The Girl From The Middle Of Somewhere

Part 5: The Rise

11 years later

Eleven years had passed since the day in Easthaven. Albeit a horrible event, the council had passed it off without giving a second thought. Many small villages around the Kingdom had suffered the same fate over the years, and such small things were quickly lost in the costant happenings of the Capital.

The city was a sight to behold. Great, snow-white walls surrounded the city built party on a hill. On top of the hill stood the great castle of the Kingdom, where the council and the king lived, taking care of the realm every day. Like all great cities, the rest of the Capital had been built around the castle itself. The houses were built out of the same white stone as the walls, with building on the hill housing the upper class, nearest to the protection of the castle. The ordinary people lived down below, at the ground level, in less luxury but still living good and peaceful lives. Poverty in the city was very small, and well organized trade routes kept the markets stocked up on merchandise. Countless farms surrounded the city walls, giving its inhabitants constant access to supplies. The whole city was really the pinnacle of advanced societies, with crystal-powered lamps keeping the city streets lit at night and effective sewer systems transporting all the waste out. The library was the greatest in the whole world, housing thousands upon thousands of books and scholars, who worked relentlessly to advance the achievements of science and magic. The city had its own police force, and in case of an attack, a great deal of soldiers working for the Kingdom's army were situated in the barracks built beside the castle. Really, if someone asked someone else about the best place to live in, they would probably response "The Capital." Even the Southern royalty, whose land was filled to the brim with riches, was always impressed when they visited the city. What better place would there have been to take a little girl to?

That was probably what Kinessa was also thinking when she first saw the great city in all of its glory. A new life, a new place to live in, new people to meet and new things to discover. After her situation was explained to the officials, she was allowed to stay in the city with a companion of her own choosing. She immeadiately chose Strix, whom she had bonded with during the journey. Strix didn't object, just grunted his approval and continued to stare into the distance with his steely gaze. Shortly after moving in, she managed to impress his new guardian with her skills with the slingshot after taking out some rats which had made home in Strix's apartment while he was away. After a short consideration, Strix asked whether Kinessa wanted to try out a real gun, which she immediately accepted. Turned out that she was a natural, as evident by her amazing first scores. The girl was eager to learn to defend herself, so that she could maybe one day take revenge on those who killed Mars. And so, after months of pushing, Strix eventually agreed to train her in the ways of the sniper.

That was eleven years ago, and since then a lot of things had changed. The city had grown, the Kingdom was flourishing, and, most importantly for our story, Kinessa was no longer a little girl.

In front of Strix's apartment, where years ago had stood a sorrowful girl, now stood a woman. Kinessa had aged up well. She was quite tall, her hair had gained extra volume, her body was very fit and she had generaly become an above-average woman. And that hadn't gone unnoticed from the city. When she arrived, she was the main attraction of the district. Tales of her misfortune spread quickly, and people from around the city came to greet her. But in a big town, such tales are forgotten fast, and soon the mysterious southern-looking girl was forgotten. Only a few years later when she began growing up did she gain attention again. It was clear from the start that she was going to be quite the looker, and that coupled with her exotic skin tone meant that she attracted the eye of many young males around the city. Kinessa, however, was not interested in any approaches from the opposite sex (or the same one, as it was also quickly noticed.), and so most of them realized to quickly leave her alone. Except some of the more stubborn ones. Usually she just drove them off with a couple of murderous glances, but few nasty incidents marked her stay in the city. The first one was Mark Brightwish. When Kinessa was 18 and spending her first night at the bar, Mark saw the opportunity to finally get close to the exotic beauty. However, as soon as he began to hit on her, he regretted it. Turned out Kinessa was naturally quite resistant to alchohol, and it did not make her an easier target. Quite the opposite, actually. She was quite pissed about some guy trying to ruin her night, and in front of the whole bar, gave him a verbal beatdown of such scale and severity that some of the sailors visiting the city at the time heard of it and came one day to ask her for guidance. She directed them to her own teacher, Tyra. As for Mark, he went home, stunned and silent after Kinessa's treatment. His neighbours claimed that he had cried himself to sleep for three weeks. However, that was nothing compared to the incident of James Cloudgaze, the rich playboy known as "Lasscatcher." He was extremely confident in his skills with women, and could snag a date withing minutes. When Kinessa was 20 and pretty much reached her physical maturity, James happened to spot her at the marketplace one day. Determined to be the first guy to score her, he approached Kinessa from behind, whipered "Hi, baby" into her ear, and briefly groped her.

