Aeon Legion: Labyrinth

by Beaubien, J. P.

  Lycus spared Terra a brief glance. “Yes. I am aware. Fine. Keep your little black ops soldiers. Once I catch whoever this intruder is, just remember that I will gloat about doing your job.”

  “Noted. Orion out,” Orion said in a curt tone as the feed cut out.

  “Tiro Mason,” Lycus said as he leaned back into his chair. “Did you, at long last, come to tell me that you are quitting?”

  “Praetor. May I ask you a question?” Terra said, standing at attention.

  Lycus paused. “If this is about what I said as the Captain then you shouldn't worry about it.”

  “Was it true?” Terra asked, still at attention. She realized the danger in pressing Lycus, but she had to know. “Was that story true?”

  Lycus studied Terra. “The Captain is a character I imagined. He is a realistic representation of what a surviving Kalian terrorist would be like. There is no known active group of Kalian terrorists still at large. General Reva was the most famous and powerful Kalian, but none have seen her since the war. There is nothing left of their army but shadows and ghosts. Their descendants lack their bloodthirsty nature. Worse things lurk in Time. Plenty of criminals would gladly torture a legionnaire to death even if they had nothing to gain from it. But you can rest easy tonight, Tiro Mason. No Kalians will drag you out of the Academy to torture you for access codes.”

  “That's not what I meant, praetor. I want to know if what you said was true?”

  Lycus remained expressionless. “Your specific interrogation called for moderate physical torture followed by more advanced interrogation techniques. Your psychological and physical profiles told us you have a high threshold and tolerance for pain combined with a stubborn disposition. Physical torture had low odds of success, but we still needed to test you regardless. Your strong sense of justice and drive to be a heroine is one of your greatest weaknesses. We exploited it for training purposes as your enemies no doubt would.”

  Terra relaxed. “Then it wasn't true then? What you said about yourself and Alya.”

  Lycus's stare turned cold. “What I said was in character. If you want to know about what Silverwind did in that war, then you should ask her yourself. It's not my place to tell you.” Lycus turned away from Terra back to his holoface.

  Terra turned to leave.

  “You know,” Lycus said before Terra walked out of the fadedoor, “that photograph is genuine.”

  Terra turned to Lycus who stared at his holoface. She then noticed the photograph on a shelf. It depicted a father and mother holding a baby. The father was dressed in a Kalian uniform.

  “I found it on a soldier who tried to defend a family that wasn't even his own. I guess he saw his own family reflected in them,” Lycus said, staring off into darkness. “He fought bravely.”

  Terra remained silent.

  Lycus turned his gaze to Terra with a solemn look on his face. “During that war, a few of us became legends. Some of us became monsters. You may have noticed that I am very good at playing the villain. Now get out before I dock you points.”

  Terra left before Lycus made good on his promise. She stopped halfway to her dorm room, looking at the central fountain of the school's main hall. Was Lycus telling the truth? She wanted to ask Alya about what had happened during that war, but she wasn't sure that was a good idea. These were old wounds that Terra wondered if she had any right to open again.

  Terra made her way back to her dormitory room as her thoughts wandered back to Alya's past. Lycus had all but admitted to being a monster, though that didn't bother her. She thought she understood Lycus. Of Alya, Terra felt less certain.

  Terra stopped when she looked at her new uniform. She adjusted the sleeve a little after she looked in a nearby window for her reflection. Then she checked if the rest was straight. When she last got a new uniform, she had little time to fit it properly before the next practice and had lost a point. She stopped upon inspecting herself.

  The Legion uniform always fit tight. The sleek design denied the enemy of any useful grip during hand to hand combat. She hated how it made her look though. It didn't allow her to hide her weight like her old, loose fitting clothes did. Now, though, she looked different.

  Toned muscle had replaced her pudginess. She still wasn't slender. Not lithe like Alya or scrawny like Hikari. Muscled shoulders looked sharp in her new uniform and her abdominal muscles appeared well defined. Her thighs had thinned and tightened from daily exercise. There was not even a hint of a hunch in her stance now as she stood straight backed.

  Noticing these changes made her decide that it didn't matter what Alya or Lycus was. She didn't have to be a war criminal and she wouldn't become one. They couldn't make her murder anyone in cold blood. Terra Mason was neither Alya Silverwind nor Lycus Cerberus. Now she stood stronger and smarter than she once was. Only she had the power to change herself.

  That thought brought a smile to her face for the first time in a long while. The more she thought about it, the more things looked up. Hikari insulted everyone far less now. They all trusted Zaid as he had formed them into a competent strike team. Even Roland didn't get on her nerves as much.

  She passed through another hallway so lost in her good mood that she almost missed movement in the corner of her eye. Terra stopped, her gaze sweeping the area as she clinched her fists. Her eyes narrowed on a figure in black hiding in the corridor ahead. Another hid behind her.

  Terra bared her teeth while moving into a defensive hand to hand stance. She had left her aeon edge back at the armory. Terra opened her mouth to call for help when two more figures dressed in black jumped next to her.

