Collision of Worlds - Chapter 7

“Another group is leaving,” Jayson said. “Tomorrow, from the sounds of it. They’re going off world.”

He was sitting in the crowded mess hall of the Silvent Academy along with Richard and Tricia. It was the midday meal, so the entire place was filled with the conversations and shouting of the boisterous new recruits that had shown up over the last two years.

His chest had healed up in the last few days, but it still hurt when he breathed too deeply. It was the first time he’d ever been shot, and there was a new scar on his chest where the armor had cut him as a memento of it.

The Academy was completely different than when they’d first arrived on a train two years earlier. Back then, they had found an empty and forgotten structure in the middle of nowhere. Now it was full of new recruits, many of whom were younger than themselves.

“That’s the fifth group in so many months,” Tricia agreed, stirring her soup with her spoon. She didn’t like to eat hot things and would wait until the concoction was at room temperature before eating it; just one of her many quirks that they’d grown used to in these last few years.

She spoke softly, leaning forward with her elbow on the table and visibly uncomfortable. She didn’t like crowds of people, Jayson knew, and would have taken her meal elsewhere if it wasn’t for the fact that she was trying to spend more time with Richard.

For his part, Richard usually ate meals with his wife outside the mess hall where they could be alone, but he was a social animal who loved to be surrounded by people. Still, Jayson doubted Richard even understood the sacrifice she was making for him.

“Hard to believe. Most of these recruits only arrived sometime in the last year and are already getting sent out on missions,” Richard added. “Where do you think they are going?”

“Hard to tell,” Jayson said. “They don’t really fill us in on details like that.”

Richard had a tray loaded with beans, bread, and some sort of runny meat paste that didn’t look very appetizing. Jayson, like Tricia, had elected to try the soup, not willing to give the mystery meat a chance. The soup was bland and syrupy, but at least it was a known quantity.

Richard ate his meat paste with gusto, but Jayson had learned long ago not to trust Richard’s taste when it came to food.

“We’ve been here longer than anyone else,” Jayson added, a touch of bitterness creeping into his tone. “And by many months. Yet we’re still here and everyone else is getting sent out on assignment.”

“At least they let you try out the awesome armor,” Richard said.

“I got shot in the chest.”

Richard shrugged. “Still better than nothing.”

“It still hurts.”

“Maybe they have something important in mind for us,” Tricia said, ignoring them. “They could be saving us for something.”

Jayson shrugged. “Or maybe they just forgot about us.”

“It’s getting boring,” Richard agreed. “I’m sick of just sitting here and going through training exercises. I’m ready to head out and actually do something. I don’t care if it is just something small. There’s only so much time we can spend on Alderson practicing and training before we go completely stir crazy.”

“Agreed,” Jayson said. “There are only a few of us left from the original group, and it’s almost as though they don’t even care that we are here.”

“Yup,” Richard said.

They fell silent, eating their meals and listening to the conversations around them. Jayson looked at all of the new faces, many of which he didn’t recognize.

Their training regimens varied as much as the assignments they were being sent on. Some of them were just soldiers being taught how to fight and kill. Some were being shown how to start insurrections and cause dissent. Others were trained to infiltrate various governments and wreak havoc from the inside or as assassins that were given high-value targets to eliminate.

They were given a specialized skillset and single task and then sent out into the world. Of those who had already gone on missions, many were captured or killed. Others returned and were sent out again. Yet, through it all, the original arrivals were left behind just watching it all take place.

Unlike the recruits that were being given very specialized training, the skills Tricia, Jayson, Richard, and Bret had received encompassed everything, from etiquette and survival on various planets to starting and leading militias to assassinating politicians and creating havoc or starting riots.

All skills that were being wasted.

The room gradually cleared out as the students went off to sessions or classes until they were the only ones left. Jayson had long since finished eating, leaving half of his tasteless soup behind.

“What are we learning about today?” Richard asked, leaning back and stretching. “Hacking and digital networking?”

“I don’t think so,” Tricia said. “Bret is getting specialized training with it, but I think we’re done learning about technology.”

“So, nothing then?”

Tricia shrugged. “Free rein to do what we want, I guess.”

“Do you want to go spar?” Jayson asked Tricia. Since they didn’t have any current classes they were required to participate in, they were allowed to sit in on any lessons they preferred. Alexander Robertson had given them a standing offer to learn anything and everything they could, explaining that they would need it later.

For Jayson, that meant sparring and fighting. He liked to test his skills against the best, and there was no one better at the Academy than Tricia.

“Sure,” Tricia replied.

“Not me,” Richard said. “I’m heading off to take a nap.”

