The floor clacked slightly under our boots as we trooped into the room. As Sarge stepped over the threshold there was the quiet sound of pulling paper from an envelope, and the door swished closed behind him.

Instantly the squad went to high alert, standing tensely in a small circle with guns raised. My muscles twitched as we waited for the enemy to show themselves.

Instead, we got the bored sounding voice of our alien trainer. "Squad 304. This is a safe area. You will not be harmed during your stay within it. Please put down your primitive weaponry and take your places at one of the reference consoles provided."

We stood silently as Sarge considered the situation. "Alright boys, you heard the man. Take a seat and get comfortable."

He didn't have to tell us twice. We fell upon that sofa like piranha onto an unsuspecting swimmer. I collapsed in front of one of the little tables, and a light of light projected above it. After a second, it collapsed into itself morphing into a logo I didn't recognize. A perfectly symmetrical diamond shape that glittered slightly as if someone was moving a light around it. Sitting bolt upright now, I was fascinated by the technology on display.

I'd studied engineering at Florida State and seen some of the most cutting edge computers that the 1960s had to offer. The huge mainframe computers that whirred intimidatingly in those labs contrasted with the discreetly invisible technology on display here. In the university, the mainframe had been a protected asset. Its processing time doled out to researchers based on seniority. Each person had an allotted number of cycles to run their programs within. Yet, here each of us had an identical display hovering in front of us. What we were seeing wasn't advanced technology for the alien, they must be entire generations ahead of us in advancement.

In an explosion of fireworks, the logo evaporated, replaced by text.

Welcome to the nanobot orientation program, cadet. Please grant permission for access to your cerebral cortex and memory banks. Failure to grant permission will cause you to be removed from the training program.

What are the consequences of declining? If I was removed from the training program, would I return home?

A primitive who is removed from the training program is terminated. It would be a needless budgetary expense to return them to their home planet.

My unspoken question had been answered. This device must be communicating with my nanobots. It effectively was reading my mind?

Still, this wasn't the most difficult decision in the world. Yes, I thought. Yes, I want to live.

Immediately the world around me seemed to disappear as my vision was subsumed into the display. The words were directly imprinting into my mind, blotting out everything else, commanding my attention.

Nanobots are machines or robots which are at or near the scale of a nanometer in size.

The text paused a second as I read before continuing.

A nanometer is very, very small.

I was starting to get the impression that whoever our hosts were; they weren't particularly impressed with earth technology. This induction was beginning to feel very much like describing something to a small child, who wasn't particularly bright.

These nanobots are used to enhance an individual. This can be by correcting existing defects either within the target species or within an individual host.

The nanobots you have been generously given will allow you to improve and serve the Emperor more efficiently. If you progress within the Imperial Numeri, you will be allowed to unlock nanobot powered enhancements. They will also be utilized for disciplinary purposes if required. Your characteristics have caused you to be assigned to the Researcher advancement template. You can select one skill enhancement and one characteristic enhancement.

Beneath the paragraph a single sentence flashed ominously in red.

Warning - All choices are permanent and cannot be altered once chosen.

Interesting, surreal, and scary but exciting.

However, before I could investigate further, I felt myself shaking and was jarred back into reality. Robinson stood over me. His voice wavered slightly. "Peters, what does all this mean?" 

Elsewhere in the room, the others were still immersed in their screens and seemed oblivious to the pair of us. They wouldn't be giving me any assistance. Racking my brain, I desperately tried to think of how to explain this to him in a way he'd understand.

"You've heard of Superman?"

"Yeah, who hasn't. My kid brother loves comics."

"Well, I think we've just been given the opportunity to become superheroes. Not on the level of Superman, but who knows?"

His breathing slowed down, and he looked at me evenly, watching my face carefully. "You're serious?"

"Yeah, at least I think so. That is what it sounded like before you interrupted me."

"Cool, man. Yeah." He looked down, blushing a little. "We should get back to it then?"

Nodding, I turned back to my display, and once again, it subsumed my attention, blotting out everything else.

Awaiting Selection

Flashed in front of me patiently. The bot indicated it had assigned me to the 'Researcher' template, which implied there were other templates available. I wonder what the others had been given. I snorted, wondering if Robinson had the 'Psychopath' template. Then shivered slightly at the thought that the nanobots might enhance his violence.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

Alright, moving along, what about these characteristics that I can enhance?

Your characteristics are displayed below.

Strength 10

Intellect 15

Agility 10

Psychic 0

All characteristics are baselined to the pathetic human norm of 10 points. You have shown remarkable intelligence for a member of the human species. Your species has no Psychic ability, and so you have a score of zero in this characteristic.

Yeah this interface was definitely intentionally designed to be somewhat insulting and emphasise the superiority of our alien commanders. Still, this was useful information. The characteristics displayed seemed pretty spot on. I'd never been renowned for my strength or agility, and few humans, myself included, believed that psychic abilities existed.

I figured that the most radical change would be to gain psychic ability. Even a small change there might make a huge difference. Besides, what comic book geek doesn't like Dr. Strange?

Focussing my mind, I willed the assignment of an attribute point to Psychic.

Acknowledged. This decision will not be final until you have chosen your skill and confirmed your choices.