  Terra Sped her reflexes with the shieldwatch to dodge their blows. The two hiding around the corners charged and Terra found herself surrounded. They all attacked at once and Terra Sped time as fast as she could just to keep pace.

  The intruders closed in, gaining ground. Just before they surrounded Terra, they stopped and backed away.

  Terra braced herself, waiting for the next attack.

  One intruder pulled off his mask, revealing himself to be Nikias. As the others did so too, Terra recognized them as Academy centurions or optios.

  Nikias moved a holoface in front of him, checking off boxes. “Three points for your excellent defensive moves. Two points for endurance since you didn't tire out during the exercise. Minus one point for offense. You need to work on that. Oh and you get a no points for observation since while you spotted us early, you didn't notice the ambush we laid in the ceiling. Looks like good marks overall.”

  Terra raised a finger, but could not form words. Instead she glared at Nikias with her nostrils flaring.

  Nikias smiled. “Good job. Let's go test the next one.”

  The institutors put on their masks and walked away.

  Terra stood in the hallway alone for a long moment, her face contorted with rage. She clinched her fists as she glared at the departing instructors. After a moment she sighed before staring up at the ceiling. “I hate this place.”

  Chapter XXIV

  Sybil

  I still remember that day clearly. Alya marched Kairos in and presented her like a trophy. Every centurion swooned over her. Qadar or no, I would have rejected her without a second thought. Even with the other centurions praising her talent. Even with Alya's so called connection with fate. One thing stopped me. Kairos and I were alike in one way. Both of us were utterly alone.

  -From the personal logs of Praetor Lycus Cerberus

  Terra walked down the halls of the Academy to the registrations office. After a brutal training regime today, they had called her to a meeting there. After changing her uniform and using her free Restore for the day, she made her way down the halls.

  She almost lost track of time while at the Academy. Physical exercises had tapered off these past few weeks along with the winter snows. But, academics had become more demanding; historical warfare, post time warfare, advanced tactics, and a long boring course on time travel physics all proved demanding. The l
esson on the Faceless had made her nauseous. Last week became difficult when the centurions' instruction grew detail oriented with every part of their training.

  The week before focused on individual training with the centurions. Terra herself spent a lot of time with Nikias who helped her polish her hand to hand skills while Isra helped train Terra with an aeon edge. Others like Hikari and Roland received personal academic tutors to compensate for their lack of a formal education. Now it neared the end of week eleven and rumors amongst the tirones said that the Labyrinth was close.

  When she arrived at the main hall she paused at the fadedoor to the registrations office. She took a deep breath before stepping inside to where she had first met Lycus and the centurions.

  The room was the same as when she was first here. A spot light shown in the center of the room while the instructors sat elevated above her in a semicircle. Isra, Nikias, and Shani were present amongst many others. Lycus sat above them in the center.

  “Stand at attention in the center of the room, Tiro Mason,” Lycus said.

  Terra moved under the bright light and then saluted.

  “At ease,” Lycus said in a dismissive tone. “You are first to be reviewed since we are starting with the lowest score. Let's begin.”

  Lycus touched his shieldwatch which projected a holoface that displayed all Terra's qualifiers and points. “First, let me say this is the furthest any tiro has advanced with your... limited qualifications. With no military training or combat experience we would have turned you away from this program altogether if not for your special squire status. Despite lacking any formal military training you have done well.”

  Nikias pulled up a holoface. “You passed all the basic qualifiers. You scored average on most of them except climbing and endurance where you placed at the top of your class. In shieldwatch skills you scored above average.”

  “Your academic grades are... also impressive,” Shani added, though she struggled to speak the praise. “You scored high on history and temporal physics. Though not the top of your class, you are one of the highest. You also didn't cheat. You maintained the integrity and honor of this Academy in spite of temptation otherwise.”

  “However,” Nikias said. “Your martial skills are sub par. While you made your basic qualifiers, you won most your matches by letting your opponents exhaust themselves by beating you up. Not the best tactic. Your aeon edge skills are lacking too as your scores there are lagging behind everyone else.”

  “There is your greatest weakness as well,” Isra said. “You possess no talent. While it is true your progress so far has been impressive, most of that was sheer stubborn resolve which will only carry you so far. Some may think it unfair to compare you to those like Kairos, but the Legion is no place for the average even if they are determined.”

  Lycus's predatory grin returned. “This leads us to an interesting quandary. It seems as though you meet all of the basic qualifiers for entering the Labyrinth. However, your point total stands at twenty three.” He sat silent for a moment, staring at Terra as though waiting for something.

  “How many points do I need, praetor?” Terra asked in almost a whisper.

  Lycus continued to grin. “It doesn't matter. You were not even close. Not even by half. Not even if you hoarded every point you ever made.”

  Terra's shoulders drooped, but she maintained eye contact with Lycus. “So I don't have enough points?”

  Lycus leaned forward. “That is correct. You don't have enough points. You never had a chance. Now go home.”

  Terra stood, unmoving on the stone floor and fell silent for a long while. She didn't care about points. In fact she thought the whole thing rather arbitrary and stupid. “Praetor, the Labyrinth only requires that I have all the qualifiers, correct?”