Jayson shrugged and started to stand up. Just then, the door to the cafeteria opened and Alexander Robertson walked into the room. He was wearing a white suit and carrying his maple wood cane, tapping it on the ground every few steps. It made a hollow echoing sound in the room, reminding him of their first time in the cafeteria.

He hoped this wasn’t a repeat of that event.

In his free hand Alexander was carrying a bottle of some sort of alcohol. He walked across the empty cafeteria to their table, moving carefully and quietly. He sat down next to Jayson and rested his cane against the table.

One by one, he gathered up their cups, dumped their contents onto the floor, and filled each with the liquid. It looked thick and syrupy as it poured out. Even from a few feet away Jayson could tell that it smelled horrible, like rotten fish. He set the cups out in front of each of them.

“I understand your concerns,” he said finally. “And I want you to know that things are almost ready.”

“You were listening to us?” Richard asked.

“We’re always listening.”

Richard coughed. “That isn’t creepy at all.”

Alexander didn’t even acknowledge his statement. He picked up his own glass.

“Everything our graduates have done up to this point has been with the intention of solving local problems in our Sector. We’ve accomplished very little, but we’ve only been testing the waters for things to come.”

“Then why not include us?”

“I couldn’t, on the orders of Maven Ophidian.”

“Why?” Jayson asked, shaking his head. “Why would she want to hold us back?”

Alexander hesitated. “Above my pay grade. Let’s just say that she has something specific in mind for the four of you.”

“Four of us?”

“Bret as well. The original arrivals at the Academy, hand selected by Maven for this specific mission. Soon you will be traveling to Sector Two.”

“For what?”

Alexander shook his head. “I don’t know. As soon as I have any details, I will let you know. In any case, let us toast to finally having a mission for you to undertake.”

They glanced awkwardly at each other and then held up their cups to toast. They weren’t glass, so they made a thudding sound rather than a clink when they touched.

Jayson watched Alexander swallow a mouthful before sipping his own beverage. It tasted oily and burned like fire as soon as it went down his throat. He found himself sputtering and coughing with tears in his eyes.

The others didn’t fare any better. Tricia coughed and spat the drink back out. Richard took a big swallow and then made a gagging sound, clutching at his throat.

Alexander chuckled and set his drink down. “Takes some getting used to.”

“What the hell is that?” Richard asked, wiping his mouth and wincing. “Tastes like burnt plastic.”

“A prized beverage from my planet called Calampor. Sells for thousands of credits a glass in the right places. I’ve been saving this bottle for a special occasion.”

“Special occasion?” Tricia asked.

“You’ll be on your real mission as soon as you finish one last task,” Alexander replied.

“Task? What do you have in mind?” Jayson asked.

“Clearing out a research facility,” Alexander said. “Though I can’t tell you more.”

“Clearing out?” Richard echoed. “What does that mean?”

“Just what it sounds like. Some…things have taken up residence there, and once you clear them out, you’ll be on your way to Sector Two and the real mission will begin.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Jayson said. “When do we start?”

“Soon. A few weeks. I’m going to get you out of the Academy for a while so you can enjoy a short vacation before your undertaking.”

“Why would we need to leave?”

“Questions won’t do you any good,” Alexander said. “There are certain details I’m not allowed to divulge. Suffice it to say, you have made some powerful enemies, and there is a cost to that. I’ll move you away from the Academy, and when it is time to begin your mission, you will know. Think of this time like a well-earned vacation.”

“So then why the special occasion drink if we aren’t actually graduating? Shouldn’t you have waited until we are back before breaking open the bottle?” Jayson asked.

“We’re drinking it now,” Alexander explained, “because I’m not sure if any of you will survive.”

2

Jayson leaned back against the tree, rubbing the cramp out of his inner thigh. “Some vacation this is.”

“I thought he was sending us to a beach,” Richard said. “Or at least somewhere we could relax. Instead he sends us here.”

“Two weeks,” Jayson said. “We’ve been sitting here for two weeks waiting for something to happen, but no word at all.”

Alexander Robertson had separated them and flown them out of the Academy, but they were surprised to find out they were being dumped a few hundred miles north of the Academy with only modest supplies. They were told to stay put and wait for further instructions.

“You look angry,” Richard said, rubbing the stubble on his chin and watching Jayson.

He looked different now: He’d shaved daily while at the Academy, getting rid of all facial hair, but now that they were out in the middle of nowhere, he’d let his beard grow back in. It was the Richard he remembered, though he did need some grooming to make it look good.

They had a few knives they’d fashioned since getting dropped out here, but nothing sharp enough to shave with.

To be honest, Jayson could fully understand why Richard had grown his beard out to begin with. His face was too lean, and his cheeks too sallow without it. When he was clean shaven, he looked ten years older and quite a bit less healthy.

