Helios Fighter

Chapter Ten

I get to keep myHead

Recalling the first two times I stepped out of the elevator, Iinstinctively was on guard. I'm​ glad I was, because, I was barely a meter away from the door before I noticed a hooded figure flying towards me with a huge, hammer-like object. I ducked and let my solar energy run through me.

My attacker landed on my left, and I turned to face them.

Not this time,​ I thought. ​Not again!​ They faced me and hefted their mighty mallet. Recalling the kind of TV shows I watched, I did something I didn't anticipate to work: I threw my right arm to my side, and an orange energy blade began to form. Making a fist with my left hand and folding it over my chest, a shield-like shape began to form.

"Come on!" I shouted. My attacker charged. They swung their hammer, and I raised my shield to block. I swiped with my blade and they jumped back. They swung again. I caught the handle of the weapon on my shield, and swept it out of their hands. I headbutted them immediately after. "​DGYAAH!!​" Their voice was female. Nonetheless, that didn't stop me from pointing and extending my blade in her face. "Whoa-ho-ho-kay! Point made!! Uh, no pun intended..." The last thing I needed was for this person to stab me in the back when I let her up. Needless to say, I didn't move.

"Well executed, but slightly excessive, Mr. Radiatose," said Apollo behind me. I retracted my blade and shield, and backed up. "Nice attempt on your part as well, Ms. Tesla. Slight overkill on the entrance however, but enough to keep him on his toes." The girl removed her hood to reveal a face of innocence surrounded with purple hair. Had she not just tried to brain me with that massive hammer it of hers, which she retracted as well, I might've believed that she had a shred of innocence. ​Faces are deceiving,​ I thought. ​Friend or foe, never let your guard down. "Soo..." I said. "Hammer."

"Yeah," she said.

"Seems... Useful. Did you bang your way here? Wait..."

"Never heard that one," she laughed. "But no. I'm actually the training director for project Di-At."

"Training."

"Gotta stay on your toes, like Apollo said."

"Indeed," Apollo agreed. "The mysteries of the world lie not solely in the entirety of this universe."

"And if what you told me is true," Ladasha added, "I can vouch for that, first hand."

"Well, Mr. Radiatose and Ms. Ri'Cass, welcome to your new training facility!" I'd been so focused on staying alive, I didn't even have time to take in my surroundings. "Ms. Tesla, why don't you get our recruits settled."

"Sure, Apollo," she said. Apollo walked back to the elevator. "Come on, let's go."

I couldn't even begin to describe the magnitude of the "facility" Apollo left us in. First of all, it looked exactly like the maze of rooms I saw when I first woke up, except thrice as large.

"Jesus!" I said. "What kind of training do you do here!?"

"This is just the housing area for our recruits. The actual training field isn't that big."

"Umm–"

"Needless to say, we expected more Solenoids when this was made. You guys work out the living situation."

"Uhhh–"

"Of course, you'll have separate rooms so–"

"I was gonna ask your name."

"Oh. Heh... it's Galaxia. But my friends call me 'Gally,' for short." Why that rung a bell, I wasn't sure.

"No offense," I continued, "but there's no one here, besides us."

"I mean back in the Nova Division."

"A Novoid."

"Yeah. I say 'friends' because everyone knows me. in truth, I've only had one friend who cared in that division. Jazzy."

"Jazzy? Like Jhaxius Antimatter?"

"You know her?"

"She almost tazed me when we first met."

"She does that. She's also friends with the–"

"Crazy receptionist who's not really crazy but overly fascinated by everything? Met her too. She's nice once you understand what her​ deal is."

"Yeah, well, that's what makes her crazy. Fitting for an Archetype."

"You sound nostalgic."

"Well, I mean, I love Jazzy, but I don't wanna be part of a group that's got a grim outlook all the time."

"You'd prefer to be an Archetype?"

"Exactly."

"Be careful what you wish for," Ladasha said. "Most Archetypes are annoying! They'll talk your ear off if you ask the right, or wrong, question."

"At least your people talk," Gally said. "No one talks to anyone in my division unless they're on the battlefield, or they know someone really well."

"What I wouldn't give for some quiet."

"The problem with both of those scenarios​," I said, "is that you'd both get tired of each other's division. Eventually, you'd be begging to switch back."

"Maybe, but we'd still get a taste of something better than–" My access disk beeped. I pulled it from my pocket. Two people were calling me. The holographic images of Baros and Jax appeared.

"Helios!" They both said.

"Uh, hey guys," I said. "What's up?"

"Have you gotten settled yet?" Baros asked.

"Uh, no."

"Well let me know when you do, so I can send that drone with your stuff."

"Alright." Baros's image disappeared. "What's up Jax?"

"Hey," she said. "Is there someone–"

"'Named Gally there?' Yeah. Gally!"

"Yeah?" Gally answered.

"Jazzy's asking for you." Gally walked over to where I was standing.

"Hi, Gally!"

"Hey!" Gally answered. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Got a small headache, but I'm otherwise okay."

"Did you smash Helios?"

"First," I said, "please rephrase. Second, hey!"

"He brained ​me,​" Gally said. "Which is why I have this headache."

"Told you," Jax said. "Guy's ​crazy​."

"Wait," I said to Gally. "You knew I was coming?"

"Yeah," she answered. "Jazzy said some new guy was coming to project Di-At. Him and the space-girl." Ladasha sighed exasperatedly. "Told me to whack you the second you walked in." I gave Jax my best ​really? ​look. She smiled like ​guilty as charged​. "But, then, you flipped the script pretty quick."

"Whatever," I sighed. "Jax, why aren't you here with Gally?"

"I told you," Jax said. "I wouldn't mind getting in, but I wouldn't kill for it."

"Okay. Did you need anything else?"

"No. Like I said, don't die. You still owe me a rematch."

"And me," Ladasha added. "That play–"

"'Was wack?' Yes, I'm aware. Anyway, I'll do my best."

"You better," Jax insisted.

"Alright. Later." Jax disappeared and we continued walking.