by Noah Michael
When the machine finished, the cover opened. Alia stepped out, good as new. Gunner was waiting for her in the acrobatics section. Alia practiced flips, jumping skills, and balance. After that, they had just enough time for a simulation.
“Thanks to your suit, I can record and analyze your actions and movement in the simulation.” Gunner said handing her a pair of glasses. “Remember the rules. No speaking. You can use your powers only to predict what the enemy will do.”
She put them on, lied down in a simulation bed, and closed her eyes.
When she opened them, the air was hot. Looking down, she faced a pool of lava. She was inside a volcano. A row of towering pillars extended from the volcano’s surface, and she was standing on one of them. Six men materialized on random pillars. Two held knives, three held no weapons. The sixth held a machine gun, pointed straight at her.
Alia dove as he opened fire. She rolled into a somersault as she landed, regaining her footing easily. Gunfire followed her as she jumped from pillar to pillar. She moved swiftly towards one of the knife-wielding men. Now more than ever, a good offense would be her best defense. As Alia approached the knife-wielder, his face told her everything.
He’s planning to cut my throat. Duck and counter. The man swung as soon as Alia landed. She ducked quickly and jabbed her right hand into his gut. He staggered backwards.
Too confident with his knife to go for my legs. Eyes concentrated on my upper body, leans right foot forward, face aggressive. Focusing on attacking not defending. He plunged his knife out towards her chest. As he did, she dropped down to her hands and spun her body powerfully in a circle, swiping at his legs. Pushing off her feet, she pounced, socking his stomach with her fist. Before he could recover, she twisted the knife out of his hands and plunged it into his chest. Even as she finished him, more men arrived at her pillar.
Knife going for neck on my right. Man on left preparing a kick to stomach. Man in front shows excitement, confidence, likely indicating enemy to the rear. He is waiting for someone else to finish me. His guard is down.
Flipping in midair, she smashed her feet into the head of the man behind her, knocking him into the lava. At the same time, she sent the knife flying from her hand into the neck of the man on her right. Without a second to lose, she landed, sending a spinning kick into the chest of the man in front of her, also knocking him into the lava. The machine gun opened fire. Alia dropped to the floor, bringing the man on her left down with her. The bullets sprayed him from head to toe. She reached for one of the knives. Before a new barrage began, Alia sprinted forward, knife in hand. As new sprays of bullets rang out, she zig-zagged closer and closer to the gunman’s pillar. One of the bullets found its way into Alia’s ribs and another embedded itself in her left arm. It hurt, but she didn’t stop. Five feet away, the man aimed his gun. Alia jumped, knife forward, screaming.
Her knife hit its target. The man fell to the floor, gun shooting aimlessly at the wall of the volcano. Alia dropped the knife. She couldn’t believe what she’d done.
A black hole opened underneath Alia. She closed her eyes and fell.
Alia opened her eyes. Her breathing was heavy, she was drenched in sweat. She felt her arm and ribcage, happy to find that there were no bullet wounds. She stepped out of the machine.
Gunner nodded his head in approval.
“Looks like I’ve trained you well, eh? You took a couple bullets, which means we still have work to do. But our hour is up. Roko said you should head up to the simulation room.”
“Thank you, Gunner.”
“Anytime.”
Alia exited the gym, wishing she could shower, but there was no point. She had a feeling she’d be doing more strenuous work in a matter of minutes. She walked to the elevator. This time, she shared the elevator with a group of muscular men in skin-tight, black training uniforms. They looked at Alia, a white-clad woman in a sea of black-clothed men. She held her head up high and stared firmly at the elevator doors, trying to hide her discomfort.
They all got off at the 150th floor and made their way to the simulation room, first rank. Alia walked ahead of the men. When they reached the entrance, Marcus stood in the doorway in a dark black suit with a red tie. When Alia stopped in front of him, the men stopped behind her.
“Alia.”
“Marcus.” They stared each other down. One of the men interrupted.
