50 Minutes before the test.
In the warriors' quarters, where the room is more or less big enough to contain nine people to sleep in, there's been a lot of speculation about what will happen during the tests. They have proven themselves among one another in being capable to fight for a grand battle, to be able to rely on another and such. But a bigger task relies on the decision of the government itself for them to fight for them. It's usually a warrior's test to prove how much worth they can be for the world..and how much they can be valued as heroes. It's pretty unknown to guess at this point, at least for many people in need. But still, one wonders how huge the chances can be.
Inside, Jack, Lucy, Malak, Eddie, and Andrei are tugging their bed-sheets, dressing up, and organizing their things so they can be prepared to see the test. Jackson and Malak seem the most eager ones for it, as their own smiles show how much worth they're gonna see from the group. Andrei could only bear a slight smile on his face. Nonetheless, still proving how much warmness the guy feels for them.
Eddie though wasn't so sure, simply looking at both of them with a doubtful look on his face.
"You're putting up a lot of faith in those fellas, and I gotta tell ya, it's way too much."
"Oh, relax good cowboy, one is certain that a hero is certain to pass such tests," Malak replies.
"Da, or else they might be just random beggars in costumes after all but aren't," Andrei says.
"They're way too clean, Ruskie fella."
"Analogies, dude."
Jackson could only chuckle in response, all while patting on his shoulder heartily.
"One should always know when there's more than just the suit because if it truly was, they could making millions of it to make us stronger. But nope, whoever gave them might be too generous or lazy to give it to us."
"Well, not for Tany gal! I just wish she could be less cliched in her looks because otherwise, we're feeling like over-excited geeks."
Malak chuckles as well, albeit for another reason other than his embarrassment.
"I've seen a lot of pots talking to kettles these days, but you? You're making way too much steam compared to other kettles!"
Eddie could only grumble in irritation, he doesn't like being picked on after all.
"Shut yer big-ass mouths!"
This only makes the rest except Lucy to chuckle a whole lot more. Even so, one can't help but feel a bit of good-humored meeting around there. Perhaps a good time is really needed after a day of tension.
Lucy, however, looks very distant. She doesn't glance at any of them or trying to say something. All she did was standing beside Jack while they goofed around. He notices this, then he starts tapping on her shoulder.
"What's the matter Luce? Aren't you excited for the good times?"
Lucy's only response is silence and a short sigh. Yet, it wasn't a silence out of anger contempt, it's almost one of deep uncertainty...even worry. Jackson notices this and frowns while wrinkling his brows. The others take notice as well as they all look on Lucy's silent state.
"Alright, I know what yoo're thinking. Am I still th' crabbit bitch of this crew?" she says sternly.
"But Luce, don't you have any-"
"Of course I do have a bloody confidence on the warriors. But I believe they're taking it as a huge game. Everything from them, I feel they don't have th' brain suited for war yit...especially Amira..."
The others could only stare in worry from such statement, especially Malak, who's feeling something close to Amira as of recently. Eddie and Andrei only look mildly worried while Jack's in shock, his eyebrows now drawn together, his neck now feeling a bit stiff and his muscles slightly strained.
"Luce...What do you mean?"
"Think about it! Ya know I've been told by the boy of how I should try to accept her more even though she's a being out of this world. We should know her more, yes, but that girl...there's something from her that doesn't feel reit. What she has...it's like one big devil trapped inside her, one when unleashed one day, it could be a dire event for us all. And with the way she handles her feelings..." she says quietly, all while bitting the lips briefly from the pause.
"I know feelings are dangerous and risky, Lucy, but at the same time, they're not to be taken into account in how to deal with someone and we treat them, at least not always. A being's soul grows based on how they're surrounded by the environment around them, and if they're not given the right growth, then it greatly taints the soul. And what you're suggesting can't be good for her, especially since you've not spoken to her ever since that day." Malak says while stepping forward.
"She deserves it for a good reason. I can't be the one to try and encourage sweet talk to her, less when it comes to approving her worldview. Because of such feelings from her, I believe that the best way to keep her safe from both myself, the rest and the others is to make sure I'm away from her for a while, something you should try the same."
