyes fell on them. By instinct, he glanced at her but she only nudged him forward. He followed her into position at the back of the group and waited patiently.

“Took you long enough.” One of the nearby adults muttered, but Jake’s Master said nothing.

“Boys, Girls. My name is Director Hanson. Currently there are Two-Hundred-Eight of you. By the end of the next two months, that number will drop to exactly One-Hundred-Four. And after two more months, to Fifty-Two, and then to Twenty-Six. You will learn why soon enough. For now, I want you to keep that in your minds.” A man at front of the organized mass of children stood on a raised platform and spoke clearly into a microphone, one Jake couldn’t exactly find. But even though there was no microphone, his voice was still booming all around.

“This place is your new home, and you will live alongside your Handlers and regular civilians. However, every other teen or child that has a Handler should be considered your enemy. Your job, until you are one of the last Twenty-Six, is to eliminate your enemy by any means necessary. You will be provided with tools later on.” The words immediately put Jake on guard. He shot a look around the immediate area by him and clenched his fists. Then, he looked up to the woman beside; His “Handler”. She put a finger to her lips. The man paused at this time and raised his hand. As he did, a massive semi-transparent screen appeared just above him. As he continued, pictures began to appear. First, names that were broken into numbered groups.

“You will be broken up into groups and each individual will be given a sack and a tag. Each sack will have normal living supplies, changes of clothes, and some gifts from us.” As he mentioned the sack, a display of it appeared. Though, it lasted only a few seconds before a larger display came up; the Tag. It was rectangular and looked like any old office-swipe card, but Jake immediately identified it as his lifeline.

“Your tag will have your new name, a number, a serial key, a barcode, your face, and a location. The location is your home, and you will use the tag to gain access to that home. Tags also give you access to money accounts, shops, and other commodities around the city.” The man spoke clearly and without hesitation, but Jake waited for the catch.

“Lose your tag, lose your home and everything owned by you. Tags will not be replaced. Tags can be stolen. But get caught stealing, and you’ll lose your own tag.” Bingo. Jake licked the inside of his front teeth and crossed his hands behind his back. Tags were the lifeline, and stealing someone else’s tag bettered your living conditions.

“Focus.” As if catching onto his thoughts, the woman nudged him. Jake nodded and put strategy on hold. This wasn’t time for that. He listened as the Director continued.

“As you are being processed, each individual will be put through a short group of medical stations. Four to be exact. At the first you will give a small sample of blood. At the second, you will be given an injection of various immunizations that will work to cleanse you of diseases and protect you from any that may appear inside the Dome.” The Dome was its nickname, then? Jake noted that.

“The third will give you an implant on the back of your neck as well as a device known as the NIC, or Nerve Implant Controller. It’ll give you access to the implant’s basic functions. Feel free to roam around vanilla-style without it if you want. Cellphones are available.” Jake nodded and made another mental note.

“At the fourth station, you’ll receive another injection. Based on the blood we’ve taken from the first station; you’ll receive a shot. After taking it, you may feel slight side-effects. Nausea, cramps, drowsiness, and the room spinning are just a few. If you feel as though your body is burning or any other not-so-good feeling, tell the medical staff immediately. Not doing so will result in your elimination from the project.” Jake huffed. He could already tell; any more painful side-effects meant the injection didn’t stick well with the body, and meant the individual was already dead. What a joke.

“Once you are given your final injection, you will be escorted by your Handler to the City. Once there, they will give you a digital package with the information you will need to get started. After this point, you are on your own in terms of survival and living.” The Director’s voice hardened as he changed topics. The screen above him flipped from small images, to a large outlining of the district. Jake was off by one. Instead of the battlefield, he found himself looking at the sports stadium district. At the sight, he cursed. He would’ve much preferred the battlefield.

“This is your field. Named how it looks; Sports Dome. Every few days, individuals will be selected to participate in a random event. If you are chosen, you will be given a data packet with information. Failure to participate will lead to a penalty. Losing will also incur a penalty. Winning will result in a reward, fame, and a bonus going into the next week. Death will occur during these events, so be prepared.” A hand raised up somewhere towards the front, but was ignored after a brief glance by the Director. The hand dropped a second later.

“If you do not have an event, you are allowed to travel between districts, view other events, and simply live your life. However, be aware; you may not attack anyone from another district. Doing so will result in harsh punishment if you are caught. But if you find someone else from your own district elsewhere, they are fair game. Your job is to be one of the remaining Twenty-Six in this district. Until then, keep everyone not involved out of your mind, and that is my only suggestion. Heed it.” The Director stepped back after he finished speaking and stepped off to the side. A blonde haired woman took his place, and the screen above her flashed to show a bunch of names.

“Introduction is over. More details will be provided as you become more comfortable in the Dome. Now, we will begin splitting you up. Follow the instructions of your Handlers to begin your processing.” Once she finished, the groups immediately begin to disperse. Jake turned to his own Handler and she motioned for him to follow.