He thought about that for a second. “Okay, sure, I guess.” He then paused to look at Trinity. She was looking away from us now, her expression suddenly…angry? I wasn’t sure how to interpret the look on her face. It was almost like the look I had seen the previous night, a sort of fearful annoyance.
She took off walking and Zane immediately put his hand on my shoulder as if he thought I was going to go after her. I didn’t though. I had promised myself I would be good. I just stared after her for a moment.
Thankfully, Trinity didn’t go very far anyway. She sat down on the ground and started doing sit-ups without the aid of someone holding her feet. Her body seemed to be well balanced enough for her to rapidly crank them out with her feet barely lifting off the ground. I suddenly recalled her toned abs underneath her shirt and had to quickly change my thoughts.
I went with Zane further off the track, away from her, and followed his lead in doing sit-ups too. I knelt on his feet while he cranked out five hundred in a row. He then did the same for me, and I ended up cranking out my own five hundred in a row too. I realized I shouldn’t have been surprised since I had just run possibly forty-five miles per hour without getting winded. Zane commented that it was nice that I didn’t need a ton of training to catch up to all of them. It could be a pain to have to wait forever for a newbie to try to get through just five hundred in multiple sessions.
By the time we were both done with sit-ups, Zayden and Ava were finally finishing their run. It made me recall that the previous night it was obvious Ava had been holding back when she was running with me. Yet here I was at least three times faster than her after only half a day. The transformation my body had experienced when I finally began using my powers had been significant.
I cranked out my hundred pushups, keeping pace with Zane, while the other two helped each other with their sit-ups. Trinity had already finished her exercises, and was just sitting on the ground, staring off into the distance. As soon as we were all done, she got up and basically led us to the gym, except she kept her distance.
I started to worry about her again. The fact that she had talked to me after we raced had left me hopeful that she wasn’t going to give me the cold shoulder after all, but now I was seeing that wasn’t true. She was ignoring me again, acting like I didn’t even exist.
The gym turned out to be a room full of weights and weight-lifting machines. When we arrived, there were two soldiers inside waiting for me. Everyone else immediately got into their routine, already knowing what they had to do. On the other hand, I had to answer a bunch of questions about my physical capabilities, most of which I wasn’t sure about, before they tested me with the weights.
I stole a glance at Trinity occasionally, and was shocked to see her tiny body lifting more weight than the large Zane. Bench press, dead lifts, squats. Each time she had almost twice as much weight as Zane, handling it like she was only moderately exerting herself. I also noticed that both Zayden and Ava were more muscular than they initially appeared. Zayden especially. I had perceived him as being super skinny, but there was actually a lot of muscle on his thin frame. I supposed they were just dwarfed in comparison to their largest comrade.
Once it was clear I wasn’t getting fatigued no matter how much weight I used, they just set me up at my maximum and instructed me to do a hundred reps daily of each major exercise. They would then check on me every week to see if my maximum was improving, or if that was the most I would ever be capable of. Even if it was my limit, it was still impressive. Trinity trained with less weight, but her maximum was a good two-hundred pounds higher – basically how we compared with running. In the end, I ended up maxing out at just over six-hundred on bench and about eight-hundred on squats. They already had special bars for Trinity, so she could fit more weight on whenever she tested her maximum strength, which meant now her specialized equipment would finally get a second user.
I liked using the same bar as Trinity. As stupid as I knew it was, it made me feel closer to her to be able to grip to same piece of metal, and lift roughly the same massive amount of weight. She was special, even among those who were special, and I liked that I measured up to her uniqueness.
After weight-training was done, and everyone was fairly exhausted from that and a mile run. We all headed to the mess hall for lunch. No one was even thinking about a shower yet, since we still had a five-mile run waiting for us towards the end of the day. However, I really didn’t even need one – I hadn’t broken a sweat at all. In fact, if anything I still felt slightly chilly despite all the exercising. I also still wasn’t hungry, but I was looking forward to having some free time. I was hoping I could finally try to talk to Trinity again and work this whole thing out.
She continued to ignore me at lunch, although she did at least sit down at the same table with the rest of us. Granted, she didn’t actually sit with us. She sat several seats away from everyone else. When it was clear I wasn’t going to eat again, both Zane and Ava started drilling me for answers.
“Okay, serious Jake. What’s the deal?” Zane was saying. I had been allusive with my answers, trying to work with the whole ‘I’m just not hungry’ thing, but neither of them were having it. Zane continued. “You skipped out on your pouch yesterday too. When was the last time you ate?”
I just shrugged in response. “Yesterday morning, I guess.”
Ava chimed in. “And you haven’t been hungry since then?”
I shook my head, and Zane continued. “Well, even if you aren’t hungry, you should still eat. There’s no way you could have just done that much work without burning a ton of energy, even if you weren’t fatigued by it.” He pushed over a slice of pizza that he had gotten for himself, offering it to me. I made a face at it, and they both looked at me more startled than I expected.
“What?!” I exclaimed when they both stared at me. Even Trinity looked over finally, wondering what she had missed.
