A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry again for taking so long with the update, school starting has been quite a bitch to me.

This chapter isn't anything special to be honest. It's just him getting ready for his test.

Anyway, I have some stuff that needs explaining, but I'll get to that at the Author's note below. So for now, enjoy! :)

Chapter 14: Preparations With Friends, Old and New

"I'm Steve Cortez, nice to meet to you," He greeted, with one hand extended forward. I've never seen him before, so he must be ahead of my class, but why does he look younger than me? Skipped a few grades perhaps? Ah, what the hell? He's the first person to try and interact with me, so why not?

I extend my hand forward and firmly grasp his, "Michael Sanders," my hand pulls back, "So what are you doing here anyway?"

He shrugs, "Well, I could ask you the same thing."

"You already did, which means you have a better reason than I do," I reply.

He smirks playfully at this remark, "Touche, but I told you that one as well, if you were paying attention."

"Remind me," I say.

He shakes his head and takes a seat, "I was praying for my Abuela, she died awhile back, so I pray every week for her happiness in the lords hands."

Ah, I see... I chuckle silently, but he seems to catch it, "Is something funny?" he asks.

I motion my hand sideways, "No, sorry, I didn't mean no disrespect, It was just a thought I had."

"What is it?"

I shake my head, "I just don't believe that after everything that's happened in my life, it just doesn't seem like there's this higher power watching over us anymore. I used to believe that, but lately..."

"Well," He begins, "Everything happens for a reason. Besides, what's so bad about your life that caused you to not believe in him?"

"Um, listen," I look straight at him, "You seem like an alright guy, but I don't particularly trust you, so I can't tell you, I'm sorry."

He nods, "Okay, fair point Sanders," There's some silence between us before he decides to speak up, "So, what are you doing here anyway?"

I rub one of my eyes, "Just wanted some time alone I guess, a lot of stuff happened today."

"Oh," He says, "Well, I'll just leave then, sorry."

I shake my head, "No, It's not really bothering me that you're here, you were here first after all."

"Another good point," He states.

"Um," I say scratching my neck, "How old are you exactly? You seem a little young to be in the Alliance."

"And you're one to talk?" He says, raising an eyebrow.

I smile wickedly, "Well I got special treatment getting here, even if I didn't want it to be that way; I have a small history with the Alliance. I commanded one of their squads during the raid on Mindoir," He nodded his head with an impressed look on his face, "Besides, I'm about to turn 18."

"Damn, so that was you, huh? I've heard of you, the Drill Instructors use you as a way to motivate the recruits from doing better," he puts on this weird face expression, possibly trying to imitate his drill instructor, "C'mon you maggot! If a 17 year old kid can fight off an army of Batarian's. than you sure as hell can do 100 pull ups!"

I laugh and click my tongue, "I wouldn't say I fought a whole damn army, but there sure was a lot, and I didn't do it alone either."

He nods, "Maybe so, but the fact is, you were the one who saved everybody, and at the age of seven-teen no less," he pats my shoulder, "that was the thing that motivated the recruits."

I smile at the thought, "Yeah, I guess so, but 100 pull ups? That's brutal!"

"Eh, if anything, the Alliance knows how to train their people well, and they really only want you to do at least fifty of them," He says.

Thinking about the training I did with Anderson, I know he's not lying, "Yeah, you can say that again."

He opens his omni-tool and scowls at it, "Well, it's been nice chatting with you Michael, we should do this again sometime," He gets up from the bench, "But for now, I have to get some sleep; I've had a long day myself."

He waves his goodbye and I do the same. Hmm, I guess I just made a new friend... With Cortez gone, I'm here alone, with only my thoughts to keep me company. Eh, that's what I wanted in the first place anyway. But still, it was nice having someone to talk to other than Anderson on this ship.

The next morning (4:00am), I put on some gym clothes, and headed straight for the gym. The test is coming in a day or two, so I have to be ready if I want to pass it. Speaking of the test, I have to discuss something with Hackett, because I don't quite understand how the test is going to be. All I know is that it's gonna test my abilities and everything that I've learned since I arrived. Maybe I'll ask him after breakfast.

