Training Days
"Again." Zane's crisp voice rung through the valley for what seemed the hundredth time. Teli's frozen form burst into motion. Jab, jab, upper cut, high kick, jab, elbow, back kick, high jump, spin, jab, jab, side kick, high jump kick, land, freeze.
"Again." His tone was almost bored. Jab, jab, upper cut, high kick… Teli flew through the motions – fast, accurate, deadly.
"What are you waiting for? You faster then this. Again." The only reply was the tiniest flash of a glare in Teli's eyes. Her body spun through the motions again. Even to Zane's trained eye her motions were blurred. Faster, sharper, harder. Teli landed again, frozen, waiting. Her blank, emotionless eyes focused on nothing.
Zane studied the statue of a girl in front of him. Underneath those cold eyes he knew her thoughts wandered, her emotions tumbled, and her heart raced. He knew because he'd been there.
"At ease." Zane finally said. Teli slowly relaxed and stood upright. The cold, emotionless eyes were now gone – replaced with the pleased expression of a girl who knew she'd done well. Zane nodded after a moment, sending Teli bursting down the mountainside to visit with Kat and Shane, knowing that the next day would bring more training.
****
"…. 497, 498, 499, 500." Tye immediately flipped over from the crunches and started doing pushups. Jondy circled like a professional athletic trainer, stopwatch in hand. Four and a half minutes later Tye was on the hip slide, pushing a mere thousand as if it were twenty. With every ripple of muscle Tye could feel himself growing stronger and faster. Every practice the power within him grew.
"Okay Tye. You're doing a two hour run today, no need to push too hard." Jondy stated as she slipped another stopwatch around Tye's neck. "When you get back we'll do a quick cool-down and be done for the day." Tye nodded at her words and took off on his usual route.
Aliana joined him in his jog about an hour into it. She often ran with him for a half hour or so during these runs. Though Tye had to slow up a bit, he enjoyed the company. That day, as Aliana jogged up, a playful urge struck Tye. He grinned and quickly stole the visor right off Aliana's head and dashed off, his smirk daring her to try and get it back. Aliana laughed and took off after him, calling out in a voice that threatened things to come if he didn't give it back.
****
Teli surveyed the obstacle course set in front of her for a moment. Her skeptical eye caused a twinge of doubt to pinch her stomach. But Teli shoved that away, letting the determined soldier back out to play.
The early morning air was crisp and sweet so high up in the mountains. Teli's breath, though it was now newly August, formed a small puff in front of her nose as she breathed. Zane's soft steps approached from behind and Teli heard the click of the stopwatch.
In seconds Teli was climbing her way up the 30-foot-high rock face. Her feet and hands slipped in the loose gravel, denying her much hold. Rock cut through the thick cloth of Teli's gloves and a small trickle of blood ran down her wrist. But Teli pushed on, not even noticing the injury.
"Faster, Teli!" Zane's voice floated upwards, now seeming miles away. Teli pressed herself harder, using her training and skill to propel herself up the rock face unaided. Once at the top, Teli found herself looking over the treetops to the valley below. But only a second could she waste on sightseeing; the clock was still ticking. The way down was waiting.
Teli set off across the tightrope Zane had so carefully set up, putting all her concentration into her balance on the thin line. She made it quickly to the middle, but there, Zane had a little surprise for her. The rope had been frayed and at that instant snapped under her weight. For the briefest second Teli thought she would fall, but her quick reflexes grabbed a hold of the broken rope before it could fall away. Teli scrambled to pull herself up the rope as it swung down, trying to regain some control. Below, Zane almost cringed just before Teli swung into a large tree trunk. With a quick twist, Teli managed to avoid the tree, causing the rope to wrap around it's trunk, and allowing Teli to flip away, twisting in midair to land safely on the ground.
"Keep moving soldier!" Zane barked sharply. Teli flew into action, running quickly to the next part of the obstacle course.
****
Through the clear green-blue waters Tye could see her, stopwatch in hand, pacing the lengths of the pool. He didn't stop, didn't breath, didn't even slow his pace. Stroke, stroke, flip, push off, glide, stroke, stroke… the motions went on and on as he crossed the length of the pool over and over, underwater. Jondy checked her stopwatch again; 8:45 – he was long past breaking the X5 record, and he didn't show any signs of coming up for air.
