Chapter 2:

AN: Ok. Maybe there were quite a lot of grammatical mistakes in the previous chapter but now I've got an editor that knows what he's doing so everything's going to be alright :) Oh and that castrating thing was not meant to be there. A friend put it there without me knowing. Yeah, I killed him so now everyone's happy. Well, except him of course, being dead and all.

So let me get this straight: he didn't miss a single shot?" Handa asked Ratchet.

"No. It was insane. I've never seen an aim like his." Ratchet shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "Then he said he was the 'ultimate being' or something."

"Dude, that's messed up right there," Handa said, flopping back onto the couch next to Ratchet and closing his eyes. "Well, at least he didn't kill you."

Ratchet looked at Handa confused. "Wait! What makes you think he would've?"

Handa stood up and started pacing around the couch. Ratchet followed him with his eyes. "Oh c'mon Ratchet, a creepy guy in a shooting range all by himself, calling himself the 'ultimate dude'?" Handa walked behind the couch and leaned against the back rest. "A guy like that is definitely looking for trouble. All I'm saying is that he's a man you don't wanna mess with."

"Yes," Ratchet agreed, nodding his head. Ratchet's eyes wandered around the room. They found the clock sitting on the wall and he noticed it was time for training. He nudged Handa with his elbow and pointed towards the clock. Handa understood and they made their way towards the training grounds.

When they arrived they met Fenal and Dina who were suited up and ready to go. Ratchet and Handa approached them and they began to talk to each other. They were outside now, at the back of the base. In front of them was a large grass area covered in obstacles of all sorts. "Alright ladies, line up!" came a booming voice from behind them.

Dina jumped a little in fright, "God damn it, he always scares me like that," she whispered to Ratchet before running to her spot along with all the cadets.

Ratchet saw the man responsible for making Dina jump. It was General Racian, one of the fiercest drill sergeants Ratchet had ever met. Each of Ratchet's mornings was plagued by muscles made stiff by his drills. He was a well built man; he had large shoulders, but rather short legs making him look as if he might fall over at any given moment. He had horrible, green skin and a thick, brown bushy moustache. Ratchet disliked him. He had a good reason too. This man ran Ratchet ragged. He would always look for an excuse to make Ratchet run an extra ten laps or an extra hundred push-ups. Ratchet wasn't sure why Racian despised him but had decided not to ask because he knew he would just be punished even further.

"Today, once again, we, and when I say 'we' and mean you, will be running the obstacle course," Racian said while pacing up and down the ranks of nervous soldiers with a content smile on his face, not looking at any of them. Racian stopped in front of Ratchet to look at him. "Anyone got a problem with that?"

Ratchet looked at Racian square in the eyes. Racians rancid breath rolled over him like a wave but he kept a straight face. "No, sir," he replied blankly.

Racian stood right in front of Ratchet and shoved his face in front of his. "That's a good boy, Ratchet," he whispered, a complete look of hatred riddled on his face. Ratchet mirrored Racian's facial expression and didn't move from his spot. They glared at each other, neither of them daring to blink. After a short while, Racian's eyes softened and walked away from him as if it hadn't happened. Ratchets eyes followed him, full of hatred. "Well?" Racian shouted, addressing the whole group, "Stop staring at me with those idiotic expressions on your faces, get out there and run your asses off! Move, move, move!" The soldiers sprang into life and dashed frantically to the starting posts. Ratchet, didn't react the same way. He casually walked over to the line and readied to begin.

Racian walked over to the starting posts and blew his whistle. The pack of cadets immediately set off, jumping hurdles, climbing walls and darting through tires. Ratchet found himself in pole position by the start of the second lap. He remembered that when he first arrived, most of the cadets were in much better physical shape and than him and often lapped him within the first five or so laps. Now, over the days, he has scrapped his way out of last place and he could even manage to keep up with the leader. Today, though, was the first time he had ever been in front. He jumped the hurdles with grace and climbed the climbing frames and walls like a monkey in a tree.

After about 15 or so laps, Ratchet wasn't counting, Racian blew his whistle again and the remaining cadets, who were still on the obstacle course, collapsed onto the ground. Ratchet, however, remained standing and he felt rather pleased with himself. He had remained in front and had even lapped half the cadets. Ratchet felt the fittest he had ever felt in his life.

Everyone made their way back to the starting posts as they did everyday. Ratchet strolled proudly with his head held high looking as though he hadn't run the course at all. "Well, that was pathetic," Racian exclaimed, dismissing them all with a wave of his hand. "Ratchet, you stay behind," Racian said to him.

Ratchet rolled his eyes. "What could I have possibly done wrong this time," he grumbled quietly to himself. Ratchet stood in front of him, trying not to give him an excuse for doing another fifteen laps.

