“I will lay covering fire so the teammate right behind me can go and help the wounded one. They will move them away, and the last teammate will circle around, using the empty hallway, and finish off the remaining opponents while I keep their attention.”
“Confirmed. Reenacting.”
Kaiden hissed his instinctive alarm as simulated gunfire zipped past him. Holding his breath, he fired blindly around the corner, then leaned out slightly to fire quick shots down the hall. He made two solid hits and seemed to graze another. They weren’t down, but it stalled the firing for the moment. He motioned for the teammate to hurry over. They rolled past him and began helping the wounded one.
The last teammate turned the corner into the empty hall. Kaiden vented his gun for a moment and turned the corner, firing rapidly at the enemy. He had to keep their attention if this was going to work—he couldn’t simply hole up around the corner.
Just a few moments, that was all that was needed. But a lot could happen in only a few moments.
He continued to fire, saw two fall dead, and another collapsed but reached for a pistol on its belt. With another shot to the throat, it slumped over. In the same instant, he felt an impact in his right shoulder and cursed. He hadn’t paid attention and now saw a rifle peek out from behind the corner. The bullet had hit him in his shooting arm.
Kaiden dropped down and rolled to the side, switching the gun to his left hand at the same time. He fired and knocked down the rifleman, but not before it got off another shot, and he cursed again as he felt a searing pain in his leg. Angry now, he looked up to see the remaining two now moving in for the kill.
He reached up and fired two shots. The first grazed the head of one and hit the arm of the other, but Kaiden couldn’t focus. He tried for another shot but heard the error noise of his gun overheating. Frantic, he willed himself to move his arm to open the exhaust vent. Dammit. The final gunman loomed over him, the weapon raised as it prepared to shoot. Kaiden saw the opponent behind it collapse and saw the blue frame of his teammate turn and prepare to fire as the final opponent began to pull down on the trigger.
Then his vision went white.
Chapter Twelve
Kaiden awoke with a gasp, seeing only darkness for a few moments before the familiar low-light of glow strips illuminated his surroundings.
“Welcome back.” It took a few moments to register, but the sing-song tone was already unmistakable.
“Hey, Prof.” Kaiden groaned. “What happened…where am I?”
“A moment,” the professor answered. Kaiden heard a hiss and the clank of metal, and a rectangular shape of light formed in front of him. It peeled off to the side, exposing more light. He winced and shielded his eyes as they adjusted and focused on the silhouette of the professor before him.
“It always takes a moment for one to adjust when coming out of the Animus—a bit like waking from a dream,” Laurie reassured him. “You’re back to reality. Take a moment to refocus yourself, then step out of the pod.”
“Don’t I get room service or something?” Kaiden groaned again as he reached out and grabbed the side of the exit door and hoisted himself out.
“No, but I’ll talk to the chefs about that cookie Sasha promised,” Laurie said with a chuckle.
“That mean I did all right?” Kaiden asked, his last few moments coming back to his mind. “What happened at the end?”
“You ran out of your allotted time,” Sasha stated coming over to them., Laurie helped Kaiden out of the pod. “Interesting choices you made during the exam. That last scenario was a particularly innovative gambit.”
“Did I lose or what?”
“Technically, no.”
“What do you mean, technically?” Kaiden asked, annoyance creeping back into his voice.
“Since the scenario did not run until it’s final completion, the last few moments were calculated by the system. The final opponent would have completed his shot, and you would have died,” Sasha admitted nonchalantly.
“That sounds pretty definitive.”
“Well, that was not the mission, was it?” the commander hinted
“Sorry?”
“The mission was to defeat all opponents with the extra objective of saving your dying teammate. The teammate was saved, and the final opponent was taken out by your own teammate who had flanked him.”
“Wouldn’t make it back for celebratory drinks and strippers, though,” Kaiden noted with a false grin.
“Perhaps not, but it was an interesting development for me.”
“Glad I could be your entertainment for the evening…it is evening, right?”
“Just past seven p.m., or 19:00 or however they say it,” Laurie added.
“Your final score was impressive, but we look at more than mere numbers. Statistics help us understand and compartmentalize a student’s abilities, talents, and knowledge. However, things like character and ingenuity are a little trickier to narrow down into a few words or put onto graphs,” Sasha explained.
“I’m hoping this is leading somewhere. If you’re asking me to share my feelings…well, that last psych who tried ended up quitting and becoming a drug dealer,” Kaiden said bluntly.
“Noted, but no. I was referring to how you handled the different objectives and saw something I did not expect.” The commander paced back and forth, holding the tablet behind him. “In the first scenario, you deftly handled the situation quickly with little damage to the hostage and quick elimination of the target. You didn’t think to negotiate, to try to separate the hostage from the assailant, or even take the easier shot of simply shooting through the hostage to get at the target.”
“I honestly thought that would have been frowned upon.”
“Like I said, multiple options should always be considered. In your favor, however, it would have made you appear careless, or perhaps more careless. You did not ask for more information on the target, nor whether the hostage was a valuable asset or person of interest.”