Stroke, stroke, glide, flip, push off, glide, stroke, stroke… the rhythm of it soaked into Tye's mind, helping him to push down the burning in his lungs which was starting to grow. 'Two more laps.' Tye thought, and he pushed himself harder to meet the goal.
On the last lap, the pressure in Tye's lungs was almost overwhelming. Almost. Stroke, stoke, glide, and touch. Tye surfaced in a rush of bubbles and anxious energy. Water drops flew through the air in an effort to get out of his way.
Jondy hit stop and wiped water off of her forehead with a bemused expression. 10:04. A new record as far as she knew. Tye treaded water patiently, waiting for Jondy's next word.
"Good work Tye. 10 minutes, 4 seconds." Jondy said, catching the proud sparkle in his eye. "Go take a shower and report back. We'll do one more run today, then you can go hang with your girlfriend." She said, changing to a teasing tone at the last remark. Tye jumped out of the pool and headed towards the shower.
"She's not my girlfriend." He said lightly, turning back. Jondy just raised an eyebrow and motioned him off.
****
"Again." Zane's voice echoed up to Teli. Teli took a deep breath, and began again. Back handspring, jump twist, front flip to a handspring, twist, back one and a half, hold the handstand, back walkover, jump twist, front double flip, land, freeze. Teli teetered slightly on the landing. Her breath caught in her throat as she glanced down the drop. She was doing her gymnastics up on a high, narrow ledge – an exercise in balance and precision, as Zane had put it.
"Again!" Zane yelled. "And clean up that landing!" Teli could almost read his unsaid thought – 'a landing like that will cost you sometime in the future…' Teli shoved all other thoughts away as she readied for the next execution. She concentrated on the moves and the feeling of solid rock beneath her gloved hands. For all the moves she went through, it only took a little under five seconds. She landed. Flawless.
****
Sweat pour down his face as Tye circled, dancing back and forth, looking to throw the next punch. They'd been practicing now going on three hours and Jondy wasn't showing any signs of letting up. She knew Tye was good, but she had the edge in training. At any sign of weakness Jondy pulled out the punches, battering Tye's defenses. Boxing wasn't about pure strength; it was about power, speed, and strategy. Tye had the speed, had the power, and now Jondy was trying to give him her nine-plus years of tactics training.
Tye went in for a punch, opening up his whole left side. Jondy ducked, spinning quickly and threw a few hard jabs into the open side. Tye almost cringed. He knew what she was thinking: 'An enemy would've been armed, and you would've just been killed.' That would cost him another hour in the ring. Jondy was determined to keep him going until she couldn't land any punches.
****
Los Angeles hadn't changed much in the 30 some years after the Pulse. The culture and life of the city still thrived in all its colorful glory. One could meet any number of characters walking the streets, especially on a Saturday night. It was this that made the city ideal; it was easy it was to slip away into the crowds.
Three adults materialized out of that crowd on that mid-August night. One by one, they entered a bustling little bar and gathered at a back table. Each nodded a greeting and sat down to business.
"Report." Came the soft, but firm command.
"The girl is progressing nicely in her training. Still has a few things to learn, but she should be ready when the time comes."
"The boy is also doing well. Training is progressing as planned."
"Any surveillance for me?" Pictures were immediately tossed out onto the table. Max slowly reached for images, forcing a tear to stay firmly behind her eye.
"Tye's demeanor is the mirror image of Zack's, had Zack not lived so long as Manticore. He's got that solid core of responsibility Zack had, but with a sense of humor," Jondy told Max, who cracked a small smile at that description of the sixteen-year-old in the picture.
"And Teli has Tinga's." Zack said, softy. "Determined, but loving." Max took two pictures and held them side-by-side. The smiling faces of Teli and Tye did not look like the faces of soldiers, but the faces of happy teens.
"I didn't realize they'd look so much alike." Max finally said. As children they had been identical, and Max had assumed their looks would grow apart, but the dark-haired, tan-skinned, green-eyed twins grinned up through the pictures, still nearly identical. The lines of Teli's face were softer and Tye's hair much shorter, but save that the two looked the same. Zane simply nodded at her words. Jondy took up a picture of Teli, looking at her closely for the first time. A note of surprise and bittersweet memories crossed Max's face when she saw that particular picture.
