"What You Are"
Luke's hands were straining to keep the sights on Nicole's chest as they stood in silence along the water's edge. The fall air had a soft bite to it as the first storms from Alaska began to make their way south towards Seattle, covering the starry sky in a cloud layer that glowed a myriad of colors from the buildings below. Despite all of this, Luke was beginning to perspire as his forehead began to shimmer and his hands became clammy, a single bead of sweat rolling down the small of his back uncomfortably.
"You're not very sure, are you?" Nicole asked after a few seconds of silence had passed and he had still not shot her. Something was changing inside of him, he wasn't thinking straight and no matter how many times he tried to center himself and return to the objectives of his mission he was sidetracked. Doubt was beginning to permeate his limbs with each beat of his heart making the trigger pull heavier and heavier. Why was she being denied a trial? Why did she do what she did? Why couldn't he complete his mission? Why, why why. The realization that he wasn't going to be able to kill her quickly became real and he returned to a resting stance while he let his pistol drop to his side but ready to fire off a few rounds within a split second if needed. "When you see things from my side everything is different. There's no good, no bad, there just is. But I'm sure you sleep well knowing how many bad guys you've killed." Her last sentence was said with a palpable disdain that forced Luke to respond.
"No…no, I don't sleep well."
Over the following weeks the kids had been pushed to their physical limits and then beyond them as they ran miles after miles each day before going directly into obstacle courses and other physical training exercises. The pace was grueling and it wasn't too much of a surprise to see someone fall behind either because of injuries or because they gave up only to disappear completely, their few personal possessions missing by the time they got back to the barracks. Everything was a culture shock to them as the teens were forced to live with the opposite gender in almost completely exposed environments. Their living quarters were entirely utilitarian with an open bathroom that forced them to expose themselves to each other, a concern that quickly became a non-issue when compared to the near torture they were enduring every day at the hands of Lieutenant June and his ODSTs. The physical pain was beginning to bring about changes as muscles became large and more toned, their bodies adjusting more and more to the running and other physical activities that seemed to replace a traditional weight room, all of this led to the ODSTs leading them on longer and longer runs and demanding more from their bodies. Almost more taxing on the recruits was the mental rigors they were forced to endure. Most of the tests also involved physical activities but they were regularly woken up in the middle of the night to be taken out on a run only to be punished when they returned for not being in their barracks. What meals they were given constantly changed along with the few clocks constantly bouncing between different times. It even seemed like the buildings moved about the gravel camp whenever they were gone, all of this created an environment of uneasiness and unpredictability that never let them get comfortable or get into a rhythm. The physical and mental stress had transformed them from carefree teens into focused and physically impressive soldiers in just under three months.
Clicking the adjustment dials on his BR55 scope, Luke centered the small red "x" onto the paper target that sat a over a hundred yards out and clicked his rifle over to semi-automatic and steadied his breathing while slightly shifting on his stomach. His left hand rubbed a small hole into the ground as he kept the barrel almost rock steady. The lessons they'd been taught during classroom discussions and hands on practice were becoming ingrained into his muscles and the process was nearly automatic. Luke was finally comfortable with where he was at held his breath for a split second while he squeezed the trigger and sent a round down range. The muzzle flash kicked up a small amount of dirt that obscured his scope so he flicked the safety on and rest the rifle on a sandbag next to him while he rolled onto his side to look at his spotter, Katana.
"Hit," she said, her eye still glued to the large monocular while she fiddled with the focus quickly. She remained silent for a few more seconds while concentrating intensely on the target.
"C'mon Kat, the suspense is killing me," he said dryly while craning his neck back to vainly look at the target.
"Center mass, just off of the heart. Probably would've broken a rib." Luke nodded to himself, pleased at his shooting. The firing range had been cut through a forest north of the camp and was much quieter than normal as the recruits, now only numbering 26, were practicing their sharpshooting skills during an afternoon range day. Getting up onto his knees, Luke wiped the dirt off of his forest ACUs and prepared to give the slot over to Katana so that she could practice when they were interrupted.
"Assemble now! Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!" Lieutenant June was standing behind them all yelling out the time for them to assemble in front of him. It was never enough time and whatever he wanted would have to wait as they got down and did push-ups until he was satisfied they'd learned their lesson for the millionth time. He was lenient today, only forcing them to do twenty push-ups before telling them to recover. By this time the push-ups were nothing more than an annoyance and Luke jumped back up with his forehead getting a little clammy and his heart beating only marginally faster. "There's going to be a change in today's schedule," the Lieutenant said as he paced back and forth almost uneasily. "All of you are going to head to the classroom for a lecture. Fall out!" They quickly collapsed into two columns as they ran back through the trail towards the camp. Without any handlers around them the chatter grew as people began to hypothesize what they were heading to.
"Think this is just another game?" a guy named Porsche asked, a member of the team that was named after old sports car manufacturers almost as if it was a cruel joke.
