A/N: I hope you guys all feel special; I have chosen to avoid my assignments in order to update this story. So, I'm awaiting suggestions for the weapons to include, even though a request was made several chapters ago. Anyway (dramatic arm gesture) on with the show. Oh, and I obviously own only the idea for this story, the majority of characters, the setting, and the words. But apart from that, I own nothing.
I awoke to the now familiar sound of Morty, doing his best impression of a howler monkey. I sat up, and looked around the room, which was now starting to feel like home.
I had been here for a little over a month now, and I was already beginning to settle into a set rhythm. Every morning, Morty would wake me up at 4:30 with some sort of animal noise, and I would get up, have a small meal, and head out to do training.
As I munched on my toast, I went through my class schedule for the day, despite it never changing.
9:30-10:15 – Language Studies – Arabic/ German – Room A7
10:30- 11:15 – Combat Training – Intermediate – Dojo
11:20-12:15 – Assorted Subjects – Room C8
12:20- 12:35 – Lunch
12:35-1:30 – Stealth training – Beginner – Meet at Pit
1:35-3:00 – Elective – Field Medicine – The Pit
3:05-4:05 – Weapons Training – Beginner - Dojo
4:05-4:15 – Meal Break
4:15-5:00 – Infiltration – Room A3
Then, in a flowing script under that was the following;
5 til 6, Evasive Driving Classes with Ethan. DON'T BE LATE!
I remembered my confusion with this timetable on my first day, wondering how I was going to survive these classes, and this was before I had chosen my elective.
At my first language lesson, they had given me the choice of two out of all languages. I had originally chosen Italian and German, but that had been rejected, because they said one European language would be enough, so I swapped to Arabic, in an attempt to reconnect with my Middle-Eastern heritage. It was surprisingly easy to learn a language, especially when there were only three other students in that class.
Combat training was another surprise. Not only to me, but to my Master as well. Ten minutes into the first class, I had already beaten every other beginner in the room. This got me moved up to the intermediate class, where I was apprenticed to Sam, who was happy to see me again. I will never forget the look of surprise on his face when I had him disarmed in twenty seconds during our first duel.
Assorted Subjects was by far my least favourite class, but I understood why it was necessary. In that class, you were taught everything that you would need to maintain a cover. So, basic English, math, history, geography, etc. Basically everything you wouldn't need to be an Assassin. Also, it was a larger class, with about twenty students at any given time.
Stealth Training was basically a giant game of hide and seek. I would hide for as long as I could, but my trainer, Erin, always found me. My record so far is 4 minutes 13 seconds, but that was just because it was in the middle of a freak dust storm. My average hiding time is about 42 seconds. I'm getting better though, because every time I get found, Erin would teach me a new hiding trick. I planned on practicing the latest one during my fitness training this morning.
Field Medicine was taught by Councilman Green, (who was actually a woman) and it was, surprisingly, my best subject. And it wasn't all using mushrooms and moss the fix wounds, it also teaches you how to use commonly found chemicals to make different medicines. For example, the first thing I learnt was that by mixing glucose, magnesium and calcium, you could stop a wound from becoming infected, and clot the wound, preventing bleeding.
Weapons Training, it is exactly as it sounds. It teaches you to use every weapon known to man, and then some. You start with the bludgeoning weapons, and Sam, who was teaching me this due to him being my master, learnt quickly not to get too close to me while I had a war-hammer or similar weapon in my hands.
Infiltration was just that; infiltrating various places, from hacking computers to picking locks. A fairly straightforward course, if very difficult to do right.
Then there was Ethan's Evasive Driving course. It consisted of Ethan, the driving instructor, firing paintballs at me while I drove around a track. It's my job to avoid them, a tough thing to do, since every Assassin that's been around for more than a year is basically a master marksman.
My reminiscing was cut short by Morty changing from howler monkey to two cats fighting. I jerked my head, looking at the clock hologram that was always floating above the T.V.
It read 4:35. Better get a move on.
I finished my toast, put my boots on and slipped out the door, Morty's standard "Don't hurt yourself too badly," floating out the door behind me as it clicked shut behind, while a second click indicated that Morty had locked the door behind me. I stepped into the elevator and spoke my desired destination, "Roof please."
There was no vocal response, but the doors closed and the soft rumble of the upward movement commenced. The lift stopped on the fifth floor, and the doors opened, and Kelly walked in, wearing a navy blue one-piece swimsuit.
"First floor please," she said, not looking up from the book she had in her hands.
"You'll have to wait, he was here first," the computer said as the doors closed. Kelly looked up from her book and saw me standing in the corner.
"What are you doing up so early?" she asked, closing her book and tucking it under her arm with the towel.
"Training exercise," I said as the elevator rumbled back into life. It went up for a few more seconds, and then opened at the roof.
"Why are you on the roof?" Kelly asked, stepping out with me into the brisk morning air.
"Well, like I said, training exercise," I replied, stepping over to the edge furthest from the elevator, which overlooked a small lake. I stepped up onto the ledge, and Kelly made a concerned noise.
"You're not going to jump, are you?" she asked.
"It's perfectly safe," I replied, turning to face her, "there's a 90% chance I'll hit the water, and I've done stupider with less."
"But, you know what will happen if you miss, right?" Kelly asked me, sounding seriously concerned.
I responded by turning around and diving forward. Plummeting toward the water in my full gear, wind whistling past my face, I heard Kelly's surprised shout just before I hit the water.
It was freezing, but nothing I hadn't become accustomed to since I had started doing this last week. I sunk about thirty meters, before propelling myself upwards. As I broke the surface, I inhaled deeply. Quickly scanning my surroundings, I pushed forward, heading toward the far bank. After a minute of strenuous swimming, I reached the bank, and hauled myself out of the water. I ran from the lake, stripping off my gear as I went, until I was down to my skin-tight leg warmers, and I kept running into the forest that lay beyond the lake.
I reached the edge of the trees, and immediately dropped to the ground, rolling into the shrubs. I lay there for a moment, waiting for the imaginary enemies to run past. After thirty seconds, I pushed myself up onto my feet, and ran, keeping low and darting around trees and diving over fallen logs. After about a mile, I reached a path through the forest, I turned left and followed it for as long as I could, before hearing an actual sound. I immediately dived to the side and buried myself in the bushes. I stayed low, as the thudding sound of running footsteps neared me. Remembering one of my Stealth lessons, I moved forward two meters and lay still, barely daring to breathe. Looking toward the path, I saw a pair of nicely tanned legs walking quickly down the path. Following the legs down, I noticed this person had bare feet.
Kelly? She followed me in here?
This person crouched down and examined something on the ground.
My tracks.
That was the reason I had moved forward, so that I wasn't laying directly next to the marks I had made when I dropped and rolled. The person crouched lower, and I realised it wasn't Kelly. It was someone I hadn't met yet. Their long blonde hair cascaded down, hiding their face from view. I snuck a look at my watch, careful not to move any of the plants.
4:50. I need to get a move on.
The person brushed their hair behind their ear, and I drew a sharp breath. I knew this girl.
A/N: Sorry about the cliff hanger, but I need a reason to keep you guys reading. Anyway, R&R, clip your toenails, feed the cat, blah blah blah.