Phoenix Reborn

by Joseph Mackay

  He had decided from the moment he woke up that everyone involved would need to experience at least as much pain as he did. He figured he would start with the lieutenants of Red Army, since it would put the others on high alert, making their downfall that much sweeter. He spent a lot of time accessing various video feeds from around the OMBIcademy, learning the patterns and routines of his soon-to-be victims.

  The morning he was released, he was watching a video feed of George “Hammer” Brink lumbering alone down the hallway toward the gym. Connor didn’t waste any time, walking immediately to the gym and then back toward the Red Army barracks.

  When Hammer saw him in the hallway heading right at him, he actually stopped for a moment and then turned to run. Connor caught up to him quickly and, with a diving tackle, knocked Hammer to the ground.

  “What do you want?” Hammer stammered.

  Connor grinned as he slammed his fist into Hammer’s nose. He knew the kid was most likely just along for the ride, but he hit him a few more times anyway, until Hammer was unconscious. He grabbed Hammer’s OMBI and wrote a message:

  To: Michael Jenner; Russell Faulkner

  Subject: New Training Room!

  Message: I just found a new training room by the Gym. It opened for me, you guys should come check it out; it’s very cool! –Hammer

  —Message Sent—

  Connor wasn’t sure if that sounded like Hammer at all, but he got up and continued to walk toward the Red Army Barracks. Fortunately his ruse paid off when he got nearly to the barrack entrance; Mikey “Rat” Jenner and Russell “Snake” Faulkner were just leaving. They didn’t see Connor at first, so he followed them as they walked down the metal corridors toward the gym.

  When they got to where Hammer was lying unconscious, they began to look around. They saw Connor too late to escape his trap. He was running full speed down the hallway toward them. As they stood up, Connor leapt into the air between them, kicking out with one leg as he spun, connecting to Rat’s face and then the back of Snake’s head. The boys both fell in opposite directions. When Connor’s feet touched the ground, he reversed his direction, coming back on Rat, pummeling him with his fists so quickly that the Red Army Lieutenant could not hope to block him.

  When Rat was unconscious, Connor turned to find Russell curled up in a ball on the floor, pretending to be unconscious too. Connor didn’t hesitate kicking the kid several times until all three boys were knocked out and bleeding on the ground.

  “Okay okay, apology accepted,” Connor said sarcastically, grinning as he walked away.

  On his way back to his barracks, Connor began looking up video feeds, trying to locate Johnny. As it turned out, Johnny was sitting on his bunk in the Red Army barracks playing some kind of game on his OMBI. Connor thought to use the same message trick he used to lure out Rat and Snake; however, he thought Johnny’s punishment should be more public.

  He walked back to the Red Army barracks door, and opened it using his OMBI. Normally kids from other armies weren’t allowed in each other’s barracks, but Connor thought that was a stupid rule, considering the doors were so easy to open.

  He marveled how differently Red Army maintained their living quarters, not bothering to clean up after themselves. Blue Army’s barracks were not always immaculate by any means, but at least they didn’t have garbage piled up in the corners. Members of the older classes of Red Army were sitting in the common room talking, seeming oblivious to Connor’s entry. He walked slowly, so he wouldn’t draw attention as he approached the 2126 barracks.

  Many soldiers were sitting on their beds, wasting their day. Connor wasn’t surprised that Red Army wasn’t very good, these kids were lazy. Even while Connor was out getting payback, Blue Army was in the gym on their side of the OMBIcademy, growing stronger. For a moment Connor thought he should teach every kid in these barracks a lesson on why training was important.

  “Hey, you’re not supposed to be here,” a girl’s voice said from a bunk near the door.

  Connor turned his head to regard the brown-haired girl. She was plump, no doubt from spending the last several months living like they were in Red Army. Other kids began looking up, none moving to stop Connor’s progress as he stalked toward Johnny. One of the kids made the effort to call out a warning to his commander before Connor had crossed the room.

  Looking up, Johnny was immediately on his feet, searching for an escape route.