"Jondy, in that picture, Teli looks almost exactly like her mother."
****
Dear Angel,
The days have been flying past this last month. I can hardly believe it's the end of August already! Zane has been working me hard. But I must admit, I rather enjoy the training. I never knew what I was capable of until he came along and started helping me. I love the feeling of being able to work my muscles and stretch my limbs. It's like…I had always felt I wasn't doing what I could, and to be able to release that power now is an awesome feeling. Of course, it's a little hard keeping all this from everyone. Well, almost everyone. Kat knows; she's the only one who knows. She's been handling it rather well too. It must be hard for her though, it's a lot to take it.
On another note, Shane took me out after my workout today. He was a bit concerned with the cuts on my hands, but after a little reassuring (and good lying skills on my part) he was set at ease. I thought it was sweet, though, that he cared. We took a picnic lunch down by the lake. We talked and talked; his mind is full of hopeful ideas and open optimism. It's good to see someone with so much faith that things will turn out – it helps me get through the days when my training isn't going so well. I think you would like him. He's one of those people who want to change the world, make it a better place. Not what I expected, I must say. After all, he's got an earring, slightly unkempt (but cute) hair, and he was a ski instructor. Not that any of that means anything. It just goes to show that you can't judge people by what they first seem, as cliche as that saying may be. I hope I get to spend a lot of time with him the rest of this fading summer. He's a great guy. I wish I could tell him my story. Though, I'd be afraid of ruining his perfect views of the world. It'd be a hell of a lot harder to change the world with perfect soldiers out there working with the government to keep it how it is.
One thing I've noticed though: I thought that finding out why I'm different and where I came from would answer all my questions. But, in truth, it's only raised up more. Such as, what would I be doing today had you not gotten me out? And, most of all – where is my brother and what is he like today?
I get the feeling that all this training has a purpose, other then teaching me what I can do. And I get the feeling that whatever this alternative purpose is, it's about to come into play. And that thought, I must admit, scares me.
-- Teli
"Again." Zane's crisp voice rung through the valley for what seemed the hundredth time. Teli's frozen form burst into motion. Jab, jab, upper cut, high kick, jab, elbow, back kick, high jump, spin, jab, jab, side kick, high jump kick, land, freeze.
"Again." His tone was almost bored. Jab, jab, upper cut, high kick… Teli flew through the motions – fast, accurate, deadly.
"What are you waiting for? You faster then this. Again." The only reply was the tiniest flash of a glare in Teli's eyes. Her body spun through the motions again. Even to Zane's trained eye her motions were blurred. Faster, sharper, harder. Teli landed again, frozen, waiting. Her blank, emotionless eyes focused on nothing.
Zane studied the statue of a girl in front of him. Underneath those cold eyes he knew her thoughts wandered, her emotions tumbled, and her heart raced. He knew because he'd been there.
"At ease." Zane finally said. Teli slowly relaxed and stood upright. The cold, emotionless eyes were now gone – replaced with the pleased expression of a girl who knew she'd done well. Zane nodded after a moment, sending Teli bursting down the mountainside to visit with Kat and Shane, knowing that the next day would bring more training.
****
"…. 497, 498, 499, 500." Tye immediately flipped over from the crunches and started doing pushups. Jondy circled like a professional athletic trainer, stopwatch in hand. Four and a half minutes later Tye was on the hip slide, pushing a mere thousand as if it were twenty. With every ripple of muscle Tye could feel himself growing stronger and faster. Every practice the power within him grew.
"Okay Tye. You're doing a two hour run today, no need to push too hard." Jondy stated as she slipped another stopwatch around Tye's neck. "When you get back we'll do a quick cool-down and be done for the day." Tye nodded at her words and took off on his usual route.
Aliana joined him in his jog about an hour into it. She often ran with him for a half hour or so during these runs. Though Tye had to slow up a bit, he enjoyed the company. That day, as Aliana jogged up, a playful urge struck Tye. He grinned and quickly stole the visor right off Aliana's head and dashed off, his smirk daring her to try and get it back. Aliana laughed and took off after him, calling out in a voice that threatened things to come if he didn't give it back.