“Sir, we were summoned for a team simulation challenge. Can you let us in?”
“What is your name?”
“I’m David, Sergeant of the first rank. These are my men.” He was young and handsome with short, curly, brown hair.
Marcus read the man’s face before responding. “I understand, David. Let us begin.”
They followed Marcus into the room. “David, take your soldiers to the army simulation room. I’ll join you shortly.” David nodded and led his men through another door to an adjacent room. Alia remained in the main room with Marcus. “Well, now that we’re alone, how are you feeling after the incident last week?” Marcus asked with a bite.
“Not seeing your creepy pale face for a few days certainly helped,” Alia snapped back.
“Glad to hear that.”
After a pause Alia said, “Why did you agree to train me?”
Marcus faked a smile. “I didn’t have a choice. Roko is immune to hypnosis. Believe me, I tried.”
There was another pause as she searched his face for deceit. He was truly going to train her. But something was there. Something hidden. Something lurking in the deepest, darkest corners of his golden eyes.
As long as Roko lives, Marcus would never hurt me. The worst he can do is degrade me in Roko’s eyes. “You’re telling the truth, but you’re also hiding something.”
Marcus smiled a sinister smile, but Alia was sick of the games. She would deal with the surprise when it came, and she would overcome it.
“What am I doing here?”
“Oh, yes. Roko planned a big gift for Daddy’s little girl today. It’s time you trained with your own team, as a commander. There are many types of Enlai who still live within their tribes. They were never a part of the Alliance, so they were never destroyed. Many of them have alliances with Roko and send him men in return for money or other favors. We have chosen three tribal kingdoms for you to face in battle: The Shifters, the Burners, and, the most powerful of all, the Shadows. For your challenge, you will be given a force of twenty Enlai. You are to be their commander. David will be your Sergeant. Establish your authority over your soldiers, gain their respect and trust, and lead them into battle against a simulation of the three tribal kingdoms. These men will be more unpredictable than the usual simulated men with whom you’ve been allied. Your true leadership skills will be put to the test. You will start against the weakest of the three kingdoms, the Shifters. Do you know what a Shifter is?”
“Yes, Stone is a Shifter.’
“Good. Are you ready to begin?”
“Do I get any more information?”
“You will be tested in three stages of war. In the simulation, the Shifters will already know you are coming. The war will not be at their home base. The Shifters live in a city in the Bermuda Triangle. You will be fighting in a nearby jungle. Shifters have two main abilities which they utilize during battle. They can modify their atomic structure to take the form of whatever material or element they touch, and they can spread out the structure of their own atoms, allowing them to walk through walls, or allow a sword or bullet to pass through them. They are formidable opponents.”
She’d never been in command before, nor fought in a war. And knowing that Marcus would be overseeing the entire thing didn’t help. She continued to analyze his face for any hint of what he was planning, but he hid it too well. All she could read for certain was that whatever he was planning, he had not yet finished preparing for it. She was safe for now.
“I’m ready.”
Marcus handed Alia a pair of glasses. She walked over to the simulator and climbed
inside.
Alia closed her eyes.
She opened them to the interior of a large, rocky cave. Water leaked from various cracks along the cave’s ceiling. Looking out the cave’s entrance revealed she was in the middle of a rain forest, the air humid, but fresh. She turned back around, startled to see a troop of twenty men before her. They eyed their new commander. Alia could see in their faces what they were thinking. They did not think she was fit to lead. They did not think they could be commanded by a woman. But David stood in front of the formation and his eyes displayed discipline and respect.
The first impression is critical. I need to show them now that I am someone worthy of leading them into battle, someone they’d be willing to die for.
“I’m Alia, your new commander.”
One of the men smiled mockingly.
“It is important I know the strengths and weaknesses of all those under my command. In order, give me your name and tribal origin. I will start. I’m from the Readers tribe.” As each man followed suit, she studied each face, analyzing and storing the data.
