The room erupted. The officers’ eyes grew wide, and their mouths were agape, pleasantly surprised at what they witnessed. Xavier felt a shift in the atmosphere. He knew he was going to be the man to beat. His eyes met Oscar’s as he stepped down. Oscar whispered to him as he passed him.
“Not too bad for second place, American.”
Xavier felt a fire explode in him. Just thinking of coming in second to Oscar plagued him. He refused to turn around and just closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. He was not going to let Oscar get in his head. He had to finish in first to prove President Conrad’s investment was worthwhile.
Oscar stood across from Luis, a South American who learned the jian, an extremely light, double-edged straight sword. He was one of the weakest of all the recruits in the tournament. As the bell rang, Oscar disarmed him in two moves, and then looked over at Xavier with a smug look on his face. His technique was flawless, and it looked like he had been wielding the claymore for years.
In the next round, Oscar was able to disarm Luis again in another two moves. As he sheathed his weapon, he glared at Xavier. It was as if the two of them didn’t even care about making it into the Crimson Force as much as they wanted to simply defeat each other. Xavier won his match in six moves, and Oscar won his match in four moves; this fact was not lost on anyone in the room.
Round one of the tournament was over, and round two would begin in the morning. Xavier and David walked back to their room, congratulating each other and sharing their critiques with one another. Xavier advised David on his upcoming match with Charlie. He laid out his typical fight strategy and David took it all in. They were excited and ready for day two.
***
The new day began and everyone was fired up. Things were getting serious in the recruitment process. If the recruits that lost in the previous day lost again, they would be eliminated from the Crimson Force completely, and no one who had sacrificed so much in the last sixteen weeks wanted that. They all recognized that four people from this tournament would be sent home; they had to outmaneuver and outperform one another. That revelation made for some incredible performances in the earlier rounds. No one backed down, and no one was willing to give up.
David was up against Charlie. Although Charlie had great disdain for Xavier, he seemed to be a fan of David. Xavier knew that Charlie was the superior athlete and one of the best performers present, but David’s technique had become flawless. This match was likely to come down to the last few seconds.
They drew their weapons before the bell rang. David had a little bounce in his step, similar to what Xavier had when he was using Jeet Kune Do. Xavier’s chest was tight, and his palms grew sweaty. He was nervous for David. The bell rang and the two recruits attacked, meeting each other in the middle at the same time. Charlie went low, and David dodged into a downward strike. Charlie parried and deflected. David jumped back, and Charlie rolled towards him into a lunging attack. David deflected and followed up with a combo, but Charlie successfully defended into a combo of his own. David successfully defended against the combo. The two went back and forth, neither one of them landing a clean strike.
The second round went the same way. Any time one of them would gain momentum, the other would reverse it and take their momentum. The third round was getting ready to begin, and David remembered Xavier’s breakdown of Charlie’s fights. If Charlie hadn’t gained an advantage, this would typically be the round he would pull out his dirty moves. The bell rang and David waited for Charlie to make the first strike. Charlie attacked, and David defended successfully. Charlie fired a quick combo that David successfully evaded, and while in motion, Charlie tried to use a dirty strike. But David read it and deflected the strike into Xavier’s knee spinning move which caught Charlie off guard. He landed a clean hit to the inside of Charlie’s leg. As Charlie fell, David lunged at him with a throat slice. Charlie reversed it, flipping David over him. They both bounced into an attack that met in the middle of the ring. They exchanged attacks and parries until the bell signaled the end of the match. David beat Charlie by one point due to the lone clean strike of the entire match.
David was grinning from ear to ear. This was by far his best match. Charlie was visibly perturbed. His face was red with anger and his eyes watered with frustration. Xavier had a hard time containing his laughter, and Charlie shot a deathly glare at him. His match was next, and he would be facing Marco who trained in the Dao, a Chinese sabre. The match was quick. Marco did his best to be strategic, but Xavier’s speed and attack flow were too much for him. Xavier was able to disarm Marco twice in limited movements, earning the win early into the second round.
The final match of the day was Oscar versus Gabriela. Oscar came out of the gates far more aggressive than usual, and Gabriela struggled to defend herself the entire time. Once Oscar had backed her into a defenseless position, he added a throat slice for good measure. Gabriela was visibly shaken. In the second round, Oscar quickly disarmed her, and he did the same in the third round. Oscar glared the entire time as he stomped out of the ring. He was angry that Xavier only needed two rounds to win and he required three.
Xavier went over to check on Gabriela immediately after the match, and the entire group congratulated David on the best match of the day. Once Xavier could see that Gabriela was okay, he walked her to her room and met up with David in their room. The two recruits showered each other with praise on their performances. Once they finished their critiques, the room grew silent as the both of them drifted off to sleep.
The semifinal matches would ultimately decide which recruits were going to be at the bottom of the list. Placements would be determined by those who had already been eliminated. The lower tier matches were a bit boring as they all went the full length and decisions were made by points alone. Charlie and Gabriela had impressive victories in their matches, increasing their ranking.
