It's 05:00 and a horn rang through the bunk room.
HONK! HONK! The horn sounded like the end of the world.
The noise caused Heinrich's eyes to snap open instantly. His body reacted before his mind fully caught up thanks to the years of sleeping lightly in dangerous places. He was already halfway upright before the second horn finished echoing. The room light came on damn near blinding him. Across from him somehow Arkyn was still completely asleep. One arm hanging off the bed mouth slightly open snoring. He was so unbothered by the horn that it confused Heinrich because to him it sounded like sonic equivalent of orbital artillery. Heinrich stared at him for exactly three seconds before a plan formed in his mind and he smiled slightly and then grabbed his pillow and hurled it directly at his face.
WHAM.
Arkyn jolted upright so violently he nearly fell off the bed.
"FIVE MORE MINUTES" The words died halfway through as he looked around wildly then realization hit "…Oh." He rubbed his face slowly. "You know," Arkyn muttered, "there are gentler ways to wake people."
Heinrich stood already pulling on his training clothes "I prefer the fast ways plus you can't sleep soundly when me heart nearly jumped out my body from the sound."
Arkyn groaned dramatically and collapsed backward on the bed again "I miss Mars."
"No you miss sleeping."
"Well yea because that's where I could sleep soundly without a pillow thrown in my face."
Another horn rang out Arkyn sat up immediately this time "…Alright, alright, I'm up for real this time. Man so demanding."
The next two hours passed by. They each went to go shower in their own bathrooms and got dressed for Inspection. The inspectors came in and searched everything without messing up anything and moved on to the next bunk room. The Academy moved with frightening precision. As they head to the food hall, every corridor carried streams of recruits moving toward assigned sectors while overhead announcements constantly updated schedules and regulations. When they got to the food hall it operated like a machine. Hundreds of recruits filled the massive cafeteria, yet the entire process flowed with military efficiency. Food dispensers rotated automatically, trays moved through heated rails, and instructors stood against the walls watching everyone in silence. Heinrich and Arkyn sat near the corner of one long steel table.
Arkyn looked half dead "You know what I hate?" he muttered.
Heinrich grabbed a bowl from the upper cabinet built into the breakfast station. "What?"
"Mornings."
"You don't say."
"No, it's a complete philosophy."
Heinrich ignored him and reached toward the cereal dispenser then paused, Honey Bunches of Oats, his favorite.
His eyes narrowed slightly that's weird, he grabbed the box slowly and stared at it. Arkyn meanwhile opened another cabinet and immediately shouted "Oh shit."
Several recruits glanced over. Arkyn held up a box triumphantly "COCO PEBBLES."
Heinrich looked over at Arkyn then looked back at his own cereal then back at Arkyn then around the room.
"You noticing this right?"
Arkyn poured cereal aggressively into a bowl "Noticing what?"
"These are too specific."
Arkyn paused and looked down then slowly looked around the cafeteria too. Nearby recruits were also grabbing food with expressions of recognition and surprise. One girl smiled at a particular tea brand another recruit muttered happily about some protein bars. Arkyn slowly lowered his spoon "Ok that's a little creepy."
Heinrich leaned back slightly "They customized everyone's rooms and the food."
Arkyn stared at the ceiling suspiciously. "You think Astra Primus is manipulating us with cereal?"
"No but also that's one way to look at it." Henry said, moving his spoon around dramatically. "Think about it they strip everyone in some way or fashion from Earth, isolate us in a military station, then give us familiar comforts to stabilize us emotionally."
Arkyn paused because unfortunately it actually made sense but he then noticed immediately the same face Heinrich was making yesterday at the computer screen. "Oh no. Don't do that face."
"What face?"
"The one where your face start moving like your thinking too hard and start putting things together that shouldn't be there just let me eat my cereal please! Your making too much sense and I just woke up a couple hours ago and I'm hungry."
Heinrich laughed out loud and played it off like he listened but internally he was still thinking about it it was just too much of a coincidence that they are catering to us when we haven't earned it yet.
Arkyn shoveled cereal into his mouth and said "You know what?"
"What?"
"If they start customizing our showers too, I'm leaving."
"You can't leave dummy."
"No, but I can complain very, very loudly."