Kinessa herself did not comment, but a crude version of the event could be assembled from the fightened tales of the passerbys. They said that after James had grabbed her, Kinessa turned around, murder in her eyes. What happened next couldn't have been put together without the dozen witnesses at the scene. In a span of exactly 3.2 seconds, Kinessa turned around and kicked James's right kneecap from the front. A loud crack was heard as his knee started to point into the opposite direction. After that, she swiftly flanked him as he was falling down, grabbed his left hand and broke his elbow. Still continuing the movement, she grabbed his right hand, flipped him to his back with it before letting it fall to the ground and stepping on it, breaking the palm of his hand and all fingers. He didn't even have time to register his severe injuries, as Kinessa grabbed him by his blonde, curly hair and hurled him at a nearby wall, breaking several of his ribs and tearing off a handful of his hair. As James hit the wall, he hit his head, falling into unconsciousness. After this, Kinessa just shaked the hair off her hand, spit onto the man lying in front of her, and continued on. After a few steps, she looked a bit nauseous, but passed it off and kept walking. The onlookers were just stood staring for about a minute before anyone realized that they should call for help.

Kinessa herself couldn't explain the inhuman feat, and didn't want to talk about the incident anymore. "I just hope that that idiot learnt from the first time. The second won't be so gentle," she said. Well, James really learned his lesson. His injuries were so severe that the cost of the healing took almost all of his gold, and he was forced to move out of the city into some small village in the countryside. He hasn't been heard of since. That was the cue for all the young wooers in the city to stay clear of Kinessa.

Back in the present, Kinessa had just woken up for her big day. A big day, which she hoped would go better than the first one. Actually, she had beforehand asked for her friends patrolling the city walls to keep an extra eye out for invading armies or other similar threats. This day was even more special than her 10th birthday. It was her 21st birthday, and also the day when she would try to join the army.

From the beginning, she had wanted to be a part of the royal army, but her age had of course prevented that. So, instead of learning to knit and dress up dolls like so many other girls her age, the 10-year-old Kinessa had went through harsh daily practise. Viktor, Strix and Tyra had put together a training program for her, so that when she finally turned 21, she would be better equipped to handle the test than any other recruit. Strix took care of the marksmanship. Her unusual accuracy made her the perfect sniper, and thus they had spent atleast two hours at the shooting range almost every day for 11 years. Her top scores were plastered onto the walls of the place, and they were quickly running out of room. Viktor was the trainer of her physical prowess. When she wasn't at his personal gym, Viktor was either lecturing her about proper diets or training her in hand-to-hand combat. And finally, Tyra was responsible for everything else. She taught her hunting, survival skills, stealth, swimming, climbing, crafting and a bit of dancing. (You never know when you have to infiltrate a ball.) This program, coupled with natural talent and determination had in eleven years turned her from a sweet little girl into the perfect soldier, capable of holding her own against almost any opponent and killing them in over 174 ways. (Making them choke with marsmallows was one of her favorites.) And now, as she streched her limbs in front of Strix's apartment, she could feel it. She was ready for this.