Jayson sighed and stretched his leg out. The cramp was still there, but it was starting to go away. He closed his eyes in relief and yawned.

“I look angry?”

“Or constipated. I can’t tell which, but it’s all over your face.”

“I’m just tired,” Jayson said. “But I guess frustrated fits, too. How long are we supposed to just sit out here and wait for something to happen?”

“Maybe this is the mission.”

“Like a survival mission? If it’s a survival mission, then it’s kind of easy when you really get down to it.”

Richard shrugged. “True.”

“It’s just frustrating having nothing to do.”

“Have you eaten anything today? You sure are a grumpy-pants.”

“Half ration.”

“You need to eat more.”

“Not hungry.”

“That’s not the point,” Richard said. He reached into his pack and pulled out a small package. Some sort of corned beef energy bar was inside, along with a hard biscuit and dried fruit. “Eat. You need the calories.”

“I only need a few hundred calories a day to survive. These ration packs have over six thousand calories in them.”

Still, despite his protest, he grabbed a sliver of dried apple and popped it into his mouth.

“You need more when your body is high functioning.”

“We haven’t been high functioning in weeks,” Jayson replied, reaching into the container for some more of the dry fruit. He grabbed a handful of raisins. “We’ve just been stuck here, waiting. What are we waiting for?”

“No clue. Wish I knew, but it’s crazy boring.”

Jayson popped the raisins into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. The boredom was getting to him, he knew, and Richard was right: He did need to eat. He spent a few hours each day exercising, but there was little else to occupy them.

At first, it was sort of relaxing. After the last few years of intense exercise and training, it was nice getting a chance to just rest and recuperate. Wilderness survival had become one of the easiest jobs in the world for them after their training.

Now they were sore from sitting, full of expendable energy, and unable to sleep. Jayson wanted to run a few kilometers or lift some weights, but it was hard to do out here in the middle of nowhere. He could only work out so much each day before he needed to rest and the boredom set in again.

“Do you think he forgot about us?” Jayson asked.

Richard shook his head, munching on the biscuit. “No. I think he’s just testing us. Testing our loyalty, and maybe our ability to follow instructions. Do you remember when we were tossed out here the first time?”

Jayson chuckled. “When Alexander beat the crap out of us and left us for dead?”

“Yep,” Richard replied. “When I almost died and you and Trish had to drag me along to keep me alive.”

“Good times.”

“Feel like stealing a train again?”

“Not yet. Ask me again next week if things don’t pick up.”

“At least they are feeding us this time.”

Jayson held up a piece of fruit that had turned gray. “If this stuff can be called food.”

Richard glanced down at his biscuit. “You know what this needs? Honey. Slop a little bit of honey on top, and it would be pretty damn tasty.”

Four times now they’d been dumped off in the middle of nowhere in different quadrants of the planet. Alderson was notorious for having deadly wildlife, and it forced them to learn how to defend themselves in hostile environments.

The worst trip was actually a city that had long since been abandoned when the Academy was vacated by the Republic. Broken-down buildings that were overgrown with vines and weeds and vast landscapes covered in concrete made scavenging for food much more difficult than out here in the wilds.

Usually they were left in groups of two or three with limited survival equipment. The expectation was that they would be able to survive on their own and find their way home. The first two times—not counting that first survival experience—they were warned of the adventure in advance and given preparatory training. They were taught things like how to find water in a desert or how to dig for bugs to gain protein.

The other two times they were given no warning at all. Alexander woke them up in the middle of the night and dumped them off without even a map to find their way home.

This time was different, way more relaxed. Survival had become old hat to them now. At least the four that were left. So far, of the original seven that showed up at the Academy two years ago, only four were still in training. The other three had died along the way. They’d been left in unmarked graves, unknown to history.

A terrible way to die.

“Do you regret it?” Jayson asked.

“Regret what?” Richard asked, folding the bag of foodstuffs and shoving it back into his pack. He settled back against his tree and stared off into the woods.

 “All of this,” Jayson replied. “The Academy. The training.”

Richard was silent for a minute. “I don’t really regret coming here, no. I miss a lot of things from before, you know, but not enough that I want them back. The things they’ve taught us…I thought I knew how to kill people before, but this is something else.”

“Was it what you expected?”

“Oh hell no,” Richard said with a laugh. “I was expecting a straightforward military school. That’s what the Academy used to be when it still belonged to the Republic. But Maven is something else; she thinks sideways. I wasn’t expecting to learn how best to poison people or build bombs.”

Jayson nodded. “Me neither.”

“What about you? Do you regret it?”

Jayson wasn’t sure. Some days he did and missed his family. He wanted to go home and see them. There were moments when he actually thought about leaving the Academy and fleeing home.

