Morning arrived swiftly for the group as the first glimmers of sunlight filtered through their windows, casting a soft glow across the warehouse-turned-home. A gentle desert breeze whispered against the building, carrying with it the promise of a new day. Within the complex, the lights dimmed as dawn approached.
Alex emerged from his bedroom, stretching his limbs and stifling a yawn. With a renewed sense of energy, he made his way down the corridor toward the common area, where the living room stood nestled between the bedrooms and the spacious kitchen.
"Morning, boss," came Jimmy's voice, causing Alex to startle slightly. The remnants of sleep began to fade from his eyes at the unexpected greeting.
"Good morning, James. How's it going, Lieutenant?" Alex replied, his movements fluid as he entered the kitchen and set about preparing breakfast. He flicked on the kettle before perusing the contents of the fridge, greeted by a well-stocked supply of meat and dairy.
"I'm doing alright, sir. Just fueling up for the day!" James responded between mouthfuls of bacon, his appetite seemingly unaffected by the early hour. He balanced a forkful of salad precariously as he continued to eat, prompting a chuckle from Major Alexander.
"James, do you really need a full meat and salad feast this early?" Alex quipped, amusement evident in his tone.
"You know me, sir, I need to eat a lot of meat so I can carry all our gear about! Including all my weapons, as well as keeping in shape!" James explained before digging back into his breakfast and getting even more comfortable on the couch.
James was built well, at times his friends nicknamed him "The Tank" since he always wore an armoured vest on whenever they were in battle.
As the aroma of breakfast filled the air, the rest of the COG team began to trickle into the living area one by one, drawn by the promise of food and camaraderie.
Hannah was the next to appear, her German accent softening the edges of her morning greetings as she joined Alex and James in the kitchen. "Good morning, sir. Good morning, James," she said with a warm smile, her eyes brightening at the sight of the bustling activity.
"Morning, Hannah. Sleep well?" Alex inquired, pouring himself a cup of coffee as he exchanged pleasantries with his teammate.
"Yes, thank you, sir. I'm feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead," she replied, her gaze drifting toward the array of food laid out on the counter. "Breakfast smells delicious, James."
"Thanks, Hannah! Help yourself," James replied between bites, gesturing toward the assortment of dishes with his fork.
Yulia joined her team for breakfast, her presence commanding attention as she entered the room with purpose. "Good morning, Major. Good morning, everyone," she greeted in her accented English, her tone measured yet warm.
"Morning, Yulia. Sleep alright?" Alex asked, nodding in acknowledgement as she joined them in the kitchen.
"Yes, sir. Thank you for asking," Yulia replied with a nod, her eyes scanning the room as she took in the scene before her, she then began making herself something for breakfast when Takashi entered the large living room, looking around the area.
Good morning Takashi, how did you rest? Good I hope" Alexander asked before taking a sip from his cup of coffee.
As the broadcast drew to a close, James muted the television, the sound of gunfire and explosions fading into the background. "Well, looks like our allies are holding their own out there," he remarked, a sense of pride evident in his voice.
The rest of the team nodded in agreement, their resolve strengthened by the knowledge that they were not alone in the fight. With renewed determination, they rose from their seats, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.
"Alright, team, let's gear up and get ready to roll," Alex declared, his voice commanding attention as he rallied his troops. "But not today. We've been pushing hard lately, and everyone deserves a break. Take the day to relax, recharge, and spend time with your loved ones. We'll reconvene tomorrow and discuss our next steps."
With a collective sigh of relief, the COG team exchanged smiles and nods, grateful for the opportunity to rest and recuperate. As they dispersed to their respective quarters, a sense of gratitude washed over them, knowing that their leader had their best interests at heart.
As the day unfolded, each member of the team took full advantage of the rare opportunity to unwind. Some enjoyed leisurely walks around the warehouse, soaking in the warm desert sun, while others retreated to their rooms to catch up on much-needed rest. And amidst the laughter and camaraderie, bonds were strengthened and spirits lifted, serving as a reminder of the importance of downtime amid chaos.
Meanwhile, Major Alex had slipped into his uniform and was making his way across the tarmac towards the main Headquarters of the complex, his heavy boots clomping against the ground before he entered the building, pushing the double doors open only to be welcomed by General Stone.
