Chapter Three: The Gauntlet
Serena sat at her desk rolling a blue pen on the surface with her index finger, her chin resting in the cup of her left palm as she stared at the endless files on her desk. Ever since she was brought to the organization, Serena had been collecting as much information she could on all the people involved in her parent's murders, but she still didn't know whom the man was that she saw in her house and who had brutalized her mother. Serena had vowed to find him, but every place turned up empty.
"AHHH!" Serena yelled in frustration as she swept her hands across the desk and flung her pen against the wall leaving it embedded in the alabaster. Getting up, she walked hurriedly out of her office, her shoes slapping against the marble floor, voicing her anger.
"Serena!" a cheery voice called from across the room.
Serena looked up from her destructive path and glanced over to see a blue haired woman waving at her to come over. Serena changed directions and within moments, was standing in front of Amy Neil, the weapon's specialist.
"Serena, I need you to test out the new prototype we just finished this morning! Can you do it right now?" Amy asked, excitement gleaming in her intelligent blue eyes.
Serena could still feel the anger and frustration coursing through her and quickly nodded. There was nothing like taking out your frustration with a gun in a shooting range.
Serena followed Amy over to the front elevator and they proceeded to go down to the basement. As they stepped out, Serena followed Amy into the main operations room. Every time Serena came downstairs, she always was amazed by the vast change in atmosphere.
Upstairs still held a semblance of the original Southern Mansion feel, but down here, it was a whole another story. Gone were the pure white alabaster walls with the looming glass windows, instead, everything was metal, the walls were metal, the ceiling metal, the doors metal and the only light source was artificial lighting from huge overhead lights.
They arrived in front of a huge double metal door that was air locked tightly. Amy flipped opened the black keypad and quickly punched in a code with practiced ease before placing her hand on the grid next to it to allow a computer to scan her print. Finally, she took off her thin wire framed glasses and bent towards a microscope looking tube and placed one of her blue eyes in front of the eyepiece. A quick retina scan completed the security check and with a low rumble, the metal doors unlocked and allowed them entrance into the engineering room.
"There it is." Amy said proudly, pointing to a metal display case with a solitary glass window with what seemed to be a rifle encased inside.
"It's a battle rifle, an upgrade between a pistol and assault rifle. It shoots long range and short, and is light enough to carry around with out seeming to be holding extra weight." Amy explained as she typed in the code to open up the case.
She grasped the gun by its black handle and carefully withdrew it from the case. Serena smiled in delight as she got a close up at the weapon. It was polished silver with a medium length shaft and a black scope rested on top of the body. The gun felt light, featherweight in her hands to her amazement and was perfectly balanced.
"It has two settings, it can shoot rapidly at twenty rounds a second or it can be used like a pistol, with one shot per trigger." Amy added while Serena continued to admire it.
"Would you like to try it out now?"
Serena nodded rapidly and walked over to the range booth as Amy headed to the control table. Serena picked up a pair of black earmuffs and placed them over her ears and slipped on a pair of black leather gloves as Amy started the target machine.
The target machine was a special creation of Amy's as well. Instead of having standing figures waiting to be shot, it had various objects flying in and out of view, varying yards and sizes and speeds to keep the shooter on edge. The machine had different difficulty stages, but Serena had surpassed them all years ago.
Pulling a pair of plastic goggles over her eyes, Serena placed the battle rifles scope in front of her right eye and waited for the targets to appear.
Momentarily, a human like figure appeared from the left side and ran across the room and without hesitation, Serena placed a clean shot in between its eyes.
That's another thing about Amy's machine, it had exact human replicas that acted as the targets. None of them were real, just robotic, but it provided a real effect for the shooters.
For a while, Serena kept the gun on the pistol setting, placing exact bullets in each of her targets until they swarmed in number. Serena easily switched settings and started spraying the bullets into the room and soon all targets were dead and lying limply as a robot could on the floor.
The sound of a single person's applause sounded in her ear as she pulled off her earmuffs. Confused as to who was watching her, Serena turned around and came face to face to the man who had been haunting her thoughts for years now.
"What are you doing here?" She asked in surprise.
He grinned, his pearly white teeth reflecting the dim lights and his musical laughed flooded the air.
"Just checking up on my favorite protégé." He said nonchalantly.
"Oh." Serena said wordless.
"Would you care for a little spar?" he asked
"Uh, I don't know, I was just testing out Amy's new weapon and I sort of have somewhere I need to be and I think that I should probably get uh-" Serena babbled before being silenced when he broke out into laughter again.
