As soon as Cue returns from the hospital he wants to test my skills in combat. He has taken me to his training grounds atop a mountain in the province Tiān Shángshān, Heavenly Mountain. For the last four days I have been living in their expensive training facility.

I feel as though I met every person in the tiny fishing province the one day I spent in Hai. I met so many people from the poorest of Hai’s beggars to the richest of the government’s officials and have gained instant fame and respect from all of them. People were very kind to us for saving Cue and Chance’s lives. Some of them gave us food, drinks, clothing and supplies for our journey which I graciously accepted. On one occasion a man tried to offer his daughter up for marriage. He was moderately wealthy and he owned an aircraft repair company. His daughter was quite beautiful. She was dressed in a gorgeous red dress. Ayesha wasn’t too pleased with the offer. She was even more upset when I didn’t decline right away but, that was to mess with her.

With Chance accompanying us, the Police Chief has to be with us every day while we are in the city. Not for fear of violence but because without him it is impossible to move through the crowds of people that come to see Chance as he walks down the street. He is treated better than a celebrity. He is their patron saint. It was wonderful spending a few days in the city experiencing the culture of a people so different from my own.

It is not all fun and games in Chinchi. Cue, Chance and Ayesha’s training is the most brutal thing I have ever done. Cue and Chance spare no expense in purchasing the best of the best top of the line equipment for training various types of Seed Hosts and Vectors. The combat room has android sparring partners that use real guns, explosives, knives and swords against whoever is inside. They will kill without hesitation and there is no safety protocol or emergency turn off if anything happens. Chance won’t allow me to use the room. He believes I would die. I have yet to question that decision.

The first of many tests is basic hand to hand combat with Black Seeds acceleration. The Vortex has a program called Umbra, Shadow, which allows me to do any martial art technique I see firsthand. The techniques I learn this way are rough and still require training. However, I can hold my own against Cue in five days as long as we are only using acceleration and no other powers. I still have yet to beat him and he is as smug as possible.

Cue’s fighting skills come from the mastery of all Chijen martial arts. His Seed has the same program allowing him to completely learn a fighting style within hours. Cue taught Chance the style several years ago and he made his own version of it. Chance trains on his own; I have only seen one of his intense workouts.

They also test my strength with the Seed active, I can bench press over four-thousand pounds. A dramatic increase from me barely being able to lift one hundred eighty before I was implanted. This is not even half the amount Cue can lift, because the Black Seed increases someone’s strength, stamina, and flexibility. Working out to increase any of these areas is incredibly tedious.

In Cue’s reinforced sparring room Ayesha shows me how to better control my barrier so it will not weaken even against her strongest single blasts. I can create a stronger shield by making it smaller so that the shield is not wasting energy by surrounding me in a dome.

At the shooting range outside of the facility Ayesha is also training me on how to use my newest ability—the one I used to destroy the metal mantises. I dub the attack light spears because the Great Voice called the attack spears when I first gain the skill. Her range and firing speed greatly out-does my own but my attack is the most accurate since I only have to see the target to hit it without the need to aim. We do find out that the amount a light spear can change direction is limited to wide curves.

Ayesha spars with Chance occasionally. The two are unreal when it comes to fighting. They do full contact no holding back brawling. With Chance’s Plasma whips, fire breath and heat vision and Ayesha’s ability to turn her body into any weapon, it becomes so intense Cue runs in to stop them before they bring the place down.

We are going to see Naomi for the second time. The last time she was under anesthesia having just had her surgery. She is awake for the first time since her admission five days ago. We have to travel to the province of Shin Xie because the hospital in Hai is not capable of treating her. Chance stays behind to train. Cue is more than willing to come in his stead.

“Alright kiddies load up in the hovercraft,” Cue says as he leads us to the hoverpad. “It’s going to be a bumpy ride till we get to a lower elevation.”

“We can just run there.” Ayesha objects. “It’ll take about the same amount of time and we are here to train.”

“We have to travel to the Shin Xie province that’s about four hundred miles from here most of which is mountain ranges.” Cue rebuts. “Even for Hosts that’s a long way.”

“I don’t mine it.” I shrug. “We are here to train after all.”

“See two against one let’s go.” Ayesha says.

“Whoa, whoa there little missy.” Cue says. “You don’t seem to understand a journey that long will wear out my new custom shoes.”

“Wear different shoes then.” Ayesha shoots back.

“No, I have to brake them in. Besides the mountains we’ll have to cross are too dangerous to go full speed we’ll be lucky to get there by night fall if we run.” Cue states. “It will be a two hour flight from the mountain range to the hospital.”

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Ayesha looks at me for a second. I nod and she turns back to Cue.

“Fine.” She says as she storms past him. “We’ll take your damn hovercraft.”

Ayesha especially does not like Cue and that has become painfully obvious the longer the two are together.

Unlike Chance, who does not speak too often, Cue jokes around far too much and to him no person or situation is excluded from his banter. Including the time when he and Chance captured her and were transporting her to their employers. Apparently having to tase her with high voltage electricity every once in a while so she couldn’t use her Seed was funny to him.

