CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 38 : PAIGE VS JENNIFER [2]

The arena lights dimmed. Red lights glowed on one side. Blue lights glowed on the other.

Team Rayne wore blue armor. Team Reed wore red.

The weapons weren’t toys. The laser rifles in this arena were military-grade. Without the armor, a direct hit could burn through flesh, cause severe damage, even kill.

This wasn’t a game for amateurs.

The countdown hit zero. Both teams moved.

Jennifer’s team spread out instantly. Their formation was textbook perfect two flankers moving wide to control the edges, two mid-range riflers holding the center lanes, one sniper climbing to the elevated platform, one scout pushing forward to gather intel.

They moved like machines. No wasted steps. No hesitation. Every angle covered.

Paige’s team moved more cautiously. The archery specialist took point, scanning for openings.

The strength competitor held the center, rifle raised but uncertain.

The intelligence expert stayed back, eyes darting, trying to read the enemy’s pattern.

The old man moved slowly near the rear, rifle held loosely, almost awkwardly.

Kiera and Paige flanked the sides, rifles raised, focused.

The first shot came forty seconds in.

The sniper from Team Reed perched on the elevated platform tracked the archery specialist’s movement. She waited. Three seconds. Four. The specialist paused to aim.

Bang.

A red laser beam sliced through the air, cutting across the distance with perfect precision. It hit the archery specialist square in the chest.

Her armor lit up red instantly. Her rifle discharged automatically, sparks flying. She froze mid-step, locked in place by the armor’s elimination protocol.

Eliminated.

The crowd gasped.

"First blood to Team Reed!" the announcer shouted. "Clean headshot from their sniper!"

The shooter didn’t celebrate. She shifted her scope immediately, scanning for the next target.

Paige cursed under her breath. "Spread out! Don’t give them clean sightlines!"

Her team scattered. The intelligence expert ducked behind a metal barrier, pressing her back against it. The strength competitor pushed forward aggressively, trying to close the distance and force a brawl.

But Jennifer’s team had already anticipated it.

One of the flankers repositioned silently. She circled wide, moving through the blind spot created by the barrier. Her footsteps were soundless. Her rifle never wavered.

The intelligence expert peeked around the corner, trying to gather information.

Bang.

The flanker fired from the side. The laser caught her directly in the visor.

Red light exploded across her helmet. Eliminated.

"Two down!" the announcer roared. "Team Reed is reading them like a book!"

The crowd erupted.

Paige gritted her teeth. ’They’re too coordinated. Every move we make, they’ve already countered it.’

The strength competitor charged forward, trying to break their rhythm. She fired as she ran, shots wild but aggressive.

Jennifer’s mid-range riflers didn’t panic. They split apart, creating crossfire.

One shot low, aiming for the legs. The other shot high, aiming for the chest.

The strength competitor tried to dodge. She rolled left. A laser grazed her shoulder. She pivoted right. Another laser caught her leg.

Her movement slowed. Her armor flickered.

The sniper finished it. One clean shot to the chest.

Eliminated.

Three of Paige’s team gone in under five minutes.

The scoreboard flashed: Team Reed: 6 | Team Rayne: 3

Paige’s breathing was heavy inside her helmet. Sweat dripped down her temple. "Kiera, fall back! Regroup with me!"

But Kiera was already engaged.

Three of Jennifer’s team had boxed her in. One from the front, one from the left, one from the right. Their positioning was surgical. No escape routes. No blind spots.

Kiera moved fast. She wasn’t panicking. Her training kicked in.

She fired at the one on the left. The shot forced her to duck. Kiera used that split second to roll forward, breaking the angle on the right.

She came up firing. Her shot clipped the right flanker’s shoulder. The armor flickered but didn’t eliminate.

’Damn it. Not enough.’

The front rifler fired. Kiera twisted her body, the laser missing by inches.

But the left flanker had recovered. She fired from behind.

The laser hit Kiera’s back. Another hit her side.

Her armor lit up red.

Eliminated.

Kiera collapsed to her knees, fists clenched. "Damn it."

The scoreboard updated: Team Reed: 6 | Team Rayne: 2

Only Paige and the old man remained.

The crowd was on its feet. The noise was deafening. This wasn’t a match anymore. It was an execution.

Jennifer’s voice came through the open comms, calm and mocking. "Paige. It’s over. You’re outnumbered. Outmatched. Outclassed. Your team had no synergy, no strategy, no chance."

Paige didn’t respond. She moved fast, ducking behind a thick barrier, rifle raised. Her mind raced.

’Six against two. All of them are professionals. I’m good, but not good enough to take six at once.’

