"What did you call me?"
"Cupcake. Got stones in your ears or something...cupcake?"
Oh, I'm am SO killing her...
"I'm just gonna ignore you from here on out. Just start the damn thing."
"Ooh...Looks like Cupcake here is a bit touchy."
"Just turn on the damn thing already!"
"Alright, Cupcake."
I swear, one of the bullets from this sniper will end up on her skull.
A buzzer sounds, indicating the start of the test. I begin to look for targets. The holo targets are shaped as members of a rival gang: the 3rd Streets. Some stand in place, others "run" to the side, others duck behind a holo-cover. I prepared myself for the recoil of the sniper and pulled the trigger.
God. That freaking hurt! Apparently, I had not prepared myself enough for the full force of the recoil and my shoulder felt like it had been on the receiving end of that bullet. I yelped slightly at the pain, though luckily John had not heard it. Gritting my teeth and clenching the rifle harder to ignore the pain, I fired another shot, hitting a target square in the head. My shoulder still felt that it was being shot at everytime I fired, so I decided to speed things up. I began to pick off targets faster, missing a couple but eventually getting to them.
John didn't even seem to flinch. Looking very closely, however, revealed his clenching teeth at every bundle of shots. Part of me felt relieved that I wasn't being weak or something of that sorts, but another part didn't relish the fact that John was in pain. It felt...wrong.
Good god, Sel...Its a training sim... He's not going to die...
What if he sprains it too much...? Breaks it...?
You're getting distracted... Just shoot the damn targets..
Right... Targets...
Bullets, pain, and grunts passed by for another agonizing four minutes until the holo range finally buzzed again, the sim coming to an end. John looked like he was about to pass out and I'm pretty sure I had the same expression. My knees shook and gave in, making me fall knees-first onto the ground. My wound had healed, so that didn't worry me. What worried me was the fact that a couple of practice shots drained all my strength.
What the hell is wrong with you?! Five minutes and you give in?
Cut yourself some slack, Sel. You've never even held a gun before...
The Reapers won't care who can or can't hold a damn gun! I know some time still has to pass, but I'm not living the Reaper War in blood and flesh as I watch the galaxy crumble!
The Reapers won't be here until some time... Calm. Down. You have the Savior of the goddamn Galaxy wrapping his arms around you, trying to snap some sense to you...
Ugh, bloody hell! You just don't unders- wait what?
"Sel! Selena! Wake up! Come on, don't leave me here!" John pleaded in whispers as he shook her limp body.
"Mmm...Alex?"
"Uh...Its me, John." John said, slightly confused.
Holy crap. Did I just call him Alex? Fuck! I thought I was past that! Was I dreaming that fight with myself since I seem to be lying on the floor? Say something!
"Sorry. Forgot I wasn't dead."
Da fuck is going on, Selena?! Let me do the talking!
"When did you die?" John asked playfully, yet squinting my eyes, I cleary saw worry and confusion.
"Long time ago..."
Did you not hear me?! I thought you said you weren't going to tell him!
Ignoring the annoying voices in my head, I realized the extremely small distance between me and John. His breath still smelled of his mint toothpaste from a day ago. His big green eyes looking into my hazel ones. I didn't know what was happening in my head, but in that moment, it was just him.
"Love birds, snap out of it!"
Jack... I hate you so much right now... Ruined a perfect moment...
What's that supposed to mean?
Did I say perfect moment? I meant-
You're still on the floor...
Shit...
"I'm fine. Let me get up." I lifted myself from the floor, trying not to use John too much as leverage.
"Guess firing a sniper when all you ate were nutri-bars is a bad idea, huh?" I joked.
"Tell me about it. But seriously, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. But, are you alright?"
"Love birds, cut the chatter! Come with me to show you your scores."
And there you go again...
After reassuring John again, we followed Jack into one of the rooms I saw that I believed were bedrooms. Well, at least one of them isn't. Right next to the shooting range was a control room, where a woman was sitting behind several screens which I assume were security monitors.
"Here they are, boss."
Boss?! Well...
"thank you, Jack. Go see Zeek. Tell him I said they are cleared."
"Wow. That good? Well, see ya, Lovebirds."
Well at least she cut the cupcake crap...
"Selena and John. I'm Helena. Helena Blake."
Da fuck?! Helena Blake?!
"A pleasure. I'm impressed with your arsenal of weapons." John said as he shook her hand. I was still kinda dazed by her name. Of course, she looked way younger. Could it actually be THE Helena Blake? First Jack, now Helena... Things aren't the same...
"Thank you. And I'm impressed with you two. Your scores exceeded all the other initiates. So, you'll be excused from the Survival test. To put this short, welcome to the Templar Knights gang."
