(A/N: I know, it took me a while to get back to this, but at least it wasn't another year. I'm just glad that I have the free time to write this, I'm usually just so busy.
If you read parts one and two of the "Future" chapters, then you know what career Layla goes into. This chapter basically shows how and why she became interested in it.
Again, sorry for the late update, but I at least hope that I can pique your interest with this. I'm a bit rusty with this story (that's what happens when you put something off for a while), so if it doesn't seem right, I apologize, but I hope that you still find it enjoyable.)
V-O-I-*0~0~0*-I-O-V
Layla watched with enthusiasm as the young Plumbers-in-training took different positions upon the orders of the two in the Alpha Squad. Some took a defensive position, others offensive, and a couple of them stood behind the rest, carrying bags and cases.
Suddenly, a sound like a loud horn rang in the room and large figures pixelated around the recruits. Realistic holograms of creatures appeared before them, many of them were much larger than they were.
"See? What did I tell ya?" Patelliday remarked to her. "They look real, don't they?"
She nodded, "Yes, they look so real. I can't believe this isn't."
One of the senior recruits gave an order to their underclassmen, gesturing towards the creatures. A row of lasers shot by the younger recruits were shot at the creatures, causing the holograms to disappear on contact. Some of them remained, however, and charged at them for an attack.
The other Alpha Squad member gave an order to those who did not fire at the holograms. All at once, they activated something on their wrists and a transparent dome-like shield appeared above them, protecting them from the creatures.
The shield fell and the laser fire continued at the holograms. A creature that managed to avoid it and assaulted one of the firing recruits. Although there was no injury due to it not being real, one of the recruits in the back came up to them with a case and wrapped a gauze around their arm.
The 'injured' recruit then took out a round, dark, metallic object and threw it at the remaining creatures. Blue sparks flew like fireworks, wiping out the holograms completely, leaving only the young recruits as the victors.
"The stun bomb," Patelliday commented. "Used to use those a lot when I was their age."
Layla was amazed, she never thought to have the opportunity to watch such a thing. She was surprised by not only how it was done, but how similar it was to the television shows and movies she had seen. She never imagined that the Plumbers would be similar to the military on Earth, at least not to the degree she saw.
"What happens now?" she asked.
"Well, now a score will be given on that big screen over there," he pointed at a large, flat screen mounted on the wall. "They need at least an eighty percent or more to be considered for the next stage of training."
The screen turned on, slowly, filling the room with suspense. A number appeared, seventy-two, a failed course. All of the recruits, including the Alpha Squad, groaned in defeat.
"That's a shame. Must've been too fast," he commented.
She turned her head to look up at him, "Too fast?"
He nodded, "This is a simulation that's supposed to feel like a real battle ground and a war doesn't end in five minutes."
"What will happen to them?" she asked again.
He patted her head, "Lots of curiosity in that pretty little head. Now, they'll have to take it again and try to make it look like war."
They started to leave and a recruit began to fiddle with their blaster, there must have been a problem with it. While they were looking at it, it accidentally fired at one of the projectors used in the simulation, causing it to fall. There was a Plumber officer standing under it, unaware of the falling device.
Layla noticed it just as she and Patelliday were leaving and quickly extended her hand out. It glowed dark blue and, at the same moment, so did the projector, stopping it. The officer felt something fall onto their neck and saw the projector above them.
They looked at the platform she was standing on and saw her with her glowing hand. She saw them point at the ground and carefully set the projector down. She released her telekinetic hold on it and left to catch up with Patelliday.
She ran up to his side, grateful that he didn't walk too far, "Hi."
He laughed, "Hey, there you are. How'd you like watching it?"
"I'm sad they didn't pass," she replied. "They all worked so well together, too."
"That's what the Plumbers are all about, protecting the innocent and each other and fighting the good fight," he told her.
When she heard that, she began to think about what she had seen and learned that day. It was strict training with no guarantee of passing, but it was in order to help countless people on many worlds.
She had been thinking about the Plumbers ever since Ben, Gwen, and herself were cast into the future and they met their adult selves. Before that day, she was hardly thinking about becoming a Plumber, but afterwards and all she was learning, she was beginning to think that it could, in fact, be her destiny.
The next day, after Patelliday had left to perform his duties, Layla was eagerly waiting for Bai-Obi to arrive. He said that he would talk to her when he came to deliver her food and she had questions that she hoped he would be able to answer for her.
Soon, while she was watching her holograms as she usually did, she heard the door slide open. It was Bai-Obi, carrying the tray he used to bring her food.
He smiled and handed the tray to her, "Here you are. Your usual meal without the Corcoran Highland goat livers."
It sounded like a joke to her, yet there was no hint of it in his voice. Nevertheless, she smiled as she took it, "Thank you."
"I know you wish to talk to me more, I can give you the next one hundred and twenty seconds," he told her.
She knew that he was telling her that he could only speak with her for two minutes and she wanted to take advantage of that little bit of time. She just hoped that he would give her a response she could understand.