"Nah, have you ever seen Junebug so awkward before?" someone else responded up ahead. There was some more chatter between them while they jogged back towards the camp.
"What are you thinking Sword?" Claymore asked from behind, genuinely interested in what it was that he had to say about the situation.
"I don't know, Clay. Something feels a little off, doesn't it?"
"Got that right," Dagger chimed in to complete the group. Despite regularly getting separated from each other, the four team members of Hurricane always had a knack for finding each other even in the darkest of places. Emerging in the camp, they immediately headed for the stocky classroom building and piled into the sparse interior. There were eight long tables arranged end to end with four chairs seated at each. The teams all stood next to their chairs like statues looking straight ahead at the front of the classroom silently. Luke always found it interesting to see how the teams came together day after day as recruits were removed from the program and their absence forced some restructuring. By this point in time they had lost one team completely, Team Tornado, after it became the catch all for those left without a squad to call home and with Tornado gone Team Monsoon had picked up the mantle, the same team that they had encountered during their first exercise.
"Ten…HUT!" In an instant all of them snapped to attention as an officer walked into the classroom and made his way to the front of the room; it was Captain Ambresio. Typically whenever the Captain came to a classroom it was to describe some of the battles he'd been in prior to being assigned to training them and overseeing the local military installations. These discussions were also usually more laid back as he recounted humorous moments on the battlefield and just the general life of a soldier. But this time Luke could sense he was in a different mood and that this would be more than just story time from an aging soldier.
"Take your seats," he said as if they were mere annoyances to him. Waiting a few seconds for the commotion of the chairs to die down he began to speak. "I'm sure by now all of you have realized that this isn't just some regular boot camp and that you won't be just some regular soldiers. The past few months are but a fraction of the time you'll be spent training and honing your craft as each of you find your specialization and are trained to be expert warriors, above and beyond the regular military that is fighting this very moment to give us time for you to be implemented." Ambresio paused for a few seconds as he paced back and forth before he stopped near the board and leaned up against it, his legs crossed at the ankles while he folded his arms across his urban ACUs that he wore. "Every one of you, even those that fell behind, were specially picked for this program and those above me have decided that it's time to tell you why. I'm not the best man for that so we have a visitor and her name is Dr. Allara." Everyone in the class turned to face the door as a young woman walked through the center aisle to the front of classroom. She had a petite body that was kept hidden by the olive drab military uniform, a skirt that stopped right at her knees with a matching blouse that remained close to her body but didn't reveal much. Luke noticed that her jet black hair was grown beyond regulations and slipped below her shoulders and she had no cover in her hands or slipped under a shoulder slot. He also noticed that she had no rank insignias on her shoulders or sleeves which seemed to indicate she was a civilian doctor who had been brought in to oversee the project. Her soft brown eyes seemed to be very inviting and matched her slightly tanned skin perfectly.
"Hello," she said softly, a smile revealing a perfect set of teeth behind her thin pink lips. "My name is Doctor Trisha Allara and I'm the lead for Project Typhoon which you're currently all in. There really isn't an easy way to start so I'll just do my best to explain everything as best I can. For hundreds of years science and medicine have shown that Humans are occasionally capable of superhuman feats that just can't be controlled or replicated consciously. We have had quite a few reported instances of people lifting hundreds of pounds when they're in danger or running at full speed far longer than any person could reasonably maintain. Another thing that we've always wanted to control was the general term of ESP, extra-sensory perception. A few years ago, the UNSC commissioned a study for a theoretical project that would create a sort of soldier who had both superior brain power and strength and endurance. It's entire purpose was to find a practical exploitation of these abilities in select individuals that went beyond sub-conscious self-preservation that could be controlled and manipulated when needed. To say that the project was a success would be an understatement. That single project managed to uncover all of stimuli and areas of the brain that control what can essentially be described as super-human abilities which allowed engineers to create a collection of devices that trick the brain into believing that it must activate these hidden abilities without any adverse side effects thanks to a number of medical procedures that were performed that helped strengthen the muscles and bones of the body to withstand these typically momentary forces." Allara stopped for a few seconds as everyone in the room remained motionless. Luke was a little confused at all of this but was beginning to get an idea of what it was she was trying to get at and was interested in hearing more. "We all discovered that there are a series of genetic markers that made some candidates much more likely to unlock these abilities compared to others. All of you displayed these markers which is why you're all here. You are the UNSC's next generation of special warfare soldiers. In about a year, after you've had more training, we'll perform a number of surgeries on you that will allow you to control your body like you never imagined. And to further augment your abilities, you will be given a specially designed combat skin that will make you unstoppable." After a steadily increasing volume and excitement, Allara returned to her unassuming self as she thanked Ambresio and made her way through the rows of desks and exited the building. She left behind an uncomfortable silence as all of the kids sat numb; trying to understand what it was that they were being told. Luke leaned forward in the chair as he clasped his hands together and slowly massaged his fingers in one another while he let his mind just wander.