  “Red Army, attack him!” Johnny cried out to his soldiers.

  No one got up. They didn’t take orders outside of the arena, apparently.

  “Someone, help!” Johnny yelled, hoping that someone would rescue him.

  Connor walked slowly, a smile forming on his face as he got closer to Johnny. He found himself enjoying the kid’s terror. When he was within a few steps, Johnny’s tone changed.

  “I’m sorry, Connor! I didn’t think Vector would hurt you that bad. We were just going to try to teach you a lesson! Don’t hurt me!” Johnny’s voice told everyone in the room that he was on the edge of panic.

  Connor stopped and laughed.

  “What was the lesson that you were going to teach me?” Connor asked, feigning interest.

  “Just that no one should be so good at anything!” Johnny cried, his voice pleading for mercy.

  “Johnny, in all my life, I have never heard anything so stupid.”

  “What are you going to do?” Johnny asked.

  “Teach you a lesson about teaching lessons.”

  By that evening, Johnny and his lieutenants were in the infirmary and Red Army would have to forfeit its next match against Green Army. Connor had waited for the disciplinary message to come his way, but by the next morning he had given up on the idea that he would get the opportunity to go toe to toe with the Head Commander over the incident.

  He was talking to Cat and Ladder the next morning about what happened when his OMBI flashed with a message.

  Message 1: Report to Observation Lounge “Conscript Pereira is to report to the Observation Lounge immediately”

  Delivered 0730 2121-07-20

  From: Major Sanders

  “Great,” Connor said, sounding miserable.

  “What is it, Connor?” Concern was etched in Cat’s voice from where she sat at the foot of Connor’s bunk.

  Connor smirked. “Just got called to the principal’s office.”

  Ladder and Cat chucked a bit at that.

  “Do you think you’re going to get in trouble for beating up Red Army?” Ladder asked, sitting on the floor.

  “I don’t think so. They didn’t get in trouble for beating me up. Besides, it was Major Wolf-Face Sanders that called me up, not the Head Commander. Last time I got a message like this, I got only bad news.” Connor grimaced at the memory.

  “I’m sure it will be fine. Want me to walk with you to the lift?” Cat asked, smiling.

  “Yeah sure, Cat.” Connor grinned back.

  The two held hands in the hallway while they walked. Connor had found out that Cat had tried to visit with him in the infirmary but was denied access. She even had faked an injury to try to get in, but the 311-AFMR wouldn’t approve her injury as valid. When she got word that Connor was awake, she waited patiently for him to return. He had missed a battle when he was out, but he hadn’t asked about it. Connor didn’t seem to care about that sort of thing anymore.

  They took the long way, opting to walk slowly before finally arriving at the lift. The airman, having been humiliated by Connor before, stepped aside without asking him his business. Connor glared at the man anyway, for good measure.

  Before going up, Cat kissed him on the cheek softly and said, “Good luck, Commander.”

  She was blushing and running back to the Blue Army barracks before Connor had a chance to reply. He had really come to like the girl and found himself enjoying the familiar confusion of how he was supposed to act around her. He shrugged as the lift proceeded upward, focusing on what awaited him at the top. He’d played it off to his
friends that he wouldn’t get in trouble, but the truth was, Connor was afraid he was going to face a severe punishment.

  As the lift arrived at the top, two armed guards were waiting for him. They flanked him as he stepped forward, looking at a smirking administrator.

  “Keep smiling, maybe it’ll be your lucky day and they’ll shoot me,” Connor said to her snidely.

  The woman’s smile grew as the guards escorted him into the observation lounge.

  The scene was not what Connor had expected. Instead of an angry Head Commander, an old Japanese man in a general’s uniform was sitting behind the desk. Major Sanders was standing to one side quietly, and nodded slightly at Connor as he walked through the door. Connor found himself nodding back, despite not liking the man.