30 minutes go by as they ate and another horn sounded again, most recruits were already moving. And above them a holo screen showed 07:00 BUNK PHYSICAL TRAINING
A message flashed across every hallway screen as Arkyn and Heinrich headed back to their bunk:
UTILIZE ALL AVAILABLE TRAINING SYSTEMS
ASSESSMENT TRACKING ACTIVE
The moment they returned to their bunk room, the holo-computers activated automatically.
A synthetic voice spoke calmly. "Training regiments available." Dozens of combat options appeared instantly.
Melee simulations.
Marksmanship programs.
Zero-gravity drills.
Strength conditioning.
Reaction speed testing.
Arkyn cracked his neck and toke off his prosthetic arm "Well," he said. "Time to work out my good arm"
Heinrich stepped toward the weapon training section immediately blunted daggers lined one wall beside training pistols.
Arkyn watched him carefully "You doing mixed combat?"
"Yes."
"That will be harder."
"I know."
Arkyn already stretching his arm muscles "You'll take longer to master both."
Heinrich picked up a pistol first, testing the grip "But if I can fight at range and close quarters," he replied calmly, "then I control more battles I'm in"
Arkyn pointed dramatically "See? That face again."
Heinrich once again ignored him, meanwhile Arkyn moved toward the physical conditioning section "I'm sticking with melee."
He pointed his prosthetic arm. "This thing practically demands it." Dark matter pulsed faintly beneath the black metal plating every time he looks at the arm it looks more and more alive somehow.
Heinrich glanced at it briefly "You trust it that much?"
Arkyn grinned "With my life."
"That's dangerous it could become a crutch"
"True but that's why I work on my body so if it fails I won't."
Then training began.
The next several hours were brutal Arkyn attacked physical conditioning with reckless enthusiasm.
Weights, resistance cables, the treadmill, combat endurance drills. He trained like restless boar. Sweat soaked through his shirt quickly, yet he kept moving, prosthetic arm on the table only being picked up when operating against reinforced equipment while dark matter flickered through its inner channels.
Meanwhile Heinrich focused on technical refinement the holo-screen projected humanoid combat targets across the far wall.
Heinrich practiced dagger transitions first he tried forward grip then transferred to reverse grip then over to his left hand switching immediately to right hand.
Repeatedly.
Again.
Again.
And Again then he moved to pistols, his first shots were terrible. The training system highlighted impact locations in glowing red circles far from center mass. Arkyn glanced over while jogging.
"Oof."
"Aw shut up" Heinrich tried to ignore him and decided to adjust his stance, breathing and grip then let off more shots.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Still not good But closer.
Arkyn smirked.
"At least if the enemy stands near your shot you might hit them."
"How about you focus on running."
"Oh trust I am....it's called multitasking."
"Shut up"
Hours passed. Their muscles burned and the mesh suits added extra weight to every movement exactly as designed. Twenty additional pounds spread evenly across the body and by the end of the session, Heinrich was consistently striking the second outer ring on the marksman targets.
Not impressive but great improvement for just one day. After a thirty-minute recovery period another horn sounded. They screen showed: 1200 — REPORT TO TRAINING OFFICER
The halls filled again this time some recruits looked different. They were bruised and sweating...shit some of them was even limping. Arkyn rolled his shoulders while walking beside Heinrich. "So," he muttered. "How bad do you think this next part is?"
"Bad."
"Well that's not comforting I don't like the fact that I could be limping like that guy"
"As long as we aren't weak we'll be fine."
Arkyn sighed dramatically.
"You know, friends usually are optimistic about things"
Heinrich glanced sideways "We're friends?"
"Shit I thought so we get along pretty well don't we?."
"Sorry I didn't mean it like that it's just how can I trust you to be my friend when I barely know you?"
"Fair, but if you never give your trust first trying to make friends…. Then the only friends you make is yourself but trust me don't worry I won't push the issue but you earn my respect at least for now your some what a good guy so I trust that you could be a great friend."
Heinrich found that some what respectable and genuine.
A group ahead of them laughed loudly about someone vomiting during treadmill conditioning. Another recruit walked past holding an ice pack against his jaw.
Arkyn looked at Heinrich "We're definitely dying here."
"Probably."
"How can you say that way so calmly?"
Before Heinrich could answer the training hall doors opened and silence fell immediately.
A woman stood inside waiting for them. She's a tall woman about 6 foot 2 inches an athletic build with sharp facial features. Everything about her radiated violence under perfect control. She has on dark combat gear wrapped tightly around a lean but powerful frame. Scars crossed both arms and her black hair was tied tightly behind her head, exposing her cold gray eyes that moved between Heinrich and Arkyn like blades.