Most of the group gasp in shock, all with dazed looks on their faces with widened eyes. Especially Jackson and Malak who by now are sticking in what Amira's been through.
"Luce...what the hell?"
"It's for her own good. I know she may not want it, but for the safety of all of us and to make sure she's not a baby to carry over, she should face it. I won't mind if you don't agree with what I do anyway, but I'll stick to it. It's the best option I can think of."
"How bout properly training her for Human interactions, eh? You know one's growth isn't always based on how big their circle is but how you shape like they said," Eddie replies back, almost angry.
"Or just starting being a friend, you know you Scottie...simple as that," Andrei replies as well.
"You laddies are too soft..."
"But you should get over it, Luce..."
"You know what? I'm just gonna shut my mouth just for you because you're all that blabbering about being gentle with her because it's becoming a scunner for you in having this haver."
"If you insist...if only you could your heart a bit more..." Malak quietly whispers while turning her glance away from her.
Some people in the world believe that to better let someone see something that they've been doing wrong for a long while is to put them in harsh conditions, all for their betterment. But a heart can't be always the same when it comes to handling things out of their reach. It's not a simple fact of whether trying to go soft or harsh is the right solution, or when to make it right for a certain being. Perhaps an act of improvement isn't always a well-defined one as most people may assume nowadays.
Present Time
Fresh from his training, Logan already did well in managing his skills with his sword, especially when it came to the arrival of soldiers like Berat and Valentina. The UEF seems to have hired larger talent than expected. Probably the biggest assistance they'll get. John, looking from above, feels amused in what he sees, spouting a big smile from what he witnessed.
"Now, let's move on to the next course which involves the opposites that drove nerdy fantasies for years, scientific Seiner and magical Tany...yeah, sorry. Now, for you two, You'll have to pass obstacle courses with lots of traps along the way, fire traps, water traps, rock traps but no wind traps, fortunately. And way up to the center, there's a computer in which Seiner will have to try to use it to let us know that he has passed and will pass on to our records of another successful access. Hope you understand, OK? And remember, you'll only have ten minutes to complete this."
Tany waves with both arms while spouting a smile on her face, Seiner has simply his arms closed while nodding a bit rapidly, likely in irritation from Tany's eagerness.
"Heh! Alright then. Now...LET THE GAMES BEGIN!"
An alarm starts to sound in the site, indicating the start of the test. The floor for the most part of the arena descends, leaving only the platforms that lead to the computer post. Both warriors spring rapidly to one of the platforms, which is separated from a gap to the other platform nearby, meaning that jumping may be necessary. But it's not entirely safe, as the ground below is one huge hellfire. A flow of lava, bursting slightly low for now but still dangerous to pass through.
"Hey Seiny boy, don't you think of using those cheating boots to pass this silly obstacle!"
"Didn't you heard already what he said?! We should use what we have to pass through!"
"Yes, but you know a test can be much better if it's hard enough, so let's try a grandiose way to get through!"
"Then what do you suggest?"
Tany then starts to think about it while pacing forward and backward while placing her index finger near her lips, humming thoughtfully while Seiner stares at her, his brows all raised up and a huge frown on his face while breathing slowly yet heavily.
It goes on for like a second, she's still thinking deeply about what to do.
"Oh! I get it now! Since fire contrasts with water, then I should clear a path through this hole with water!"
"Oh yeah? And can you freeze it as well after you do?"
Tany falls silent for a moment, her smile stuck while she turns around and staring awkwardly at Seiner. This startles Seiner, who then proceeds to grab her shirt and pull it near him.
"You're a magic user, don't you know already the spell of ice?!"
"I think I'm not on the level to do so yet..."
Seiner groans heavily in frustration while holding his head steadily yet roughly while also stomping his foot to the ground two times. Tany could only keep up smiling nervously at such statement while her "friend" vents his frustration outside of him.
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"Combining our powers will be enough then...enough to contain me from this at least."
"Okay Seiny Boy, tell me tell me!"
"I'm going to combine two elements that can make up water and turn the temperature down to make ice. Then you'll use your water splash to land near the other side of the platform, the largest one you can think of. Once that happens, I'll take the shot, understand?"
"Okie Dokie, my genius boy!"
