CHAPTER FIFTEEN: The Pressure Grid
Reunion – The Waiting Room
The moment the lift stopped, Reina stumbled out—and froze.
Noah was already there, leaning against a metal wall.
Dylan gave a short, two-finger salute from a bench in the corner.
The barefoot boy, Tayo, sat beside the girl with the bandaged wrist, whose name they had finally learned was Eliah.
They all looked up as Reina entered.
"You're back," Noah said, quietly.
Reina didn't answer. Just nodded.
A soft ding echoed. A wall panel slid open.
> TRIAL CARD: 8♦ – "THE PRESSURE GRID"
Players: 5
Objective: Cross the Grid
Rules:
– The floor is divided into pressure-sensitive tiles.
– Each tile has a hidden weight threshold.
– Some tiles trigger collapse under excess force.
– Only one player may move at a time.
– If any tile collapses, the game resets.
Victory Condition: All five players must reach the opposite platform within 15 minutes.
Failure Condition: Tile collapse or timeout.
A countdown began: 15:00
---
Game Start – The Observation Deck
The doors opened to reveal a massive room—an elevated grid of square tiles suspended above a dark pit. Each tile was marked with a number: 1 through 100, forming a 10×10 grid.
At the far end was a glowing red platform—the finish zone.
The starting platform pulsed blue beneath their feet.
Reina whispered, "This is pressure-sensitive. We can't brute-force it."
A robotic voice rang out:
> "Weight thresholds are randomized. Tiles marked with faint green are stable. Others must be tested."
Tayo asked, "And if we test wrong?"
Dylan pointed to a half-broken tile in the middle of the grid.
"Then someone drops."
---
Phase One – Recon
Eliah volunteered first.
Light. Agile.
She stepped onto the first tile—it flashed green. Safe.
She moved one forward. It turned yellow.
Another step—red.
She stepped back. The tile dimmed.
Noah muttered, "Three stages: green is safe, yellow is risky, red is collapse."
Dylan added, "And we only get one body on the grid at a time."
They nodded.
This was chess—with lives.
---
Phase Two – Pattern Recognition
Reina stepped in next, studying the numbers etched faintly into each tile.
She began to see it.
The numbers weren't just decorative—they were weights.
Lower numbers held less, higher numbers held more.
Tile 56 had a "30" mark. The one that collapsed under Eliah's foot had a "20".
It clicked.
"Threshold is proportional to tile number," Reina said. "And we're the variables."
---
Phase Three – The Rush
08:42 left.
Tayo went next. He moved diagonally, carefully choosing only 50+ tiles. Safe.
Dylan moved fast, using memorized tiles.
Noah went after him. A tile beneath him flickered red.
"Don't move," Reina warned.
He adjusted his stance—put weight on the other foot.
It steadied. He reached the end.
Only Reina remained.
The group was yelling out numbers to her—safe ones.
She moved fast.
One misstep. A red flicker.
She didn't freeze.
She jumped—diagonal, straight into a "72" tile.
Green.
She landed on the red platform just as the clock hit 01:03
> ✅ TRIAL COMPLETE
Reward: Passage Granted – All Players Advance
Penalty Avoided: Grid Collapse Sequence
---
Aftermath – The Corridor Beyond
A single metal door opened with a long hiss.
Beyond it, the corridor was dark. But not dead. It pulsed—like something was waiting.
Reina exhaled slowly.
They were together again.
But the games were getting smarter.
And now… time was against them.