"Welcome," she said calmly. "My name is Lana. I go by Intuctor Lana or by my honorific Blademaster." Lana paced slowly before them and continued. "The Apeps are known to favor close combat. They enjoy tearing enemies apart personally and burning them." A faint smile crossed her face. "I like that because when I finally do it back they are always shocked." That statement unsettled Heinrich and Arkyn instantly it sounded like she had personal experience. "For the next four months, I will train you" A pause "And break you for you to fight one." Then suddenly She moved. No warning signs or build up in her stance just one second she stood at the front of the room the next she was directly in front of Arkyn.
BOOM!!
Her kick slammed into his chest like cannon. Arkyn flew backward across the room and crashed violently against the wall before collapsing onto the ground gasping.
GASSSSSPPPPP!!!!!!
Heinrich froze Arkyn was barely breathing from one kick then Lana lowered her leg calmly and laughed "Crazy thing is they're faster than me,so you have to be smarter and always be on guard"
Arkyn wheezed on the floor.
"…I think my soul just left my body."
Snapping back to reality Heinrich moved instinctively trying to get good distance and positioning to make sure she didn't do the same to him but then he realized she was gone.
Then cold fingers wrapped around his throat instantly. His body lifted off the ground effortlessly Lana held him one-handed in the air.
"At last I have a quick learner," she said calmly then punched him repeatedly in his back. Pain exploded through his spine even through the mesh suit, Heinrich gritted his teeth hard enough to where they felt like they were cracking under the pressure it became almost impossible to think or move. It toke everything in him to do something so he kicked his heel back as hard as he could and….CRACK.
A loud impact rang through the room Arkyn looked up finally catching his breath and up on his feet look shocked Heinrich landed a hit on the first day.
For half a second Heinrich was proud of himself, then realized she had caught his leg by the ankle with her other hand and Lana smiled slowly. "I'm starting to like you if one you had the strength to actually give me a workout I would go full throttle." Then she gripped him hard by the neck where he couldn't breathe and gripped his ankle with the same amount of force and spun him violently through the air and hurled him directly at Arkyn.
"Seriously" Arkyn said as Heinrich came at him at break neck speed. They crashed together hard against the wall. Pain erupted everywhere on both of them.
Arkyn groaned beneath him "We're so fucked and why the fuck she throw you at me."
"Yes we are and maybe she don't like you ," Heinrich answered "What did I do to her?"
Lana walked over to them and cracked her neck. "GET THE FUCK UP." Her voice thundering across the room. "WE JUST GOT STARTED." The next three hours became a living hell.
Lana dismantled them repeatedly strike at them from head to toe every mistake was corrected violently instantly. In the words of Arkyn She was merciless The mesh suits absorbed severe damage, but bruises still formed rapidly beneath the protective layers. Arkyn fought aggressively but too aggressively and let his guard down way too much. Heinrich fought cautiously but thought about things too much. Lana punished them for it.
"COMMIT TO STRIKES AND MOVE LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT. STOP THINKING LIKE WEAKLINGS."
By the third hour they both looked destroyed then the horn rang.
Screen showed: 1500 — LUNCH
Heinrich and Arkyn practically collapsed in relief and somewhat crawled and ran to the cafeteria but it was chaos there once they got there. Over three hundred recruits filled the massive dining hall conversations overlapped loudly most recruits bruised and exhausted bodies crowded long steel tables.
Heinrich grabbed his tray and nearly jumped from joy he can't remember the last time he had this cornbread, greens with ribs, corn and green beans.
Arkyn stared at the food emotionally "I would die for this meal everyday."
"We almost did already." Heinrich said
"True."
They sat near the center this time Arkyn rubbed his bruised chest dramatically.
"I think Lana legally counts as a natural disaster and needs a hug."
Heinrich flexed his sore hand slowly.
"Yea but she's also crazy strong and brutally efficient."
"That's your takeaway?"
"What? I'm just saying she never wasted movement or extra moves against each strike was on the spot every time she only moved when she needed to."
Arkyn stared at him "Bro....She grabbed you then beat you and threw you across a room."
"And?"
"AT MEEEEEE !!!"
Before Heinrich answered multiple recruits shifted nearby.
A crowd had formed several tables away recruits huddled around someone all excited.