"Ratchet," Racian grumbled, looking into his eyes, "Come to room one hundred and sixty-two at seven pm tonight. Do not tell anyone about this or I will deal with you myself." And with that, Racian left Ratchet staring at his back as he walked away from him, head down. His eyebrows furrowed and he thought for a few seconds. He was now alone in the grounds; everyone else had left. Ratchet began to slowly walk back towards the main building.

"What the hell was that about?" he mumbled to himself, "Could I be in trouble again? Is Racian going to finally tell me why I'm here?" He lost his train of thought due to a feeling he couldn't shrug. He felt as if somebody was spying on him. He casually scanned the area, trying not to look to obvious about his actions and saw a shadow lurking at the corner of one of the buildings. Ratchet did not have long to stare as the mysterious shadow quickly disappeared as soon as he saw it. Ratchet gazed at the corner, half expecting the shadow to reappear again. After a minute, he shrugged his shoulders and forgot about it. What ever it was, it was gone now and Ratchet decided it was nothing and headed to the common room where the plusians were waiting for him.

"Jesus, Ratchet, you've gotten so fast that I can't even keep up with you for half a lap," Dina remarked, sitting on the couch next to Handa in the crowded common room.

"I've gotten a lot stronger and I feel healthier too," Ratchet said, flexing his triceps while sitting next to the television. He opened up a bottle of water he plucked from the table beside him and began to drink it.

"Well, you do tend to put on a bit of weight when sitting at home scratching your ass all day," Handa joked. Ratchet threw the pillow he was sitting on at Handa's head but he blocked it with a pillow of his own.

"Handa, how did a person like you get into the army?" Ratchet asked cheekily.

Handa laughed. "Well, I wasn't exactly the intellectual type and well, I needed a job. Pure and simple," he closed his eyes, put his hands behind his head and relaxed.

Ratchet turned to Dina, "What about you?"

"Oh well, I just don't want this idiot to go out and get himself killed so I came along to keep an eye on him," she replied, smiling. She leaned over and give Handa a slight nudge in the ribs. "What about you Ratchet? Why would an all-star like you come to a small galaxy like this?"

Ratchet shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Well, to be honest, I'm not sure. The president of another galaxy I saved a while ago told me she that the president of this plant needed me and so I went."

Ratchet had thought over it on the way back to the common room and had decided not to tell them about the special meeting tonight. Racian had made it clear he was not to. By the tone of Racians voice this meeting seemed to be important, so he dared not risk it.

"Did she tell you why they wanted you here?" Handa asked, now seemingly interested by shifting forward to sit on the edge of his seat.

"No…," Ratchet trailed off by turning his head away from them, trying to change the subject.

Handa, as if he had just read Ratchet's mind, began to talk about the television show shown last night and the topic was quickly forgotten about.

The cadets had a fulfilling day on the base. They went to the gym to workout for two hours after lunch and had a shooting range competition just before dinner. At ten to seven, Ratchet found himself in the common room once again. He spent a lot of time there as they had a full sized pool table, a large television screen and a game station. It was a place to blow off steam and socialise with the other soldiers. This time though, he was alone. The rest were still at dinner. Ratchet told them he wasn't hungry and stayed behind while they all wandered off for dinner. Ratchet rose from the seat he was sitting in and wandered off into the corridor, making his was to room 162.

The halls were silent and all he could hear was the thumping of his own feet against the metal floor. As he got closer and closer, Ratchet felt as though the passage was getting darker and darker but he continued nonetheless. Ratchet shuddered. Once again, he felt as though he was being watched so he stayed on full alert for any signs of movement. He decreased the speed of his walk. The corridor was almost pitch-black. Ratchet could see a rough outline of the shape of the corridor but he was getting nervous. Why, he wasn't sure. He continued to walk at a slow pace down the suspicious corridor. He read the door numbers as he passed them. 156,158,160… 162. He stood in front of the door for a few seconds. He was having second thoughts. He pressed his ear up against the door and listened in, hoping to hear something. There was nothing. It was perfectly silent. He checked his wrist watch. Seven o'clock on the dot. He rested his hand on the door handle and pressed down. The door opened and Ratchet entered the room.

AN: Just wanted to thank Hylic for checking my story before posting for mistakes and stuff. No idea when the next chapters up but I have the next two weeks off so I might do it then. This chapter was posted within a week because I was writing quite a bit tonight. Don't forget to review after reading! Until next time,

Sly Foxxx

EN: w00t! I am teh grammar H4x0r! LOL OMG I R TEH BEST!11!one!11(Hylic Soul)