by Adam Sampson
Frank turned to Rex and said something to distract them all, “Hey Rex, what was up with that guard just outside?”
Rex sighed and said, “The short version is that he is part of a group of alien haters. They think the trolls treat us as slaves and property. They are mostly right. But the reason no one joins their little ‘Humans First’ group is that the trolls have always kept their word, they have saved more lives with their healing serum than all of the lives they have sent to war. Their portal trains have improved commerce. The list goes on and on. Plus, they are just too strong, any revolt would end up killing us all.” He stopped talking when he left the room and glared at the guard once they were outside.
Rex directed them to a practice field and instructed them to spread out. “All right folks, make sure you don’t hit anyone and practice getting your weapons and shields out. Take them out, swing them around, and put them back. Keep practicing that until I tell you to stop. Yoon and Lola, come here for a second,” Rex said and motioned the two ladies forward.
Rex turned to Yoon first and said, “Yoon, let me see your Ji. I think Matt forgot to show you something.”
Yoon handed over the spear and Rex took it in both hands, examining it closely. After a moment he twisted the middle and the spear quickly collapsed in on itself, reducing itself to half its original length. Another twist on the bottom and it sprang to full length again.
“That’s what I thought. Your Ji can switch from two handed to one handed sizes. You can switch it by twisting these two sections in opposite directions. When you are practicing one-handed, you will want to use the short version, and two-handed the long version. This is another weapon that you shouldn’t show off while we are on base. Start practicing that along with securing it to your harness along with the rest of the group. Once you are comfortable, keep it short unless we are off hunting zerglings,” Rex said and waved her off. Yoon walked off with more respect for the weapon in her hands.
Rex turned to Lola and said, “Do you know how to use that slingshot?”
“Yeah, I used to use one of these when I was a kid,” Lola said and demonstrated by slipping the slingshot on her forearm. She attempted to pull the pocket back but found that she could not pull it back more than a few inches.
“What’s wrong, can’t you use it? Your arms aren’t that weak are they?” Rex taunted.
Lola tried much harder this time but wasn’t able to pull the pocket back any further. Stopping, she drew the slingshot close and stared at the band holding the pocket. “What is this made out of?” She said, ignoring his teasing.
“Elasto-polymer steel fiber. It is a super strong band, way stronger than rubber. You won’t be able to use it until we upgrade your strength with the cuff. I am going to hold it for you, for now, just remember to ask for it back once you upgrade your strength. When you get it back, it will be as deadly as a gun,” Rex said and held out his hand.
Lola handed it over reluctantly, missing it already now she knew how powerful it is.
The group practiced for another ten minutes before Rex called them up to him. “Ok folks, time for a little conditioning. Make sure your weapons are secure, use your straps,” Rex said. When he saw Simon helping his brother Chris secure straps he added, “Don’t let anyone help you with your harness, you need to build up the muscle memory by doing it yourself.” Simon looked chastised and let Chris do it himself.
“Off we go, keep up and don’t make me threaten you,” said Rex and led them on a run around the training fields. There were a total of twelve large fields surrounding the Armory. Most fields had several small groups practicing forms or attacking strange wooden contraptions. In one field they saw a group of soldiers easily jumping over a wall that must have been at least eight feet tall. Peter gaped at them as they ran by, envious of the upgrades they had already gotten from their cuffs.
The next field down had a group of soldiers doing target practice, a set of metal targets a short distance away. Their trainer instructed them to fire, and as one the group fired. They fired a small fireball that zoomed across the field to impact their targets. Almost all of the people following Rex slowed down to watch them fire again. They had seen Rex fire his fireball yesterday, but it was still amazing today. Peter was enthralled with the idea of getting magic. It may be technically a thermodynamic reaction of power routed through the cuff, but it was magic to him.
The track around the outside of the fields was a long one, about a mile and a half. After one lap around the complex, Rex said, “Time to kick it up a notch. Everyone run ahead of me, as fast as you can. I will literally cut you if you are going too slow.”