Seiner pulls out three mini-capsules from his belt, two with an "H" letter with two blue lines and another with an "O" letter with a silver line. He inserts them on the sliders of the gun and pulls the barrel down, which activates a greyish blue line around it. He also pulls a cylinder around the barrel, making a sound similar to one of a cracking iceberg.
"Wait for my signal..."
Tany nods, she holds her staff steadily while awaiting for Seiner's cue. Seiner aims his gun carefully near the other side, calculating the probable distance that could make a bridge, one hard enough to sustain footsteps to cross to the other side.
One minute passes by, almost nothing until...
"Tally-ho!"
Tany swings her staff which creates a large water splash that covers part of the hole and the sides of both platforms. Seiner, knowing his chance, fires the gun at the position where the water splash lands near the platform. The icy looking bullet impacts the water splash, causing it to freeze entirely. The space around it is a huge one, one enough to let people through without breaking too much.
Without further hesitation, Seiner and Tany quickly pass from the icy bridge and pass to the other side of the platform. They check the timer above, two minutes have passed. Still with much time left.
"Oh, we did it Seiny boy, doing things together does indeed create wonders!"
"Whatever, let's get going..."
They run off to another platform, one long bridge for the other side which is the water pad, separated into two distinct platforms like the fire pad. They stop near the edge of it, not sure if it's safe to swim on it.
"Can we...?" Tany sheepishly asks while smiling nervously towards Seiner.
"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" he yells at the top of his lungs, briefly startling Tany who steps for a bit from his anger. Maybe she was a bit too considerate of taking that kind of approach.
He knows it well, looking very deeply into the water with his eyes lets him know how deep is the water pool is. It's a pretty deep one, to say the least. Even though they can swim, there's something from Seiner that restrains in swimming on it. Perhaps it's something related to what Tany suggested earlier.
"This is something much better than the silly head of yours!" he takes something from his belt, a seemingly small black tile that could be small enough to fit on the center of his own hand. This makes Tany look carefully at it with amusement, leaning her head near Seiner's hand while being in awe for some reason.
"Something so especially special bout that tiny little tile?"
"Watch," he says as he tosses the tile to the pool of water, landing right in the center of it. For a moment nothing happens with such tile until it three times its original size, almost large enough to cover part of the pool. Tany turns to Seiner, her face as rosy it can get while spouting a large grin on her face.
"What other goodie surprises do you have...?"
"Ask later, we only have seven minutes left for the bloody test!" he says while quickly grabbing her arm and running to the space between the two platforms and the water pool, landing on the huge black which it staggers for a bit on landing, it retains the balance caused from the impact, enough to ensure for Seiner and Tany to pass the other side. Seiner grabs the black tile from the water pool, eventually morphing back into its miniature form, putting it back to his pocket. Afterward, he looks to Tany with a look of disapproval on his behalf.
"Next time, I'll do that thing alone...let's move on."
"Uhm, okie?"
They run forward to the next platform, almost nearby to the one where the computer is located, almost a few inches away from them. The penultimate platform appears to be fairly normal, being just one huge metal floor with nothing interesting so far in it.
Stopping for a second, the duo starts to observe the floor for anything suspicious, Seiner kneels down while Tany crouches down while pacing her head left to right to spot for anything suspicious.
"Why does this look so deceiving...?" Seiner asks while observing.
"Oh well, nothing else to see I guess!" Tany says as she rapidly stands while going back to the objective again.
But before Seiner could do the same, the metal floor suddenly opens abruptly, causing both warriors to fall down to the shaft while shrieking from the surprise. Then, a large gust of wind erupts from the shaft, sending both warriors flying sky high. It comes from two large wind fans below the shaft.
"I WASN'T EXPECTING THIS TECHNICAL TRAP!" Seiner yells while floating in the air from the wind wave.
"I THOUGHT THERE WON'T BE ANY FAIRLY FAIR CHEATING!"
"GOT ANY PLAN, TANY!?"
Before she could say it though, the wind from the fans disappear, causing them to fall down again to the hole, screaming again. And again, like the first time, the fans activate one more to blow the warriors away and send them floating up in the air, startled and desperate like before.