Kaiden opened his mouth to retort that he didn’t know he could or should do that, but then again, he had no problems asking the computer for info when it came to killing targets. He decided to let it lie.
“Even if you decided on your actions because you thought it would go against your final score, you showed quick action and at least a small willingness to consider repercussion, points in your favor.”
“Neat, so I do get that cookie?”
“Moving on to the second scenario.”
“You’re killing me, Commander.”
“A rather ingenious answer to the problem you faced. There could have been problems with the enemies that had heavy arms blasting through the doors you and the civilians hid behind, but again, quick action and, in a lock-down situation, probably one of the better options to try to eliminate the targets while keeping the civilians safe and not risking yourself foolhardily.”
“That was actually the primary concern there, for me anyway.”
“Really now?” Sasha questioned as he turned to look directly at Kaiden. “Because the final scenario would say otherwise.”
Kaiden leaned against the pod and crossed his arms. “And what does the final scenario say?”
Sasha stood straight, his face perfectly still and his dark oculars hiding any emotion he might have shown in his eyes. “There were a number of options that did not put you at risk. You could have stormed the hall with the others in front of you. You could have been the one to flank the enemy through the other hallway, taking another teammate with you while another provided distraction. The wounded teammate was a liability in this scenario—in fact, all your teammates were simply artificial beings, yet you acted as if they were real.”
Kaiden glanced to the side, away from the scrutiny he sensed behind the ocular shield. “Eh, I didn’t know how the computer would run the bots. Better to take the hard part myself. As for the wounded guy…well, it was extra points, right?”
“So, you just wanted to win?” Sasha inquired, a wealth of other
questions behind that simple query.
“I suppose…” Kaiden murmured. “It worked, yeah? Plus, I knew it was a simulation. It wasn’t like I was actually going to die—hurt like hell, though.”
“True, you wouldn’t have died, but you still knew the pain that would be inflicted on you. Yet you still choose that route. It was an interesting development.”
“Glad ya think so,” Kaiden said, brushing it off. “So, where does that leave me? I’m guessing soldier or something?”
“Soldier, yes, but that was never in question. Soldier is simply the division you are designated to, not your class.”
“Division?”
“Yes, your field of expertise. You have seen other students with different colored armbands, correct?”
Kaiden thought back to the train ride over to the station, remembering the various colored bands the other non-SC students wore.
“I have. I thought those were like merit badges or something.”
“Not quite. Initiates are separated by division—their designation.”
“The fields are Soldier, Technician, Engineer, Logistics, and Medical,” Laurie explained. “Each field has multiple classes within it to account for different areas of knowledge or craft and various opportunities available to them.” He whirled his hand dramatically in the air before placing it on his chest. “For example, I would be in the Technician field, but my class would be Robotics as my skills focus on technology development and enhancement.”
“I see. So you would be a Soldier, too, then?” Kaiden asked, looking back at Sasha.
The commander nodded. “When I came through, I was a Soldier, starting in Marksman.”
“Starting? You switched?”
“Yes, after a couple years, a mentor of mine recommended a different field, one where my already developed skills were still of use but were not so apparent at the time and could be better realized. It is not very common, but it does happen.”
“I think I follow. So where does that place me?”
“You have a few options, actually,” Sasha said, bringing the tablet back out and tapping on the screen a few times. “I could go down the line, but I would make a recommendation.”
“Oh? Let’s hear it,” Kaiden said, a little bemused as he tried to wrap his head around all this new information and its implications.
“I would recommend the Ace Class,” Sasha stated, holding the tablet to his chest.
A pause hung in the air. Kaiden waited for the two to burst into laughter, having set up this joke while he was in the Animus. However, as the stilted pause began to hang in the air, he realized that Sasha did not strike him as the joking type. Ace? What kind of title was that? He certainly liked it, and he certainly didn’t mind it as a nickname—it had a nice ring to it, sounded flashy, even—but it also sounded like a title you would give to somebody who…had a sense of discipline?
“What does that mean exactly?” he asked when the silence seemed almost excruciating.
“The Ace Class is for those who show extraordinary ability in the principles of a soldier. In your case, your skills with guns and combat are certainly ahead of the curve, both among our prep-students and even a number of our Nexus-trained ones as well. There are other things you can work on. You could study up on the functions and abilities of your EI, for one, and learning the benefits of stealth and strategy would also be a great benefit. Also, discipline.”
Called that one. Kaiden kept the thought to himself.
“However, along with your gunplay, you’re physically impressive. You have a knack for on-your-feet tactical thinking and a keen sense of survival.”
“Being a good shot really helps with that last one too,” Kaiden agreed.
“You may not be at the top of the class, to begin with, but I feel it would offer the greatest benefit to you in the long run.” Sasha walked a few steps closer to Kaiden. “It would put you on the path to being possibly one of the most well-rounded soldiers you could be, along with other opportunities you may not have considered if you simply go in as a marine or bounty hunter.”
“I see…well, I suppose I could always change it, but as long as I still get in the dirt and pull triggers, it’s all good by me. It wasn’t like I had a real game plan beyond that.”
“Such a wonderful show of conviction,” Sasha murmured dryly.
