I grunted and started setting up at the sink beside him. After a minute, he finished up and walked passed me. At the same time that he was leaving, Josh was entering the bathroom, but he didn't move an inch, so if Josh hadn't sidestepped at the last second, they would've run right into each other.
"Not very friendly, is he?" I asked him when he reached me.
"I like to tell myself he's a complicated soul."
"I think it's more that he's an asshole."
"I think you may be right." Josh smirked.
A shower turned off somewhere behind us, and Mina stepped out and walked up to the sink next us.
"Oh, good morning, Mina." I greeted.
"Hi."
I gave her a second look while she adjusted her hair in the mirror and noticed that she was completely naked. "Mina, you’re naked!"
She turned to me with her eyebrow raised. "Do people shower with clothes on where you’re from?"
Josh was smiling; he didn't seem too bothered by any of this.
"Of course not!" I pulled down the towel that was hanging on my shoulder and wrapped it around her with my eyes averted.
She didn't resist, staring at me blankly.
I finally looked at her when I deemed it safe enough. "Please keep it on, so I don't have a heart attack, okay?"
"Is that an order?"
I shook my head. "No, a request from a humble, country boy."
She continued to watch me with unblinking eyes, then twirled around and briskly walked out of the bathroom. Is this how all city girls are, so... free?
When she was gone, Josh burst out laughing.
"You find all this amusing?" I asked, slightly annoyed.
"No, I’m sorry, dude. It’s just that it reminded me of the first time I found out we were coed. Mina walked in front of me all natural, and my nose started bleeding."
"Really?" Okay, maybe his reaction had been just a tad more embarrassing.
"Yeah, but don't worry, only Mina does that."
That made me feel a little better. Don't get me wrong, I liked girls as much as the next guy, but didn't think I could handle seeing my female teammates naked every day. I mean, how would I focus? "Great, I gave her my only towel."
"Here." Josh took his and held it out. "Don't worry; I have more."
I took it from him. "Thanks, man. I thought I was gonna have to dry myself off like a dog."
"That actually might’ve been fun to watch." He smiled, then turned around and left the bathroom.
I quickly finished up and threw on my training gear back in my room before heading downstairs. The group was already gathered there, so we departed the dorm house for the school’s gymnasium and reached the square building about ten minutes later. Inside wasn’t too different from your average gym with a full basketball court and grey walls, though there were several green mats littered throughout the floor, probably for safety.
Other teams already occupied the middle of the spacious room, so we chose to post up next to a wall on the far side. In front and full view stood an older man with grey hair and a giant mustache that reminded me of my high school football coach, and next to him was Dean Dexter; they were both standing on a large green mat.
"Welcome, recruits. Today we will be participating in hand-to-hand combat. To my understanding, we have a late recruit, Adin Anderson. Noir Ancel, please step forward." The man projected in the quiet room.
She emerged from the crowd as commanded and positioned herself to the left of him and Dean Dexter.
"Miss Ancel is one of our best close quarters combat specialists. Who would like to come up and demonstrate for the new recruit basic hand-to-hand?"
I glanced over at the other teams; not a single person moved. It seemed nobody wanted to volunteer. Even my team still had that air of awkwardness around them from the day before. There were two ways to learn, by watching or by doing - I was more of the doing type. I started towards the front of the gym when someone grabbed my arm and I whirled around to see it was Josh. "What are you doing?"
"You can't go, man." He whispered, a worried look in his eyes.
I pulled my arm free. "It's cool, relax."
He shook his head but didn’t attempt to stop me again.
It was just a training exercise; what was he so afraid of? There were whispers from my teammates as I positioned myself opposite Noir. "If it’s okay, I'd like to participate in the demonstration myself." I stole a glance at her.
She wasn't smiling or looking back at me. Her demeanor seemed completely different. Was she the girl I had met on the plane?
The older man scratched the side of his head, an uncomfortable expression on him. "We usually don't allow new recruits -"
Dean Dexter lifted a hand. "It's fine, Ben."
"No targeting joints or vital points." Ben still didn’t look sure, but reluctantly agreed and turned directly to Noir. "This is just a training exercise."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Begin!"
The French girl finally looked at me and bowed. I bowed back, and we approached each other at the same time. Our movements were cautious and calculated as we studied one another with intense focus. She was the first to make a move, throwing a weak jab at my midsection, which I stepped away from. Then, she came with a high kick aimed at my head. I ducked and felt her bootlace brush my hair as her leg went sweeping by.
We continued circling each other, and again she was the aggressor, letting go a straight jab aimed at my head which I batted down with my right hand; it had a bit more power this time.
"You can defend all day, but you'll never gain victory that way." Noir suddenly said, still sizing me up.
I was taught growing up never to hit girls, but this girl was likely to kick my ass, so had to make an exception. The problem was she had virtually no openings, at least not that I could spot. She had a point though; sometimes you had to switch it up. Like Darwin said, it wasn't the strongest or smartest species who survived, but the one who adapted. So, if I couldn't spot any openings, I’d create some.