Everyone chuckled softly but stopped when they saw Rex pull out a knife. Some tried to talk sense into Rex, but Lola, Yoon, and Jonas just started running. A little wave of Rex’s knife convinced the rest of the group to get running. The group ran along the track, with Rex trotting behind them.
At first, the group ran quickly, but at a manageable pace. They made it a quarter of the way around the track before some of them started to slow down. Frank and Dima slowed first, then Chris. The rest of them slowed, still running, just at a slower pace. It was then that Rex struck.
So fast that most of them missed it, Rex darted forward and cut the back of Frank’s hand. Frank cried out and clutched his hand in pain. The group slowed down and looked back, trying to figure out what had happened. They were in a good position to see the second strike. Rex blurred forward and cut a small notch in Dima’s ear. Dima jerked back, his face a rictus of pain, but he didn’t cry out.
Chris did cry out, screaming and running away from Rex as fast as he could. The rest of the group realized Rex’s threats were not idle and followed Chris with all haste. They ran as fast as one would expect, considering there was a madman with a knife behind them.
At first, Chris tried to call out for help from the nearest trainer, but he laughed and turned away. Apparently, this wasn’t the first time Rex had used this method of encouragement. So the group ran on, checking back every so often to make sure Rex had not gotten too close.
The group completed their lap around the fields in record time. The first one there was Chris, and he slowed down, breathing hard. The rest of the group joined him, with Rex right behind. A scream from Peter announced that their run was not over, a line of blood showing on his wrist.
So they all ran a lap again, determined not to get cut. Most of them were breathing heavy, wanting to stop, but every time they slowed Rex was there brandishing his knife. By the time they completed the third lap, half of them were brandishing shallow cuts. All of them were breathing hard. Just as they finished their third lap, Rex darted in front of them and stopped.
Holding up his empty hands he said, “You can stop now, that is enough for your first day. Tomorrow we can get a real workout.”
They all collapsed on the grass in exhaustion. Rex stood patiently near them as they gasped on the grass. Or at least grass is what Peter had assumed the fields were covered with. Now that he was lying so close to the ground he could see that it wasn’t grass at all. It was a spongy steel blue plant, like a cross between moss and furniture foam. Soft as it was, it felt slightly abrasive, like sand had gotten into the mix. Peter pressed into the mossy grass-substitute and watched as it quickly sprang back into shape. It was like the fields had been planted with wrestling mats.
“If y’all have been paying attention, you will have noticed by now that y’all recovered from your run in record time. Also, Frank, show everyone the hand I cut,” said Rex.
Frank scowled at Rex at the reminder, but dutifully held out his hand so everyone could see it. Instead of a bleeding wound, there was just a line across the back of his hand. In the short time that they were all running for their lives from a knife-wielding maniac, Frank’s cut had mostly healed.
“That right there is the benefit of your cuff, enhanced constitution and accelerated healing. A nice side effect is that you won’t scar anymore,” he said.
Rex sat on the ali
en moss close to everyone and said quietly, “This cuff will save your lives many times, and it allows us some surprising training methods. That run right there and me cutting you might have been cruel and unusual back on Earth, but here on Omicron it is run of the mill. You are going to get hit, cut, and bruised during training, and throughout your time here. But try not to react like you think you should react, don’t get all indignant that this mean trainer is abusing you. I am helping you explore your new limits, and all of you are pain-free and refreshed by now. Please remember the actual impact this training has on you before you hold a grudge.”
Rex hopped up and held out a hand to Frank to help him up. Frank stared at the hand for a long moment before accepting the help getting up. He looked Rex in the eyes and nodded once before turning away.
When the entire group was standing Rex clapped his hands together and said, “Now, on to the fun stuff.”