We are in the lobby waiting for the doctor to bring Naomi out. I sit in between Ayesha and Cue. Mainly to keep the infuriated Ayesha from getting her hands on him or from turning her hands into guns and firing while we are in the hospital. I find myself staring at the clock aimlessly not reading the time but just trying not to make eye contact with Ayesha. Because I know if I so much as glimpse at her I will see her rage which will be directed to me for letting Cue come in the first place.

The door opens and out rolls Naomi in a wheel chair. The doctor and Copy Seed technician are both with her talking in Chinoku. Her face lights up when she sees us in the corner of the room.

“Nice wheels,” Cue jokes as she comes closer.

“Shut up,” she says as she stops her chair right on top of his foot.

He jumps back to make sure she didn’t scuff the shoes that go with his new favorite zoot suit. Ayesha isn’t excited about seeing Naomi. She still doesn’t trust her because she is Gandole, though she doesn’t hate her either.

“Great. Now that the Gandole is back can we move along?” Ayesha says. “We do have things to do.”

“Wait,” I say. “What happened? Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah… yeah,” she says. “I’ll be fine. I just won’t be able to use my Copy Seed for a while.”

Cue says something in Chinoku to the doctor and Copy Seed technician. I can only suppose it is a joke since following his statement is an enthusiastic chuckle from both of them. Naomi moves her chair onto Cue’s other foot. Once again, he jumps back checking his shoe for any dings or scratches. He doesn’t say anything to Naomi he simply points his finger at her as if saying “I’m watching you” but in a playful manner. Naomi sticks her tongue out at him and turns her head.

We return to Cue’s training center a top the Mountain. As Cue lands the hovercraft Chance runs outside to us.

“Times up,” he says as he climbs into the co-pilot seat. “Our sources say Seth is on his way to Hai. He’ll be here in a few hours.”

“That’s not good,” Cue responds. “Is everything already packed?”

“All of our gear is at the dock.” Chance replies. “I called the men and told them to take it to the Rift.”

“Are you guys scared of your brother or something?” Ayesha asks.

“Well babe,” Cue replies. “Since you asked, we would rather avoid him in our hometown. He promised to kill us the next time he saw us and a fight between the three of us could cause a lot of collateral damage.”

“Did you just call me Babe,” Ayesha yells.

“Calm down babe,” Cue says. “It’s a term of endearment, why are you so pissy? What is it that time of the mon…”

Ayesha transforms her hands into a gun, “for the love of god. Please let me kill him Nova!”

“Looks like it is,” Chance adds as he fist bumps Cue and they both laugh.

That little comment made the whole hour and thirty minute ride back mostly me convincing Ayesha their importance on the team. It makes me envious of Naomi who has been asleep the entire time because of her medications.

We land on a hoverpad at Cue and Chances privately-owned dock. We are greeted by two members of Cue and Chance’s crew.

“The woman on board would not let us inside the ship without the captain.” One of Cue’s crew members say. “We can’t load the supplies.”

“Well, Nova,” Cue says. “Open the door.”

Cue’s crew stands at about thirty-seven members all native Chinoku from Hai. The group consists of ex-military and former mercenaries. They returned home after the major parts of the wars were over in central Chinchi. While Cue and Chance are away with us they will carry out black-marketing assignments on their own.

As I approach the Rift, Tak appears on the hull and the hatch opens.

“Welcome back, Master Elvion,” she says as she bows.

“Thanks,” I say jumping over to her and climbing inside. “After they are done loading the supplies, we’ll be leaving.”

“Of course Master,” she says.

I walk to the cockpit and sit down in the captain’s chair. Naomi and Ayesha maneuver to their individual stations over-looking monitors in the lower section. I can hear Cue and Chance yelling in Chinoku what I can only imagine is hurry up. Several men slide down the ladder. When they are all in place the others hurl crates full of supplies to them. The man at the bottom catches one and tosses it to the next man who places it in a neat stack near the rear of the ship. After all the supplies are loaded the men climb out and in comes Chance followed by Cue. Cue says what I can only imagine are his goodbyes in Chinoku as he closes the hatch.

“So are we really going to do this?” Cue asks as he sits in his chair. “Call me skeptical but, how are three Hosts, a Vector and a cripple going to take out an entire nation?”

Chance also takes his seat completely uninterested. He starts nodding off.

“I thought you are only in it for the money anyway,” Naomi says.

“I’d rather know now what the plan is,” Cue says, “before we march off to our deaths.”

“We’re going to take down a Myrmidon,” Naomi says. “That will prove to nations worldwide the Gandole are not all powerful.”

“We are so dead,” Chance says under his breath.

Tak navigates the Rift out of the dock and begins hovering above the water. We turn around to face the sea while Cue and Chance waves to their crew.

“Tak,” I say, “take us to Aidon.”

I look over at my crew; from here on we will march forward to uncertainty. Each of them has their own lives and is part of my crew for their own reasons. So far they have lead me but now I fear it is time for me to lead us into this unclear path. I Elvion W. Nova commander of the Rift, wielder of the Vortex and captain of the Rift Riders will forge a new future for this world.