As she started making her way to the exam site, some of the familiar faces in her neighborhood popped up. On the other side of the street, in front of a shop with an arrow sign hanging over the door, sat a young woman, only a bit older than her. Her wild orange hair and different-colored eyes gave her a bit of a crazy look, but Kinessa knew that she was mostly harmless. Well, atleast when her customers paid on time. She looked like she was carving a bow. Which, considering her profession, was not quite so unusual. "Hi, Fletch! What's up? Making another "Masterpiece"?", she called out. The woman named Fletch sighed. "I have told you a million times, bows are real weapons, not just toys for children to play with! ", she called back angrily. "Oh yeah, let's ask one of the "greatest" bowmakers to ever live about her opinion on them. Surely we'll get an unbiased opinion," she said with a mocking tone. "How do you even keep this place running? The only customer I have seen in a while was that redhead with the impossible braid and a bird," she continued. "She is the daughter of an old acquaintance of mine. But no, she's not the only one. You're probably just off getting ready for you "Big day." It's today, isn't it?" "Sure it is, neighbor," Kinessa said proudly. "You're invited to come and see my success." No thanks," Fletch said. "I'm pretty busy with all these orders. If you had ever bought something, then maybe I could reconsider." "Still trying?", Kinessa almost laughed. "You're my eternity project," Fletch replied back. "Well, sorry to tell you, but I'm only using real weapons. You know, guns, grenades, mines, that sort. Tell me when you have some in stock," Kinessa said and left, leaving Fletch looking a bit puzzled.

Some onlookers could get the idea that these two women hated eachother, but it was quite the opposite. They were good friends, growing up on the same street for most of their lives. Their squabble was just casual rivalry between them. Fletch had lived in the Capital her whole life. Her father was a renowned bowmaker who had died when she was eight, leaving her without a family. Instead of going to the orphanage, she had somehow convinced the officials to let her remain home and continue her father's business. Apparently, she had proved to be able to keep the business going as well as herself alive. Some also whispered that the inspectors had went to the healer with some nasty arrow marks all over their body, but the claim was largely speculated. Mostly because, as ironic as it is, Fletch was a terrible archer. Yes, a bowmaker who cannot shoot a bow. Laugh it off and leave the girl be. Even though she had admired bows her whole life, she was better at shooting guns. Quite the problem for someone working on the field, but that's irrelevant. She was happy, her customers were happy, and so everyone was happy. Case closed, back to business.

Kinessa made her way through the city towards the exam site, which was situated just outside the walls near the army's larger training grounds. Every year a small part of the area was fenced off for the test. This year it was the small forest near the edge of the area. The forest was quite thick and had only a few clearings, most of which were hills. She glanced at the sky. It was widely known that the exam was monitored from the air with little flyers, which the tech guy of the barrack called "drones." They were able to transmit everything they saw into the monitors in the observation booth so that the judges could see every bit of the action. And sure enough, there they were, checking all the angles to make sure everything would be captured.

Turning her gaze back to the ground level, she saw Strix, Viktor and Tyra already waiting by the fence. Strix spotted her and gestured her to come closer. "Finally decided to wake up, did you?", Viktor called to her as soon as she was within hearing distance. "Well, you know me, gotta give it my best today," she said back, smirking. "What's the deal this year? I'm guessing something a bit more exotic if I can say anything by the location." "You're right," Tyra said back. "I haven't seen this since I myself took the exam. Free-For-All. They must really want the pros this year."Kinessa looked a bit dazed, as if not believing her ears. "Free-For-All? Really?" "Seems like it," Strix said. "All the recruits go to the different parts of the forest with non-lethal stun guns. The last one standing is instantly accepted, the rest are judged by their performance." Kinessa nodded. "And who is the main judge?", she asked. The others looked at each other warily. "Max," Viktor finally said. Kinessa groaned. Why did it have to be her least favorite instructor? Max had never liked female recruits, believing that they didn't fit into the army. But he had only begun to really hate her when she had turned down his son, Luke. Luke had been one of the more stubborn ones, and had required some special treatment. (Namely two ribs and a crushed windpipe.) As far as she knew, Luke was also taking the exam. He wasn't that good, but his dad had made sure that his "Wonder-boy" was given the best chance possible to follow in his father's footsteps. In short, Luke was a spoled, whiny brat. This was gonna be a fun exam.

