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#Log_061 - Targeting Patterns Detected

Six episodes remain until the grand finale. On the sixth day of the countdown, the supporters of the twenty-one contestants who jumped off the roof—along with Vanessa's, Contestant 24's, and even Rebecca's growing faction—begin strategizing to send Reese into every remaining fight. They talk about it in the comment sections of nearly every post.

Reese's fans are louder than ever, but their numbers are dwindling. The ones who stick around defend him with a kind of tired loyalty. "You think sending Reese to the arena is punishment? He wants it. He won't even ask for our protection. My guess is he wants her in the finale."

At nine o'clock, the six of them sit in front of the big screen. There are fewer chairs tonight, yet the groups remain separate. Contestant 2 runs a hand through his hair every few seconds and keeps glancing at the other group. He's probably wondering if he picked the losing side.

Except there are no losing sides—only a single winner. Maybe Contestant 2 isn't afraid of being picked. Maybe he's afraid of facing Reese in battle now that they're close. Rebecca certainly is terrified of that very thing.

Contestant 45 isn't crying at the moment, but it's obvious from her makeup that she was. Rebecca doesn't understand why she keeps using so much black eyeliner if she's constantly crying. But when she looks at her more closely, she starts to notice a certain kind of beauty in the way those black lines and smudges decorate her face. They give her a dark fairy look.

Their distress is justified. Rebecca feels it too, despite being in the "safe group." Another thing Reese's opponents are planning is pitting him against his own allies. That's why tonight, while sitting in the common room waiting for the hosts to announce the two contestants' numbers, Rebecca feels like she's going to be sick.

But it's the number forty-five that comes up next to Reese's.

Contestant 45 cries out loud and hugs her knees to her chest, shaking her head violently.

"No, please, no. I'm not ready."

Rebecca watches, horrified. She probably would've had a similar reaction if she'd been chosen.

Reese rubs a hand across his face repeatedly before finally getting to his feet. Then he extends it to Contestant 45. She looks up at him with glassy eyes.

"Come on," he says. "I promise it won't hurt."

She obeys immediately. The crying stops all at once. One moment she's leaking from every hole in her face, the next her expression goes blank, like the AI nurse when she's off. Her movements turn slow, mechanical. She walks because she's told to, not because she knows what she's doing.

She doesn't seem to snap out of her trance until she's standing in the arena and the audience is chanting for her death. Nothing personal. They chant for Reese's all the same.

Despite possessing a formidable ability—Sound Wave Shielding—Contestant 45's single attempt at an attack proves useless. At first, she manages to create a dizzying effect by silencing certain areas and amplifying others. Reese looks to both sides and covers his ears, visibly uncomfortable.

"That... cool," he says. His words come and go. He speaks louder than necessary, probably struggling to adjust the volume of his voice. "Too bad... never told... this... your ability."

Contestant 45 drops her posture, and the sound returns to normal.

"You never asked," she says. "I would've told you. You know I would've done anything for you."

"Hey," Reese says after a moment, opening his arms, inviting her into a hug. "Why don't you come here?"

She sees what he's doing but doesn't move from her spot. Reese lowers his arms.

Contestant 45 inhales a cry. "You want to kill me? You never let me touch you. Why do you want to hug me all of a sudden? You're going to kill me."

All she gets in response is Reese's long sigh.

"At least tell me I was close to getting your heart. Tell me you felt something."

Neither Reese nor Contestant 45 have a chance to say anything else because someone from the front row throws their soda, including the cup and straw, at Contestant 45's face. "Shut up and fight!"

She gasps and freezes while the beverage drips from her eyelashes and nose.

Reese clenches his jaw as he walks toward Contestant 45, his eyes locked on the owner of the soda. Once by her side, he pulls her into a hug. She, sticky and wet, hides her face in his chest and cries. He lets her—for a while. Rebecca watches with a knot in her throat that makes her face throb.

In a sudden movement, he flips Contestant 45, her back landing against his chest. He hooks his bicep and upper arm around her neck, tight. She fights for release immediately, and the cheers and shouting in the arena fracture into chaotic patterns. Even the speakers in the common room carry that disorienting distortion.

But Reese doesn't let her go, and as her struggles grow softer, so does the dissonance around them. Before she gives up completely, Reese's voice comes out as if from afar—but his words are clear.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to kill you, I have to."

When he finally lets go, she drops to the floor like a heavy rag doll.

Before the drones tie him up again, Reese pays his respects to Contestant 45 by punching the guy who threw his soda at her, right in the face. The drones don't just bind his ankles and wrists; they pull his hands behind his back and gag him too.

Unnecessary, Rebecca thinks, relieved despite herself that he's being brought back.

The next day, everything repeats in exactly the same way. The tracking of the viewers' behavior throughout the day. Rebecca's all-consuming fear before the battle. Reese's number on the screen. The relief that washes over her when Contestant 2's number is called instead of hers.

"Let's see how he comes back from this," Contestant 24 murmurs, as both Reese and Contestant 2 step through the door to the arena.

The fibers grant Contestant 2 super strength—an overwhelming skill. Unlike the previous battle, Reese's concentration looks sharp tonight. He positions himself near the end of the arena floor, with the wall beneath the stands at his back. Then, he stands still.

Contestant 2 doesn't react immediately either, but seeing that Reese has no intention of moving, he ends up charging at him. Torso low. Head first. He's going for a tackle.

At the last second—right as his head is about to slam into Reese's stomach—Reese jumps aside, and Contestant 2's head crashes into the wall beneath the stands. His strength is such that every bone in his neck and spine shatters instantly. The fight is over in less than five minutes.

By the time Reese returns to the common room, victorious for the second time in a row, he has no one left.

***

Author Note: We're getting close to the big finale. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading!