Aeon Legion: Labyrinth

by Beaubien, J. P.

  Terra stopped at the gate, looking out into the courtyard. Other recruits gathered there. Terra passed through the gate into the main training courtyard. She found it surprising that no one had yelled at her in the morning like boot camp. Instead she woke early and got herself ready.

  A stage stood towards the back while a metal wall encircled the courtyard with several buildings built into it. At the center of the courtyard was a tall, carved stone pillar. The optios herded recruits in a line for inspection. When the recruits reached the end of the line, an optio assigned them to one of several groups who stood in formation. Each formation consisted of twenty five recruits arranged in five rows of five.

  Terra got in line with the rest. The first optio used his shieldwatch to generate a glowing ring that passed over Terra clockwise before disappearing.

  “State saved. Move along,” he said.

  Terra walked up to the next one.

  “Name?” the woman asked.

  “Terra Mason,” Terra said.

  The optio touched a holoface on her shieldwatch and a ring formed over Terra again. It swept around, changing her uniform. Her name now appeared on the sides of her uniform's upper arms while the word tiro was in front of it. The last optio pointed to a group of recruits near the end who stood in a square formation.

  “You are in Decennary twelve,” he said.

  Terra walked over to the group he pointed to. They stood on a square labeled with the numeral XII. She stood on the back corner.

  Moments later, Nikias walked over to the formation while chatting with an optio. Nikias wasn't as tall as Terra had expected. Terra thought his lean build and scars combined to give him a savage look. He wore a uniform with the same design as the training uniform save for the emblem on his upper arm. Over the formfitting uniform, he wore armor pads of the same design as Alya's. Terra thought that now Nikias looked like a Spartan.

  “These are your groups, centurion,” the optio said, gesturing to several poorly formed squares of recruits.

  Nikias sighed after looking at the group. “I swear they get worse every year. All right. Form ranks!”

  The recruits shuffled around while Nikias shoved those who were out of place into formation. Terra settled into her corner with little trouble. She got a closer look at Nikias as he passed. His scar looked different up close. It was an x shaped scar on his cheek. She could have sworn it was different the first time she saw him.

  One recruit saluted Nikias. “Sir. My name is Th–“

  “I'll learn your name if you last more than a month,” Nikias interrupted. “Now stand at attention and remain silent.”

  The recruit did so.

  After a moment, Nikias stiffened to stand at attention. Terra glanced to the other centurions who also visibly tensed. When Terra looked to the distant stage, she saw why. Lycus walked up on the distant stage overlooking the courtyard. He surveyed the recruits with a cold, expressionless face.

  After a moment, Lycus grinned his wolfish snarl. Like Nikias, he wore armor over his uniform though Terra couldn't make out the details at this distance. The armor did not make him look any less intimidating. He paced back and forth on the stage in a slow methodical step like a beast before a lunge. When he spoke, his tone was calm but carried a savage edge as it echoed. “As of this moment I am your enemy. You are all now accepted into the program at the rank of tiro so you must observe saluting protocol when needed. Keep in mind, though, that you are not a legionnaire yet and my goal is to make sure you do not become one. You are unworthy of this highest of all honors.”

  Lycus turned, pacing the other way with soft, controlled footsteps. “During this training I will find a reason to eliminate each and every one of you. However, if you perform well you will receive points. Points may be exchanged for gear and other perks. You need one point each week or you will be dismissed from the program. You will need a lot of points to get into the Labyrinth, the final exam for every tiro.”

  He paused for a moment while his eyes searched the crowd “Any of your instructors can also take away points if they wish, including me. Spend them wisely.”

  After a moment Lycus moved to the center of the stage again. “This will be the hardest thing you ever do in your life. Every day your numbers will dwindle whether through voluntarily resignation or failure. You may give up at any time by discarding your shieldwatch at the base of the pillar in the central courtyard. Then we will let everyone know you gave up.”