"Attention!" Ambresio yelled out, breaking the silence as they leapt to their feet and stood rigid. "Don't think that because you're special we're going to go easy on you because we're afraid to hurt our investments. I'll tell you right now that that isn't the case. Hell, I'll even have June work you pieces of shit even harder just because of this little meeting. But you'll be here for a few years yet so I would suggest you get comfortable. Fall out, back to the firing range, you've still got work to do." They all turned towards the inside path and filed out of the building. As Luke was about to reach the end of the path Ambresio called out to him. "Sword, I'd like to have a word with you." He hopped out of line and waited as the rest of his team left the building before he walked back up to the front and stood at attention in front of the Captain. Both of them stared at each other for a while but Luke was forced to suffer through the awkwardness as his mind raced, trying to think of what it was that he had done wrong and how it was so heinous that he'd need to be pulled away from the others. He then began to fear that he wasn't being punished but possibly removed from the program for some reason that he didn't know, forced to become a regular UNSC draftee who would most likely die on a ship or by orbital bombardment without ever seeing the enemy. "Training is going to begin to ramp up soon and we're going to need to begin appointing student leaders within the group to lead them. You've shown the most promise out of all of the recruits and on top of that you have unequaled leadership qualities, you've created an unstoppable team out of Hurricane. We've decided that, until you fuck up and make a fool out of yourself, you'll be team leader for Typhoon Platoon. If you manage to graduate and still remain in this position you'll be given the rank of Lieutenant. We'll be appointing a few other leaders in the next few days so you'll have a little competition for the job, can't let you get complacent because that's how your men get killed." Ambresio quickly paused this onslaught of information to let Luke take it all in which he did. "You and the other team leaders will attend officer classes in addition to your regular studies where we'll outline the duties that you'll have as well as honing your leadership skills on the battlefield. You are to not speak of this to any of your classmates until the appointments have been named. Is this understood?"
"Sir, yes sir."
"So what did Ambresio want you for after that little presentation?" Katana asked quietly. Her voice was muffled by the bushes and grass that they were sitting in, looking over the valley that had become their home over the months. All of the kids had begun to test the confines of their captivity and had found their own little ways to escape, either by hiding things away that they had collected or escaping from the base as Katana and Luke had done for the past three weeks. They both used it as a chance to wind down from the constant rigors of training and center themselves, the view they had from the small hill that gave them a perfect view of the base and the valley a plus. In the past week they had begun to push the boundaries of their friendship with an uncomfortably kiss that had quickly become habit for them but neither was willing to go beyond a few quick pecks. Sitting with his knees in his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs, Katana leaning up next to him on his shoulder with her legs outstretched, he remained silent as a soft breeze ruffled the leaves around them.
"I'm not supposed to say, it'll be a surprise," Luke said in an almost teasing tone. She pushed against him and they locked eyes as she smiled at him.
"What'd he say?"
"They're putting me in charge of all of us. Said my leadership qualities were 'unequaled' compared to the rest of group." Luke felt uncomfortable talking about himself in that way and his disdain came through enough that Katana picked up on it.
"That's great…but you don't seem too happy about this." Instead of answering, Luke looked away and kept his mouth shut while he twitched his face back and forth as he wrestled in his mind over this new role. "They wouldn't have picked you if weren't confident in your abilities."
"It's not that," he shot back softly. "I don't know if I want to be leading people in battle. I don't want to be responsible for possibly sending people to their deaths either because of a mistake I made or because I have no other choice. It just doesn't seem fair...none of this fair." He felt a hand wrap around his bicep and squeeze softly as her turned on his shoulder to face him. She had a warm look on her face, the blue moonlight adding to the beauty of her eyes.
"No one ever said this was going to be fair. Was it fair that the Covenant attacked us? Was it fair that they captured us? No…but we've got to play with the hand that we've been dealt regardless of what we've got. And sometimes there has to be one person who makes the bigger sacrifice for the greater good. You've led the four of us this far since we've been here and we're as strong as ever." She stopped speaking so that she could reposition herself, getting on her knees and coming in closer to him. "Maybe right now you don't think you've got what it takes to be a leader, and I'm not in your shoes but I'm sure you're scared out of your mind at the prospect of giving orders that might make the difference between a soldier coming home on his feet and in a casket. And you know what? That's perfectly normal. I'd be worried if you didn't have doubts about doing this, if you thought you were totally ready to jump into this." She leaned in front of him and gave him a solid kiss that he didn't return, still lost in his thoughts. "I'm sure that there will be a moment that will give you the answer to whatever question is tormenting you inside of there."
A/N: This will be the last chapter for a few days. I'll write a few more chapters on my side and then start the next part of the story probably in the middle of the week. Hope you all have enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it!
