Damage Control

by Eric Alan Williams

"That would be apparent Mr. Thunder after your former preceptor's report. Still, go and check in with the infirmary. No doubt, your lungs still need to heal."

  "How did I score?"

  Wisman looked at his tablet. Made a few swipes, a few keys pressed and then looked up into Xairin's eyes as his face reverted back to normal. His brown eyes locked with Xairin's green ones. "You hesitated a few times Mr. Thunder, once near the swamp, and again on the canyon run, but, given the fact that you used the trench to your advantage, I have to hand that it to you. I award you a solid 9. You pass the obstacle course, Mr. Thunder, I will make sure your name is added to the placement list. Please, go check yourself in with the infirmary tent and then report to Aywren’s class. I'm sure you will be placed shortly after that."

  The recovery tent had all the injured recruits being treated for injuries. A woman wearing a silvery shirt, and pants came up to him. She scanned his eyes first and noticed his face show up on an identification screen. "Mr. Thunder?"

  He looked up at the bald-headed woman. "Yes?"

  'Injuries to report?"

  Yawning, he answered her. "I was in the trench for a bit."

  "The trench, eh?" She asked while using a metallic wand to scan his eyes, throat, and lungs. She then ran it over his hands, up to his arms, his torso, and down his legs. It linked with her tablet. She looked surprised. "I guess you heal pretty fast. No signs of silver irritation."

  "So, am I good?"

  "I suppose so. Report to your next class."

  Before running off, Xairin noticed Troger on a floating stretcher, resting. He had to walk up to his friend and check on him. Plus gloat a little. "Trog? How you are doing buddy?"

  The handsome mer grinned while he sat up and saw Xairin coming. "Xairin?"

  The two high fived one moment, and a blink of an eye later were shaking. "How you are feeling?"

  "I got shot in the back dude, how the hell do you think I'm feeling?"

  "Shouldn't go around shirtless Trog."

  The mer smirked. "Like that would have helped any. Besides I'm a fish out of water dude, I get hot way to easy out here."

  Trog looked around and noticed an influx of Immortium and some Aeonians with respiratory issues, some nursing their eyes, and the majority having signs of itching. Troger blurted out, "Guess the Labyrinth trial was interesting."

  "To say the least," Xairin mentioned while rolling his eyes.

  It occurred to Troger that Xairin might know what happened. "Did you see who kicked ass the most in the Labyrinth?"

  Xairin crossed his arms and smiled.

  "NO way? YOU?" Troger asked with his jaw dropped.

  "Yep. And I scored a nine."

  Troger was jealous. He wanted to win too. He felt left out since Xairin, and he had decided to work together, especially in the Labyrinth. "You're advancing to the teams' bro, wow."

  Xairin sat on the floating stretcher beside his friend. "I wish you could have been there. I really do."

  Troger sighed. "Well, at least tell me that you got that tall mother fucker that tripped me."

  Xairin looked over his shoulder and reached out with his senses. He saw the dark-skinned man having aid given to him by a droid. It was using a pen shooting a red beam into his eyes, speeding up the regeneration. "You mean him?"

  "IT WAS AMBROSE?"

  Xairin smirked, "Who else is towering asshole in the class? Besides, keep it down, will ya, and yes."

  "How the hell did you take out Ambrose Landlear?"

  Whispering, Xairin kept his voice down. "I used the fog in the trenches. I held my breath and took him down. Literally. I drug him right down into the fog."

  "You did that? What about the others?"

  Xairin shrugged. "Okay, I was like the shark from jaws alright? The fog was a great cover, besides, using my shirt to help filter it out, made it kind of easy. Add in biosonar, and it was cake work."

  "Anyways Troger, I have orders to report to firearms. So, hang out later?"

  "Sure man, I figure they will release me here soon anyhow." Troger huffed. "I still can't believe you're graduating without me bruh."

  Xairin shrugged.

  "On second thought, HELL YES, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE GOING ON WITHOUT ME. Dude, I guess pushing yourself like you have paid off."

  Xairin was feeling assured, but at the same time, wondering what the future had in store for him. He sighed. "I hope so."

  Chapter 5

  Xairin was in Aywren’s class feeling proud of himself, but at the same time, it was dawning on him that real combat laid ahead of him.

  Xairin was squeezing off a round of bullets from an older model HS2000, he then switched off to a Glock-98B, and finished with an old-fashioned Walther P99. Each of the semi-automatic pistols had a nice kick, for an Immortium, they had no kick at all. It made it easy to shoot with two hands simultaneously. Being naturally ambidextrous, as all Immoritum are, came even easier given his strength... He picked up two pistols, both Walther models, and managed to hit the metallic mannequins at the end of the firing alley a hundred yards away. Each shot was near the chest. His headshots were getting better.

  He was still wearing his red t-shirt, and brown cargo shorts, all of the newly enlisted were for Aywren Sateele’s class.

  Xairin’ didn’t know much about Aywren other than her being an instructor, that and a few rumors that circulated. He knew she was one of the deadliest vampires at the Academy. She wasn’t a sentinel; she was a covert. Covert’s were the equivalent of the mortal Marines. They were the best of the best.