  Ten other guards were in the room, all armed and staring at Connor as he walked in. Connor stopped in front of the desk, looking into the eyes of an old man who was peering back at him, sizing Connor up, carefully weighing what he would say. It occurred to Connor that the man might be waiting for him to salute, but he wasn’t going to give him the pleasure.

  “Well, you got me here. What can I do for you?” Connor asked, breaking the silence. One of the guards coughed loudly, sounding surprised.

  “I heard that you had a lot of spirit. Of course, you would have to, to break out of the OMBIcademy, steal a ship, overwhelm four armies in a battle, and threaten your Head Commander,” the man said, eying Connor carefully.

  “I guess I don’t need to introduce myself then. But who are you?” Connor asked.

  “I am General Harruhama,” the man stated matter-of-factly.

  “I have heard that you have a lot of spirit, General. Of course, you would need to, to take over a world government, command all the fleets, and rule a galactic government,” Connor quipped, trying to match the general’s tone.

  Connor thought he heard Major Sanders gasp. The room was quiet as the man stared at the boy. After a moment, a smile spread across General Harruhama’s lips. Then he did what no one in the room had ever seen before: the general laughed.

  “I like this kid,” he said mirthfully, looking back at Sanders, who just shrugged in reply.

  The general continued as his laughter died down, “They tell me you’re way ahead of your classmates. I would like to see what you got.”

  Connor smiled, an idea forming instantly in his mind. “Can I make a suggestion?”

  “By all means.”

  “There is a former student in the Academy named Vector. He was one of the top soldiers in Black Army 2121. Let me spar him one on one, in an arena or training room, and I’ll show you how good I am.”

  “Vector has had two of his inhibitors removed already. His arsenal is lethal; it would be irresponsible to allow such a one-sided match,” Sanders said, speaking up.

  “If you want it to be fairer, you can bring in all of Black Army, but I still think it might be one-sided,” Connor said confidently.

  Another smile formed on the general’s lips as he replied, “I cannot tell if you are arrogant or confident, Pereira.”

  Connor fists clenched at his sides. “Set up the fight and you’ll see.”

  “Very well, Major, please summon Private Wick to training room eleven.”

  Sanders was typing the message on his datapad before the general finished speaking. After it was sent, the general, the major, twelve guards, and Connor proceeded to the lower levels toward the training dojo that Connor had spent so much time in.

  When he got inside, Connor felt a little like he had come home. The dojo actually reminded him a lot of the one in the backyard of his house back in Healdsburg.

  After a few minutes of waiting, Vector showed up, walking in with a sour look on his face. He scowled when he saw Connor and the guards around the room. When he recognized the general, he saluted.

  “Is this a hologram?” Vector asked, looking at the man.

  “It is not, Private. You have been summoned here as a sparring partner for conscript Pereira. The rules of the match are Melee only,” Major Sanders said sternly.

  The adults in the room stood back against the walls as Connor took position opposite Vector, falling into a fighting stance. Vector laughed as he produced a long spear from his OMBI.

  “I hope I don’t hurt you too bad, kid,” Vector said sarcastically.

  “Good luck getting me when I have both arms working,” Connor retorted, focusing on the older boy in front of him.

  “Begin,” Harruhama said loudly.

  Connor moved first, running at an angle toward Vector’s left side. Vector rotated, stabbing forward at his opponent.

  Connor dropped to his knees, sliding forward under the spear thrust, coming in close. He grabbed the spear with one hand and lifted himself off the ground, throwing a kick toward Vector’s knee. The spear dissipated in Connor’s hand, throwing his balance off as Vector came in hard, suddenly holding a short sword and shield.

  Connor fell back, dodging sword swings by twisting his body and rolling backwards across the mat. It occurred to Connor that with virtual weaponry he probably couldn’t deflect real sword swipes, and certainly not with his bare hands.

  Vector pushed forward, trying to corner the smaller boy to finish the match quickly. Connor continued his twisting and rolling, moving just ahead of the blade before it cut him. When he neared the corner, he feigned right but rolled left under a heavy swing. Coming up behind Vector, Connor launched a series of punches that landed upon solid metal. He had almost disabled Vector, but the boy raised his armor plating too quickly.