I go over to one of the place mats and lay it on the ground. Eager to get started, I throw my bag on the floor next to me and begin with some push-ups. I think I'll aim for 300, Anderson would usually give 500, but I'll get there later. I know I'm supposed to stay focused on my training and all, but that's a little hard to do after all of yesterday's events. Man, it's so complicated, that I don't even know where to begin. There's the whole thing with Jane, that I'm not even sure how to handle. I was a dick to her, so how do I apologize for that? After everything she's done for me?

I hit the 100 mark and keep going. Then there's the fact of Lunar having had powers. But what kind of powers were they? At least with mine, it was simple to determine what they were. I some how have an extremely high level of biotic potential. But with Lunar's powers, the doctor said he had no idea what it was, and that it had a dark feeling to it. What power could possibly give out a dark aura? It just doesn't make sense... Aside from that, I actually have family members still left alive. Who would have thought that the people Anderson told me about, would be related to me? Ironic isn't it?

250... On top of all that, there's this Cerberus organization. They were the ones who killed the doctor, so does that mean they know about me? These guys seem real dangerous, killing people in cold blood and not even giving a damn? Let's not forget the mystery person, Jack Harper. Who is he exactly, and why can't I find anything on him? How is he connected to Cerberus?

300! I get off the mat and head over to the punching bag, strapping my gloves on as I do. None of it makes any sense, but that doesn't mean I should stop thinking about it... The gloves are on and secured, which means I can start swinging. I stare at the punching bag and visualize Balak. Then, I vigorously throw the first punch to the side, then aim for his upper torso. Anderson made me memorize the vital points on every type of Alien, even the Quarians! Man, now that was tough, them being in their suits and all.

But in a way, their kind of my favorite. They're the species that interested me the most, once I started learning Alien physiology, and all that other crap. Hell, I even wrote a paper about them! They were exiled from their own homeworld by the Geth, almost 3 centuries ago. Now they wander the stars, gathering any resources they come across, just to keep themselves alive. They even went to lengths of sending their young out on what's called a "Pilgrimage". It's their way of making them experience life outside their flotilla. They fight to survive each day, which reminds me of myself.

Okay, that got off topic... But hey, what can I say? They're an interesting species, a very religious one too.

Anyway, learning Quarian vital points were a toughie, thanks to their suits. Turians can be kind of tough as well, them being a military species, and constantly being in armor all the time. But if you studied their armor layout, like I had to do, then you'll notice a few soft spots, where you can hit them with a nice jab. It's the Krogan's you gotta watch out for.

But whenever I decide to use the punching bag, I find it better to picture Batarians, Balak actually; to channel my anger into the fight. So that I can visualize myself tearing him apart. Limb. From. Limb. My fist glows blue, and the rest of my body soon follows. The way he just killed her in cold blood... I'm gonna make him suffer for it! My last punch creates a bigger impact than I thought, because the sand bag gets sent off the chain and cracks the exterior of the wall. Any harder and it might have went through!

Ah, well, I think that's enough for now. Think I'll do some sit-ups and then go for breakfast.

I go back to the mat and lay myself down with my knees cocked upward. I think I'll go for 400 this time...

I set my tray down on a table and gratefully pick up the fork, I'm starving! Powdered eggs and bacon are probably the best breakfast the Alliance can make; if you add a drink to it that is. I stab my fork into a few of them and start eating. A little cold, but I've had worse.

Before I knew it, a few more people filled up the mess hall, including Cortez... Who, seems to be coming this way...

"Hey," he says, while holding his own tray of food. My mouth is still full of eggs, so I just nod to his presence, "Why are you up so early? I didn't think you'd be up at this time, seeing as how your supposedly, 'special'."

I gulp down my food and smile, "I get special privileges, but I still have to wake up early, sometimes even earlier than you and the rest of the recruits; like today," I take another bite of my eggs, realizing that their almost finished.