Now we're getting somewhere. Please show me all the skills available to my template. Hundreds of pages blurred past me at speed, faster than I could read them. I felt my brain strain attempting to catch their meaning as the text scrolled past. All I could catch was a word or phrase now and again:

Hack System.

Replicate.

Gain Root Access.

These incomplete glimmers of information made no sense to me. A vein in my forehead started to throb as a kaleidoscope of colors fractured my vision. Pain stabbed deep into my skull like a dull knife. "Stop," I pleaded. The words instantly disappeared. Closing my eyes, I held my head in my hands and concentrated on breathing slowly. After a while, the pulsating headache subsided. Mentally bracing myself, I opened my eyes. The dancing spots in my vision had faded away.

Alright, what are the titles of the five most commonly learned Skills available to me.

Computer Skills I (Common)

Identify Weapon I (Common)

Identify Species I (Common)

Identify Technology I (Common)

Program Bot I (Common)

Seriously what was the point of me allocating my improvement to Psychic if I didn’t get skills in that area - come on system, where are the mind bolts?

Your Psychic ability is too limited to learn the skill Mind Bolt. A Psychic ability of 3 or above is required to learn a specialised Psychic skill.

Typical, well you have to start somewhere I suppose. Reviewing the list in front of me, I  concentrated on each in turn and a short explanation of their purpose appeared.

Program Bot I (Common) - This skill will grant the user competence in programming a bot to undertake common actions such as moving to a specific location or firing upon a moving object.

Each had the same cost, and their purposes seemed very straight forward. I presumed the knight creature we fought at the base was such a bot, controlling one sounded awesome. Although seeing as I didn't own one, the skill was considerably less appealing.

The cost would only allow me to take one skill. I had better choose it carefully. Not wanting to mess up by selecting before I'd looked at all the other options, I browsed through each.

Identify Species I (Common) - This skill will provide the user with rudimentary information about any species they encounter.

Computer Skills I (Common) - This skill will provide the user with the basic computing skills necessary to undertake common tasks.

Identify Weapon I (Common) - This skill will provide the user with rudimentary information about weaponry they encounter. It does not offer detailed information on how to utilize the weaponry.

Identify Technology I (Common) - This skill will provide the user with rudimentary information about any technology they encounter. It does not offer detailed information on how to utilize the technology.

They were all fairly basic and self-explanatory. I'd definitely overstated the 'superhero' side of things to Robinson earlier, this was more like choosing lecture courses at University.

I selected 'Identify Species I' as the skill, figuring that it would be useful to know more about any creatures we encountered.

Please confirm the following augmentations:

* Learned Skill - Identify Species I (Common)

* Characteristic Increase - Psychic + 1

I was rewarded with the return of my headache. Images and words cascaded in front of my eyes as knowledge rushed into my brain. This wasn't learning; this was knowledge being forcibly injected. Crouching forward, I cradled my head in my hands, waiting for the pain to cease. Praying that it would ease. Then after a while, hoping for unconsciousness.

Eventually, the throbbing subsided to a dull roar, and I heard a chime as words spun into view.

Additional knowledge was installed and cataloged.

Then I was abruptly ejected back into reality. Sarge was standing over me, scrutinizing me.

 "Are you alright, kid? Your face looks clammy, are you running a fever?"

"For fucks sake, don't let him throw up. I don't want to sleep in here with the smell of his vomit." As compassionate as ever, Robinson seemed to have been spared from any discomfort when he upgraded.

"I'll be fine," I snapped at them, both looking up. My stomach was roiling, and an acidic taste rose in my mouth. Grabbing my flask, I took a swig as nonchalantly as possible, swishing it around my teeth. I didn't feel fine, but there was no way I was going to let them know that. "So, what did you choose for your enhancements?"

"Soldier, I chose Combat Reflexes I for my skill and increased my strength," Robinson flexed his muscles and lifted his arm, admiring his pecs.

"Dude, me too." Schmidt held his hand up for a high five, while I resisted rolling my eyes.

Westcott went next, "Soldier, Accuracy I and increased agility."

Robinson snorted in response, showing his opinion of that. "So, what was it you picked Peters that made you throw up?"

I felt my face flush, "I-I'm not a Soldier." I stammered.

"That isn't news to anyone," Robinson said, causing a round of laughter.

"What was your template, son? I'm not a soldier, either." Sarge indicated calmly, quieting the laughter.

"I'm a Researcher."

Sarge nodded, "That might be helpful," he indicated before anyone else had a chance to react negatively.

"I selected Identify Species I as the skill, and I ranked up Psychic." I think Psychic is what's given me the migraine. I can still see sparkles at the edge of my vision.

"Oooh, spooky. Peters has glitter power now." Robinson said.

"Shut it." Sarge said, "Right, so you know I'm a Leader, and I've taken an Agility upgrade and Squad Sense as my skill. This has linked my nanobots with each of yours, so I know where you are at all times. Think of me as Santa. I'll know what you're doing and where." He stopped and looked directly at Robinson, challenging the man. "Trust me, you don't want to end up on my naughty list."

Robinson smirked in response, apparently not daunted at all. "So what do we do now? Just wait until we're given further orders?"

"Seems that way," Sarge commented, settling down onto the sofa in the relaxed manner of off-duty Marines everywhere.