Ava suddenly grabbed the paper plate and held it up to me. I tried not to recoil from it. Her tone was intense and demanding. “Jake, I want you to take this and take a bite. That’s an order.”
I stared at her in disbelief. “Can you give me orders?” I wondered seriously.
Ava immediately looked over at Trinity, who then spoke up. “Do it Jake.”
I stared at it for a second, feeling like I was about to have a panic attack just thinking about it. I abruptly pushed her hand away, and looked at Trinity apologetically. “I can’t do it.”
“Why can’t you do it?” Ava asked insistently, not seeming bothered by my hand on her forearm to keep her from bringing it closer. Her skin was extremely warm from all the working out.
I glanced at her and then back at Trinity, before looking away from them all. Ava set the plate down, and I crossed my arms over my chest. “Well, for one, it’s about as appetizing as dirt. And second, when I think about doing it…I just can’t.” I sighed, knowing that wasn’t probably a good enough explanation.
Much to my surprise Trinity spoke up again. “I’ll let them know so they can put it in their stupid computer and come up with a list of possible explanations.”
I looked at her in shock, partially because she seemed irritated again, but also because they were making such a big deal out of it. “What does it matter?!” I exclaimed.
Zane slapped his hand on the table to get my attention. His voice was hard. “Because everyone eats Jake. There are no exceptions. Your energy has to come from somewhere. And if you aren’t eating food, then we need to figure out exactly what you do eat, before it becomes a problem.”
My voice was suddenly weak, barely audible. “What do you mean by that?”
“Jake,” Ava began in a more gentle voice. “If Trinity killed people every day, then she would never need to eat. Thankfully, that isn’t the only way she can get energy – she can still eat normal food. But clearly…you can’t…”
“Which might be a problem…” Zane finished. “A really big problem.”
I looked at both of them, and the
n glanced at Trinity. She was staring off into space again, trying to hide that expression that bothered me. She was afraid, and for once I began to wonder if instead of being afraid of me, she was actually afraid for me.
Chapter 7: Disobedience
Trinity was hurrying to finish her meal, so she could go report my lack of appetite; however, unexpectedly the General came to us instead. He came into the room along with three other men with guns, and it was clear he did not look happy. He stopped a few feet away from the end of our table, with Trinity the one closest to him, and stared at us.
Despite the fact that he was a normal person, he was exceptionally intimating. I almost wondered if he did have an ability and that was it – intimidation. “Jacob Knight,” he said loudly, focusing his attention on me. “Come with us.”
Trinity abruptly stood up. “Sir,” she began, but the General cut her off.
“What?!” He snapped, causing Trinity to flinch. Like, really flinch, in a way I had never seen her before. In a way that was conditioned – an automatic response to a fear that was so far wedged into the mind that nothing could hide it.
Trinity spoke more hesitantly as she continued, her hand up at her chest like she was ready to defend herself from being hit. “Sir, we just discovered Jake may not eat regular food anymore.”
The General immediately looked at me with renewed suspicion, before speaking to her without looking. His voice was still hard. “Very well. We will look into it. Have a seat.”
Trinity complied immediately, sitting down so fast it was as if someone had jerked her into her chair. I glanced at her briefly before looking back at the General and stood up. One of the armed soldiers came over immediately and grabbed me by the arm to escort me out of the building. I was suddenly afraid I wasn’t going to see them again. Afraid that this was it – I had been kicked off the team. I looked back at them as I allowed the guy to tug me along, trying desperately to get one last look into Trinity’s red eyes. But none of them looked at me. They were all looking away, and they all had the same expression – fear.
The four men led me out of the mess hall and back towards the building where I had first met everyone. Once we were inside, I was led to a different interrogation room, very similar to the first one I had been in, although this one was more furnished. There was a flat screen TV on the wall, which I thought was unusual for an interrogation room. The table was nicer too, a wooden one with two chairs that were not bolted to the floor. There was also no bar to attach handcuffs to. Overall, the atmosphere was much more relaxed – or at least, it should have been, were it not for the intimidating General.
I was told to have a seat in the chair facing the door, briefly distracted by the mirror wall again. I knew instantly what the glass was this time – whoever was in the room next to us could see me, but I couldn’t see them. The General sat down on the other side of the table, the door behind him. Two of the soldiers took positions on either side of the door, while the third stood in the hallway.
I wondered briefly why they thought they were safe with their guns. It’s not like they could hurt me. And really, there was nothing that could stop me from killing them all. However, as I reached out with my sixth sense, my head snapped towards the mirror again as I realized that the answer to that question lie on the other side. A powerful, threatening entity was just a feet away, staring me down with unseen eyes.
I looked back at the General when he cleared his throat. He was leaning towards me with both his hands on the table, fingers intertwined loosely. “So Mr. Knight,” He began in a surprisingly pleasant tone. “Why don’t you tell me how your first mission was?”
I hesitated, uncertain if the wrong answer was going to bring back the anger. “Umm, successful?”
Sure enough, his face turned hard again. He suddenly pulled a photo out of his breast pocket and slammed it on the table. “You call this successful?!”
I looked down at the image to see a picture of the little girl I had let live. I then looked up at him in shock. “What’s wrong with that?!” I asked breathlessly.