"Relax, Serena, you need to take a break and stop stressing yourself out." He spoke shaking his head in amusement.
Serena breathed in deeply and set down her gun.
"How about a go in the gauntlet before my meeting then?" She challenged him.
His light gray eyes lit up and he nodded his agreement.
"Amy, can you please set up the gauntlet simulation for us? We just going to have a quick go, it won't take very long, I'll have him beaten in a couple of minutes." Serena said confidently with a smile.
He raised an eyebrow at her and smirked before walking through the doors to the arena, Serena trailing behind him. The each took a place in one of the start gates, waiting for it to release and let them into the course.
Again, it was another design of Amy's. It was supposed to give the trainees an actual feel for combative and danger situations. It was possible to be hurt in the gauntlet, but few ever were, only the ones who disregarded everything their instructors said because they were too confident.
The gauntlet's goal was simple really; get through all of the obstacles before your opponent does. Extra points were rewarded for the least amount of ammo used and marks received.
When you were in the gauntlet, you actually used paint guns instead of real bullets or blanks because it was easier to calculate the hits on you and the hits you placed. The machines and "bad guys" all use paint guns as well with yellow paint while each of the competitors received red paint. The arena was divided in two halves so the opponents never ran into each other's courses.
The layout wasn't that difficult either; it was just the obstacles that could be considered tough. The gauntlet was set up as an inside jungle, the theme could actually be changed depending on what scenario the controller picked, obviously, Amy picked the jungle theme.
The buzzer sounded off and a light began to count down in their individual gates.
3...
2...
1...
GO!
The green light flashed rapidly as the doors swung open and Serena and her opponent both sprang from their holds and both immediately jumped and rolled to the right, in their respective sides to avoid an immediate burst of fire coming from the cover of the rainforest.
Serena
Serena rolled effortlessly to her right and slipped behind a boulder to cover herself from the fire. Paintballs chipped off the rock and splattered all around her as she quickly whipped out a sniper rifle, and twisted around, pulling slightly back from the boulder so she could see into the forest without giving away her appearance from leaving cover. She quickly scoped 20x and flipped on the night vision to enable her to see into the dark forest.
Expertly she located three human druids crouched by a collection of bushes and placed clean even shots in their foreheads, splattering red paint all over the bush. Serena scoped the rest of the path as far as she could see and took out five more guys waiting at least a mile ahead, clearing the path for a while.
Throwing the sniper rifle on the ground, Serena got up quickly and darted through the clearing into the cover of the woods. Breaking out into a fast sprint, Serena darted through the trees until she reached the spot where she had sniped out the last of the guys.
Briskly she crept along the mud ridden forest ground peeling her eyes for the slightest movement that could alert her to new enemies. Out of the corner of her eyes, she glimpsed a yellow speck blazing towards her and simultaneously she flipped backwards and pulled out two pistols and twisted mid air to shoot the two men on her left.
Landing, she advanced ahead and ended up at a rushing river, over flowing, the current stronger than she dared to handle.
Looking around, Serena spotted a smaller tree and walked over to it. She grabbed the branch above her and swung her slim body around and flipped up onto it. She continued to climb higher until she was at least one hundred feet off the ground before reaching into her coat.
She pulled out a small rope gun and shot it across the river to a tree three hundred feet away. Pulling out a metal clip, she hooked it on to the wire and jumped out of the tree, firmly clasping the handle.
Serena could hear the popping sound of multiple paint guns as the druids tried to hit her as she zipped across the forest top, but she was zooming at too rapid of a speed for them to accurately aim at her.
When she neared the end of the line, she let go and gracefully dropped to the ground, landing on her feet in a patch of plush grass.
Immediately yellow paintballs flew at her from all directions. Serena effortlessly did three front handsprings in a row before landing on her feet and flying down the rugged path through the forest.
Gripping her pistols in her hand she half turned and fired four quick shots behind her silencing the paintball shots as each of her shots hit dead on the mark.
Serena tossed her two pistols aside as she ran out of ammo in them and slowed to a walk, glancing around her surroundings. Up ahead she noticed two men standing slightly behind a patch of trees.
Grinning, she got off the path and started to trudge through the wild of the forest, trying to curve around them so she could come up from behind. Serena was always light on her feet, and she easily crept up behind them, soundless.
Serena walked up behind the first one and grabbed his shoulder, drawing him back and punching him in the face, and brought up her leg and kicked the other one in the back of the head before either had time to react and knocked them both out cold.
Ahead of her she could see the end gate with the bright red button that she needed to push to single the end of her run and that would halt her scenario. Gently she reached into her pocket and fingered a small round object, while grinning. She always saved the best for last.