"Ah, Major, I was just coming to get you, please do follow me, it's time" Alex's eyes widened slightly, he knew what this meant for he had been filled in by what would happen.
After some time, Both Major Alex and General Stone entered the laboratory, the sounds and sight of many workers of the facility running around to prepare the dragon for consciousness transfer were underway.
"So this is it, I'll become that and leave my human body forever?" Alex questioned, glancing to his left at General Stone who in return let out a soft sigh.
"I understand if you don't wish to-" "No! I wish to do this... I have no family left, and the only friends I have is my team" Stone noticed the sudden change in emotions from the Major, causing him to raise an eyebrow.
"Very well, follow me, I'll explain the rest while we make our way down to the Neural Transfer Chamber" Alex suddenly seemed rather confused, stopping in his tracks while the General continued down the stairs. After a few seconds, Major Alex continued on his way, catching up with the General before he asked.
"What exactly is the Neural Transfer Chamber, Sir?" He waited for General Stone to answer, watching the older man frown slightly before he replied.
"The Neural Transfer Chamber is specially designed to allow someone's consciousness to be transferred. Though I will admit, you will be the first to use it" He mumbled the last part as they began the rather long way across the massive space while a group of scientists worked on what appeared to be a rather large bed, with a large glowing ring that was right now open, since no one was using it.
"Wait, This is it?" Alex questioned as they made their way up to it, General Stone letting Major Alex inspect it.
The Neural Transfer Chamber is a marvel of modern engineering, a pristine white bed situated within the heart of the laboratory. Its smooth surface provides a comfortable resting place, elevated slightly off the ground by a sturdy metal frame that gleams under the bright overhead lights.
At the head of the bed, a large, doughnut-shaped ring seemingly hovers in mid-air, supported by four white metallic arms that help suspend it, its sleek design reminiscent of a halo encircling the top section of the bed. Within the ring, a complex network of thin, pulsating cables is carefully concealed, their metallic sheen blending seamlessly with the reflective surface of the ring.
The chamber suddenly springs to life, the ring begins to rotate slowly, the hidden cables whirring into motion with a soft hum. LED displays embedded within the bed's structure flicker to life, casting a soft glow that illuminates the surrounding space with a gentle radiance.
Despite the frenetic activity within the ring, the transfer chamber remains remarkably quiet, its advanced systems operating with precision and efficiency. As the transfer process commences, the ring spins faster, creating a swirling vortex of energy that serves as a conduit for the seamless transition of consciousness from one form to another.
"Major Alex, Please lay on the bed with your head on the pillow," One of the scientists asked while he patted the pillow with a hand. Alex took a deep breath, yet when he was about to lie down, the same Scientist quickly said.
"Please! Do take any metallic things off" Alex gave a nod, beginning to remove his watch, bracelet, necklace, dog tags and other things. Once he was done, he proceeded to lie down, shuffling until his head was under the slowly rotating ring, watching as little lines of different shades of blue appeared out of nowhere.
"Appears the machine has already accepted you" "General Stone was holding all of Alex's metallic belongings when he walked away, heading toward the control hub.
"Alright, Powering up the NTC Now" The ring started to spin faster, the soft humming slowly getting louder while flashes of light moved around in the ring.
"Major Alex, Please close your eyes" Alex did as he was told, closing his eyes, hearing the machine spin up as the ring sped up, going faster and faster.
"30 seconds till full charge" One of the operators gave a thumbs up while two others, along with a scientist, kept an eye on Alex.
"All vitals look good, heartbeat is steady, Brainwaves also steady, Transfer in 20 seconds" Alex kept his breathing slow, aiming to keep his heartbeat as smooth and as calm as possible while flickers of different shades of blue danced around under his eyelids, allowing him to witness the beautiful display while the sound of the ring spinning became louder, though not by much.
"10 seconds!" The same Operator called out loudly while the ring was now spinning at the required speed, which allowed all the scientists to begin the second phase of the transfer.
"9, 8, 7" The Hub Operator started counting down as the lights that Alex was seeing became more vivid while strands of different shades of blue energy stretched from the ring and connected to Alex's head.