  As if on cue, a holoface appeared near Terra's shieldwatch. She looked to see a picture and name of another recruit. There was a fair amount of text detailing his age, sex, height, weight, and biographical information. A flashing red line above his name caught Terra's attention. It read Terminated from program due to tardiness. Arrived twelve seconds late to training.

  More holofaces appeared with each saying the same.

  Lycus pointed to several tirones who the optios escorted to the pillar. There they discarded their shieldwatches in front of everyone. Those who hesitated drew glares from the optios who gripped their own aeon edges. None challenged the optios.

  Lycus then dismissed the holoface. “Yes. We will eliminate you from the program if you are even a second late in any part of the training. We are not like a normal army. They enforce discipline. Here you must already have it. Now if by some miracle you make it to the end of the program, you will undergo the twelve trials of the Labyrinth. This is the final test of the Aeon Legion. Amongst those standing next to you, only a handful will make to the Labyrinth. Of those, one in twelve will die there.”

  There was a moment of silence.

  He grinned. “We don't train soldiers here. We forge heroes! Now, let's begin the eliminations.”

  ∞

  They followed Nikias to an open area. It had circular concrete floor encircled by a wall with twelve spires like an arena. It reminded Terra of the structure she and Alya had used to enter the city. Above them hovered a large ring half the diameter of the wall. A metal catwalk circled around the edge with ramps at every spire that led down to the concrete floor. The open area could fit a large building inside of it.

  Nikias touched a holoface and a glowing ring descended from the metal halo floating above. As it descended it transformed the flat concrete floor into a shallow pool still slick with large clumps of thick mud. Foul smelling sludge bubbled to the surface and Terra could see things moving in it. Oil slicks floated in patches, discoloring the water in many areas.

  The tirones stared in awe of the transformation. Terra put her hand in the air, feeling a light breeze from the edge of the arena. Terra wondered how a salient could even simulate weather within a localized area.

  Nikias replicated a handful of silver coins and scattered them. They sank into the noxious mud. “Welcome to the salient, an arena that can recall any area in Time. This first day has three trials that must be attempted. Every trial is optional. You must pass one test. The first trial starts now. All you have to do is to try to find one of these,” he said as he held up a silver coin before flipping it into the mud.

  The tirones exchanged glances. Terra noted they were a varied group that stood in a semi circle around Nikias. Although each wore the Legion's training uniform, most also had armor or clothing from what Terra guessed was their native time. She assumed it wasn't forbidden so long as a recruit wore their training uniform underneath their native garb. One tall and muscled, dark skinned man held a patched hide shield in one hand and a short spear in the other. She thought he was a Zulu Impi warrior, but wasn't sure.

  Terra found herself surprised to find as many women here as men. One girl who Terra guessed was a Native America wore a red bandanna on her head with a leather vest and a knife on her belt. Another fair skinned Celtic girl stood out with intricate blue tattoos on her face and arms while her hair was bleached white and styled into spikes. But, an Asian girl who wore the training uniform with no other weapons or armor stood out. This made Terra feel a little better about not having a wea
pon for herself. When Terra visited the armory, they had said she could only bring weapons with her into the training she had already trained with, which for her was nothing.

  A tall tiro stepped forward. Terra recognized him as the young man named Vand who had walked out of Lycus's office a day before. He took one look at the mud and shook his head. “I will not wallow in filth and anyone who does is an idiot. I'll pass.”

  Many nodded in agreement.

  Vand looked to Nikias. “We can just do the next one if we want right?”

  Nikias shrugged. “I said they are optional.”

  Terra's gaze narrowed. Had she missed something? Lycus had said the training would be brutal. Why was this test optional? Still, that pool of muck smelled awful and she would hate to think what lived in it. Perhaps she should skip this one and wait for the next test?

  Nikias glanced at the tirones before checking his shieldwatch. “Well I better go get the other groups started. I'll be back soon.”