“Aron, from the Shifters tribe.” Strong fighter, but somewhat lazy. From a disciplined family but pushed the least. Difficult to motivate, but if motivated, easy to keep his fire burning.
“Apion, from the Coders tribe.” Less aggressive, not skilled as a fighter. Makes up for this with an abundance of loyalty.
As they went down the line, the man who’d smiled before let out a small chuckle.
David was next. Alia looked at her first sergeant, his aura emanated strength and determination. His muscular build, and vibrant green eyes matched the intensity of his will.
Born to lead. Will be both the easiest and hardest to win over. He will respect me as Commander, but for him to believe in me will take much more. And there is something else about him. A tint of hidden anger when he looks at me, resentment even. For what? We haven’t even met…
“I’m David, First Sergeant, from the Molders tribe.”
Her stomach sank. She did not know what the Molders could do. Could she afford to ask him and come off as a novice? She swallowed her anxiety and took the risk. “Sergeant. What can a member of the Molders tribe do?”
There were a few restrained leers among the men, along with one or two chuckles. The soldier next to David wore the biggest smirk, the one Alia had her eye on. David looked obediently into his commander’s eyes, his expression sincere. Just as he was about to answer the question, the soldier next to him broke out in laughter, and the others chuckled more daringly.
David broke his gaze with Alia and turned towards the soldier next to him. “Nero, how dare you show the commander disrespect!?”
If I let David fix this instead of me, it will look like I can’t fight my own battles.
“Silence Sergeant! Did I give you permission to speak?” she said with authority.
“No, commander. My apologies.”
Alia moved to Nero, who continued his jeering. “What is it you find funny, soldier?”
“I find it funny that someone of your stature is ignorant enough to have never heard of the Molders tribe. Well, I guess it fits well with the fact that we are starting our mission by playing ‘the name game.’”
“Since you’ve got it all figured out,” she said calmly, arms crossed, “would you like to tell me what you think I should do instead?”
Nero smiled. “Well, ‘commandess.’ you should step down from your position. Face it, a girl like you has much better things to be doing then trying to order around us men.”
“What do you mean by, ‘a girl like me?’ Alia took a slow step forward. A hint of uneasiness snuck its way into Nero’s confident smile as she grew closer.
“With no disrespect, honey, I could think of about a dozen different ways to put a body like yours to better use.”
Keeping her eyes locked with his, Alia put her left hand gently on his chest. She moved in so close, her breath tickled his face. “Is that right?”
She sent him flying with a powerful strike of her right hand, smashing him against the cave wall behind them, the sound of the impact reverberating throughout the cave. Alia looked down the line, scanning the eyes of every soldier. The smiles were gone. Only David remained as he was before – obedient and respectful.
“Would anyone else like to hit on the commander?” Alia asked. Silence reigned “Good. We’re not here to play games. We’re not here to have fun. We are here for battle, soldiers!” Alia paced down the line of soldiers as she spoke.
She was in control.
“All your lives, you have been convincing yourselves that you were meant for something more, that destiny would lead you to greatness! That is why you chose to join this army. That is why you chose to join this cause. That is why you chose to join this war!”
Alia stopped in front of Aron, looking him in the eyes.
“You have been living a life of lies! Destiny will bring you nowhere! All your lives you’ve been at the bottom because you’ve been waiting for someone else to raise you up! So, Roko believes you belong in the lowest rank. What about what you believe? To hell with Roko! To hell with destiny! You make your own destiny!”
Alia continued down the line, stopping at Apion.
“Some of you may choose not to take this test seriously. After all, it’s just a simulation. There’s no real pain here. No real death. If you’ve accepted that belief, then you’ve accepted something worse than death. You’ve accepted limitation. This is no mere simulation. This is the gateway to the next level, the chance to finally prove your worth! And that is why we must face this challenge with all we’ve got! We must face this challenge with every ounce of our strength, our will, and our blood!”
Alia lowered her voice.