Advancing made her shrink back a bit and allowed me to send a right hook at her head that she avoided by leaning back. With my left hand, I threw a straight jab that brushed her nose. She was avoiding my blows, but I had her on the run, so became even more aggressive and launched an uppercut that made hard contact with her arms as she blocked.
I was surprised by her strength but didn't stop and inched closer to limit her defense, then pushed her back with one hand that knocked her off-balance. Using the opportunity to send a right hook, I connected with her gut and wanted to do a little dance, but that feeling quickly subsided.
"You learn quick." She smiled casually, my blow not even fazing her.
"Do I get a gold star?"
She lowered her eyelids and smiled wider.
My change in tactics seemed to be working, so I stuck with it and crept steadily toward her to throw a straight punch. She twisted her body to the side and dodged it, but before I could bring my arm back, she snatched it in a vice grip, then pivoted behind me with the grace of a dancer, all while still holding my arm captive. I thought I heard someone in the crowd whisper ‘it's over.’
It was then the flashback to Noir's fight with the two terrorists popped in my head. She had flipped one of them when in the same predicament. My body moved on its own, and I grabbed her forearm with my free hand and bent over and felt her entire weight cascade off my back as she flew over me and landed on the green mat with a loud thud that echoed in the silent room.
There were collective gasps from everyone, but my attention was focused solely on Noir. She was laid out in front of me with her hand still gripping my tank top. How was she so damn strong? I didn't get a chance to think about it as she yanked me down in a strong jerk, my upper half on a one-way collision course with her knee. At the last second, I managed to contort my body just enough to avoid the blow. I scrambled to my feet right after and faced her.
She took her time getting up and gave a he
arty laugh when on her feet. "Good, Adin. You're full of surprises, aren't you?" She looked like she was having fun, the way a cat might before it cut a mouse open and played with its entrails. Her stance changed all of a sudden.
It caused a primal instinct to flare in the back of my brain, making me involuntarily step back as she approached slowly and abruptly shot her leg in a blur. But it wasn't just that it was fast, there was power, and it slammed into my left arm, causing an explosion of sharp pain. And to my surprise and dismay, she twirled around like a ballerina and brought the same leg aimed at my side for an encore, forcing my left arm up again.
It went numb as her leg rocketed into it for the second time. I retreated a few feet, but Noir was on me like a hound dog. Attempting to raise my arm failed and left me totally exposed as she hit my gut with a brutal uppercut that forced me to double over. I struggled to catch my breath, but she wouldn’t allow it, grabbing the collar of my tank top to backhand me.
I stumbled backward and fell to the mat, still concerned about my numb arm, but quickly put the issue aside as I had bigger things to worry about.
Noir pounced on me a like a jungle cat. "Come on, is that all you've got, Adin?" She backhanded me again; the taste of iron materialized in my mouth, which probably meant blood.
"Where's the strength you displayed at the airport?" This time instead of backhanding, she clenched her hand into a fist and punched me in the face.
I imagined I was not going to look too pretty after this and tried to bring up my right hand, but she knocked it away. Suddenly, every inch of air was sucked from my lungs. She wanted to know where my strength had gone? She was about to find out.
Noir raised her fist again, so I braced for the impact, but it was in vain as Dean Dexter stood behind with her wrist in his grasp. "That's enough, Noir."
Her arm hovered high in the air like the statue of liberty, unmoving, but eventually, she unclenched her fist and got off me, quickly glancing down at me before making a beeline for the gymnasium exit.
Dean Dexter offered his hand. "Are you alright?"
Besides the fact that I had just gotten my ass handed to me on a silver platter, I was fantastic. "I’m fine; I'm sure it's it looks worse than it is." I took it with my good arm and unsteadily stood up.
He laughed. "Well, you're tough, I'll give you that. I think you've earned the right to sit and watch for the rest of the day."
Just standing was difficult, so it went without saying that was for the best. I tried to wiggle the fingers on my left arm and breathed a sigh of relief when they did. At least it wasn't broken.
Everyone’s eyes were on me as I slinked back to my teammates, trying my best to walk without limping; I wanted to at least look respectable even if I didn't feel that way. What was Noir's deal anyway? Maybe she didn't understand the concepts of ‘training’ and ‘demonstration.’ Now I understood why Josh had tried to stop me.
All my teammates looked at me with awkward expressions upon reaching them.
"What?" Their scrutiny was starting to annoy me.
"I tried to warn you." Josh shrugged.
"I thought you did pretty good, Adin! The last guy that tried to fight Noir was out for almost a week." Bianca smiled happily.
Is she serious?
"I gotta admit you got some cojones, man." George seemed impressed.
"You could've done worse." Even Vince complimented me, albeit backhanded.
Hope was standing right next to him. "When you challenged Noir to a sparring match, she knocked you unconscious in thirty-six seconds. I was counting."
He crossed his arms. "Whatever. Hand-to-hand combat isn't my thing anyway." He formed his hand into a gun and shot it. "I’d whip her ass in firearms any day."
Mina was the only one who hadn't said anything, leaning against the wall next to us with her eyes closed.
"Okay, people, show’s over. Find a sparring partner and begin your exercises." Ben yelled.
Immediately, everyone started pairing up, and I went to Mina. "This spot taken?"