  Terra gathered her courage and stepped into the mud. After all, Nikias hadn't said she needed to find a coin, only try. Years spent in a dusty quarry made her not mind getting dirty. She sank knee deep after a few steps. Laughter and a few chuckles came from behind as she waded waste deep. It reeked much worse when up close and she could see worms and other small creatures wiggling in the cesspool.

  Vand laughed, pointing at Terra. “Look at the piggy wallow the mud!”

  Terra ignored him. Instead she focused on the center most point of the pool. That's where most of the coins had landed. However, when she drew close to the middle, the pool deepened, coming up to her neck. She would have to do this the unpleasant way. Holding her breath, she sank down into the water.

  She reached down with her hands, probing along the bottom for metal. Her fingers brushed against something hard and smooth before grabbing it. She gasped when breaking the surface. After coughing out the foul tasting water and almost vomiting, she held up the shiny silver coin.

  By the time she drew near the shore, others now waded into the muddy, viscous water. Most went waste deep, trying to avoid dunking their heads under and hoping to get lucky.

  Terra walked onto the metal ramp, the weight of the mud slowing her pace. She then stood to the side, letting the mud drip off of her while examining the coin. When Terra looked up, panic shot through her upon seeing Vand stare at her coin with hungry eyes.

  Vand looked over his shoulder for Nikias and smirked when he realized they were alone. He shifted his attention to Terra and walked over while cracking his knuckles. “I want that coin, piggy. You will give it to me now.”

  Terra squeezed her grip around the coin, glaring at Vand. “Why would I do that jerk?”

  Vand towered over Terra. “Because I can kill you without much effort. Besides, I'm doing you a favor. Everyone here can see you don't belong. You'll be dusted in a day.”

  “Dusted?”

  Vand gestured as though throwing a handful of dust in the air. “Dusted. Done. Washed out. Failed. You will fail, losing your chance at immortality and die of old age. Die and turn to dust. These people are looking for a real soldier, a killer like me. You're just some fat little civvy from a cushy time in history. I'm a Helcian Shock Trooper, cybernetically augmented and bio engineered to be the perfect soldier. But you? I've pulled bugs out of my boots more intimidating than you. So why don't you give me that coin and it will pay me to not gut you.”

  Terra clenched her fist tightening her grip on the coin while she weighed her options. Vand was not as terrifying as Lycus, but he stood taller than her and wore impressive looking armor. Futuristic metallic blue armor covered his torso, forearms, and lower legs. At his side he carried a complex baton device that Terra guessed was a high tech melee weapon. She regretted not having a weapon herself. Regardless, she wouldn't give Vand the coin. She knew giving bullies what they wanted only encouraged them to take more. “No.”

  Vand's brow raised.

  Terra shook her head. “I won't let some bully push me around. I have dealt with people like you before. Go pick on someone else. You will get nothing from me.”

  Vand shrugged and shoved Terra to the ground. Terra rolled on the ground face down and tried to push herself up when she felt a boot press against her neck.

  “Move and I will snap your spine,” he said in a bored tone. He leaned down and twisted Terra's wrist until the coin rolled free. He grabbed it up and shuffled it between his fingers. “Now if you tell the instructor that I stole this coin I will–”

  “Picking on the runt already?” Nikias said from behind Vand.

  Vand grinned before taking his boot off of Terra's neck. “I was just showing this recruit some of my many martial art moves.”

  Terra stood and pointed at Vand. “This jerk stole my coin!”

  Nikias nodded. “Well that's unfortunate. What are you going to do about it?”

  Terra stared at Nikias in disbelief. “Shouldn't you make him give it back?”

  Nikias chuckled. “Listen, tiro. This is the Aeon Legion. Here we have to fight for what is right. If you have a grievance against a fellow tiro, then save if for a Trial of Blades. The instructors will not fight your battles for you and if you are unwilling to fight, then you shouldn't be here.”

  Vand smiled as Nikias walked away.