“I think we’re clear, soldiers.” The eyes looking back at her shone with determination and fire. Her strategy had worked. They were ready for battle.
“Ganger, see to it that Nero is healed. Arthur, Zane, stand guard at the entrance to the cave. Spade and Apion, you can disguise yourselves within the forest, and Aron and Pisker, you two are from these lands and know the terrain. The four of you scout out the nearby forest and the surroundings. David, you will speak with me. The rest of you, stand by for future commands.”
The men moved to follow Alia’s commands, and David walked over. “Sergeant.”
“I would like to apologize for Nero’s behavior. I also apologize for speaking out of turn.”
“Don’t apologize for Nero, he’s my responsibility now. As for speaking out of turn, don’t let it happen again. I can fight my own goddam battles. Now I need you to tell me everything you know about my men.”
“Yes commander. This group comprises of the top soldiers of all members of the first rank. Three Coders, four Shifters, three Readers, five Burners, four Absorbers, and me, a Molder, or stone whisperer.”
“And what exactly can you do as a ‘stone whisperer’?”
“I have full control over all types of rock as long as I’m touching them.” David reached down and scooped up some pebbles from the cave’s floor. He closed his fist tight and when he opened his hand, revealed a shining sapphire. Alia picked up the gem and looked up at him.
“Your tribe must be really wealthy with a gift like this.”
“My tribe cares about more important things than wealth. We use our abilities for only peace and knowledge.”
“This coming from a sergeant in Roko’s army?”
David frowned. “It’s complicated.”
Alia noticed the subject upset him and decided to drop it. “You were saying, Sergeant, about the men?”
“Yes, the men. I will address them by tribe. We’ll start with the Shifters. Aron is the best fighter, but he’s difficult to motivate. Pisker is not as skilled as Aron, but he compensates for it with his wits. Ramon and Brass, over there,” he pointed. “They are equal in skill, but less capable than the other two. But they are good soldiers and good men.”
“From the Coder tribe we
have Apion, Ganger, and Spade. Spade is the most powerful of the three. He uses a Coder’s transformation watch in battle as does Apion, but Apion is less aggressive. He’d rather heal than fight. Ganger prefers a fist in battle to the watch. He uses a genetic ability possessed by certain Coders which temporarily shifts his natural physical and mental strengths to their maximum capacity.”
As they spoke, Alia’s eyes noted three men standing against the cave wall, watching her.
“I assume those are the Readers.”
“Yes, Gospin, Pierce, and Bane. They are somewhat isolated from the rest of the men, despite my attempts to integrate them. Other men fear the Readers, knowing that they see their thoughts. It was difficult training them, but easy to earn their respect. They can tell who is honorable and who is not.”
“Sergeant, I’d like you to stay here for a moment. I’m going to meet the Readers.”
She analyzed them as she approached.
Respect is there but not acceptance. Jealousy. They have been specially trained by Roko, given special care. However, they were tested for the eye, and when they failed, they were forgotten. Nevertheless, they are loyal to their cause and believe wholeheartedly that their efforts will help their race and their world.
“You three must be the Readers of the group. I was especially looking forward to meeting you.” The Readers stood up from the wall they’d been leaning on, but their faces revealed they only did so half-heartedly.
“We welcome our new commander.” Gospin said. “Just remember that we can see through you just as you can see through us. We have found the attempts of previous commanders to manipulate us verbally and emotionally into action to be patronizing and degrading. We are not to be treated like the other men.”
“I’m aware of your concerns and share them. I want you three to take on the rank of platoon officers, each of you taking upon yourselves the responsibility of training, commanding, and leading a fraction of the troops. I know as well as you that no Reader belongs among the ordinary soldiers.”
Alia’s words took the Readers by surprise even as they searched her face for ulterior motives or deceptive techniques. Alia indeed believed what she said. She could only imagine herself in their position, and she sympathized with them. When they realized she was telling the truth, the Readers lit up.