****
Teli surveyed the obstacle course set in front of her for a moment. Her skeptical eye caused a twinge of doubt to pinch her stomach. But Teli shoved that away, letting the determined soldier back out to play.
The early morning air was crisp and sweet so high up in the mountains. Teli's breath, though it was now newly August, formed a small puff in front of her nose as she breathed. Zane's soft steps approached from behind and Teli heard the click of the stopwatch.
In seconds Teli was climbing her way up the 30-foot-high rock face. Her feet and hands slipped in the loose gravel, denying her much hold. Rock cut through the thick cloth of Teli's gloves and a small trickle of blood ran down her wrist. But Teli pushed on, not even noticing the injury.
"Faster, Teli!" Zane's voice floated upwards, now seeming miles away. Teli pressed herself harder, using her training and skill to propel herself up the rock face unaided. Once at the top, Teli found herself looking over the treetops to the valley below. But only a second could she waste on sightseeing; the clock was still ticking. The way down was waiting.
Teli set off across the tightrope Zane had so carefully set up, putting all her concentration into her balance on the thin line. She made it quickly to the middle, but there, Zane had a little surprise for her. The rope had been frayed and at that instant snapped under her weight. For the briefest second Teli thought she would fall, but her quick reflexes grabbed a hold of the broken rope before it could fall away. Teli scrambled to pull herself up the rope as it swung down, trying to regain some control. Below, Zane almost cringed just before Teli swung into a large tree trunk. With a quick twist, Teli managed to avoid the tree, causing the rope to wrap around it's trunk, and allowing Teli to flip away, twisting in midair to land safely on the ground.
"Keep moving soldier!" Zane barked sharply. Teli flew into action, running quickly to the next part of the obstacle course.
****
Through the clear green-blue waters Tye could see her, stopwatch in hand, pacing the lengths of the pool. He didn't stop, didn't breath, didn't even slow his pace. Stroke, stroke, flip, push off, glide, stroke, stroke… the motions went on and on as he crossed the length of the pool over and over, underwater. Jondy checked her stopwatch again; 8:45 – he was long past breaking the X5 record, and he didn't show any signs of coming up for air.
Stroke, stroke, glide, flip, push off, glide, stroke, stroke… the rhythm of it soaked into Tye's mind, helping him to push down the burning in his lungs which was starting to grow. 'Two more laps.' Tye thought, and he pushed himself harder to meet the goal.
On the last lap, the pressure in Tye's lungs was almost overwhelming. Almost. Stroke, stoke, glide, and touch. Tye surfaced in a rush of bubbles and anxious energy. Water drops flew through the air in an effort to get out of his way.
Jondy hit stop and wiped water off of her forehead with a bemused expression. 10:04. A new record as far as she knew. Tye treaded water patiently, waiting for Jondy's next word.
"Good work Tye. 10 minutes, 4 seconds." Jondy said, catching the proud sparkle in his eye. "Go take a shower and report back. We'll do one more run today, then you can go hang with your girlfriend." She said, changing to a teasing tone at the last remark. Tye jumped out of the pool and headed towards the shower.
"She's not my girlfriend." He said lightly, turning back. Jondy just raised an eyebrow and motioned him off.
****
"Again." Zane's voice echoed up to Teli. Teli took a deep breath, and began again. Back handspring, jump twist, front flip to a handspring, twist, back one and a half, hold the handstand, back walkover, jump twist, front double flip, land, freeze. Teli teetered slightly on the landing. Her breath caught in her throat as she glanced down the drop. She was doing her gymnastics up on a high, narrow ledge – an exercise in balance and precision, as Zane had put it.
"Again!" Zane yelled. "And clean up that landing!" Teli could almost read his unsaid thought – 'a landing like that will cost you sometime in the future…' Teli shoved all other thoughts away as she readied for the next execution. She concentrated on the moves and the feeling of solid rock beneath her gloved hands. For all the moves she went through, it only took a little under five seconds. She landed. Flawless.