She glanced at me but didn’t say anything.
I took her silence as a ‘yes, go right ahead, pal’ and moved next to her.
"Shouldn't you be out there?" I asked.
"Yes."
I waited for her to say more. "Were you planning on that today or..."
She didn’t respond but was going to learn I didn't give up that easily.
"Want to spar with me?"
She finally showed signs of life and sighed. "The only reason you're even standing right now is because of this wall."
She was right, but did she have to point it out like that?
"What, you scared or something?” The next thing I knew, I was staring at the ceiling.
The reason was clear. Our team leader had swept my legs out from under me. "Thanks, for the spar." Her head popped into my vision before she smiled sweetly and walked away.
At least she was smiling.
For the rest of the training session, I watched and tried to absorb as much as possible.
On the way out of the gym, Dean Dexter pulled me aside. "It almost happened again, didn't it?"
If he hadn't stopped Noir, I can only imagine what could've transpired. "Yeah... I'm glad you stopped her, but what was that about?"
"Ah, Noir has been a little rambunctious as of late. Please forgive her.”
“Why, did something happen?”
“It's not my place to say. As dean, I try to stay out of my students’ personal affairs."
"I guess you're right…"
He smiled. "Anyway, I'm sure you realize how serious this is, Adin. We can't have you going AWOL whenever. We have to get your condition under control. Give me a little time to come up with a solution. I'll be in touch, but please try to be more careful in the meantime."
I nodded. "I will."
It was still dark outside, but the sun was creeping up in the horizon. The training session had lasted about an hour or so, and regular classes didn't start until after training was complete, so the rest of my summer was going to be pretty much similar to this. A shooting pain attacked my arm as I tried to lift it again, but at least it didn't feel like a wet noodle now. My next activity was in the afternoon, Infiltration Tactics Advanced, which meant there was a little time to sleep in.
Woo. At the Team Umbra dorm house, I headed straight for my room to sleep like a dead man.
Chapter 17 – Return
To my surprise, I woke up only a few hours later and felt completely refreshed. Even my arm was starting to feel better. There were different changes in my body every day now; I was on the leaner side, so it was pretty noticeable when I suddenly gained new muscle growth. In the back of my mind, I knew what it was, but didn’t want to admit it. What did you do to me, Dad? Trying not to think about it only made it worse. I exited my room and headed downstairs. Noises could be heard coming from Josh's room a couple doors down, so I backtracked and knocked on it. "Josh, you awake?"
A moment later, the door popped open. "What's up?"
I had a good view of his room now that the door was open and saw three supercomputers further in; at least that's what they looked like to me. "Wow, you have some James Bond crap in here." I brushed past him to check out the other electronics on his computer desk.
He laughed and followed. "These toys are nothing, wait until you see what we use in the field."
I reached for a gadget that resembled a large watch.
"No, don't touch that!"
I flinched at the outburst. "W-What is it?"
"Let’s just say if you like the skin on your hands, you won't touch it."
I was actually quite fond of my skin. "Uh, noted. How’d you get recruited, anyway?”
He smiled as if recalling a pleasant memory. “Remember that Sony hack a couple years back?”
Did I, it had been all over the news. One of the largest corporations in the world had their servers easily hacked and various, private files leaked. “No way…” I faced
him with huge eyes.
The other teen put a finger up. “Hey, I taught them a valuable lesson - always upgrade your firewalls. After that, Addison somehow figured out I’d done it and recruited me.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “That’s insane.”
“Tell me about it.”
What happened with Noir was still on my mind. "What happened earlier this morning?"
He shrugged. "I tried to warn you."
"Yeah, I know, you said that already. Just tell me why everyone gets so weird when Noir's name is brought up. What exactly is her deal?"
He sighed. "I don't know the details since I've only been here a semester, but apparently, she went crazy about a year ago or something."
"What do you mean?" I lead forward in interest.
"When she came to Addison, the team she was assigned to played some kind of initiation prank on her. I don't know what they did, but it must've been bad because her entire team ended up with injuries and their dorm house was completely destroyed. It was Carrie at the prom all over again - minus the pig blood. She got the nickname ‘The Psycho’ after that.” Josh smirked. “Catchy, right?” He shook his head. “What a waste of a hot girl. Anyway, everybody says she's basically nuts, and you got a dose of it firsthand this morning."
I mulled over the new, disturbing information. "They didn't kick her out after that?"
"Apparently, her parents are pretty well-renowned Dragons -"
"Dragons?"
"I forget you haven't been here long. Uh, technically we have no name, but most of us refer to official Organization agents as Dragons, and we recruits as Salamanders."
"I get the salamander part, but why dragons?"
"In medieval times they were the most badass, right? But just because you don’t hear about them anymore doesn't mean they don't exist." A grin formed on him.
"Hm, that's clever."
"Anyway, because of their influence, she was able to remain a recruit but made her relocate to her own place on campus."
"Where?"
"I don't know... you're not thinking about finding her, are you? You must like pain or something." My teammate frowned.
"Look, I'm Team Umbra's tactician; if I'm going to help you guys, I need to make sure we're all on the same page." I searched his eyes.
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