A while later, almost all of the recruits had gathered to the field. There were maybe 30, only the best this year. Kinessa knew them all by name, but that was pretty much it. After the Easthaven incident, she had avoided making new friends, especially ones in military. Only Luke shot her a murderous glance from across the field, to which she responded with a mockingly charming smile. His voice had been raspy ever since she crushed his windpipe, and she liked to remind him of it every time she got the chance, being a living embodiment to Luke of his worst chance ever of trying to hit on a girl. However, that glance was short-lived, as Max stepped onto the podium with three other judges. Everyone fell quiet as he began to speak. "All right. I suppose you already know what's going on today. Free-For-All with stun guns, CQC is allowed, last one standing is instantly accepted. The rest of you have to wait for our decision. Is everything clear?" Everyone nodded. "All right then, get your guns from the table and wait for your instructor to take you to your starting position. Let's get this show on the roll!"

Ten minutes later, Kinessa was making her way to the other end of the exam area. Luckily, Tyra had been assigned as her instructor, and was giving her last-minute advice. "When you're under fire, always seek cover first, only then seek out the shooter. The exam is so short that you don't need food, but fire can still draw some slower-minded recruits to you for easy kills. It's uncommon, but if you encounter a Daemon bear in the woods, remember that they are scared of ducks, so immediately make your best watefowl impression." As they approached her starting position, Kinessa was starting to show some signs of stress. Even though she had prepared for this exam for over a half of her life, there were so many things that could go wrong. Ambushes were her worst fear. She could get dropped out of the game early, and the judges would dismiss her as just one of the wannabe-military kids. Max would make sure of that. But before she even knew it, they had reached the starting location. It was a small ring on the ground, which had been engraved with her name, "Kinessa Darkstalker." The circle would turn green when the time began, and red if the recruit inside of it took a headstart, which meant immediate disqualification. Tyra led her to the ring, which turned yellow, registering that she was inside of it. There was no going back now. Tyra took her by the shoulders. "Well, good luck, kid. Remember to keep your cool and look awesome. It should get you some extra points." "Thanks," she replied, "But points won't be needed when I'm number one." Tyra gave her a supportive smile, before making her way back to the observation area.

The minutes grew longer as she waited for the ring to change color. She was sweating, partly because of nervousness and partly because of the summer heat. The gun felt heavy in her hand. It was a pistol, modified to fire rubber bullets which could knock out the target with a few hits, as well as leave some nasty bruises. The twenty-fire round magazine meant that precise shots were required. After checking her gun for the umpteenth time, the waiting continued. Until suddenly, it didn't.

As the ring turned green, Kinessa sprang to her feet. She could feel her heart beating as she made her way to the forest, determined to come out on top.

12 minutes later, she was starting to get a bit worried. It was not because of the instense action happening all around her. It was the lack of it. At this point, she should have atleast encountered some other recruits, or heard the sound of elimination bells. She was seriously starting to freak out by the lack of competitors. Tyra's warnings about Daemon bears briefly crossed her mind, but she quickly came to her senses. No bears had been detected in the area, or else the exam would have been postponed. No, something else was going on in here. Something sinister, and she didn't like it.

