Alliance

Chapter Six

The first week of being an Alliance cadet passed in a blur. It felt like one very long day instead of a week.

A routine was established. Each morning, just as the sun broke over the horizon, Ben woke me for the morning run. If there was a hell, running had to be the main form of punishment.

My legs were sore all the time, all day, every day. Standing after sitting for a long extended period of time was agonizing. The movement to sit down on the toilet was also a painful adventure. The only time my legs found relief was during the morning runs ironically.

Breakfast was served over the coffee table after we both took showers to wash off the running sweat. As we ate, we had our lessons. City warfare was quite easy. Or at least it seemed that way since Ben explained things I knew from school.

During the Last Great War, there were different types of bombs used. Nuclear, explosive, gas were the main three. Depending on what bombs were used in what location, that determined the Waste Level.

In total there were five Waste Levels. The safest and most common was Pure Level. The Pure Level was where no bombs touched the area. There is no radiation and no gas that can affect the earth and people. This level is in remote wooded areas or towns like my own hometown.

Most cities were not Pure Level. But with correct cleaning, it can be brought to Pure Level. Old York, formerly called New York City was one of the first cities to be cleaned to Pure Level and was now the Capital of the United Regions. Chicago was the latest city to be cleaned to Pure Level.

The next level was Low Radiation. That was where most cities and some remotes areas were at. Low Radiation was not something to be too worried about. If a person lived in a Low Radiation area, they would need to take medication to stop radiation poisoning from living there for a long duration of time. If a person was visiting for a week or two, the person would not have any damage.

High Radiation was something to worry about. A person should not walk straight into a high level of radiation. They could instantly have radiation burns and radiation poisoning. A full body suit must be at these locations.

Next was Low Gas. In these locations, a person just needed to wear a gas mask. Their skin should not be affected. However, depending on the gas in the location, it can be a Toxic Level. A full body suit should be worn at Toxic Level locations to protect the pores in the skin.

The last level was Death Level. This level was the most dangerous. No one could enter the area. Not even if the person wore a suit. The radiation was so deadly, so poisonous, that a person would die in minutes, if not seconds. And it was a slow painful death. The only known location with a Death Level was Washington. Washington D.C. was hit the hardest by nuclear bombs during the Last Great War. A number of nuclear bombs were used in that one small area and had almost exploded the entire planet.

In addition to learning all the Waste Levels, I was taught how to use a gas mask and a full body suit. Other lessons were city warfare tactics and small motor skills, like how to use a lockpick and where I could find food and medication in buildings.

After eating lunch, Ben and I hit the gym. Half the afternoon was focused on throwing me on a mat when I was supposed to be learning hand to hand combat and self defense. But what really happened was Ben breaking through my useless defenses and flinging me on the mat.

Each day I felt my skills worse until Friday when I was able to finally completely block him. It was a freebie either. He didn't pretend I blocked. Ben did not sugar coat anything and did not make anything easy.

I knew Ben was a good fighter; he was great actually. Other cadets and military officers, watched Ben and I practice. Some were subtle about it. They watched in between their own work, but others just stood there in awe.