"PLEASE DON'T HIT ME FOR THIS, SEINY BOY! IT'S FAIRLY IMPORTANT ANYWAY!" she says as she grabs her magic staff up in the air and proceeds to spin it around a couple of times and then putting it near back, which confuses Seiner.
"OH, PLAYING WITH YOUR BLOODY STAFF YOU MEAN?!"
"WIND RAVEUS!" she swings the staff forwardly which summons another gust of wind appearing from behind, with enough force to push them both away from the gust of wind from the wind fans below the shaft, coinciding at the moment when the gust of wind from the fans stopped. They land a bit rough on the other side of the platform where the trap door was. The doors where it contains the wind fans close down, indicating a pass from the obstacle. The warriors get up to regain their composure and though they're a bit dazed from the impact, they're unharmed from it, much to Tany's relief as she happily swings her staff around her waist. Seiner, of course, could only stare at her with a scowl on his face.
"Moving on...you'll get spared this time around."
"Okie! Now, it's only one obstacle left with four minutes left for this silly test to end!"
The path to the last obstacle is nearby, but like the last one, looks relatively harmless, a huge floor which leads up to the computer on the other side. But one needs to be careful as usual when it comes to confronting other dangers as usual.
"GO FOR IT SEINY BOY!" Tany says as she excitedly grabs Seiner's arm and runs as fast as she can to the other platform where the computer is located.
"DON'T RUSH IT UP, YOU IDIOT!" he angrily replies as he stops on the tracks by sliding his feet near the floor, which makes Tany stop for a bit. She's initially puzzled at why he did it, maybe being paranoid as all hell, but before she could do anything, the ground floor of the platform explodes in a circular shape, which is repeated four times for the other parts of the floor. The gaps are almost wide enough to guarantee a difficult task of jumping through them to get to the computer.
"Who authorized this!?" Seiner angrily asks.
A laugh could then be heard nearby, one that's very different from the warriors or even John, a deep-husky sounding laugh it is.
"Part of the testing course, fella, don't you know that?" a voice replies cockily, with the same tone as the laughter heard from a side of the building. Both Tany and Seiner turn to the origin of the voice, it comes from a tall man with a blue and green UEF combat uniform, only has one brown eye on his right side, the left one with an eyepatch. A dark-yellowish skin with a yellow mohawk and heavily structured face and muscular body, sitting on a lonely part of the platform where most didn't notice, all while holding a detonator in his right hand.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Algerian explosive specialist: Mehdi Kateb. Right now, you only have 3 minutes left to pass this through and you may lose if you start wasting time in knowing somebody else."
"Lose!!? I'll show you what a loss can be for you!" Seiner angrily says while starting to run as fast as he can to jump to the other platforms through the gaps, Tany tries to stop him by grabbing him but it's no use as he gets too far away from her to grab him while he jumps in a high altitude from the other side of the platform to the other. He repeats this step the other three times from the shattered platform until he finally reaches to the other side of the said platform where the computer is located. Seiner, thinking of himself pretty confidently, starts pointing at his himself to indicate his supposed superiority, which makes Tany frown but Mehdi smirks while that happens.
"Heh! Guess you UEF guys need to practice more on their tactics!" he says before running off to the computer, a slightly modern looking one with an attached keyboard and everything that forms up a computer. He sits on the chair near the table, proceeds to start the main system on, which leads to the main screen showing a page which says;"Congrats! You've won the test, now, fill this up with your name, state your reason for fighting and be part of the UEF for the fight for Earth!" Seiner scoffs in response while smirking at it.
"Can't expect much from child's play."
He then starts typing some of the information from him and what he can do for the UEF. It's all going well, until...
The computer flashes to pitch black, then turns on again to reveal the symbol of a skull with a red visor on the right side of it with some lipstick on the lips, with a caption below that says; "Chcesz spróbować mocniej?"
"The bloody hell is this?!"
"Just some minor distraction," a voice can be heard as well, this one a distinctly female voice with a thick accent. Seiner turns around in response to see where it comes from, all to see if he can find her somewhere but to no avail.
"I'm mostly someone that you can call "anyone", yet I'm not here at the moment. Someone you can see me yet can't. A part of you is now at risk as I liberate your secrets away to the outside. Somone you can try to catch yet never find when not trying hard enough. What am I?"