Chapter 6
“Follow me, try to keep up,” Rex said and took off away from the fields at a run. The rest of the team struggled to keep up, but Rex made it look like he was doing a pleasant jog. They passed several buildings, all constructed just as the last one, drab, industrial affairs. Peter could see that they had left the American section because there weren’t any blue stars on the doors anymore, only red stars. He guessed that meant they were in the Chinese section.
Rex eventually led them to a small courtyard between four buildings where a Chinese soldier was working on some sort of contraption. It was made mostly of wood and there were gears and pulleys, levers and springs, and a few pistons too. Peter stood with his hands on his knees, gasping after the run, trying to figure out what it was.
Rex walked up to the Chinese soldier, bowed and said, “Lǎoshī nín hǎo, wǒ de xuéshēng kěyǐ shǐyòng nín de jīngcǎi chuàngzuò ma? Yěxǔ wǒmen kěyǐ zài bāngzhù nǐ chuān shàng pífū zhīqián cèshì nǐ de xiūlǐ.”
The soldier took a rag and wiped off his hands. He looked at Rex with a serious eye, “I appreciate the effort, Rex, but your pronunciation is terrible. I don’t mind helping you out, but I need to get this working by the end of the day,” he said as he gestured to the contraption.
“Of course, Lao Shi, I could repair any damage done, and you would have twelve helpers to put the skin on. You know that part always takes the longest,” Rex replied.
“Ha, I am not your teacher anymore, Rex, no need to call me that. But I suppose I could use a little help later putting the skin back on. I can let you use it for three hours,” the soldier replied.
“You ain’t my teacher anymore, but you are still as smart as can be. If you finish this repair too soon, they might give you more work next week ... How about you give us six hours instead? We have to eat lunch in the middle after all,” Rex wheedled.
“Rex, you promise you will fix everything they break? This can’t put me behind,” he said.
“I promise, scouts honor,” Rex said with one hand up.
“Alright, I will be back in six hours with the skin. Make sure you guys are ready to help me put it on quick.”
“Awesome, you won’t regret this, see you in six,” Rex said as he bowed and walked towards the contraption. The Chinese soldier grabbed his toolbox and walked away.
“Ok folks, gather round. You are in for a real treat,” Rex said and motioned everyone closer.
“Are we allowed to be here?” asked a girl in the back. Peter turned to see a younger girl, he hadn’t learned her name yet. She was short with long blond hair, slim and fit.
“Of course we are allowed here, we are soldiers, this is an army base, we belong here. With that said though ... best if you don’t come back here without me. But don’t you worry about that, come marvel at something the rest of the Americans don’t have,” Rex said and swept his hands across the wooden contraption in a dramatic gesture.
“What ... is it?” the young girl asked.
“Oh, well it looks better with the skin on,” Rex said, disappointed no one was impressed with the contraption. “This is a training zergling, we use these controls here to simulate an attacking zergling,” he said as he pulled a lever back and the front lurched forward. Now that he said it, they could identify the head and legs coming out of the body. Instead of a tail, it had a group of boards that connected the controls to the body. “You grunts get to practice on a moving target. Y’all should be thanking me. This saves you days of practicing forms, flailing about at imaginary enemies.”
“Thank you?” the girl said.
“Yes, thank you Rex,” Yoon said, clearly more heartfelt.
Rex smiled broadly, “You’re welcome. Now, split yourselves into two groups. This exercise is a group exercise, you succeed or fail as a squad. With that in mind, split yourself into two squads.”
Dima was already off to one side and Peter immediately walked over to him. Without hesitation, the rest of that first day group joined him. Yoon, Lola, and Jonas walked over to Dima and Peter while the rest of them were still looking around for a group. In short order, there was a tight squad of five to one side, and a wide group of seven standing where they started.
Peter’s group was wildly different sizes, from the hulking Dima to the diminutive Yoon. The remaining group of seven were mostly average height, leaning towards short. Frank was probably the shortest. He was also the only black guy in the group. Apparently, there weren’t all that many black people on the train to Germany that day.