"Why, hello there, Kinny," came a raspy voice from somewhere in the woods. Kinessa immediately recognised it belonging to Luke as he walked out of the shadows. "Watch with the nicknames, dude. Don't you remember what happened the last time? Also, calling out to the person you were gonna ambush might not be the best idea. You should really reconsider your strategy," she called back. "Oh, but it's your real name, isn't it? Kinny Nessa Darkstalker? Don't you remember?", he said with an ominous tone. Her blood froze. He wasn't just making up nicknames. He was calling her directly. "Do not. Say. That. Name.", she growled back. Only this small reminder of her past made her mind reel back to Easthaven, to her last night there. She again felt like a scared little girl, and was fighting not to show it. Luke cackled. "Not really good at making up new names, are we? Kinny and Nessa to Kinessa? Get yourself some imagination." "We'll see who can imagine anything when I put one between your eyes. How do you even know about it? ", Kinessa asked him, voice brimming with anger. Luke seemed to be enjoying himself, savoring every moment of seeing Kinessa in her weakened state. "Oh, dad did a bit of research on your past for me. Quite tragic, actually. Also, you might want to point that thing elsewhere. This is still an ambush, after all, and dad got me some friends to make sure of that." Suddenly, all the other recruits popped from the woods, pointing their stunners at her. Kinessa tried to take in the fact that twenty-eight new hostiles had just surrounded her, apparently bribed by Max to ensure that his son got his revenge and victory. "You son of a bitch!", she shouted. "Is this your conception of a fair fight?" "Fair fights ended for you the moment you humiliated me," Luke said with terrifying calmness. He was a man who knew he had already won. Cold sweat was dripping down Kinessa's neck. She knew that her career was over even before it begun. Considering she would survive 29 rubber pellets hitting her body at once with high speeds. Luke was having the time of his life. "Well, well, well, looks like little Kinny here is losing her cool. How adorable!" Kinessa's gaze hardened. "Shut it," she whispered. But Luke wasn't going to end his moment of glory so soon. "She is falling down, just like her dumpster of a hometown. What was it? Easthaven? More like Worsthaven." he said and laughed at his own joke. "Shut it," Kinessa said a bit louder. "Oh no, is our little girl going to cry? Seems like it. I bet she cried quite a lot when she realized that everything she loved had ended!" Luke was really going at it now. Kinessa could not take much more, and he knew it. "SHUT IT, YOU DISGUSTING EXCUSE OF A HUMAN!", she screamed now, tears streaking her cheeks. Luke was laughing at the top of his lungs. "Look, guys, she's breaking down! Reminds me of someone else… oh yeah! I remember! It started with M… Mars, wasn't it? She's breaking like her precious Mars!

Years later, when someone asked Luke what he regretted the most in his life, his response was that exact moment. That moment would haunt his nightmares every single night. That moment was the beginning of a huge downhill that was the rest of his life.

That was the point when Kinessa Darkstalker finally snapped.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

At that moment, Kinessa stopped feeling. But at the same time, she was feeling everything. It was as if some final wall in her life had been removed with Luke's last few words, and now nothing was holding her back. The air grew heavy with pressure that seemed to be emanating from her. All the other recruits felt it. But Luke was too caught up in his madness to notice all the "This may have been a bad idea"-faces his collaborators were giving him. Kinessa smirked, as her sanity momentarily left her. Her left eye was twitching with the ominous pressure which was welling up inside of her. She had never felt this much in control. She could see everyone and chuckled at how slow they were. Actually, they didn't seems to be moving at all. She lifted her weapon.

Luke finally took another look at Kinessa. What he saw shut his mouth instantly. There wasn't a woman standing in front of him. There was a predator, with eyes practically leaking murderous instinct and a dark aura flowing around her. He and everyone at the observation site looked in terrified awe as Kinessa span around with unnatural grace and speed, emptying her magazine at the other recruit's skulls. In under 4 seconds, they were all lying down in the ground, and Luke noticed that almost all of his backup had fallen, with only three others still standing beside him, quivering in fear. He stood frozen in place as this monster of a woman took a step towards him. The closer she got, the more pressure he felt coming off of her. When she was five steps away, the last of his companions fell unconcious from the murderous aura. Luke himself fell to his knees as she stepped right in front of him. "Please, it was just a joke," he pleaded. Kinessa looked at him with eyes so cold they could have turned magma into obsidian. A small gust of wind seemed to pass the pair. Then she turned away and began walking into the opposite direction.

Luke hadn't even noticed that he was holding his breath. He breathed out in relief, knowing that the danger had passed, and that he had somehow been spared. And at that moment he shattered. Literally.

When the scene was later viewed in super-slow motion, the examiners could see something which looked like Kinessa striking Luke repeatedly so quickly so many times that it was invisible to the naked eye. This motion was so fast that it took a few seconds for Luke's body to register the damage that had been done to it. Only then did his bones shatter. Later, when he was being examined, the healers noticed the true extent of the injuries. All of his ribs and and his collarbone had been broken. His shoulder had been crushed. A particularly powerful blow had torn his jaw to pieces and blown all of his teeth to smithereens. It was way worse than what had happened to James Cloudgaze. It was actually a miracle that he was still alive.