She slipped slightly up through the forest and scoped out the end gate that was just a thirty yards away. She spotted five men on each side with three in the middle.
Serena picked out a rock from the floor and threw it over to the far left past the guarding group so it landed in the forest with a crash, alerting their attention to that side. All thirteen guards rushed over there and trained their weapons on the brush.
Serena smirked at their idiocy and carefully pulled the grenade from her pocket before pulling the pin and launching it across the air to land right in their midst. Five seconds later a huge explosion occurred knocking them over and spraying huge globs of paint in every direction, complete drenching them in red.
Laughing Serena immediately got up and launched herself at the gate in a dead sprint and jumped in the air when she was within eight feet and dived towards the button, slamming it with her fist causing the metal doors to immediately shut around her as the heavy duty plastic window was covered with yellow paint a millisecond later.
Serena collapsed on the floor and took in deep long breaths, her fatigue catching up with her, sweat dripping down her brow, dampening her hair.
Serena collected herself and got off the floor and walked over to the exit door, pressing the green button so it opened and allowed her leave. She walked back into the main room to find him waiting for her looking extremely haughty.
Amy came in soon after her and clapped her hands enthusiastically.
"Well done guys, that's the fastest anyone has ever gotten through the gauntlet. I'll have to add some modifications to make it harder the next time you go through."
"Well...?" Serena asked tiredly.
"Well what?" Amy asked confused.
"Who won?" Serena growled.
"Well it's obvious that I did, I got here first." He said pointedly, brushing his silver hair, damp with sweat, behind his ears.
"Actually, you both hit the button at the same time. It was quite remarkable in fact; no one has ever done that before. Plus, you both are so good that you both avoided being hit. Unfortunately for you..." Amy looked at him, "Serena hit all her men on the mark and you had to shoot one twice so Serena wins because she used the least amount of ammo."
His jaw dropped in shock as Serena's face lit up victoriously and she gloated. Sighing, he smiled.
"Alright, I know when I'm beaten." He walked over to Serena and stuck out his hand. She accepted it graciously and shook it, still grinning.
"I guess this means I really am the best." She goaded him.
Before she could even think, he had grasped her by the waist and flipped her on the floor on the square of her back. Serena gasped in shock and quickly kicked out her leg and swept him off his own feet so he landed roughly right next to her.
"Why you little she devil!" he exclaimed and pounced on her, trying to pin her down. Serena struggled and managed to flip them over, rolling on top of him, but that only lasted for so long. He immediately overpowered her and spun them over again, this time he straddled her waist, his hands clasping her wrists and holding them pinned against the floor above her head, his face inches away from hers.
Serena felt her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she stared up into his gray eyes as they flickered with various emotions. Serena tried to control her heavy breathing and closed her eyes trying to make her brain do what she wanted it to do.
Serena felt his weight being lifted off her and opened her eyes to see him standing next to her, offering her his hand.
Serena grabbed on to it and let him pull her to her feet.
"Thanks for the competition, Serena, I enjoyed it. Next time though, you'll be eating my dust. I was just going easy on you." Winking, he walked out of the room.
"Serena, what was that?" Amy asked.
"What was what?" Serena said evadingly.
"THAT! You and him! He was totally flirting with you! When did this begin to happen?" Amy asked in awe.
"Amy, I don't know what you are talking about. There is nothing between us and there never will nor can there be." Serena said a little too firmly.
"Why not?""Because he's like my brother, I could never think of him that way or him of me." She said, trying to convince herself more then Amy.
Amy just shook her head.
"I don't believe you." She said.
"Amy! I just look up to him! He's like the brother I never had, he takes care of me and I admire and respect him. He could never feel that way towards me and I owe him too much to let him fall in love with a person like me." Serena spoke gently.
"What could you possibly owe him, he's the one who made you like this, Serena." Amy questioned.
"He saved my life."
FLASHBACKSerena was walking down a dirty back alley, Luna wandering around by here feet as Serena pulled her tattered clothes around her tightly. She had just come out of someone's pool. Serena had made it a habit to sneak into people's pools late at night to wash off as much grime and filth she could. She may be a street urchin, but she was still a ten-year-old girl who hated being filthy.
Serena heard a twig snap behind her as she walked causing her to slightly hesitate in her steps before continuing at a quicker pace. Footsteps echoed of the brick walls behind her, heavy on the ground. Just as she was about to run, a hand grabbed onto her shoulder and slammed her into that alley wall.