  Aywren’s specialties were wide ranged. Hand to hand combat, weapons, both projectile and melee, part of why she taught this portion of the training. Aywren’s age had given her over a thousand years to perfect her craft of slaying. It was well known that she was initially on the side of the Conclave until recent events changed her heart. She opted to defect just a couple months ago. Lilith pulled for her. With Lilith gone, her position in the academy was a slippery slope.

  Aywren was five six in height, around a hundred and forty pounds of lean muscle, and kept her jet-black hair shoulder length for simplicity in combat. Given her height, many that had never faced her had no idea just how much pain they were in for. Setting her always apart, along with the other coverts, she often wore black, usually leather, and today was no different.

  “Good work, everyone.” She said while watching each person pull off a few more rounds.

  “Gather please.” She announced while motioning everyone to her.

  Once everyone was gathered around her, she approached the control podium. “Let’s make this interesting, shall we?”

  Faith Rosenberg, the perky redheaded Aeonian stepped forward. She twitched her freckle covered nose and cocked her head. Crossing her arms, made her seem more formidable as a new Aeonian. “What do you have in mind?”

  She programmed some protocols in the hub at the center of the room. The holographic emitters began to pulse with blue lights. “Moving targets are far more effective.”

  “I have entered commands to simulate a rat attack, specifically the rats affected by the Aeon Strain. The key ladies and gentlemen are to aim where you think they might be, where they’re going to be, not where they are.” She paced. “You have to predict where they’re moving to. The same is when we fight werewolves, werecats, and just about any other classification of Thrope.” She looked at a few wolves in the class. “The bad wolves, of course.”

  A geeky looking man turned hardened and determined to learn to fight, spoke up. His wavy brown hair, needing a little grooming as he pulled it back with both hands. Thinking loudly. “And just how are we doing this?”

  Aywren scoffed. “Run program Rat-attack two.”

  The chrome-colored metallic room changed as the purple pixels began to transfigure the place into something else. The room seemed to shimmer. The cold training room became warm. The surroundings formed trees, plants, lush green grass, a forest surrounded the recruits. It felt real, they could fe
el the vegetation, the wind blowing, even the scent of the forest seemed real. Xairin was impressed. He had heard of holograms appearing real, but this was beyond what he expected.

  Aywren Sateele walked through the group. The control device was still visible. “Engage weapon designs.”

  A table formed in the forest. Atop the table, there were two pistols for each student. Holographic weapons, harmless to organic flesh, but every bit capable of killing something spawned in the program.

  “Each of you is to take two laser pistols. These weapons work just like the real thing but are harmless against anything living just like in the sword fighting programs. Just make sure you use them against the simulated attackers.” She stressed the next part. “Make sure to anticipate where they are going to be. Not where you see them, but where you think they are moving towards. That is where your kill shot will happen. Understood?”

  Everyone, including Xairin, took two of the pistols. She was right, it felt like he had a real gun in both hands. It even had a recharge button he could engage with. Right as he had them in his hands, he heard Aywren Sateele yell. “ENGAGE ATTACK PROGRAM RAT ATTACK TWO!”

  The tops of the trees became alive with movement. Xairin could hear the branches breaking, the ground shaking, and in this simulation, biosonar wasn’t reliable. It gave any vampire that dared use it, a headache from the feedback. Xairin saw two vampires to his left get bounced in the air by a mutant rat nearly the size of a large grizzly bear. “HOLY CRAP!” He yelled.

  The oversized vermin, enhanced by the Aeon Strain, were skillfully recreated in this simulation. They danced all around the recruits. Even Xairin felt the sting of holographic teeth, stinging his torso. No one managed a single hit.

  “Pause Program!” Aywren mumbled.

  Aywren walked around the recruits. She had no sympathy for failure, failure always meant someone died in battle, others were injured, and more importantly, an important goal wasn’t accomplished. That goal could have been something as vital as winning a war, protecting those who needed it, or something else. She eyed them all. “Don’t look to me for sympathies for your inability to thwart your prey. Now, lick your wounds and prepare for round two.”

  “Computer, prepare to reinitialize program.”

  The rats vanished. They broke apart into visual pixels. Xairin prepared himself, making sure his holographic weaponry was prepared to do the job. Everyone else followed his example. Aywren was pleased seeing how eager he was to get ready.

  “ENGAGE ATTACK PROGRAM RAT ATTACK THREE!”

  Xairin and everyone else expected the rats to come from the trees, they didn’t.

  The forest shook. Xairin lost his footing, so did everyone else. The ground moved. It was a realistic simulated earthquake.

  The class thought hundreds were coming their way. A massive herd or pack, coming from somewhere in the distance. Many started looking around, ready for it, prepared as they could be, given the shaking of the grass-covered ground all around them.

  Every so many feet, the ground started to sink quickly. Xairin noticed that and caught onto it. He realized it wasn’t a herd of them coming from somewhere heading their way like a stampede, they were coming from beneath. He pointed his laser pistols at the holes forming, he even called out. “BENEATH US!”

  PEW, PEW, PEW! His blaster fired. PEW, PEW, PEW, he fired again.