"Oh?" He mumbles, "And why's that?"

I stick my fork up to reply, "Because, I get the tougher training," His eyebrows rise up, "I can't really give you any details, but I'm supposed to be trained at being the best, so I get triple the amount of training you guys do."

"So, are you training to be in N7?"

I shake my head, "Something bigger than that, if you can believe it."

"Nope," he says, "I find it too hard to believe that there's something even more brutal than the N7 program."

"Well, you'll just have to take my word for it," My smile turns into a wicked one, "Which reminds me, you never told me what you're doing in the Alliance."

He squints, "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

He grits his teeth, "I want to be a pilot, but not a helmsman either, you know?"

"So you wanna pilot fighter ships, shuttles, and things like that?"

He nods his head, "I just have to get through flight school first, but things are looking good. I even got to take a small field trip with the SSV Hawking, learned all about the A-47 Trident, while I was there."

"Nice," I acknowledge, "You must be a natural at this stuff huh?"

"Well, I don't like to brag but... yeah, I totally am," His grin widens bigger than before, "Why exactly are up early today?"

I raise an eyebrow, "I thought I told you already."

"No," he confirms, "You just told me you get the harder training, and that sometimes, you have to wake up earlier than we do; so why'd you wake up early today?"

Damn, you're one perceptive bitch, Cortez! I smile, "Caught all that did you? Alright, well, I have to prepare for the test that I have in a few days, so I'm just training myself on the things that I already know. Besides, it's better to be awake than asleep in my case."

He scowls slightly, but I just dismiss it, "Anyway, I should get going, I've still got quite a bit of training to do," I get up from my seat and move over to waste disposal to throw away my garbage.

Suddenly, I feel a hand touch my shoulder. Hmm, did Cortez follow me? "Alright, the first thing you should know is that, I don't like it when people sneak up on me."

I turn fully around and notice that it's not Cortez...

It's Pierce, and Gavin's behind him! "I know," Pierce says, "That's kind of why we did it." Gavin starts bursting into laughter, probably because my face looks ridiculous right now.

"What the-? How did you-? But I thought you guys were-?" Damn it, why can't I finish a sentence? They're here Michael, get a grip! "Hey guys, what are you doing here?"

"Wow, you're that happy to see us huh?" Gavin sarcastically states.

"No, don't get me wrong, I'm happy you guys are here, but I'm also a bit surprised."

The three of us exchange greetings, "Well, we're here to help," Pierce answers, "Admiral Hackett told us about how you're going to go through that simulation, and he thought it would be good to test out your leadership skills; so he called us up and now we're partaking in this wonderful event."

Wow, Hackett does care.

"So, both of you are going to be helping me?" I ask.

"Well," Gavin begins looking towards the lunch line, "The girls are here too, but their getting breakfast."

"Wait, so Hillary and Kim are here too? Man, things just got even more interesting."

"The test is in two days, have you been practicing?" Pierce asks.

"You bet, in fact, I was just heading back to the gym," I reply.

The girls then join the conversation, "Then why don't we head on over?" Hillary asks.

"Sure," I say, "It's good to see you guys again."

We walk inside and the first thing they seem to notice is the punching bag, off the chain, and on the other side of the room. I decide to explain with a quick response, "Well, when I said I was training, I really meant I was Training."

"Yeah," Kim comments, "We can see that."

"What exactly has your trainer been teaching you to do? How to use steroids?" She offers.

I can't help but laugh, "Not exactly; he's been teaching me how to use my biotics in a fight, different kinds of martial arts, that kinda thing."

"Yeah," Pierce says, "You look like you've changed quite a bit since we last saw you."

"It seems like everyone's saying that nowadays," I admit, "But anyway, you guys can do whatever you want, but if I waste anymore time, Anderson will kill me."

I move over to the mat, and begin stretching, until, Huh? Why do they looked surprised? Don't they know?

Hillary speaks first, "You were trained by The Lieutenant Anderson? The one who fought in the first contact war and was the first to graduate the N7 program?"

