The Academy

Chapter 2

As they walked through metallic hallways, Nick wondered when the last time he had left his home had been. On the colony, interaction with other children was kept at a minimum- they were expected to stay at home, complete their studies through virtual programs made available to them, and then used the rest of their leisure time to work on projects or play games as they saw fit.

All their basic needs were seen to by the CCUP, which ran everything as efficiently as possible to ensure resources were never wasted. Their mother would leave occasionally to meet with other adults, but otherwise spent long hours in her room on the Virtual Reality Networks. She didn't like to leave her kids alone- there were strict penalties for child negligence, and any child caught unescorted in the colony would cost their parents crippling fines.

Nick's lessons had taught him it was all to ensure optimal resource management, and to limit risk of injury- something that was still a present danger, even on such a sophisticated colony. Everyone knew the dangers of living in space, and so every effort, possibly too much, was made to ensure no accidents could endanger the colony.

Living confined to his home wasn't stifling though, he had the recreation room to work out and relax in. Even better, he had the Virtual Reality Network, where he often played realistic war games against Artificially Intelligent opponents, and took martial arts classes. He had a plethora of options, so many that he often lost himself to them. Very rarely did he feel a longing for friends or in-person interaction. The few times he did were when he fought with his mother and sister. Following those fights, he would shut himself into his room, and dream of what life would be at the Academy.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Nick decided to use this rare moment out of his home to take in the sights of the colony. The metal-lined hallway was illuminated in the same pale, artificial light as his home, with one noticeable difference. Here and there, Nick noticed corridors that would branch off which had different colors: blue, green, red, and yellow. He wondered what they signified, but decided against breaking the eerie silence to ask his mother.

After an insufferable amount of time walking in silence, coupled with many twists and turns, the hallway eventually led to an open chamber already brimming with people. Parents and children were forming into lines, leading towards mysterious doors guarded by uniformed officials.

Nick recognized the officials immediately. While he and others wore basic grey clothing, officials wore pristine white suites with single red stripes across their chests. Nick gave the officials a cursory glance, almost losing his family in the crowd, before his mother suddenly stopped in front of a holograph with S-Z glowing in a golden light. They were had arrived at their line, dictated by their last name.

One by one children passed through the doorways, the doors sliding silently open, closing instantly once the individual was through. The lines moved agonizingly slowly, and more and more people continued to crowd into the chamber behind them, causing Nick's growing anxiety to rise. He had never seen this many people in a single place, and he was finding it hard to keep his mind focused on the exam he was getting ready to take.

He decided to try and calm himself, he would predict how long he had until it was his turn. However, there seemed to be no set length between the door closing behind one individual, and opening again for the next. Sometimes it seemed to only remain closed for ten minutes, while others took close to half an hour. Eventually though, it was finally his and his sisters turn.

Becca was first, and Nick couldn't help but feel nervous for his twin. As much as she annoyed him, he loved her. Depending on how the exam went, he might never see her or their mother again. Before he could find the words to talk with his sister, to tell her he loved her one last time, the official by the door raised her hand to her ear, and motioned for Becca to step forward.

He stood there, watching as she turned to embrace their mother, who seemed to whisper something quietly in her ear. Becca looked at him and smiled, but Nick could see uncertainty in her eyes as she turned back, and stepped through the doorway. Then, she was gone.

Nick glanced at his watch, and a holographic projection appeared to show 1140. His stomach rumbled in response, reminding him he had skipped both lunch, and breakfast. He shifted from side to side, suddenly feeling nauseas, whether from nerves or hunger, he wasn't sure. He felt a pressure on his arm, and saw his mother lightly holding him, eyes full of love as she looked at him.

Her attempt to comfort him didn't help. Nick was suddenly filled with fear, worried that if he failed, he may never see her again. He wondered if he would be given time to say goodbye, or would be immediately sent off the colony, to go work to gather resources on a planet for the colonies. He tried to shake the thought, but the combined physical and mental distress all combined to cause time to slow to a painful degree.

He had no idea how long he stayed in that panicked state, but it was finally broken by movement ahead of him, the official's hand was moving to her ear.

Nick turned to his mother, doing his best to appear strong. If this was to be her last memory of him, he wanted to be calm and collected, not a nervous wreck. She hugged him, possibly for the last time, and as she did, began to whisper.

"You are your father's son, you will make us both proud. I love you."

Simple words, but the emotion it awoke within Nick was almost too much to bear. He pulled away from the embrace, gave her a smile with as much confidence as he could muster, and walked into the darkness, determined to pass whatever awaited him.

The moment the door closed, a single light turned on in the room, much brighter than any of the dim lights he had seen throughout the colony. He blinked a few times, letting his eyes adjust, and then took in his surroundings.

He was standing in an empty room, with no discernable features other than the door directly across from him. Wondering what the room was for, Nick began to walk forward. Halfway towards the door, something within Nick told alerted him to a change in the room. Each step came harder and harder, and Nick was curious if they had adjusted the gravity in the room, perhaps to test his physical capability. He took two more steps forward, only a few feet away from the door, and knew that it was not gravity effecting him.

His next step caused him to grunt, and each step after brought labored breaths, straining the muscles Nick had spent years honing. One last step put him before the door, and it felt like an eternity as he fought the pressure while the door opened. The moment he was certain he could get through, he pushed his body forward, toppling though the open doorway.

As he passed through, the pressure lifted from his body and was replaced by an assault on all of his senses. Strange noises, smells, and lights battered him, giving him no moment of relief. His mind cried out in agony, likely matching his scream, though he could not hear it, nor was he certain if his mouth was open. He didn't know how long the assault would last, was certain he was on the ground, huddled in a ball as the attacks kept coming in coming, and he silently hoped he would lose consciousness, in order to escape the barrage. His mind held fast though, and after an unknown amount of time, the attack subsided, and the last image he saw, before his eyes cleared and the room came into view, was the smiling reptilian face of the ethereal creature from his dreams.