  Two rats had managed to claw their way to the surface of the generated forest. They died as soon as they managed to rear their ugly faces.

  Waves of them began to emerge from tunnels collapsing above the recruits. Xairin performed well, nine kills before a surprise attack from behind had him pinned to the ground.

  Xairin struggled. He turned around and could see the large jaws with jagged front teeth coming at his face. He managed to get his hands around, pushing it up. He felt like he was wrestling a grizzly bear at that moment. It was as big as one, after all.

  The struggle continued for what seemed like an eternity, in reality, a few seconds. No one was helping Xairin. Everyone else was busy dealing with their own giant rat trying to kill them. He realized he was on his own.

  He pushed upward, primitive in thought, the creature only knew to gnaw at him.

  Xairin felt panicked. His heart racing. It was real to him. This entire simulation felt real, smelt real, and the danger, every bit of it, flourished his senses like a hot poker. His eyes flickered, not like they usually did, they didn’t just turn red, the glowed for a moment. The veins in his very eyes lit up with red light.

  He wedged himself, quickly bringing his feet up and pushing against the creature on top of him, and with a single push, the creature flew into the air. He reached for his laser pistol and fired.

  Not a single fighter, nor Aywren noticed Xairin’s unusual eyes flicker the way they did. For the rest of them, it was simply staying alive while Aywren walked around watching everyone fire their weapons. It was business as usual to her. When she noticed Xairin standing, she was pleased that the redheaded vamp managed to get free from his struggle and kill the rat.

  The wave faded out Aywren smiled. “Conclude program.”

  Everything in the room turned to pixels, and vanished from sight, reverting to the training room. The alleys reappeared, the computer equipment, everything. It became the same sterile chrome colored room it had always been.

  “Not bad on the second wave, just remember, to always anticipate where they are going to be, and you will do quite well. Class dismissed.”

  A buzzer sounded. The metal door at the far end of the room to the left opened. A cloaked figure entered wearing a crimson colored hooded robe. Aywren stepped aside, giving the person that had come, her recognition of importance. Aywren smiled. “Apparently class was yet to end. Line up, everyone.”

  The blond that entered pulled back her hood and smirked at Aywren. “Well, well, well, Aywren, I heard you were given governorship over hand to hand combat and firearms.” The woman was condescending. Aywren kept up a professional stance. “Surprising, I do hope Lilith knew what she is doing. I trust the class is going well, yes?”

  Aywren nodded. She wasn’t about to challenge a team commander, even if they were over a Sentinel team, and Aywren being a covert... She simply and politely replied. “Quite.”

  The woman that had entered was wearing the signature red kevlar uniform under her cloak. It was easily seen as she began circling the cadets as they followed Aywren Sateele’s command. They lined up perfectly.

  The woman smelled like a vampire. Xairin’s senses quickly caught onto that. When Xairin switched to his heat vision, the darkened aura was a dead giveaway.

  Aywren smirked and looked at Helena Dolenigan.

  The Commander noticed Xairin’s red eyes focusing in on her. She snarled. “I see Aywren hasn’t tamed this one down yet… It is rude to scan a higher-ranking Sentinel. She looked at her tablet as she pulled it from the left side of her cloak. “Ah...Mr. Thunder! Shall I have you drop and give me two hundred?”

  Xairin’s eyes became green, really fast. He looked at the blond staring at him. “No mam.”

  “I think we need to set an example, don’t you Aywren?” She looked back at the vampire training the group with disdain in her eyes, then looked at Xairin. “Five hundred pushups, now!”

  Xairin stopped what he was doing and assumed the position. Given he was an Immortium, fifty push-ups were as easy as stealing candy from a baby. He could have done that in five seconds at vamp speed. Doing five hundred pushups, that was a little different. He was just happy she didn’t ask for a thousand. He had seen someone do that already. Xairin took roughly 2 minutes and forty-five seconds to complete the request as a reward for his use of powers. When he finished, he was out of breath.

  “Don’t do that again? Got it?”

  Breathing heavily, he nodded. “Yes, mam.”

  She looked at her tablet and started to read off a few names, Xairin being one of them. When she finished saying the seven names, Aywren reasserted her p
revious instructions. “Everyone else, class dismissed.”

  After the room had cleared, seven remained, including Xairin.

  “Cadets, I am Commander Helena Dolenigan of House Dracul. Each of you will be receiving your team designations today. You will be paired with an established team and perform as instructed. You will pack your bags and join your teammates at their designated bunkhouses. Now let’s not dolly.”

  They each waited until Commander Dolenigan called their names, gave them their assigned team numbers, and sent them on their way.

  Standing beside Xairin, was Hammond Smith. It was well known that Hammond was one of the new wolves, one of the two new breeds on the block. Xairin had never seen him wolf out before in the practices but knew exactly who he was when he saw him in the labyrinth's trials, he was impressive to look at in his hybrid form. Now, Hammond just seemed like a geek at a glance. He appeared to lack confidence, his body language was a giveaway, but he was good with a handgun and had apparently passed the trials. Xairin could tell he used to wear glasses at some point, he kept reaching for his face as if he was about to adjust them, only to realize he didn’t need them any longer.