But most of the time he enjoyed it. He found it exhilarating and engaging, and he’d learned more in these last two years than the rest of his life combined. The training was intense and varied, and the expectations were high.

“No,” he answered. “I don’t regret coming out here.”

“Yeah, why would you? I mean, this is where they trained the Fists back when it was part of the Republic.”

“Have you ever seen one?”

Richard laughed. “No way. I don’t know anyone who has. Fists of the First Citizen? I’m pretty sure if you see one of those, it means you’re about to die.”

“I heard they were ten feet tall.”

“At least,” Richard said. “They all wear powered armor and carry five-hundred-pound guns. Each of them is an army unto himself.”

“Do you think the rumors are true that they are genetically engineered?”

“Definitely. Perfected humans capable of wiping out entire planets. I think that’s what the research facility is all about. This is where they designed the Fists.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Think about it. It makes sense. They trained the Fists here originally, which means if they were modified, they would have needed somewhere close to do it.”

“So you think Darius is after the research?”

“Absolutely. He wants to make his own super-human soldiers.”

Jayson hesitated. “Seems farfetched.”

“It’s illegal, but if you think the super-rich aren’t already doing it, then you’re crazy. They make their kids smarter, or faster, or healthier all the time.”

“But the idea of engineering a human from scratch just seems…”

Jayson wasn’t sure how to finish. To him, it sounded ridiculous. The Ministry taught that God stood against genetic engineering in all of its forms, and the Ministry was aligned very close to the Republic and its leadership. The idea that there might be engineering happening that they didn’t know about, or worse, that they sanctioned, was difficult for Jayson to buy into.

“You know about the Shields?” Richard asked.

Jayson nodded. “Yeah, his personal bodyguards.”

“The stories I’ve heard, they are engineered as well. They can do things with their minds.”

“I don’t buy it,” Jayson said. “They are soldiers. Well-trained, sure, but they aren’t genetically modified or anything.”

“How do you know?”

“They come from the Ministry,” Jayson said. “Maybe the Republic is doing some shady stuff behind the Ministry’s back, but the idea that the Ministry would be in on something like that…there’s no way.”

Richard shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. Either way, from everything I’ve heard, the Shields are badass as hell.”

“I have heard that,” Jayson said. “Even back on Eldun, we were told legendary stories about them. I didn’t know much about what the Republic was, but I knew about the Shields. Most of it was probably fiction to scare off would-be assassins of the First Citizen, but it still made for great stories.”

“What would you do if you met one?”

“Probably crap myself,” Jayson said with a laugh.

Richard chuckled. “Me too.”

They sat in silence for a good twenty minutes, just listening to nature around them. It wasn’t too cold this far north, but Jayson knew only a little farther and it would be freezing.

“Ever been to Sector Two?”

“Nope,” Richard said. “You?”

Jayson shook his head. “Always wanted to go, but it’s just too damn expensive.”

“What do you think we’ll be doing there?”

“Spying. Infiltrating the government and reporting back.”

“Won’t be easy.”

“I know,” Jayson said.

“Do you think they’ll have us launch any attacks? Muck things up?”

“No. Too risky.”

“You sure about that?”

Jayson shrugged. “How sure can I be? I guess we’ll know more soon enough.”

He stood up and stretched. His muscles were still cramping from sitting too long, and he needed to move around a little bit. “I’m going to go for a run. You interested?”

“Nah, I’m good,” Richard said. “I’ll hold down the fort.”

Jayson nodded, finished stretching, and then took off for a run through the trees. It felt good and he ran for several kilometers, circling around their camp and blowing off some steam. He saw various signs of wildlife, but nothing threatening while he was out there.

By the time he got back, it was nearing nightfall. Richard was in the same spot, and Jayson wasn’t even sure if he’d moved. He knew Richard was pining over Tricia; it was the longest he’d been away from her in months, and he was probably worrying over the fact that she was spending so much time with Bret.

Jayson knew Tricia wasn’t even remotely interested in Bret as more than a friend and companion, but he also knew he couldn’t convince Richard of that. He was the jealous type, prone to worrying over little things.

“Did I miss anything?” he asked.

“Nope.”

He dried himself off and then cracked open one of their few remaining rations. He would check their traps in the morning and see if they’d caught anything, but for now he just wanted something simple to eat.

Richard built up a fire and they sat on opposite sides of it, listening to it crackle as night fell.

“Tomorrow,” Richard said suddenly, breaking the silence.

“What about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow is when we’re going to get our orders and start moving again.”

“How do you know?”

“Just a feeling,” Richard said. “My gut tells me we’re going to be heading out soon.”

“I’m not one to trust your gut,” Jayson said, eating a piece of bread, “but I do hope you’re right.”