Covered Correspondence

Chapter 5 Tragedy

This chapter always makes me feel bad for Chase, hope you like it. -Your faithful writers -Steve~Lewis

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When we reached the training center, I realized that the shooting range was just part of the training center.

"Piper! Mike!" A familiar voice echoed off the metal walls.

"Hello Professor Owen!" Piper called to him. "Mark is ready for his first training session."

"Alright Mike, you know how to use your gun, but we are going to look at the art of stealth, archery, swimming and hand to hand combat," said proffesser Owen. I didn't bother correcting him on my name. 

"We're learning all that today?" I inquried. This was more than I could handle in seven days let alone one!

"Not quite, three days at most, but we'll try to get an much done today as we can," Prof. Owen.

"Okay," I said dragging out the 'A'.

"First we have hand-to-hand combat," Prof. Owen stated. "Now, come on over here Mike." He lead Piper and I to the stainless steal door and opened it leading us into a large room with a high ceiling and black foam interior.

"We will be testing your scores to see what kind of tasks to give you," Professor Owen talked as we walked to the center of the room where a large metal disk lay on the ground.

"Stand on this," Prof. Owen pointed to the disk. I stepped onto the disk. "Now what?" I asked.

"Now stay here until further instructions." Professor Owen and Piper left me in the room, and walked into an observation booth.

"Alright." Professor Owen's voice boomed through speakers that must have been hidden. "This is part one of the test. You will be fighting hand-to-hand combat. Don't worry though, it's a hologram."

Suddenly the room grew darker and holographic beings began to form in a circle around me. I watched the blue light grow into human sized shapes, and stretch like they had just woken up from a nap.

"Oh...kay?" I said to no one. I readied myself for a good not-so-old-fashioned fight with holograms.

As soon as the first one came at me, I got sucker-punched in the face. Although I didn't really hurt, (because, COME ON. I WAS FIGHTING WITH LIGHT.) I felt the impact and went sailing backwards.

"This is weird." I muttered. I had no clue how I was able to feel the impact of a light punch.

The second hologram barreled toward me. This time I was prepared, and punched it in the gut. The hologram made a strange whining noise and exploded into light fragments.

After about an hour of this, I had finished off all the holograms.

"Hmm." Professor Owen and Piper walked in. "Very impressive, Mike," Prof. Owen said as Piper handed me a water bottle.

"That was by far, the strangest thing I've ever done." I said between gulps of water.

"You get used to it." Piper said casually.

"I hope so." I mumbled.

" I do believe those were the best results we've had all year!" Prof. Owen exclaimed. "I will need time to send in this information and talk with the Board... take the rest of the day off. Piper with help you if you need anything."

"She will?" I looked over at her and she gave me the evil eye.

"Come on, we should get something to eat."

We walked over to the lift and rode up to the L. Hall. Which I found out was used for more meals than lunch. The L. hall was more cramed than usual. Piper and I pushed through the crowds. Just then Piper's hair disappeared between several tightly squished people.

"Piper," called quietly.

I could find my way easily to food, but I didn't want to lose Piper. The room got silent and the people stopped shifting.

"Piper," I said again.There was still no responce and I started to shove through the crowd, something was not right.

Just then something on the long metal rafters on the ceiling caught the corner of my eye. It was black. I stared up to see seventeen men in formation on the cat-walk that hung above the vast room. They each wore black and blended well in the corners. Every person had a long, black AK47 pointed down at the silent bystanders...us.

My heart stopped. Then I froze. One man in particular caught my attention. He had his left hand up to his ear as if he was talking to some one through an earpiece. Before I could get a better look, a heart-pounding gunshot rang in the air. I jumped and looked around to see what had been shot and when I looked back, the shooter and his companions were gone. A crowd parted to reveal a girl about my age lying on the ground, gripping her bloodied side...Piper. She coughed blood and splattered it all over her face.

"Piper," I whispered.