As Luke fell down, Kinessa's murderous aura finally faded and time seemed to start flowing normally again. This was different than when she had won the slingshot competition or beaten up James. This time she had fully controlled the event, and it didn't just seemed like fighting against nature. It was like she knew the full potential of this power, and how she could tap into it. But that still didn't explain WHAT it was. She stopped worrying about it as she made her way out of the forest. Suddenly, she noticed the shocked gazes that surrounded her. She hadn't remembered that the whole event had been filmed, and probably looked a bit strange. Well, "A bit strange" didn't quite capture the fact that nobody at the exam site had never seen anything like it before, and that said a lot considering all the experienced soldiers that had gathered there. Kinessa forced a weary smile to her face. "Well, did I pass?", she asked innocently. Max was the first one to regain his voice. "Do you really think so, you unholy girl? After what you have done to my son and the others? I'm telling you, this girl is a witch! Call the inquisition!" Max was screaming, looking as mad as his son moments before. That was cut short Strix fired a tranquilizer dart at him. He fell unconcious instantly, and the other judges pushed him off the table. Then they fell into a deep conversation. Kinessa stole a glance at Strix. For the first time since she had gotten to know him, he seemed honestly shaken. Still, he managed to nod at her encouragingly. The moment was cut short when the judges coughed to get everyone's attention. "Kinessa Darkstalker, we have thought about the situation. Usually, if the recruit shows unprecented abilities during the exam, they will be instantly disqualified. But, considering your unfair and potentially fatal situation, we have decided that you pass, if you accept to be thoroughly inspected afterwards. We do need to know exactly who we are hiring." Kinessa nodded, joy coating her face. "Then, as the winner and the only one who passed the exam this year, we disqualify everyone else for treacherous behaviour and announce Kinessa Darkstalker as the new soldier of the royal army! May you bring honor to the Kingdom in all of your fights, and live to serve the King!" Applause echoed through the area, as everyone gathered to celebrate the new soldier joining their ranks. Kinessa saw her mentors looking at her proudly, and knew that life would be well from now on. After the examination, she would get her gear, move into the barracks and get to go on missions. She also heard someone say that Max and Luke were going to be banished. At the moment, it was hard to worry about anything.

2 hours later

"Well, miss, it took some more advanced tests, but I have finally decoded your condition," said the specialist assigned to figure out her abilities. "Well, don't keep me waiting, doc. What is it?", she asked impatiently. "Well, when you really look into it, this "Slow-Mo Mode" as you described it is not magical. Rather, it's physiological. I don't suppose you've ever heard of innate abilities?" Kinessa shook her hear. "Well, innate abilities are certain "improvements" which sometimes are born in families with magical background. In your case, your brains have evolved to decrease your perception of time for a short period, thus granting you inhuman reflexes. This manifests as time slowing down for you. Also, while channelling this power, your strength seems to increase, as evidenced by they way you handled Luke. I think this has something to do with unlocking more of your potential, but I'm not sure. Innate abilities are rare and mysterious, so not much research has been done on them. Most families don't usually even want to reveal their innate abilities." Kinessa looked impressed. "So youre saying that I have super powers?", she asked. The doctor chuckled. "I was sure you were gonna say that. Well, it's not invincible. Using your brains in such an unnatural way puts huge strain on your body. You told me you first felt this at a slingshot competition? That might explain why you passed out afterwards. So I cannot recommend using it often or for long periods. What you did today was probably possible only because of the initial burst of energy which came from fully unlocking your ability." She looked a bit dissappointed, but nodded. "Ok doc. Thanks for the diagnosis. I gotta go now." "No problem, come visit me anytime. I'll ask my colleagues if they have any more information," he said while waving goodbye.