I nod my head, "Yeah, that's him, but he's just Anderson to me; and he's even going to help me with the test, just like you guy's are."

As I get settled in on the mat, everyone goes to their own station, and Pierce follows me, "Hey, is it just me, or does something seem fishy to you?"

I lay my head back, forming an X with my arms in front of my chest, "And by fishy, you mean...?"

"I mean how Admiral Hackett seems to be making this a little too easy for you, don't you think?" He comes closer and steps his two feet on top of mine, pinning them to the ground, "Seriously, he's giving you squad mates, equipment, resources; hasn't it made you wonder just how hard this thing is going to be?"

"More than once, Pierce," I admit, while starting my sit-ups, "I've thought about that too, and you know what? It scares me a little bit..."

He looks around the room before crossing his arms, "Hey, just between us man, do you feel ready, Mike?"

I shake my head, "Honestly? No, I don't. But you can be damn sure, that I'm gonna give it my best shot."

He smirks, "Well said, and Michael?" I stop, and look up at him, "We all believe you'll get this done, and we know you'll make the right choices when the moments arise."

Unconsciously, a smile appears across my lips, "Thanks Pierce, that means a lot; it takes some of the worry that I have away," I continue with my series of sit-ups.

He squints his eyes and puts on the same look he does when he's thinking about something, "Hey, you know, if you pass this, then you'll be a higher rank than me; which means, I'd have to take orders from you on a daily basis."

"That you are correct, Corporal Pierce," I say between shuffled breaths, "But I don't know what rank I'm going to be once this is over, Hackett didn't tell me that much. I guess he's wanting to keep it a surprise or something."

"Actually," he says, "It's Sergeant, now; I was promoted last week."

"Wow," I reply, with a strained inhale, "I'd get up and congratulate you, but I'm a little tired."

"Nah, that's okay, but maybe later you can buy me a drink."

I chuckle lightly, "Sure pal, no problem."

Ping!

The sound from my omni-tool puts a stop to my work out, as I opened it up and activated the communication channel. Hackett's awesome scar practically takes up the whole screen, when his face pops up, "Sanders, I trust your preparing yourself?"

"More than you'd think, sir," I replied, "What's going on? I doubt you called me just to ask how my day is going."

"Right you are," He admits, "I wanted to inform you that Anderson will be arriving tomorrow, as will your test. But we have a problem," Oh yeah, other than how my test has been moved up a day? Right. "We're one man short for your team, and we need someone who can pilot a shuttle. That's why I'm giving you my blessing to choose Recruit Steve Cortez; should you decide to choose him."

Hmm. "How did you even know we were friends?" I say with a frown, "Besides, wouldn't it make more sense if we chose an expert?"

"Yes, but I figure now would be a good time to test him as well, his test scores are off the charts, and I'd like to see him in action personally," one of his eyebrows shoot up, "Hell, he's probably already spoke with you about how he was chosen to pilot ships on the SSV Hawking?"

He was chosen? "What are you spying on me or something?" I reply, confirming what he said. But seriously, it's like they have a camera crew on my ass or something!

He keeps a straight face as he responds, "We're always watching you Michael, where ever you go."

I wonder... "Even in the bathroom?"

...

"Be ready, Sanders, Hackett out!"

"Aye, sir!" I reply before the screen goes dark. He's not one for humor is he? Though I am a little scared to use my bathroom now...

I let out a sigh as Pierce opens his mouth, "You really don't know how to talk to your superiors do you?"

"Shut up."

Well, the day is finally here. It's time for me take the test that will determine a part of my future. This is going to be the toughest thing I've ever had to do, yet. But you know what? I am fucking ready for it! I walk out of my room, locking the front door behind me soon after.

After the chat I had with Hackett, I spoke with Cortez about what's what, and he decided to join in. He seemed to be really excited about it too. Once that was done, I did some weapon training with Gavin, mainly with the sniper rifle. After what happened with Jane, I realized that I need to start getting better handling it. I'm a bit better, but it feels like I still suck ass with it. Ah well. Anyway, I trained with a few of my other weapons, just some target practice and stuff, but I did it nonetheless. Then we all got together for dinner, and went to sleep after that. It was a really busy day though.