Arkyn noticed immediately "What's happening over there?" A recruit passing nearby answered quickly.
"Some girl beat her training officer."
Arkyn eyes widened "On the first day?"
"Yeah."
Another recruit joined in. "They're already recommending her for Nova training."
That finally caught Heinrich's attention he looked over and he saw her.
Dark brown skin, curly black hair tied tightly into a ponytail with the end being curly in the back. Her eyes rose-red with a scar crossing her left eyebrow.
She sat calmly despite the attention surrounding her showing full quiet confidence. Then Her eyes lifted and met Heinrich's....Just then that's when the noise around him seemed to dull slightly like a blur. He focused immediately feeling himself almost fall into an Abyss. Then he snapped back to reality and his eyes were still meeting hers yet hers somewhat shifted to interest almost like she was impressed but there was something dangerous in her gaze. Arkyn not knowing what transpired looked between them slowly. "Aw shit...Swear bro."
Heinrich didn't answer and the girl continued staring for another second then calmly returned to her meal with everyone still standing around her. Yet somehow a tension remained.
Arkyn leaned closer immediately "Bro, You're doomed.
"What?"
"That girl is going to destroy you emotionally... and physically by the way people say she can fight."
"I don't even know her."
"Your face says otherwise."
"My face says nothing."
"It absolutely does."
Heinrich ignored him but his attention kept drifting back toward her not only because yes she was attractive but there was something else. She beat a training officer on the first day and...… "How did she do that to me" Heinrich thought
Another horn sounded: 1900 — R&R / FREE TIME
Most recruits used the free period to rest. Heinrich and Arkyn decided not to. The moment they returned to the bunk room, Arkyn grabbed practice blades immediately. "I refuse to get beat the fuck up by Lana like I did again tomorrow."
"Same." They sparred for over an hour. Arkyn's melee instincts were strong already. His prosthetic arm gave him terrifying striking power at close range, but Heinrich adapted quickly, focusing on angles and precision at his open guard.
Eventually both collapsed onto opposite beds breathing hard ending in a tie.
Arkyn leaned up and sat up in the bed. "So."
"No."
"You don't even know what I'm about to ask."
"Yes I do."
Arkyn grinned wickedly. "Who was scar girl?"
"I don't know."
"But?"
"There is no but."
Arkyn rolled onto his side dramatically. "Heinrich Wynn is interested in woman with scars huh? Does that mean Lana too."
"They're both definitely attractive but I'm more interested in how she beat a training officer."
"Sure you are."
"I am."
Arkyn pointed accusingly.
"You looked at her like she had told you to come now at her feet. Man she had you sweating."
Heinrich threw a towel at him.
Arkyn laughed loudly.
"She'd eat you alive."
"No she won't "
"Yea she will and have you begging" Arkyn says while laughing out loud against the wall.
"Bro what the fuck talking about begging..... I'm not like that with her I'm just interested in her abilities"
"Mhm "Abilities" "
Heinrich sat back against the wall. "Don't get me wrong I was looking at her to see who she was but not like that at first but then she did something weird I felt a pull almost dark matter like and sort "fell into her abyss" it was weird I almost didn't realize what was going on ."
"Maybe she has a Dm Implant like you"
"It's possible but one that lets you beat an instructor mine as far as I have known all my life is that I can feel when it's being used or kind of feel it but nothing more that's why I don't know when it's happening I don't even know why my parents forced it in me and got in trouble for a weak ass implant. I would at least be happy if I had a strong one like she possibly has, probably would be a strong as her"
Arkyn sensed the tension and let it pass then smiled "So you admire strong fighters."
"I mean yea you can do anything without power not even protect yourself."
"But power in anyone's hands can reveal who they really are not what they present"
"True" During the conversation Heinrich mind replaying that moment. Her eyes and scar above her left eye made her very attractive but more than that was the calmness in her posture. How strong do you have to be to beat a trainer on the first day? The thought stayed with him long after the conversation grew and ended.
The lights began to dim it was : 2100 — LIGHTS OUT and already Arkyn was asleep within minutes. Impressive honestly but Heinrich remained awake lying flat against the bed eyes toward the dark ceiling his whole body ached everywhere and bruises throbbed luckily the mesh suit had damage padding. Tomorrow would be definitely be worse. Yet strangely that wasn't what occupied his thoughts. It was Rose-red eyes, he closed his eyes slowly.
Still wondering How strong was she?