David and Ben were up and neither one of them had been eliminated yet. A victory in this round would all but guarantee a slot in the final level of training. Ben was typically a hothead but seemed to really step up in technique during this tournament. The two recruits went back and forth for the first two rounds. Their methods and strategies were impressive, but neither one of them seemed to take a clear lead. About midway through the third round, David was able to dig deep and find an extra reserve of adrenaline. For the final minute, David dominated Ben and claimed the victory by points.
Xavier was up against Matheus. Xavier landed a remarkable amount of clean hits, and his strikes were lightning fast and ferocious. Matheus did not give up, and Xavier was unable to claim a round by throat slash or disarming. The match went the full three rounds, but Xavier was able to score a record setting amount of clean strikes and the decision was a landslide.
The final match was between Oscar and Hye. The match started off slow but sped up towards the end. Hye proved to be a challenging opponent for Oscar, and he was able to land several clean hits. By the end of the second round, Oscar was able to successfully disarm Hye twice. At the end of his match, he mockingly bowed down to Xavier. The final match tomorrow was going to be between Oscar and Xavier. The winner would finish in first place in the tournament.
David and Xavier sat in their room quietly. The tension between Oscar and Xavier had never been higher, and David was nervous for him. He was grateful that the blades were practice blades. He felt that if they were real blades, one of the two of them was bound to be killed by the other. David penetrated the silence.
“Are you going to be okay? No one gets under your skin quite like Oscar.”
“We’ll be alright. No one is going to die tomorrow,” Xavier said with a smirk.
They slept in and had a leisurely day. No one was expected to be at the training room until after dinner. There were only three placement matches left.
The first match was Charlie versus Ben, which Charlie won decisively after three rounds. The second match was David against Gabriela. Xavier could tell David was holding back the e
ntire time, and after three full rounds, Gabriela won in a narrow victory by a points decision. He sat down with his head low, never taking his eyes off of the ground. It was time for the main event. Everybody, including the officers, seemed to be on the edge of their seats. This was the match many people wanted to see: Oscar versus Xavier.
The two recruits slowly took their places, their eyes never breaking their thousand-yard stares. The tension was palpable, and everything seemed to freeze. The shrill sound of the bell echoed through the silence.
Oscar bellowed a deafening battle cry as he swung massively downward. The loud crash of the two swords reverberated through the entire room as Xavier blocked his attack. Oscar was the aggressor as he rained down a barrage of mighty swings. Xavier was dodging and weaving around the flurry of slashes, never removing his eyes from him. Xavier remained calm as Oscar attacked relentlessly, waiting for him to make a mistake. He danced around the strikes as if he knew what was coming. Xavier noticed his position in the ring as he began an advance of his own. Oscar’s defense was flawless. Xavier fired a single attack that flowed perfectly into every twist and turn. Oscar successfully defended every slash. Upon his final block, Oscar began a second advance. Xavier defended every move to perfection. Oscar’s final swing was a twinge too hard and Xavier saw an opening. A superbly executed spinning counter sent Oscar’s sword flying out of his hand. The entire room was awestruck. Oscar glared hatefully at Xavier as he went to pick up his blade.
The second round began and Oscar chose to be on the defensive. Xavier knew that if he could disarm Oscar one more time, he would take the number one spot. He wanted to end the match quickly. Xavier rushed Oscar. His moves were so quick and calculated that the onlookers had a hard time keeping up. Oscar defended every strike carefully. It was as if he knew what Xavier was going to do before he did it. Xavier continued to advance, and Oscar lured Xavier into a strike. Xavier took the bait and Oscar countered. Xavier blocked. Oscar was on the advance now, and Xavier successfully defended. Every single step and maneuver the two warriors made was in sync with the other. Xavier drew Oscar into a strike and he went for it. As Xavier advanced, he missed a step and with a devastating side blow, Xavier was disarmed. The two recruits were equal. Even the officers were standing up in anticipation.
The two struggled to catch their breath as they stared at each other from opposite sides of the ring before the third round began. The bell rang and the two inched toward each other slowly. They were measuring each other. There was a mutual understanding that the slightest mistake would cost them the match and the first-place spot. The attacks began slowly. They traded strikes and parries as if it were a practiced dance. They maintained expert tempo with one another. Oscar rolled forward slicing at Xavier’s legs. He flipped over the slash. Oscar continued to whirl around, and Xavier landed in a splendid block. They continued their exchange of blows while staying low. In crouching positions, they remained in step with one another, blocking and striking. They were in a standoff trying to outmuscle the other, and there was no break in their opponent. As if on cue, they both spun into their proper stances. Oscar saw how close Xavier was to the out of bounds line. In a flash, Oscar swung the most powerful side slash he could, hoping to force him out. Xavier read the attack and dove over the blade spinning into a strike of his own that sent Oscar falling out of the ring. Xavier had won. He froze for a moment. It hadn’t sunk in that he just defeated Oscar.