  Lycus stared at Terra. “You still wish to enter the Labyrinth? Why? It doesn't matter. You don't have enough points. Even if you pass it will be senseless. You can't become part of the Legion.”

  Terra stood a little straighter. “Praetor?”

  Lycus raised an eyebrow. “What?”

  Terra's eyes narrowed. “I will be honest. I don't give a damn about points.”

  Nikias smiled.

  Lycus leaned back. “You realize this a futile gesture? The Labyrinth can be deadly. Are you sure you want to go through with this even though there is no way you will qualify for the Legion?”

  Terra nodded. “I want to take the test anyway. If I walk away now then I wouldn't be worthy of the Legion. Either way, I will finish what I started.”

  The centurions closed their holofaces and stood to leave.

  Lycus continued to stare. After a moment he nodded. “Very well, Tiro Mason. You pass the first trial of the Labyrinth.”

  Terra's brow furrowed. “First trial? Then the points were...”

  “Pointless,” Nikias said as he rolled his eyes.

  “Not pointless,” Shani said in an irritated tone. “They allow for positive and negative reinforcement. We eliminate tirones who don't earn enough points, but that's in the early weeks and really it's an excuse. Those we want to keep on as tirones we make sure earn at least one point.”

  “Why is it so unfair then?” Terra asked.

  Lycus leaned forward. “We teach you to respect your superiors. Most armies require discipline, but the Legion needs more than mindless soldiers. The points express our authority. We can give them out or take them away as we wish. Sometimes, though, the authorities are wrong and the rules and values of authority need to be ignored to accomplish greater goals.”

  “So sometimes you must stand against the Legion's authority?” Terra asked.

  Lycus's stare hardened. “Sometimes. But you must be prepared to pay the price for that, because if you are wrong it could mean your life. I did not lie when I said the Labyrinth might kill you. This meeting wasn't just a test. It was your last chance to walk away.”

  ∞

  Terra stood in formation at the main courtyard for the last time. She noted how few, around a hundred tirones, remained. Almost all had replaced their old gear for Legion equipment. A few still wore piercings and jewelry, but most had discarded their old uniforms and weapons. Only those who had cast off their pasts made it this far.

  Lycus walked on stage. He did not have his usual snarl as he counted the remainder without expression. “Congratulations on making it this far. You have no idea of the knowledge, skill, and courage it takes to stand at this moment, this place in time. Now the Labyrinth lies ahead. In it you will find more than just a beast, but many horrors, puzzles, trials, and truths. It is the final test and it will require every bit of training you have gone through these past months. You will face twelve trials within. You must endure all of them. If you survive the Labyrinth then I will be the final judge to decide if you become a full legionnaire. The Labyrinth must be completed within one hundred forty four hours. No more points. You may take anything you wish from the armory. Lead weights will be removed from your equipment, but the safety lock will remain on your aeon edge. You now have sixteen hours to get ready before the Labyrinth opens. I suggest you prepare your equipment and rest. Good luck.”

  After visiting the armory one last time, Terra returned to her room and tried to rest. She slept little. It was hard to sleep considering what waited for her. The walk to the meeting point was pleasant enough. The city grew warmer as spring was just a few days away. Terra took one last look at the sky before walking into the Academy for the final time.

  The entrance to the Labyrinth was below the city. She went to lowest parts of the Academy and found several facilities she hadn't even known existed. Several shrines and chapels dedicated to numerous religions dotted the lower sections where tirones came to pray. She recognized a few, like a small prayer chapel where a cross hung.

  Terra stopped when she noticed Zaid in one building. He chanted though she was too far away to hear. Several times he prostrated himself on the ground while continuing his song like chant. She continued to wa
tch, both curious and entranced by his melodious prayer. After a few moments he stood and gathered his things near the fadedoor.

  “That prayer,” Terra said as Zaid stepped out the fadedoor, “what was that?”

  Zaid faced Terra. “I was observing Salat.”

  “What time are you from? Why are you here?”

  Zaid kept his expression neutral. He turned to go, leaving Terra's question unanswered.

  Terra followed. “Everyone around here tries so hard to keep their pasts hidden.”

  Zaid spared Terra a glance while they walked. “Then what is your past?”

  Terra shrugged. “Boring mostly. Everyone keeps calling me a softtimer.”

  “Does that bother you?”

  “I've been called far worse things.”

  Zaid grinned.

  Terra looked at him. “What?”

  “That is your strength. I envy you.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because nothing seems to affect you. You are solid.”

  “I don’t know. You seem unfazed by everything.”

  Zaid shook his head. “It was not always so. During the first attempt at the training, I failed the first day. My second attempt, I failed during the first part of the survival test. One thing is for certain though,” he said as he stopped to face Terra.

  Terra looked at Zaid. “What's that?”

  Zaid smiled. “I consider you a friend.”

  Terra returned his smile. “Nice try, Zaid, but I will still be blunt towards you.”

  “I wouldn't expect you to soften your words. In truth I rely on it.”

  They made their way down to the under part of the city where a crowd gathered. A large facility hung from the bottom of the city. It gave a view of both the Edge below and the underside of the city.