"I got the chance to see a training simulation yesterday," she mentioned.
"I heard it was a failure," he replied. "Mine was scheduled to be afterwards, it will have to wait."
She frowned, "I'm sorry to hear that."
"It is nothing. It happens often," he assured.
Her thin time was hanging by a thread and she wanted to ask him a question before he left, in case she never did again. She was suddenly becoming very nervous about it and barely got her words out, "S-so, um, I've been thinking…"
"Yes?" he inquired. "What is it?"
"Th- Theoretically, i-if I be- became a P-Plumber, d- do you think I- I would pass?" she nervously asked.
He was quiet for many seconds and she thought he was thinking about it, about her capabilities. However, as more time passed, she realized he was actually stalling; wasting time so that he wouldn't be able to answer her.
He headed for the door, "I must take my leave. My time is up."
"Bai-Obi! Please, just be honest with me," she pleaded.
The door opened and before he left, he said to her, "It matters not only the capabilities of your team, it is your own as well."
He left the quarters, leaving his words swirling in her mind like a hurricane. Of course, she knew that there was more to being a Plumber than putting on armor and donning their weapons, but she was discovering that there was much more than a hidden meaning when it came to becoming one.
As she prepared her food on the tray, she was asking questions out loud, "Am I not strong enough? Am I not smart enough? Does he not believe in me? D- Ugh!"
While she was squeezing a meal of dark brown beans in a purple sauce with the consistency of melted caramel out of a large plastic packet, it spilled onto the table by accident. She used a rag to clean up the wasted food.
With the mess cleaned up, she started to eat her food. She had eaten the beans in the strangely colored sauce before, it tasted good to her, sweet and savory with a slight umami flavor when first in the mouth.
Such a conflict of unusual flavors would seem unappetizing to an ordinary person, but she liked it and it was becoming one of her favorites. Oddly enough, it somewhat reminded her of a candy bar she once had.
Suddenly, the door slid open again and instead of Bai-Obi, it was Patelliday. She didn't expect to see him back in their quarters so early, his shift didn't end for a few hours.
"Hi, why are you back so soon?" she asked.
"Oh, this old fish forgot his charger for his blaster," he answered, looking through a drawer. "Now, where is that thing?"
"Uh, while you're here, can I ask you a question?" she asked him again, her nervousness resurfacing.
"Sure, what do you need?" he inquired.
"Well…" she paused as she gulped, this time swallowing nothing, "I- I've been thinking since yesterday… d-do you think I c-could make it through the s- simulation?"
He was quiet for some time, longer than Bai-Obi was earlier. There was no sound in the room, not even from him rummaging in his drawer.
At first, she thought she was going to get the same response as she did from Bai-Obi. One that she didn't understand and that disappointed her.
Then, he gave her an answer, "If you train hard enough, listen to your instructor, and work together with your squad, you can make it through no problem."
Her face lit up with surprise and hope, "Really?"
He nodded with a hum, "Yep, I think you could. Is that the answer you wanted?"
"Well," her eyes looked to the side as she fiddled with her fingers, "I- I'm not saying th-that I want to be a- a Plumber… now… I wanted to hear an honest an- answer."
He found the charger for his blaster, but didn't leave with it yet. Instead, he put it into a container on his utility belt and went over to her. Since she was still quite short from her lifelong malnutrition, he bent over slightly to be eye level with her.
"Listen, sweetie, if you want to become a Plumber, I support that. That being said, I don't think you should enlist now," he told her empathetically, cupping her cheek. "You're underweight and too short for your age, you're not healthy enough to pass the physical exams. Please understand, I want you to be strong and healthy. Alright?"
She nodded silently, "Yeah, I understand."
She stared at the floor with a frown as he walked away from her to take his leave and return to his duties. Before he stepped out of their quarters, he had something else to tell her, "I had a junior officer come to me today, he said he was impressed with your powers. He said he wanted to say thanks."
"Oh, uh, tell him I said it's not a problem. I'm glad he thinks so," she replied, somewhat awkwardly. She suspected that it was most likely the officer from the previous day, who was nearly hit by the projector.
He smiled to himself, "I will." With that the door closed and she was left alone to think about everything she heard that day.
V-O-I-*0~0~0*-I-O-V
(A/N: I know, it's a little bit short again, but I did say that I was rusty. I'm just glad that I finally found the time to get back to this, even if not my best work (but not my worst either).
Hmmm, I wonder why Bai-Obi was so hesitant to answer her question? (Hiding something?) Good thing Papa Patelliday did! ;)
That being said, it means she's not going to jump right into the Plumbers' training. No, it's something that might take a little while (at least within the story, probably not with the chapters). The reason for that is, I didn't want it to be rushed, she literally just met her future self a couple of chapters ago and what she ended up doing with her life.
Anyway, I don't want to keep you any longer, so this is goodbye for now. I'll try not to take another eternity.)