Kinessa made her way through the barracks. She would get settled down soon, but first she had to visit the quartermaster. As the winner she was allowed to design her gear herself. Also, because no one else passed, all of their budgets were at her disposal, too. She had already submitted some specific instructions, and couldn't wait to see the results. Finally she made her way to one of the bigger buildings, which housed the army's quartermaster, Samuel. Just as she was about to knock, the door flung over and knocked her to the ground. "Hi Sam," she said while spitting dust from her mouth. "What's the rush?" Samuel seemed pretty nervous, but that was his usual expression, so it didn't probably mean anything. "I was just looking for you," he said. We have a bit of a problem with your gear. The outfit is ready, but your gun is missing it's energy crystal. It seems like Max took them all before he was kicked out." Kinessa cursed. She should have expected some last hit against the face from him. It would probably take days before they tracked him down, and during that time she would be without a weapon. But suddenly she remembered something which could save the day. "Wait here, I may have a replacement," she said to Samuel before darting off.

10 minutes later she came back with the crystal she had found as kid and taken with her from Easthaven. She tossed it to Samuel. "Well this suffice?", she asked. Samuel looked ecstatic. "Where did you get this? It's perfect! I haven't seen such purity since my days in the private sector." Kinessa smiled, pleased with herself for having picked up the rock. "Let's just say that it's a memento. Will it fit?" "Oh course," Samuel assured. "Come inside, I'll show you the goods."

Inside, the house was packed to the brim with weapons, armor and weird tech. As they made their way to the workshop, Samuel once had to save Kinessa from an exploding robotic lawn gnome, which saw her as the enemy. Luckily, the workshop was a bit more peaceful. "And this one is for you," Samuel said proudly as he picked up a gun from the table. It was just as she had requested. Long, with a a metallic chassis for barrel, which meant optimal energy concentration and a solid buttstock in case anyone got too close. The scope was aligned perfectly, and the reload mechanism worked smoothly. And best of all, it was her favorite color, orange. "Thanks Sam, it's exactly as I wanted it." Sam laughed. "Oh no, it's much more. 5 shots, charge mechanism for more powerful beams, and perfect heat dispersion for maintained use. But your design left a lot of room for improvement, so I did a little extra." Suddenly, he pressed the button next to the trigger. To Kinessa's amazement, the barrel retracted and the scope moved to the side. "In case the foes get close and personal, I installed a secondary, full-auto carbine mod. Close-range only, the accuracy hasn't been consistent, but it's good enough." She couldn't have been happier. "Thanks, Sam. I mean it," she said after forcing herself to look away from the weapon. "Oh, don't thank me, it's my job. I tailored a holster for it. Hope your back is okay, because you will be hauling this baby around for a while. Also, your outfit is in the dressing room. Just go through that door and to the left. And come back as soon as you put it on, I wanna see if it fits."

A little while later, Kinessa stepped back to the workshop, dressed in her new clothes. Long, metal-reinforced combat boots rose all the way to her brown, baggy pants which had a black belt with a skull symbol as the buckle. Some harnesses coiled around her legs, holding the bottom part of her gun's holster and a utility pouch on her hip. Her hands were encased in long, metal-plates gloves. Her midriff was exposed, but she had a breastplate made from hardened leather, which fit the shape of her chest perfectly. Lastly, she wore a large, orange scarf, which could be used as a hood or a bandana. Samuel spotted her. "Well well, aren't you the perfect soldier now. I made some final adjustments, she should be good to go. Good luck," he said as he handed her the weapon. "Thanks again, Sam. See you around!", she said. "Of course. If you want to add something to your arsenal, just come visit me!", Samuel shouted back to her as she disappeared through the door.

Now fully geared up, Kinessa felt a sense of direction. Tonight, she would sleep at the barracks for the first time. Then it was just a matter of waiting for her first mission. She heard a group of people coming from behind the corner. Strix, Tyra and Viktor appeared and seemed to hesitate a bit after seeing her, as if not believing their eyes. "Kinessa? Is that really you?", Viktor asked. She smiled at him. "In flesh. Do you like the new gear?" Tyra nodded. "Sure, it looks good. Now come. We have to talk a bit about the future. Did you get any clarification on what was that what you did at the exam?" Kinessa looked at her. "Sure I did. And the future? I think it's looking pretty good right now."

She smiled as she made her way through the barracks with her mentors, and for the the first time, she felt like she really belonged with them.