On Our Own (gxg)

Chapter 13 - Selling souls

"It's simple. As you have been told you are part of some special testings in order to find out if you are able to join the Special Forces, Recruit Finley. You find yourself in a similar ArEn as in your entrance test, though there are some changes you will soon notice. Also you are going to work in a team and you get a certain scenario to react to.
For you information: the NoInjury-protocoll is disabled in this ArEn as in almost all military ArEns. Furthermore, you need to follow every order you get - we are the authority, no selfishness and solo action wanted unless you desire to experience the consequences. Got it?"

I nod and salute. "Sir, yes, Sir!" I have got the undefinable feeling that I should be nervous, but I still don't care.

"So, get ready. Enter the ArEn after you made sure your uniform ist attached to the simulator."

The General advises me and gestures me into a room. Those gestures are supposed to look friendly and encouraging, but the pale, dry and hard face of this man doesn't change at all. His gaze is poking me, hus fierce, cold grey eyes accompany me into the simulator room. They somehow remind me of my father's and send a shiver down my spine.

I stand the middle of the white room and feel my uniform stiffen when it's linked to the simulator. The beep of my holo reassures me about the connection. I take a deep breath, close my eyes to avoid dizzyness when the ArEn starts, then I confirm the start.

I find myself in a small room with metal walls, accommpanied by a division of 11 other soldiers, most of them men. We all have a laser gun ad our waists, I find myself holding a teaser-baton in my right hand. my Army boots each carry a knive. And we all wear some kind of helmet, a high tech hood. As soon as something hits the fabric from the outside it protectingly stiffens. I try to find out if I know one of them but as soon as I try to focus my vision on one of their faces they become blurred. Fine with me, if the superiors want to play the game of me not knowing if they are real people or not - I can deal with that.

"Grab a pole, everyone, we're starting! We are going to hurry, the situation is about to escalate, be prepared!" A crackling voice sounds from somewhere over my head and I wonder about the bad radio quality.

The soldiers surrounding me line up and grab the horizontal metal pole above our heads and stand with their feet in a step position as if stabilizing themselves. I follow their actions, but still I am not prepared for what happens next: The air vibrates and a deafening mechanical growl fills my head. In a matter of seconds I feel the pole and the floor vibrate and I think I am almost losing my breakfast when I suddenly realize that the whole room must be moving. Only realizing that, the swift from left to right, the synchrone movements of the bodys of my division, makes me keep my food inside and I slowly get used to that awkward feeling. It is completely different from riding a bubble. Rougher.

So we must be moving somerwhere. I have no clue where we are going and since I don't know where we started nor what the mission is I don't even try to figure it out. Maybe those Army superiors watching me right now from the outside have some kind of evil fun throwing me into a situation like this and literally not telling me anything. But hey, they won't let me die in an ArEn, will they? And still, there would be no one to be bothered anyway, so here we go, mood! There is a sudden end to my thoughts as well as to the loud movement of the room. It goes quiet and I see the grips of the others loosen and their bodies relax a little. To our left and right the walls of the metal room which has to be some kind of vehicle or something open and squeal loudly.

Some bright, non-adjusted light falls in and I can't see whats outside.

"Your mission is as told: Get to the group of insurgents and reduce them. Try to avoid deads. Make sure the rebellion won't come again in the foreseeable future. We make the rules, they are Goners."