Jennifer’s team closed in from all sides. Their movements were coordinated. Perfect.

"You know," Jennifer continued, her voice dripping with venom, "I should thank you. Thank your pathetic son for humiliating my daughter. For making a mockery of my family name. For forcing me to watch as that boy stripped away every ounce of respect we had."

Paige’s jaw clenched. "Shut up and fight."

"Oh, I am fighting. And winning." Jennifer laughed, cold and sharp. "Your empire? Half of it is mine now. Your reputation? Shattered. By tomorrow morning, every news channel will broadcast the same headline: Paige Rayne, the fallen queen who couldn’t protect what she built."

Paige fired blind around the corner. Her shot missed. A red laser answered back instantly, slamming into the barrier inches from her head.

She rolled to the side. Another laser cut through the space she’d just vacated.

’They’re everywhere. No matter where I move, they’re already there.’

She glanced back. The old man was still there, standing awkwardly near the rear. He held his rifle loosely, like he didn’t know how to use it.

’Useless. Completely useless.’

Another laser screamed past her shoulder. She ducked low and sprinted toward a new position. Her legs pumped hard. Her lungs burned.

She dove behind a ramp. Fired back. Hit nothing.

Jennifer’s team was relentless. They moved like wolves, circling, cutting off every path.

Paige fought anyway.

She dodged.

Rolled.

Fired.

She managed to hit one of the flankers in the arm. The armor flickered but held.

Not enough.

Two lasers came from opposite sides. She twisted her body, barely avoiding both.

But she was slowing down. Her breathing was ragged. Her movements less precise.

Jennifer’s voice came again, mocking. "You’re tired, Paige. I can hear it in your breath. How much longer can you run?"

Paige didn’t answer. She sprinted toward the next barrier.

Lasers came from six different directions. All at once.

Left. Right. Front. Back. Above. Below.

No room to dodge. Every escape blocked. Every angle covered.

The lasers hit her simultaneously.

Chest. Arms. Legs. Back. Shoulder.

Her armor flared bright red. Her rifle discharged with a violent spark. Her body locked.

Paige collapsed to the ground, helpless.

The crowd erupted in a roar that shook the arena.

The announcer’s voice boomed over the noise. "It’s over! Team Reed wins! Jennifer Reed has taken everything!"

Paige lay there, staring at the ceiling through her visor. Her chest heaved. Her fists clenched uselessly at her sides.

She’d lost.

Lost half her empire. Lost her reputation. Lost everything she’d built over decades.

Helpless.

Jennifer’s team gathered around her, rifles still raised, victory clear in their posture.

Jennifer herself walked forward, slow and deliberate. She stopped directly above Paige, looking down.

"Pathetic," Jennifer said coldly. "You never stood a chance. You built your empire on luck and timing. I built mine on discipline and skill. Now the world knows which one matters."

Paige couldn’t move. Couldn’t respond. The armor locked her in place like a cage.

The crowd chanted Jennifer’s name. The screens replayed the final moments over and over.

And then a voice cut through the noise.

"This armor is too heavy. It just makes movement sluggish."

Everyone froze.

The chanting stopped. The crowd went silent. Even the announcer paused mid-sentence.

Paige’s eyes widened. Jennifer’s head snapped around. All six of Jennifer’s team turned toward the voice.

The old man.

The one who’d been standing at the back the entire match.

Slow. Useless. Forgotten.

He reached up and grabbed his helmet with both hands.

Click.

He pulled it off.

The face underneath wasn’t old. Wasn’t weathered. Wasn’t weak.

It was sharp. Young. Eyes gleaming with confidence.

Jax.

The crowd gasped. Whispers exploded across the stands like wildfire.

Paige’s mouth dropped open behind her visor. "What...?"

Jennifer’s eyes went wide. Her face twisted in shock and fury. "That’s—that’s not—how did—"

Jax ignored them all. He unclasped the chest plate. It fell to the ground with a heavy thud that echoed through the silent arena.

Then the arm guards.

Clang. Clang.

The leg guards.

Thud. Thud.

The back plate.

Crash.

One by one, he stripped off every piece of armor until he stood there in just his academy uniform, rifle held loosely in one hand.

The crowd was losing its mind. Confusion. Shock. Excitement. Questions screamed from every direction.

Jax rolled his shoulders, stretching like he’d just woken up from a nap. "Much better."

He looked at Jennifer’s team. All six of them still had their rifles trained on him, but their stances had shifted. Uncertain. Confused.

He smirked.

"Now," he said, voice calm and cold, "let’s make this interesting."