Let's see... I'm supposed to meet them in the simulation chamber. I think I missed Anderson's arrival, but he can't really blame me, I mean it's 3:00am for crying out loud! Giving myself only 4 hours of sleep is not very good for me. I guess it can't be helped though.

It doesn't take long for me to show up, and for everyone to look mad at me, as I do, "You know, I find it ironic how the one who's actually taking the test, is also the only one to be late."

I open my mouth to reply, but a familiar voice responds first, "You'll get used to it, he's late to almost everything."

Turning to the voice's direction, I see that it's Anderson, "Anderson, it's damn good to see you!" I almost feel like giving the big guy a hug! But I won't... Maybe.

"Likewise, Michael, you ready for this?"

I tighten my fist, "Hell, yes!"

Admiral Hackett then steps forward, "Glad to hear it, now let's go through the debriefing," He beckons for all of us to follow him to the holographic prompter. I'm surprised none of my friends have said anything about meeting Anderson himself. They seemed to be going crazy over him yesterday. But I guess they're being professional now. "Alright Marines, listen up! You'll be infiltrating a mercenary base on the planet Zaltoada. We believe they have stolen some vital data from the Alliance. That data has information that could start a galactic war," He put's his hands behind his back, "You are to retrieve it with no casualties and make sure that all the data is present."

"How heavily guarded is this base?" I ask, "Will they be expecting us?"

"The 'Blue Suns', are devoting half of their resources to protecting this data, and yes, they will be on high alert."

I guess we know why he's giving me a whole lot of help, "Will we be going in with any special equipment?"

He presses something on his omni-tool, and a layout of the shuttle comes up, "The shuttle you'll all be flying in will be fitted with plasma guns, as well as it's own multi-core shielding. Basically it'll be able to withstand gunfire easily."

"Until the shielding disintegrates," Cortez comments.

"Correct. As for everyone else's equipment," A few more clicks and the holo-prompter turned off, "You'll all be wearing your own suit of armor, and using standard issue weapons."

Wait... "But I don't have armor yet."

He smirks, "Your own prototype armor will materialize on you, once you step into the simulation. Now, everyone put on those suits next to the sleeper pods."

We each move to our own pod, strapping on our own suits as we do, "What are these for, sir?" Anderson asks.

"These suits will analyze everything that's you and put it in the virtual simulation, while your actual self stays asleep," My C.O. explains.

"Virtual simulation? I was told we were going to use the chamber," I reply

"Originally, that's what were planning on doing, but then we figured we had to make it tougher. Which also means, the location had to be much bigger," He puts his hand's behind his back, "It'll be exactly the same, even the gunfire will hurt. It'll be just as if you were actually there."

The pods begin opening and we decide to settle ourselves in, "Oh, and if you die, you'll wake up here, but you'll still be in a great amount of pain," My god, they really want me to fail don't they? It makes me wonder why my friends are even doing this, "I'll be watching your progress from here. Good luck."

Slowly, the pod's door begins to close, and before I know it, I'm out like a light...

A/N: Holy shiz-nits! I don't believe that's a cliff hangar is it? At least, I don't think it is...

Like I said, the chapter wasn't much, but I hope you enjoyed it :). As for the bad news... The next chapter is going to be a long one, maybe not as long as my chapter 5, but I don't know for sure. But with school and all, it's going to take some time for me to write it. I know it sucks, but school has to come first, and I hope you guys can understand that. Any chance I get some free time, I'll use it to write, okay?

Now, recommendations everyone! The first one's called: "Pedestal," By Digital Skitty. It's a Pokemon fanfic, but it's insanely good! The second is called: "Lay It On The Line," By dirtdevil76. A fanfiction from one of the greatest shows I know: 'Supernatural'.

Anyway, until next time, Laterz!