****
Sweat pour down his face as Tye circled, dancing back and forth, looking to throw the next punch. They'd been practicing now going on three hours and Jondy wasn't showing any signs of letting up. She knew Tye was good, but she had the edge in training. At any sign of weakness Jondy pulled out the punches, battering Tye's defenses. Boxing wasn't about pure strength; it was about power, speed, and strategy. Tye had the speed, had the power, and now Jondy was trying to give him her nine-plus years of tactics training.
Tye went in for a punch, opening up his whole left side. Jondy ducked, spinning quickly and threw a few hard jabs into the open side. Tye almost cringed. He knew what she was thinking: 'An enemy would've been armed, and you would've just been killed.' That would cost him another hour in the ring. Jondy was determined to keep him going until she couldn't land any punches.
****
Los Angeles hadn't changed much in the 30 some years after the Pulse. The culture and life of the city still thrived in all its colorful glory. One could meet any number of characters walking the streets, especially on a Saturday night. It was this that made the city ideal; it was easy it was to slip away into the crowds.
Three adults materialized out of that crowd on that mid-August night. One by one, they entered a bustling little bar and gathered at a back table. Each nodded a greeting and sat down to business.
"Report." Came the soft, but firm command.
"The girl is progressing nicely in her training. Still has a few things to learn, but she should be ready when the time comes."
"The boy is also doing well. Training is progressing as planned."
"Any surveillance for me?" Pictures were immediately tossed out onto the table. Max slowly reached for images, forcing a tear to stay firmly behind her eye.
"Tye's demeanor is the mirror image of Zack's, had Zack not lived so long as Manticore. He's got that solid core of responsibility Zack had, but with a sense of humor," Jondy told Max, who cracked a small smile at that description of the sixteen-year-old in the picture.
"And Teli has Tinga's." Zack said, softy. "Determined, but loving." Max took two pictures and held them side-by-side. The smiling faces of Teli and Tye did not look like the faces of soldiers, but the faces of happy teens.
"I didn't realize they'd look so much alike." Max finally said. As children they had been identical, and Max had assumed their looks would grow apart, but the dark-haired, tan-skinned, green-eyed twins grinned up through the pictures, still nearly identical. The lines of Teli's face were softer and Tye's hair much shorter, but save that the two looked the same. Zane simply nodded at her words. Jondy took up a picture of Teli, looking at her closely for the first time. A note of surprise and bittersweet memories crossed Max's face when she saw that particular picture.
"Jondy, in that picture, Teli looks almost exactly like her mother."
****
Dear Angel,
The days have been flying past this last month. I can hardly believe it's the end of August already! Zane has been working me hard. But I must admit, I rather enjoy the training. I never knew what I was capable of until he came along and started helping me. I love the feeling of being able to work my muscles and stretch my limbs. It's like…I had always felt I wasn't doing what I could, and to be able to release that power now is an awesome feeling. Of course, it's a little hard keeping all this from everyone. Well, almost everyone. Kat knows; she's the only one who knows. She's been handling it rather well too. It must be hard for her though, it's a lot to take it.
On another note, Shane took me out after my workout today. He was a bit concerned with the cuts on my hands, but after a little reassuring (and good lying skills on my part) he was set at ease. I thought it was sweet, though, that he cared. We took a picnic lunch down by the lake. We talked and talked; his mind is full of hopeful ideas and open optimism. It's good to see someone with so much faith that things will turn out – it helps me get through the days when my training isn't going so well. I think you would like him. He's one of those people who want to change the world, make it a better place. Not what I expected, I must say. After all, he's got an earring, slightly unkempt (but cute) hair, and he was a ski instructor. Not that any of that means anything. It just goes to show that you can't judge people by what they first seem, as cliche as that saying may be. I hope I get to spend a lot of time with him the rest of this fading summer. He's a great guy. I wish I could tell him my story. Though, I'd be afraid of ruining his perfect views of the world. It'd be a hell of a lot harder to change the world with perfect soldiers out there working with the government to keep it how it is.
One thing I've noticed though: I thought that finding out why I'm different and where I came from would answer all my questions. But, in truth, it's only raised up more. Such as, what would I be doing today had you not gotten me out? And, most of all – where is my brother and what is he like today?
I get the feeling that all this training has a purpose, other then teaching me what I can do. And I get the feeling that whatever this alternative purpose is, it's about to come into play. And that thought, I must admit, scares me.
-- Teli