Two days have passed since our fateful encounter with the other clones.  These days have been uneventful. Other than Nud catching a few fish, we marched throughout the day. My titanium claws sharpened spears for my comrades taken from a lone tree. The wind brushed the leaves and sheltered us the night before. The wood was brittle and heavy. We could cause a few headaches for our enemies.

The plains or savannah would end in another days walk. Rolling hills towered over the flat land in the distance. We would continue as wayward travelers. This was not what I was expecting considering I had been reincarnated into a sci-fi world. I was ready for a warm shower and hoped we could find civilization again.

Hop hop hop… Over the river stones I jumped. Tara followed closely behind. She did not want to be left alone and still had anxiety issues. She had been getting better. The lack of fidgeting was an improvement. Nud would look and trace the skies at night. I felt for him; home was where the clone ship was.

The last distributed pieces of jerky were quickly eaten.  By mid day storm clouds drifted into view. We were looking at light rain, perhaps an inch at most. I didn’t mind the wet as it was a warm rain. The loamy soil quelched at our feet. In the distance animals could be spotted running back into tall patches of grass or in holes to escape getting wet.

This was not something which I had seen on Earth, but I ignored the implications. Rain isn't dangerous. My old worldview ended up screwing me over. As the storm clouds approached, signs of their devastation presented a landscape of dead plants. They could not withstand the chemical rain. Whatever cause them to wilt would probably do the same with us. Nud, Tara, and I were sorely lacking in helmets. I didn't fancy dissolving, and took off in the opposite direction. Both Nud and Tara didn’t either following closely behind.

My brief knowledge of weather was enough. We weren’t going to outrun a storm on foot. Did I mention we were situated in a plain of sorts? Where we all the pretty little trees.  The pods we had left would work as cover, but we were now too far away. If I had any forethought, I would have dug a hole for my impending death. Then I'd be able to go to heaven, buried and bones preserved. Fuck.

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We now had about five minutes until the rain clouds passed us up. I had Tara work up anything we could use. I even told Nud to brainstorm.  Oh, I was desperate. No one wanted to die a virgin child. We continued to run, my arms pumping and pumping. Lactic acid burned my legs.  This was tiring and decided to take a break. My effort was useless… No point in prolonging the pain. The others stopped as well. I knew my soul existed at the very least.

Just as the rain clouds were about to engulf the sky over our heads, a fighter jet hurtled down towards us. The engines created a sonic boom seconds after it came within sight. We were saved. The jet pulled a ninety degree turn twisting  into the earth to break. The soft ground did not harm the fighter. What a weird way to land? The cockpit opened to reveal one of our own. A clone donning the traditional uniform stood atop the craft beckoning us in. We had been deemed worthy.

I climbed aboard with both team members close behind. We strapped in and took off. The officer explained what had happened in detail. “Being launched into the plains for three days is a ceremonial event for us clones. If we can survive the wilderness alone for a few days then your able to fight in a galactic war. Traditions suck. Am I right?”

I decided to nod and let the chatterbox continue.  He definitely liked the sound of his own voice. “Anyway, we'll get you down to the school. That was the first time i’ve seen someone resort to cannibalism! Usually the cadets are half starved by the time we pick them up. I guess you guys are top of your class...”

He continued his banter, but I wanted to know how lucky I had been. “Would that rain have killed us if we had sat out their for a couple more minutes?”

“Right down to your bone man. Now you’ll be able to go back to your wifi and other amenities. Back in my day, we cherished a bit of acid rain. That's how I lost my entire left hand. The pain was on a crazy new level! Now clones are a bunch of weenies, and don’t endure hardship. When we get down to the academy, you’ll see a sorry sight. Class A-1 of star date 1209 is still the superior record breaking class. Oh, and don’t get cocky thinking you’ll beat my class see…”

I looked out the window to find a few buildings dotted haphazardly and a cluster to the north of us. The ship continued towards the cluster of buildings I presumed to be the martial school. We landed on the airstrip, and the still chatting officer, Brad, let us go. We collected our clothing for our stay and got situated within our sleeping quarter. Each room held ninety-nine recruits with each team owning a triple bunk bed. Tara climbed onto the top bunk. I guess they didn’t care about gender? Oh, we hadn’t hit puberty yet. Our room situation might change in the near future. The lights shut off, and clones were told to get into bed. It was a nice way to end the day.