“What part of take no hostages don’t you understand?!”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My voice felt weak, like all the wind had been knocked out of me. “But she’s a little girl…”
“Age doesn’t matter!” His face was turning bright red. “I’ve seen a six-year-old destroy an entire squad of soldiers! On the battlefield, it doesn’t matter what age, the enemy is the enemy!”
Suddenly, I felt fear grip me, seizing up my chest. I could barely speak now. “Did you…kill her?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. Could they kill her? Didn’t her shield stop bullets?
The General abruptly sat back then, his face relaxing some. “No, we didn’t. She was brainwashed by a metahuman, the same one who hypnotized you, so when her mind was released she became fully compliant. In fact, we’re considering adding her to the squad instead of imprisoning her.”
I just gawked at him in absolutely disbelief. “Then why are you so upset?”
He grew serious again, his voice as hard a steel. “Because orders must always be obeyed, no matter what. If you’re going to disobey an order, then you better be ready to suffer the consequences for it.”
“So, you’re going to punish me then?” I asked, realizing why I was probably here.
His eyes narrowed. “No, we already punished the one responsible.”
My eyes flew open wide as I registered what he was saying, “Trinity?!” I exclaimed.
He abruptly held up a finger, stabbing it in the air at me. “Watch your tone!”
I just continued to gawk at him, my mouth open. “But why would you punish her? I’m the one who disobeyed!”
The General stared at me, a smirk slowly creeping on his mouth. “Because you weren’t the one who decided to allow her to live. Ms. Graham was. She’s the leader, and she’s responsible for fixing her subordinates mistakes.”
I barely noticed hearing Trinity’s last name for the first time, feeling like I was going to pass out as everything hit me at once. Trinity didn’t have any affiliation with this girl, and as far as I knew she didn’t even care if she died. The only reason, only reason, she let the girl live is because I let her live.
She did it for me, knowing exactly what would happen to her. And of course they punished her for it.
My voice was quiet and hollow as I replied. I could barely speak. “What did you do to her?”
The General’s smirk grew even wider. “Nothing that leaves any signs of torture, but I can assure you it was just as horrible, if her screaming was any indication.”
I suddenly felt my blood boil, and realized I needed to get ahold of myself. I was on the verge of killing this bastard, and I knew from the threat standing in the next room that they probably had a contingency plan to prevent me from harming them. Not to mention I would definitely be off the team then. If I ever wanted to see Trinity again, then I had to behave.
“For how long?” I asked finally, hoping with all my might that they hadn’t tortured her all night. I couldn’t look at him anymore. I turned my head away.
“Long enough,” he replied in a hard tone. “But really that’s none of your business. And that’s not why we’re here.” I glanced up at him, shocked as he continued. “The reason you’re here is to discuss your almost disobedience. I believe the comment you made was ‘I’d rather not’ when given a direct order.”
I groaned on the inside, tired of hearing everyone repeat the same stupid phrase over and over again. “It won’t happen again,” I finally managed after a moment.
“It better not, or else you’ll get to experience firsthand what happens when you disobey an order. Are we clear?”
“Yes,” I responded automatically, not even slightly intimidated.
Unfortunately, he seemed to notice.
“And!” He began yelling, stabbing his finger in the air at me. “If for some reason we discover you can’t be coerced from your own pain, then we�
��ll punish you by punishing your teammates! Starting with Ms. Trinity Graham! ARE! WE! CLEAR?!”
I nodded, dread filling my chest again. “Yes,” I whispered.
“WHAT WAS THAT?!” He screamed, leaning towards me with his hand at his ear.
“Yes!” I croaked, my voice breaking.
“Good.” He replied roughly, sitting back. “Then we’re done here. You’re dismissed.”
I hesitated for a moment, and then slowly stood to my feet when he didn’t show any indication of budging from his chair. One of the soldiers held the door open, so I went out and then followed the one in the hall as he escorted me out of the building.
Once I was outside, and the fresh air cleared my mind, I focused on my sixth sense to perceive where everyone was. It appeared they were all behind the barracks now. Zayden was clearly moving around, but the other three were stationary. Once the soldier had led me most of the way there, I told him I knew were everyone else was and wanted to go join them. He didn’t really seem to care either way, so I jogged off behind the building to find out what everyone was doing.
There was a full basketball court behind the barracks, with painted lines on the concrete ground. There were also two sets of metal bleachers sitting side by side against the back of the building. As I expected, Zayden was actively playing a game by himself while Zane, Ava, and Trinity all sat on the bleachers. They were all sitting together, like they had been talking, but the moment I rounded the corner they all grew quiet.
I slowed down as I approached them, finding it difficult to take my eyes off Trinity. It was very obvious she was avoiding my eye contact. I sighed and then stood right in front of her.
“Trinity,” I said. But she didn’t acknowledge me, as if I wasn’t even there. I continued. “Can I speak with you in private for moment?”
She finally responded, her tone flat. “No, you may not.”
“Please,” I asked again.
She looked at me then, her eyes cold. “I want you to go stop talking to me. That’s an order.”
Omega Squad Page 9