  Terra noticed the other tirones watching as well. They eyed the others already in the muddy pit. It didn't take long for tirones to start fighting one another for coins. None succeeded at taking a coin though, even the ones who tried to pick pockets. Terra considered wading back in to try to find a second coin, but the others watched her. She couldn't even try to hide the coin as the thieves would get it.

  When the last tiro came out of the muddy pit, only two out of three had found a coin. Those who tried stood soiled in mud up to their necks. Five stood clean to the side, Vand included.

  Nikias turned to the clean tirones. “Last chance to get dirty?”

  No one moved.

  Nikias faced the dirty tirones. “Present coin!”

  They all held up their coins as Nikias walked down the line. He typed on a holoface as he passed each one, ending at the still clean Vand. “Everyone who holds a coin gets one point. Those who didn't, well there are two more trials after this.”

  After Nikias awarded points, he glanced to those who were dirty, including Terra, before noting something on his shieldwatch.

  Vand smirked at his pilfered coin. He chatted with a few others, already forming a gang of beta males with him as the alpha. Terra wondered why someone like Vand would be in the program at all? A cold hatred crept into her chest and she wished someone would crush his neck. Of course they would let Vand in. They let a cheater like Roland in. It was then that Terra spotted him.

  Roland stood muddy, but without a coin. Terra hadn't noticed him until she remembered that day a few weeks ago. Now though, Roland had to share Terra's hatred with Vand. She did find it curious that Roland had attempted to find a coin at all. She guessed it appealed to his lazy nature since he already was a dirty cheater.

  Nikias called for attention before touching a holoface. The ring descended again, returning the area to its original state. “Okay. Let's see what course to use this time.”

  The tirones watched as Nikias changed the salient with his shieldwatch. A spherical translucent field kept the area contained as the weather changed within. Each time Nikias changed it, the tirones tensed.

  He touched a holoface and the area ahead transformed into a snow filled landscape swept by a blizzard. Huge sharp chunks of ice protruded from the ground between glacial cliffs. “Too cold,” Nikias said, frowning.

  He then changed the landscape into a field of broken glass and razor sharp twisted metal. “Eh. Too bloody. Maybe next year. Oh I know.”

  Nikias transformed the area into an open field with numerous obstacles laying in a row. The course held a pattern of wooden poles clustered together to make running between them difficult. A series of walls laid acros
s the path after the poles with the first one knee high while the last one was chest high. At the end was an elevated row of metal bars over a deep pit. Walls on either side seem to channel anyone attempting to traverse the obstacle course into a narrow straight through the center. But the ambiance seemed peaceful as the dry golden grass swayed gently in the breeze. Birds chirped in the background.

  Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

  Nikias gestured to the course. “Your next trial is also simple. Make it to the other side of an obstacle course and you get a point.”

  “Well that doesn't sound so bad,” a tiro said.

  Nikias scowled after seeing the serene landscape. “Oh. Just a second.”

  He touched his shieldwatch's holoface and the peaceful scenery transformed again. As the ring descended it left the obstacle course the same, but on fire. An energy field now kept the raging flames locked inside the ring.

  Nikias smiled. “Much better.”

  Chapter X

  Trial of Fire and Water

  The third category of recruits are the trash. These are individuals who only technically qualify for the Academy. Most are picked up by some lazy legionnaire who is just trying to earn an extra time bonus. Almost all the trash dust out the first week. However, every once in a while, a piece of trash turns out to be something more. Some of the best legionnaires have come from this category.

  It should be noted that I don't have a category for those who make it through the training with certainty.

  -Excerpt from Chapter Three of the Aeon Legion's Squire Recruitment Manual by Praetor Lycus Cerberus

  Terra stared at the burning plain. The flames raged across the dry grass in a shifting sea of fire. There was no way across without enduring burns. If she had kept the coin from Vand she could have skipped this test.

  Vand shook his head. “You have got to be joking. I'm not running through that. I'll be burned.”