Air flooded the room. Xavier exhaled and the crowd erupted. He couldn’t believe what just transpired. Oscar remained sitting on the ground in disbelief. He stared at the ground in front of him. Xavier looked over to the officers in time to see President Conrad sneak out from behind them, his face beaming with pride and joy. Oscar stood up and Xavier rushed over to him.
“Thank you for pushing me to my limits, Oscar,” he said, sticking his hand out.
Oscar hesitated, but then grabbed his hand. “Do not get used to it. Perhaps I was wrong about you,” Oscar said with a coy smile.
The next day, all the recruits meandered around until it was time for the rankings banquet. They were all graded by their points accrued and the rankings fell based upon the amount of points they earned in their job-specific challenges. The banquet was structured like all the others. Xavier thought it was great that they celebrated every victory in the Crimson Force. They truly honored their heroes. After much food and laughter, the rankings flashed on the big screen. Eleven through twenty came up which included Lena and Goma. Xavier and David were happy to see so many of their teammates from the survival training make it this far. David finished at ten, Charlie at eight, Emily at six, Oscar in second and Xavier finished in first. Oscar was visibly annoyed, and Xavier was thrilled.
Captain Walsh stepped up to offer congratulations and condolences. He reminded everyone that only ten people would be kept, two for each squad. The final test was going to be an obstacle course that had been developed in the Genesis Room. The top two times from each squad represented would earn their spots as officers within the Crimson Force.
Chapter 21
November 22nd 2062 4:00 a.m. (Day One-Hundred Twenty-One) Crimson Manor, Berlin, Germany
All of the recruits met in front of the Genesis Room. The group had significantly thinned out. They met in this very same spot when they began eighteen weeks ago with fifty recruits, and now they were down to the twenty best—four recruits from each squad. Nerves were as high as they had ever been. All around him were the most talented soldiers and skilled warriors in the world, and this final test would prove who would best represent it. That was the point of the Crimson Force after all—to represent the best the world has to offer for the purpose of establishing and protecting the peace in it.
Xavier had never felt as proud and as passionate as he was in that moment. He was so close to proving that he was the best in the world; he was so close to his end goal. In that moment, Captain Walsh stepped up to address the recruits.
“It seems poetic that the very place you began would be the very place that you end. This is your final test, and we are as proud as we can be of each and every one of you. However, only ten of you will be named officers within the Crimson Force, and the other ten of you will have to return to your countries and organizations. Inside the Genesis Room, you will find a very different set up from the last time you were in it. Remember, we have the technology to create whatever training regiments we need inside this facility. Those who prove to be the two best from each team represented will receive their duties. Without further ado, let us descend into your final testing ground.”
All the recruits stepped onto the platform, having more room than they did the first time they rode on it. As the small crew descended, the scenery was much different. A large track that circled several miles was present, alongside a glass weight room that had all forms of barbells, workout machines, and dumbbells imaginable. In the center of the arena, was a massive warehouse.
They stepped off of the platform and were led to the warehouse. As they approached it, they could see that it was locked by a palm scanner control pad that powered the door. Upon the first step into the warehouse, a loud sound triggered the lights. The palm scanning door was the only way in or out.
A river ran under the course. They walked alongside the sprawling gauntlet of obstacles as Captain Walsh explained each and every one of them to the recruits. The first obstacle was a straight track for five hundred yards. At the end of the track, going straight into the river, there were two parallel walls about six feet apart. Captain Walsh called it the spider jump, each wall running nearly twenty feet long. Once you passed the wall, you would land on a ten-foot path followed by a ten-foot gap, which was going to be the running long jump. Xavier felt pretty good about the obstacles so far but could tell that David was growing more nervous as the course carried on.
As they passed the ten-foot gap, they came across a small platform that led to a wall with three diagonal rock-like rails. Captain Walsh called it the “Z-Cl
imb.” Once you disengaged from that wall, another path led to a pond that ran deep under where they were walking. Captain Walsh announced that it was a twenty-foot dive, which was actually a sixty-foot swim. Immediately upon ascension from the dive, there was another twenty-foot gap that had long, seven-foot boards resembling doors hanging above the water. In order to cross the twenty-foot gap, you would have to swing from one door to the next. Xavier began to grow tense. He couldn’t believe this course and was puzzled as to how the room could change so dramatically in such a short amount of time. The group continued to press on.
Just beyond the door swing there was another ten-foot platform that just peaked over the water about two feet. The obstacle that was before them was a half-pipe along the far wall and a rope at the end of the platform. There was no way to jump the water, and the only way across was running along the half-pipe, holding onto the rope. At the end of the half-pipe, there was a three-foot, vertical jump platform. David grew tired just by looking at the course. He had no idea how he was going to make it through.
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