“Well, ya got anything else?”
“Just a quick EI check, make sure it synced back properly,” Laurie requested.
“All right.” Kaiden nodded, reached in his pockets for his oculars, and put them on. “Hey, Chief, come on back.”
“Howdy, how’d ya do?” Chief asked, his orb rolling around in the display.
“You weren’t watching?”
“Nah. Figured I’d let it be a surprise and played solitaire in the meanwhile.”
“You know, I keep thinking you’re fucking with me, but the more you comment, the less I’m sure.”
“One of the great questions in life, partner. Now, how bad did ya screw up?”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but the commander here says I’m an Ace.”
“Like that your worth is one point?”
“I have just finished loading your designation into your profile, Initiate. You and your EI can see for yourself,” Sasha commented.
“Bringing it onscreen.”
Kaiden saw a box with his picture in the corner pop up onscreen. His name, birthday, and all the basics were there. Then he could see a marker labeled Field/Class and beneath it, Soldier/Ace (SC).
“Well, that’s a twist,” Chief muttered, surprise evident in its voice.
“I’d give you flak, but I’ll be honest, didn’t think I’d walk out of here with something so fancy.”
“No kiddin’. Maybe when I see other EIs, I can actually look them in the face instead of hanging my head in shame.”
“You know, it’s those kinda compliments that gave me the confidence to get here.”
“Careful, your head gets too big, and it makes for a helluva easy target,” the EI chided.
Kaiden smiled and shrugged, then looked back to the commander. “Anything else? I seem good to go.”
Sasha nodded. “You are done here. I would recommend heading to the supplier to get the rest of your requisitions and materials. You will also be issued your Nexus academy jacket with your Soldiers’ band, as well. You can also request a bunk in the Soldier’s dorm if you wish.”
“I’ll pass for now. Seems less stuffy in the SC dorm,” Kaiden quipped. He nodded to the professors before heading to the door. “See y’all around. Maybe we can go for drinks or something if y’all get the time.”
“I have quite the selection back in my office,” Laurie offered.
“As long as it doesn’t knock me out again, I might take you up on that. Later,” Kaiden called over his shoulder as he left the room.
Laurie watched him go, walking beside Sasha to the exit. “I’m glad that went so well. I’ll update the system when I return to the Center.” He held a small drive in his hand. “Although I must say, getting a recommendation for the Ace Class is quite an achievement. I wouldn’t have thought he would have been offered that considering he is an SC. I thought only the preps had a chance to make it in.”
“The system didn’t make the recommendation,” Sasha said, handing the tablet to Laurie. “I did.”
Laurie looked down to see the assorted options Kaiden was selected for: Marksman, Security, Marine, and Bounty Hunter, among other basic classes, were highlighted. Then he swiped over to Ace and saw that it was faded out. A glowing Nexus symbol hovered over it, indicating that it had been bypassed and registered by authority.
“Well, I must say, Sasha, you must really have taken an interest in our young friend,” Laurie commented, handing the tablet back. “I wonder what the Board will think about this.”
“I am part of the Board, Laurie. Besides, it is not so unusual for a staff member to help guide the students. It’s why we’re here in the fi
rst place.”
“Yes, I do believe I’ve heard of a few instances before—like that girl who came back a fighter pilot thanks to some nudging by a teacher, or that field surgeon who originally merely wanted to work in medicine development.”
Laurie walked off casually, tapping his finger against his chin once more. “I also heard about a boy a couple of decades ago who was pretty good with guns. He came to train up and depart for the war front but changed his class a couple of years later on a recommendation.”
Laurie spun around, a jester-like smile on his face. “Ended up in the Leader Class, I do believe. Not many did, back in the day, or even today. They actually changed the name because they thought students were too frightened or unsure to take on that responsibility. What did they change it to?”
“You certainly seem to be enjoying yourself,” Sasha muttered. He walked over to one of the computer stations and placed the tablet on it. With steady fingers, he unlocked the grip on his oculars and removed them from his head.
“It’s coming to me…ah, that’s right.” Laurie strolled right up behind Sasha. “It became Ace, correct?”
Sasha straightened and turned to look at the professor. Laurie smiled as the silver eyes gazed at him, seemingly weary, but there still seemed to be a good deal of grit in them.
“You would be correct; do you want a prize too?” Sasha scoffed.
“Oh, I’m fine, and more than amused right now. I guess I can’t call nepotism since he isn’t your son, but I’m guessing you see a bit of yourself in dear Kaiden?”
“I see someone with tremendous skill who can possibly achieve something he hadn’t considered. Similar to me.” Sasha nodded, taking a seat. “The difference was I was prepared to shoulder the responsibility and make the most of it.”
“You seem to be saying you don’t think he can,” Laurie noted. “Why put him in that class if you think he’ll squander the opportunity. The Academy isn’t exactly fond of failure.”
“No, I do not believe he will fail.” Sasha leaned back in the chair. “He comes across as too fixated on what he is rather than what he could be, but he got this far on his tenacity and self-developed skills. He’ll need more polishing than I did, so better to start him early.”
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