Seiner's only response is bitter silence, all he could watch now is simply the screen still looking the same from what he's seeing. After some moment of doubt, he starts smirking again while grabbing something from his belt. It's his trustworthy tablet, used to decode most things in computers like he did back in the factory, but also takes out a mobile device which can be connected to a computer of some sorts, the only thing showing is an antenna with the broadcast waves.
"Some tosser thief who may not have studied enough tactics?" he asks as he starts typing on the tablet, with some codes appearing on the screen, indicating some breaching on the computer's systems. The computers start to static, slowly turning back into the page where he was before the computer got hacked. He continues typing rapidly while also using his other hand to type on the computer to fill out the details. It all goes normally until the computer screen slowly starts to get on static again while numerous windows pop-up showing a restriction on the system.
"Tossers aren't known for using their computers well, my true self is one that can handle the creations of this century quite handily and may provide ways of securing your own self. What am I again?"
Seiner responds by activating the phone next to him, the antenna turning green while the captions; "INTERFERENCE ON. LV: 3", causing the computer pop-ups to vanish while the static remains for a bit. Outsmarting an equal seems to be Seiner's forte after all, as he keeps on smirking while filling up the remaining details of the form while still typing sometimes with the tablet as well and keeping a close eye on the phone as well. The pop-up windows on the computer start appearing again, albeit this time, they're contained enough to keep the said computer working while it's happening.
"You're quite a crafty one after all, and yet all I do is return the favor, so wypas!" the girl replies almost in a seductive tone.
"If if it's what I think it is, then be ready to bite them back!"
Finally, for all the efforts and struggles he's been pulling, he sents out the form to the supposed admin, all while just one minute and 59 seconds left. Some moment of silence passes by, the countdown still continuing, did Seiner missed an important detail of something? Or some minor delay?
"Well...to please you for once, the answer's a hacker...happy?"
The girl can only giggle for a little in amusement, not expecting someone like him to pull off the answer to her riddle.
"What a nice guesser that you are."
A window in front of Seiner then lifts up, revealing the "culprit" of his misfortunes on his computer. A short-haired black girl with a greenish tone, a monocle-like device on her right eye, hazel eyes and of course, the red lipsticks on her mouth. And knowing what she did, the answer is clear in what her equipment is. And right after that, the countdown timer eventually stops, reaching to 44 seconds maximum.
"And a lucky one with that pretty girl as well, I suppose..."
"What the?!-Just who are you?!"
"Celina Galat, top Polish hacker. You must be the top British hacker."
"Not really...just my hobby and some increased skill..."
"I see now...and I'm sure Mehdi will impress you a lot more. His fiery passion will leave you with wonders on the way."
"How lame...but let me ask-"
"Yes, Berat and Valentina are also with us...we're part of something that you may like, similar in having your own brother."
"B-broth-brother...? Brother? Brother...?" he says while his usual tone surprisingly falls, now turning one of pure insecurity as breaths slowly.
"Something of the matter?"
"Never mind...just who the hell-"
"Success! Nice work people, you're the fourth ones to pass this great test after 69 failed attempts. I gotta say, you're giving off a nice vibe so far, which impresses me. Now, next one will be that Alien girl; Amira Dhorian she says and then your worth will be proven!" John says while interrupting Seiner and as the floor eventually rise again to attach themselves to the other platforms, making the place whole once more. This makes Tany run towards Seiner, who starts pulling one of his ears while dragging him away from her. Her eyes wide enough to reveal the whites of them, nostrils flaring heavily while she glares at him like no tomorrow.
"YOU STUCK-UP MEANIE!! WHY ARE YOU TAKING ALL THE GLORY FOR YOURSELF JUST RIGHT NOW!? AREN'T WE THE CUTIE NEW FRIENDS ENOUGH FOR YOU?! I WILL TEACH YOU GOOD ONCE DEAR AMI FINISHES HER CUTE TEST!"
"For the love of..." he sheepishly replies. Celina and Mehdi both chuckle in response.
Two of the four-man warriors have passed, but even with the supposed superiority to one another, there's the one undeniable truth that the true success comes with the assistance of fellows in need.
But when there's that, there's also the matter of when someone can handle a pressure for something so big...