  Now, fully armored, Vector continued his approach against Connor, altering his weapon into a long chain with a spiked head at the end. The weapon whirled around above Vector’s head teasingly.

  “You’re going to need hit me harder than that, kid,” Vector taunted.

  Connor knew this fight was going to be difficult, but watching a heavily armored, larger opponent moving his direction, he was beginning to wonder if it was impossible.

  “Not impossible,” he heard a whisper say inside his head.

  He felt a sense of calm come over him as he watched Vector move. The older boy was acting aggressively and foolishly, overextending himself trying to end the match as quickly as he could. Connor realized that Vector was relying heavily on his armor to protect him and leaving himself vulnerable in a lot of areas.

  Connor took a deep breath, closing his eyes and imaging the outcome he desired: beating Vector into the infirmary.

  ~ ~ ~

  Seeing the arrogant little hisser stop and close his eyes, Vector heaved the heavy spiked ball around into a wide arc that would catch the twerp on the side of his head. As the ball spun toward his opponent, Connor’s eyes popped open and he took two quick steps forward. Connor grabbed at the chain and threw his weight against it, decreasing the radius of the spiked head’s arc, before letting go.

  Vector couldn’t react fast enough as his own weapon slammed heavily into his chest, staggering him back. Connor was on him in an instant; off-balance and disoriented, Vector felt the kid grab onto his back and kick out the back of his knees. Vector fell hard to the ground on his back, the wind forced from his lungs, his arm pulled tightly to the side as he tried to orient himself. He looked over as Connor was frantically cycling through the menus on his OMBI. Vector blinked a couple of times and looked again, realizing that it wasn’t Connor’s OMBI, but his own. He felt his armor dissipate from his body and the rain of fists that followed. Connor stood above him, punching out as hard as he could.

  It occurred to Vector that he should be seizing up, stunned by Connor’s attacks, but he wasn’t. Then it hit him, the kid had turned off his own OMBI’s fist weapon so the fight wouldn’t end.

  He felt a foot snap his rib with the weight of a heavy jump behind it. Connor moved over to his arm, stomping on his wrist. Vector tried to reactivate his armor with his neuro-sync, but couldn’t focus at all with the amount of pain the younger boy was inflicting upon him. He felt
something hit hard against the side of his head, and then the whole world went dark.

  ~ ~ ~

  When Vector’s body went limp, Connor stopped punching. He stood up after a moment and let out a loud yell, the frustration of his time in the infirmary being released in a primal moment of victory.

  Everyone in the room was stunned as Connor walked toward General Harruhama. The man even subconsciously took a step backwards into the wall as the boy approached.

  “He is going to need an AFMR or someone to take him to the infirmary, don’t you think?” Connor said, looking at Major Sanders, who was staring back at him with a concerned look on his face.

  “Guard, call in an AFMR.” Harruhama pointed at a guard near the door.

  “Well, did I perform as expected, General?” Connor asked, wiping his forehead with his sleeve.

  “Just as I hoped you would, young man,” the general said, smiling at Connor.

  ~ ~ ~

  When they got back into the observation lounge, Colonel Setzer was there waiting for them. He had just finished yelling at the administrator for not informing him immediately of General Harruhama’s visit.

  The woman was crying when they got off the lift. Connor was the first out the door and greeted her with a huge smile. The woman turned her head away, tears streaming down her face from Setzer’s tirade.

  “There there, I am sure it wasn’t because you completely suck at your job or anything.” Connor chuckled as he walked by.

  The woman scowled at him as he strolled past her and into the lounge. When Setzer looked up from behind his desk to see Connor walking in smiling, a scowl appeared on his face too.

  “What are you doing here, conscript?” the man asked in a threatening tone.

  “I told General Harruhama about you trying to have me killed in a training room, and he’s here with a firing squad,” Connor said with a smirk.