"3, 2, 1. Transferring!" Suddenly Alex felt his consciousness being thrusted through the glowing blue tunnel which he saw, bending and curving as he made his way towards the destination, seeing a little bright glowing white light at the end, which grew bigger as he got closer to where his mind was being taken.
Suddenly he passed through the white curtain before everything went black, yet he felt something hard under him.
It must have worked... Lets... Lets try opening my eyes, Fucking hell I feel dizzy
"Transfer complete sir, we just need to wake him up now"
"Then get to it! I want to make sure he is well!" Those voices... They sounded blurred and far away, Alex used all of his might to force his eyes... Or optics open. Snapping his eyes open, he watched as the group of scientists all nearly had a heart attack from how quickly he had opened his eyes.
"Hey, Major Alex, sir, Can you hear me?" The lead Scientist snapped his fingers in front of Alex's optics, watching as they tracked his movements. He then turned to the General, a Smile on his face.
"He seems fine sir, just needs to get used to his body" General Stone let out a sigh of relief, slowly making his way up to the large metallic dragon which now held Alex's consciousness.
Major, Are you able to raise your head for me?" The same lead Scientist asked.
Come on Alex, get your act together, do as he asks! Alex curses to himself as his head slowly rises, all the mechanical parts wiring and working together while a few hisses sound out from parts of his neck.
"Internals seem good Sir!" Called out one of the Operators who held a thumbs up at the Lead Scientist who gave a nod in return, yet suddenly Alex rose onto his paws, starling everyone who all backed up to not be crushed by the heavy beast.
"Wow! Major, Please calm down!" The Lead Scientist who went by the name of Jango cried out, ducking along with the General and everyone else when Alex turned on the spot, his long tail flew over them while Alex moved to a more open part of the facility, still a bit wobbly.
"Well I'll be darned, He is already used to this body... I thought you said this would take time?" General Stone questioned Jango who got up off the floor, brushing himself off before he replied to the General's question.
"It should, but since this is the first transfer of this type, we had no idea how his mind would take it" Jango then made his way toward Alex, who was by now lying down with his tail curled around himself.
"Major! Hey, How are you-" "I am feeling fine thank you" Alex suddenly spoke, a hint of roboticness in his voice as he blinked, his metallic eyelids flicking over his optics while he stared at General Stone and Jango with his bright blue eyes.
"Well! Seems everything is running well... Even if it seems a bit odd he is moving around this quickly... Perhaps the recovery from the transfer is far quicker than he calculated?" Jango mumbled to himself while tapping a finger against his chin.
"Anyways, that doesn't matter, what matters is getting Alex used to his body, flying, running, jumping" General Stone said while he ran a hand along the cool metallic feel of Alex's new silvery wings. "Though I must ask, Why does he look like he just came out of a factory?" Turning to look at Jango who let out a sigh.
"We know there are dragons in this new world, yet we are not sure of what they truly look like, and so, instead of guessing, we have implemented a sort of scanning device in Alex's options, where he can scan a dragon, and not become a copy of them, but his body shell will change, and take on a more organic form, even looking like the type of dragon he scanned" Jango sat down, pulling a cigar out before lighting it.
"Well Alex, you better get to running and Flying... And don't worry, everyone besides your team knows of this form, so you can fly within the 25-mile radius of the base, or run... Up to you" He watched as Alex got up, the sounds of gears and other metallic parts moving together filled his ears while Alex made his way towards a set of large doors that slowly opened to expose a ramp and led to the surface, with sunlight screaming down into the facility.
"Oh, and Alex!" General Stone called out and he watched Alex crane his neck to look back at him, tail flicking in anticipation and excitement.
"Yes, General?" He asked, tilting his head in a rather adorable way, his metallic ears flicked while he waited for the General to speak.
"A couple of F-99N, Typhoon J77, AMX-C57 and Roma-81 Hax fighters will fly around your area at all times, to keep an eye on you" Alex looked down, taking in his General's words before he looked back at Stone and gave a nod.
"Thank you General" Alex then proceeded to sprint up the shallow incline ramp, which led to an opening which was far enough away from the base for the rest of Alex's team to not notice.