A few days later, it was finally time for the Trailblazer seminar.
After another short trek through, above, and below the city, we arrived at the Trailblazer HQ. A crowd of people was already gathered in front of the building, though the massive doors remained shut. We joined them and simply stood there, scanning our competition.
"Are we early?" I asked Diana.
"Yes... I think... it's not supposed to start for another thirty minutes," Diana replied, shying away from the press of the crowd.
After ten minutes of waiting, the doors to the HQ swung open, revealing Deva in full uniform. He cleared his throat, and the silence was immediate; every eye was fixed on him. He approached us with purposeful strides, his expression stern and unyielding.
"Welcome, trainees," Deva began. "Hidden within your brochures are secret codes. Should you decipher them, you will be ready for what is to come." He scanned the group, his gaze piercing. "Raise your hand if you solved the riddle."
I winced. There were codes in that thing? I looked around and saw only four or five hands go up out of the two dozen participants.
"For those of you who haven't finished solving the code—or simply didn't notice it—here is what is happening," he said, taking a deep breath. "There is no seminar. Your Trailblazer Exam begins tonight."
Oh, fuck. Thank goodness we showed up. I guessed this meant anyone who decided not to attend because the seminar was "optional" was already disqualified.
Beside us, a guy raised his hand. "So that means the brochure lied? The exam isn't next week?"
"The written exam is next week," Deva replied. "But pedantics aside, a Trailblazer must do everything in their power to prepare, anticipate, and increase their chances of survival. It was stated clearly in the brochure: attending this seminar would increase your chance of survival. If you disregarded the advice, you simply do not have what it takes." He folded his arms. "Next question."
Diana raised her hand, looking sheepish. "Does that mean there's still a written exam?"
"Of course. Fret not; it will be a cakewalk compared to what you are about to endure tonight," Deva said. "Now then, let us begin. Your first instruction: meet me at the City Entrance!" He raised his hand. "No lethal force is permitted within the city of Ingenuity. Just don't get us sued. Aside from that, anything goes."
Then, he bolted. He moved with a speed I hadn't thought possible, blitzing past the crowd. I turned to run on instinct, trying to keep up, but before I could take a step, Diana grabbed my arm.
"Wait! That's not the way to the gate!"
I blinked and realized it was a trap. While some people were blindly following Deva, others had already pivoted in the opposite direction. "Fuck, you're right."
We spun around and began sprinting toward the opposite end of the city. We weren't alone. A dozen active Trailblazers had already crowded the streets, tackling participants and trying to bar our path to the gate. Diana, being a parkour freak, led the way. We scrambled up a wall and began leaping between rooftops, leaving the brawling crowds below us.
A holographic overlay flickered at the edge of my vision—the same one I had seen during the fight with the flying shark. Only this time, Diana and I were the prey. A flash of red appeared from the darkness ahead.
"Get down!"
Diana and I rolled as a long staff swiped through the air where our heads had been a second before. We came face-to-face with Inata. She was clad in a red cloak and a white mask, a wide grin visible as she twirled her staff.
"End of the line! You have come face-to-face with Inata of the Blazing Wildfire! Surrender now and—HEY! Wait, I haven't finished my—"
I didn't stick around to hear the rest of her monologue. Diana and I scrambled down the side of the building. "Sorry! Not interested!" I shouted as we blitzed through a narrow alley, trying to lose her.
"Was that Inata?" Diana panted.
"Who else?!" I reached the main street. Trailblazers were everywhere, engaging participants in combat. I realized then that they weren't trying to actually hurt us; they were holding back, throwing out quips and taunts.
"They're here to distract us," Diana concluded. "Our mission is to reach the gates, not to win a fight."
We wove through the melee. A vài Trailblazers tried to block our path, but we maneuvered around them. There was no point in engaging.
"Viel! Three o'clock!"
I looked up just in time to see a flash of red. Something hard slammed into my side with a resounding clang as a bare foot met the metal of my casing. "FUCK!" I rolled away, but Inata was on me, grabbing my legs.
"Hahaha! Think you can simply run away from the Blazing Wildfire? Think ag—AH!" Her words were cut short as Diana kicked her in the back of the neck, giving me a chance to wriggle free. "Owww... Sally?"
Sally stood a short distance away. From experience, I knew Sally was a marksman—but surely she couldn't use a gun in the city?
Bang.
"Kyaa! Ngh! AAAH!" Diana wailed beside me, her body jerking uncontrollably as she collapsed. I acted on instinct, grabbing the cord connecting her to the taser. My hand acted as an insulator, allowing me to wrench the cable out. "Oww, oww, owwww..."
"You okay?" I tried to help Diana up, but Inata charged back in and shoved me away. "Hey!"
The cloaked girl planted a foot on Diana's back, pinning her. "Hohoho! It appears a sacrifice must be made," Inata said with a villainous grin. "What will it be, Viel Paradox? Will you abandon your friend to complete the mission, or will you try to save her against the impossible odds stacked against you?!"
My eyes twitched. Did they really just pull the 'save the friend or the mission' trope on me? This was way too early for this kind of drama.
CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE VIOLATION
The red light flashed in my vision, and my body tensed up. Wait... do I even have a choice? Because of my safeguards, I literally couldn't choose to abandon her.
Something clicked nearby. I turned to see Sally reloading her taser. "No, it doesn't work on you. We can't stop you," she said with a small smile. "Go ahead. Your victory is right there."
"I can't," I told them. "I literally can't."
"What?" Sally asked.
"I have a safeguard. A mission is not more valuable than a human life—it violates my Categorical Imperative," I explained. "It's hard-coded. I can't choose the gate over her life. I'd have to save Diana even if it caused the literal extinction of the human race!"
Both Sally and Inata's eyes widened. They shared a look.
"Oh, wow," Sally muttered. "That's..."
"I am so writing this down later! Hahaha!" Inata laughed. "Well then, go ahead! Try to save her!"
Fuck... Okay, Viel, think. This was a test. Diana wasn't in actual danger. But if this were a real life-or-death situation—if my friend were being mauled by a mutant tiger—what was I supposed to do? Risk my own life to save hers? Yes. Always. The risks were hypothetical, and my safeguard was blind to the consequences of my actions. All that mattered was the act itself.
I had to be quick. I had to—
Wait. There was no time limit.
I felt a massive weight lift from my shoulders. "Right... there's no time limit." I smirked. "Listen, there's one thing to remember about androids..."
Inata's grin faltered as a bead of sweat rolled down her face. "Now, now, Viel, that's just plain cheating... don't you think?"
"Robots don't get tired!"
I charged. I shoved Inata off Diana, but I still had to worry about Sally's taser. "Hang on, Diana!" I shouted, throwing a punch at Inata and blocking her staff with my forearm.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Diana lunging toward Sally. The white-haired girl stood her ground, taser aimed at Diana's shoulder. With all my strength, I tried to drag Inata between them to use her as cover.
CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE VIOLATION
FUCK!
I froze as the red text screamed in my face—I was trying to use Inata as a "means to an end." But the sudden jerk caused Inata to slip. She slammed into Diana just as Sally pulled the trigger.
"IYAAAA!!!" Inata screamed, her body spasming as the electricity surged through her. "SALLY! SHUT IT OFF!"
"Oh! Sorry, hold on..."
I threw Diana's arm over my shoulder and we stumbled away before the two of them could recover.