"Thanks for accepting us, Helena. Frankly, I thought it'd be harder." I said.
"Ha! It would have if you hadn't scores so high. Most of your shots were headshots or on vital areas such as the chest. You especially, young lady, did an excellent job with that sniper. So much so that you fainted afterwards it seems."
"Uh, thanks for the compliment. Quick question, how were we scored? And what was the expectation?"
"Well, headshots were twenty points, chest hits were ten, arms, legs and other non-vital parts five. The 'expectation' as you said was to score at least one hundred points. You two however..." she spun on her chair to face one of the screens and typed in something on the keyboard. Two names and two scores appeared on screen:
John-Score: 210
Selena-Score: 205
"Holy. Fucking. Hell. How the hell did we manage to get a score like that?!" I asked incredulously.
"More importantly, how did we manage to come out so close?" John added.
"I assume you took some type of weapons training, correct?" Helena asked.
John and I looked at each other then burst of into a fit of laughter.
"I fail to see what you find so amusing..." Helena said.
So formal... Jeez... Talk about a buzz killer...
"Sorry. Its just... Well..." John started.
"We escaped our foster home. Killed two guards trying to kill us. Never held a gun before." I finished.
Helena's eyes widened at the news. I'm pretty sure my reaction would've been the same if not worse if I were in her shoes.
"You're joking, right?" Her disbelief grew as we merely grinned at her, answering a silent 'no.'
"Unbelievable. You two should be in the military or something. However, I beat them to the punch so now you're talents will not go to waste. Incredulous revelations aside, as you may have noticed, we are not like the other ordinary gangs. We are the most powerful and control the majority of the city.
"Our goal is to eliminate the other gangs and stand as the sole ruler of the city. Of course, New York is a large place. Luckily, we are a large gang. And since you have proven to be quite skilled, I am sending you to our main base."
"I thought this was your main base." I commented.
"For New Bronx, yes. But not for the whole gang. I will tell you more tommorow. For now..." she lifted her arm and brought her omni-tool to life, speaking into it. "Jack. Come in."
Seconds later, Jack entered the room.
"'Sup?"
"Jack, please escort our two new recruits to their new bedroom."
"Yep, sure, boss. Come on, lovebirds."
And there she goes again with the nicknames... I am going to beat the crap out of her as soon as I don't feel like shit anymore...
We followed Jack out of the security room and down the hall, entering a small room with two beds, two closets, and a small bathroom.
Well... This is quite impressive... I could get used to this...
"Here you are, kiddos. Lunch'll be served in an hour so try not to make too much noise while you two are alone, alright lovebirds?"
She didn't... She did not just suggest that John and I are going to... Oh I'm am SO killing her...
"Thanks Jack. And quit it with the nicknames. For your own safety." I said coldly.
"Pfft! 'For my own safety.' Like you could take me on." Jack challenged.
"As a matter of fact, I could." I responded.
"That a threat, Cupcake?" Jack smirked.
"Just cut it out before things get ugly." I threatened.
"Okay, ladies. Back off. Jack leaves us alone. Sel's just a bit tired. Let her rest." Jack interrupted.
"Sure. I'll leave you two lovebirds. Have fun! Oh, and remember," she said as she was walking out, "Use protection!"
"Oh she is so dead!" I growled as she left. John grabbed me by the waist to impede my bloodrage. His warm hands calmed me somewhat.
"Calm down, Sel. Its been a tough day. Just rest for a bit, alright?" John said.
"But I don't wanna rest." I pouted. "I'm too tired to rest..."
"So what do you want to do then ,hm?"
A lot of things to that smexy bod of- woah! Waaay off track...
"Er... I guess... Well... Sigh. There isn't much to do here and I kinda feel like shit, so... Fine. I'll rest for a while." I said plainly.
"Alright. I'll tell you when lunch is ready. I'm asuming one of these rooms is some kind of cafeteria or dining room or something. Rest." He said and I quickly threw my self on the bed, exhaustion filling my body and John's smile bluring as sleep consumes me.
AN: OH MY GOSH! That took a helluva a lot longer than it should have. I am SO sorry for leaving you guys so long. Hope you enjoyed it and already working on next chapter. Unfortunately, semester exams are next week so I'll be bogged down with studying during the weekend and tests the entire week (blasted Real Life.) At any rate, I apologize for leaving you guys alone for so long and I will try with great effort to have the next chapter before the end of next week. Toodles!
PS THANKS FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS, FOLLOWS, AND FAV's! THINGS LIKE THAT IS WHAT KEEPS ME GOING SO IF YOU'RE ENJOYING THIS PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO REVIEW, FOLLOW, OR FAV.