Seeing how quickly they separated themselves, Rex gave a short chuckle and said, “Well that makes things easier. But we still need to make the teams even, and your team needs an extra spear. Emma, would you mind joining them?”
The young girl nodded and walked over to Peter’s squad. So that is what her name was, Emma. She had a short spear strapped to her back along with her shield. Emma stood by Yoon but wouldn’t look anyone in the eyes.
“Excellent, that makes things easier. You wouldn’t believe how long that takes other groups. Alright, now pick a squad leader and I will show y’all how to group up, this will be fun,” said Rex.
Looking at Rex, Peter couldn’t tell if this would be a type of fun that everyone would enjoy, or something that a knife-wielding maniac would consider fun. He suspected the latter.
Chapter 7
Jonas turned to Peter gave him a gentle backhanded slap to his chest and said, “Whelp, you are our leader.”
Dima and Yoon each said “Yes,” and Lola nodded.
“Wait, just because I talked a lot yesterday doesn’t make me the leader. We need a good leader, someone with experience with this kind of stuff. Dima, you were in the navy, do you want to be the squad leader?” Peter said.
“No. You are the leader Peter,” Dima replied and turned away, unwilling to discuss it further.
“I am not a good leader, we just got lucky yesterday,” Peter protested.
“Shut up Peter, you are our leader,” Yoon said angrily.
Peter was shocked by her vehemence and backed up a step. They were all quiet for a moment while the other squad debated who was going to be their leader.
The beautiful redhead took pity on Peter and said to him softly, “You saved us yesterday Peter. We would have been lost without you. Call it practicality or superstition, none of us want to get rid of what saved us. Be our leader Peter, for our sakes.”
Peter was touched and nodded to her. Then he said to the squad, “Ok, I will be the leader, but I won’t do it alone, you guys will help me. We can do this together.”
None of the other squad had worked together so their choice was not as easy. In the end, they reluctantly settled on Frank as their leader. Frank didn’t particularly want to be the leader, but he refused to follow anyone else.
“Peter and Frank, come over here. I am going to start a group and have you two join it. That way I can see your screens and help you start a squad of your own,” Rex said and touched his cuff. A blue screen popped up and he quickly flipped between options, the screen changing drastically each
time he touched an option. It was clear a human hadn’t designed the interface, beyond the foreign script. The writing was organized in swirls in one area, a pentagon in another, triangle over here, and overlapping in the corners. As Rex reached the final screen, Peter could even see that the text was slowly moving, rotating and turning.
Rex smiled at their fascination with his screen, and prompted them, “Go ahead and touch your cuff to the bottom of mine. This will give me full access to your cuff and I will set you two as leaders of your respective squads.”
Frank reached forward and touched his cuff to the bottom of Rex’s and was rewarded with a sound and vibration. The sound was short, but it reminded Peter of a kitten trying to growl. Peter reached his cuff forward slowly, hesitant to make the commitment but knowing it had to be done.
A vibration and a kitten growl later and it was done. It was strange to give up access to something he knew could change his body. He felt nothing different, but it felt like an invasion.
“Ok now, have your team members touch the bottom of your cuff with their own. That will organize your squad, and hopefully you like your team, you will be spending a lot of time with them.”
Both leaders did as their trainer asked, and after the sounds of fighting cats were over, they had two squads.
“Ok, Peter’s team take a break. Frank, line your team up in front of the wooden zergling, spears on the outside,” said Rex.
Once everyone was in place Frank’s team drew their weapons and faced the contraption. Soldiers with spears on either side, the young boys with swords, and two in the middle with maces, one spiked, one rounded. It occurred to Peter that he only knew the names of three of that team’s members, and he resolved to rectify that situation soon.
“Are you ready?” Rex asked. Before they could answer though, the contraption came alive. Each limb started moving with a quiet creak, the mechanism moving smoothly. Under Rex’s practiced hands it stood up on all six hands, roared a silent roar, and sprung at Frank's team.
