Asked from previous chapter-
Stockholm syndrome: is a psychological state in which the victims of a kidnapping, or persons detained against their free will – prisoners – develop a relationship with their captor(s). This solidarity can sometimes become a real complicity, with prisoners actually helping the captors to achieve their goals or to escape police. The syndrome develops out of the victim's attempts to relate to their captor or gain the kidnapper's sympathy.

Wings of Destruction
Chapter 5
Intellectually Brilliant

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"So, you're saying your best student was able to rebuild the nineteen-sixty model of the Firebird classic from scratch, eh?" Lieutenant Evan kept his hands locked behind his back and his gaze on the mechanics professor of the colony community college.

The professor nodded in response as he quickly shuffled away from the ex-military man and rushed towards the door to the classroom. "He… he's a very intelligent student," the professor rushed out past quivering lips. "The brightest I've ever seen."

Evan followed the professor through the door to the room where the mechanic students were currently putting together a trailer. He paused at the amount of student the class contained and furrowed his brows. His lips pressed together firmly as he noticed many women, as well as men, shifting through the pages of the text books and not working on the trailer.

"Vincent!" The professor shouted out as he quickly jogged up to his best student. "Vincent, there is someone here to meet you," he turned back to see Evan stalking in his direction then quickly rushed behind Vincent.

Vincent, who was busy heating the two pieces of metal together to meld them in place, stood up from his crouch after turning off the blowtorch and lifted the visor above his face. He looked over at Evan, the sweat, dirt, and grind plastered to his skin and his face shining in grease, and nodded his acquaintance. Lieutenant Evan was dressed in his classic build of governmental garnets, all black with red lines down the sides of his pant legs. He raised his head as he looked at Vincent's face.

"Joshua tells me that you managed to piece back together an antique from scratch," he stated with a demanding tone in his voice.

Vincent nodded, "Yes sir, I did."

Evan nodded, "Hrm… care to explain to me, how?"

"All I required were other scraps of metal and the rest I could meld together," Vincent replied. "It wasn't that hard, either."

Evan lifted a brow and took in a heavy breath. As he exhaled, he turned around to view the other students scanning through text books and trying to fix the trailer. "And I take it you will be able to fix this trailer all on your own, without any help?"

He returned to Vincent with a peculiar look on his face. Vincent took one quick glance to the trailer before nodding and returning to face the man. The professor came forwards from behind his intelligent student and smiled. Evan turned to face him.

"Vincent is, and has always been, one of my favorite students," The professor smiled at his pupil. "I was skeptical about him at first, being the only one who understood all of my lectures since day one when the rest of the class didn't even understand the physics of machines—but he surprised me yet with acing every question I threw at him."

The professor was smiling up at his pupil until he looked over and saw the intense gaze coming from Evan and returned to Vincent to see it from him, as well. He quickly looked away and bit his lower lip.

"I uh… I'll go check on my other students," the professor smiled up and waved his hand in the direction of the rest of the classroom, "see how they're fending." He rushed off before either one of them could say anything.

"So," Evan looked at Vincent. "You're an intellectual; wonderful." Evan grinned.

Vincent looked back at Evan and shrugged. "Everyone else is just stupid; I'm not that smart."

Evan smirked, "is that so? Then tell me," he paused to think of his quizzing question. "What is the perpendicular root of the feet around the colony measured in units?"

"Thirty-eight million, nine-hundred and fourteen point one-three-four," Vincent replied nonchalantly. Evan stood with a grin.

"And how did you come up with that answer?"

Vincent shrugged, "I challenged the theory of measurement by units and niks, a form not used much anymore because it's proved to be useful in calculating defense systems across the worlds; for that reason, it was erased from memory when computer technology took us into the colony age."

"Brilliant!" Evan roared. "Utterly brilliant!"

Vincent turned to look at his professor helping another student and sighed. He's worked hard all day and he had the trailer door to finish up before he could retire. His eyes were droopy and his system was beginning to fall asleep.

"How would you like a job?" Evan added in after the brilliant speech about not many people being able to do what Vincent just did in only a matter of seconds.

Vincent blinked up at him. "Pay rate?"

"Nothing at first, but when you're finished you'll get three-point-five million. Anything that goes wrong we'll pay for."

"What am I doing?"

"Fighting Synodd," Evan replied but he couldn't finish.

"No." Vincent shook his head once while snapping back his reply. He put the visor back on his face and crouched back down to begin melding the metal in place.

"You'll be with other people—other fighters," Evan shouted but Vincent ignored him and began working louder and harder to get his work finished. "You'll pilot a Gundam." He finally roared out, hoping Vincent could hear.

The blowtorch died and Vincent stood up while he removed the visor from his face. He looked confused when he faced Evan's grin again. He blinked; pilot a gundam?

"What's the distinction?" He nodded as he asked the question, testing the Lieutenant.

Evan shrugged. "We don't know yet; it's still on the drawing board. But we need somebody to pilot it."

Vincent looked down in thought, his lower lip becoming a chew toy for his teeth. His brows were creased as he thought about the task. He turned back to Evan.

"What's the range of Synodd?"

"Four million," Evan replied without hesitation. Vincent blew out a whistle of noise and turned away. "It's a huge army—I know. But I need to know if you'll accept this challenge or not. Anything that goes wrong we will fix."

Vincent nodded and turned back to Evan with a serious look. "Remember this, Sir… I only agree so I am certain that the enemy is taken down. I know Synodd is not as they claim to be, yet they own half the colonies already—including this one. But if I'm going to work on something I'm sure I get the job done."

"Great," Evan grinned back.

"The only reason I'm agreeing is because I know Synodd has to be stopped before they begin." Vincent's eyes narrowed into a glare. "I've seen their plans and I don't appreciate their view on life."

Evan blinked. "You hacked into the mainframe of Synodd?"

"No, but I'm not as stupid as the general public. When they say that life shouldn't die as fast as it does and the people shouldn't be forced to live the way they do, I know they're really meaning to play God and those powers shouldn't be dealt with by humanity."

Evan inhaled a deep breath. "You really are a very, intelligent, young man." He nodded with a smile. Vincent looked back down to his piece of the trailer and looked around to see what else he had to work on. "How old are you, again? Eighteen." Vincent nodded.

"I do believe you may be just the person we need to get this war finished off with. So you accept the offer?" Evan cocked his head to the side and crossed his arms before his chest.

Vincent sighed loudly and looked down at the trailer door by his feet. He smirked and pointed at it with the blowtorch. "All I know is that I need to finish this thing so I can get home and rest; I haven't had sleep in four days and the coffee and I are becoming enemies."

Evan tilted his head back as he let out a roar of laughter. He already knew Vincent had a sense of humor and that was precisely what was required for the job; getting too far fetched into the job would kill him. At least Vincent knew how to relax. He swung his right left arm around then landed his left hand on Vincent's right shoulder.

"Get it done and go to sleep," Evan chuckled loudly. "I'll contact you later down the week of where to meet at. You'll train, and then you'll be ready."

Vincent nodded. "Alright."

Evan turned to walk away and spun around to quickly add in, "Oh, and stay home for the next four days resting… you'll need it."