In front of her was an older man, haggard and dirty, his breath rank with alcohol and his teeth rotten. She squirmed in his grasp, trying to get away, but he held her firm.
"Well lookee here at what I found! I found me a lil street gal! Purdy too! You gonna make me a happy man tonight lil lady." He grinned revoltingly pressing his body up against her.
"No, let me go!" Serena screamed in his ear, beating her fists against his arm and anywhere else she could reach.
"You a lil young, but I've been lonely lately so I guess it don't matta that you don't have a body." He decided, mostly to himself.
Serena screamed loudly as he began to kiss her neck. She closed her eyes tightly and tried not to breathe in his putrid smell.
'Why does this always happen to me?' she screamed in her head. 'Why? What have I done to go through such a torturous life? I'm only ten years old yet I have surpassed my age already.'
Silently, unnoticed by the man, small-crystallized tears gathered in her eyes and slowly drifted down her face, dropping off her cheeks and landing forgotten on the dirt ground. It was the first time she had cried in four years and it was like a dam broke. Tears poured willing out of her eyes now as her body began to wrack with sobs, but the vulgar man didn't heed.
'Please someone help me' Serena cried in her head, cried to any power out there that could save her.
A large hand appeared in front of her eyes and grabbed the man on his shoulder and effortlessly dragged him off Serena and threw him forcefully into a wall.
Serena stared in wonder at the person in front of her. His bright gray eyes were blazing with anger, his silver hair blowing wildly in the wind as he glared at the man who seemed to have been knocked unconscious by the force of hitting his head on the brick wall.
Turning his head, the man's eye locked on Serena's frightened ones and his features softened to a smile.
His face mesmerized Serena, as he neared towards her and offered her his hand. Hesitatingly she grabbed it and allowed him to pull her off the ground where she had slumped with ease. She was surprised to see that he wasn't actually a man, but a teenage boy about seventeen years old.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." He smiled softly and held her as Serena continued to cry out all the pain she had held inside for years.
"What is your name young one?" He asked her when her sobs had subsided.
"Serena." She answered shyly.
"Serena, what a beautiful name, my name is Seiya. Would you like to come with me? I will take you to my home and you can stay there as long as you like." He spoke gently, in a soothing tone and for some reason, as Serena stared into his eyes, she trusted him.
Nodding, she accepted his hand that he held to her and walked with him out of the alley into her new life.
END FLASHBACK"Yes he made what I am today, but without his help I wouldn't even be here right now. Being here is who I am, this is me now, but don't you see why we could never be together? I'm a just a child to him, I always will be. I'll be that helpless child that he knew ten years ago and that's all." Serena said spitefully.
"Wow, I never knew." Amy said softly.
"Not many people know. They think I was recruited the same way everyone else was, not because Seiya felt sorry for a pathetic little street urchin." Bitterness flooded Serena's voice.
"I don't think that's the way he looks at it Serena. You're beautiful, one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen and I have no doubt that Seiya hasn't noticed yet. Just wait, you'll soon recognize it, don't be blind Serena, it just gets in the way." Amy advised.
"Emotions just get in the way and I can't have them in this field. No, it's better this way." Serena said with finality. Amy conceded and shook her head.
A loud metallic sound caused both women to jump when a voice appeared over the loudspeaker.
"Serena get down here immediately! That is a direct Order!" Diamond's booming voice echoed of the metal walls.
Serena's aqua eyes widened and she moaned.
"Oh no! Stupid Seiya! I was supposed to go to the board room for a meeting with Diamond about my new assignment!" She yelled angrily at herself.Serena said a quick goodbye to Amy before dashing out the door and ran to the elevator. As soon as the doors opened, she ran through the hallways and slid to a stop in front of two fancy wooden doors. Smoothing her hair the best she could, Serena grasped the golden door handle and turned it slowly and opened the door before stepping into the conference room.
Peering, she saw Diamond's white head sitting at the top of the table and all of the people in the room looked at her when they heard her come in. They all stood at once in acknowledgment of her arrival.
Serena quickly surveyed them, not noticing anyone particularly until her bright aquamarine eyes met shocking cold blue ones, so dark, they seemed to go on forever, like a black abyss and she felt a shiver run up her spine...
Yay! Another chapter done! I'm on a roll with this! Hmm...let me clarify something really quickly just in case you didn't get the general idea. The gauntlet can change scenes because it's a holographic programming. Think the thing in Star Trek that is the hologram. It's like that except only the background is holographic. Anyone a little worried about Seiya? I know I am and I'm the one writing the story!! Hehe, don't worry, Darien will make his presence know, I'll make sure of that!! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review!