A giant mechanical beast burst through the clouds, diving toward Sanctuary Isle. Large, purple wings tucked in, and the dragon-like robot screeched as he rocketed at the island below. Inside the robot’s head, Alexa Monroe gripped the flight stick with one hand, pushing it forward as far as it would go. She’d throttled up to full speed and watched on the massive monitor in front of her as the land grew closer.

“Oh fucking hell yeah!” she screamed from behind her purple helmet.

“Ease up on the stick, Purple. You’ve still got a way’s to go before you and the Wyvern are in perfect sync.”

Alexa heard Orion’s voice over the speaker and grimaced. “Gonna take all the fun out of this, aren’t you?”

“The Titans may look like robots, but that’s just the shell,” said Orion. “Those are living, sentient spirits powering them. Every bit as real as you or me.”

“Right, right.” Alexa gently eased the stick back and the Wyvern responded, leveling off. Through the Titan/Knight bond, she could feel the Wyvern’s own emotions. A sense of serene calm came over the Titan and he let out an appreciative screech.

Alexa flew low over the Arena, where another Titan ran through the open field. The Unicorn turned her robotic head in the Wyvern’s direction, her eyes flashing with a golden hue. The Wyvern glided right alongside the four-legged mechanical creature, suspended just a few feet off the ground.

“How you doing in there, Liv?” asked Alexa.

Tom’s voice broke into the conversation. “Remember the call signs, Purple.”

“I think I’m gonna throw up…” said Olivia.

“Don’t you fucking dare!” chided Orion.

Alexa laughed and throttled up, pulling ahead of the Unicorn. The ground beneath the Wyvern transitioned from a grassy plain to a sandy beach, and then the gentle ocean waves that lapped the shore. As the Wyvern glided over the ocean, he dipped his body into the surface. Water rose up on either side of the Wyvern, leaving twin trails in his wake.

“Whoooo!” said Alexa. She could even feel the sensation of the water as if she herself had skidded through it.

Alexa became so lost in the feeling that she didn’t notice the bubbling of the water just ahead of her. A massive, mechanical arm with a green pincer on the end burst forth from the surface. The pincers opened wide and Alexa had to react fast. She tilted the Wyvern to the side and he passed right through the pincer.

She pulled up to loop around and on the return path, Alexa saw the large, crab-like form of the Karkinos Titan rise up from the ocean.

“Nice try, Green,” said Alexa, this time remembering to stick to the naming convention. “But you’ve gotta work fast if you want to catch me!”

“That a challenge, Purple?” asked Ethan.

Alexa felt a smile tug at the corner of her lips. “If you’re up for it, crab-boy.”

----------------------------------------

“Stay focused, both of you,” said Orion from the Arena’s control room. “This first stage of the training is just focused on movement—you and your Titan getting comfortable enough to easily move across the field. We’ll handle combat situations later.”

Tom stood beside him, arms folded over his chest. “Not at the rate things have been going so far.”

Orion turned off the mic and glanced over at him. “Something up with you, Stone?”

Tom shook his head. “First, those monsters and then that witch we’ve got in a cell. The rooks already had to go out in the field before they had much chance to train with their powers, and I’m afraid the same might happen with their Titans.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Orion turned his attention back to the screens in front of him. Three holographic monitors displayed readouts of the Titans and the Knights piloting them.

“If that’s the case, we may not have to worry,” he said. “Have a look here at the sync scores. Jackson and Karkinos already had a strong bond going in, and it’s only gotten better. Monroe and Wyvern are moving along nicely—her brashness is actually working in her favor.”

“What about Olivia and Unicorn?” asked Tom.

The old man frowned and stroked his long, silver beard. “That’s a different story. The bond started off pretty strong, just a little behind Jackson and Karkinos. But since she got in the driver’s seat, the sync score’s dropped like a shooting star.”

Tom lowered his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Maybe the Omega Force was wrong about her.”

Orion narrowed his eyes at Tom. “The Omega Force doesn’t make mistakes.”

“We know that for certain?” asked Tom. “How many Knights have died since you’ve been here? Who’s to say those weren’t mistakes?”

“You think that’s true of your late teammates? Even Scott Taylor?”

Tom’s intense gaze fixed on Orion. “Watch it, old man.”

“I ain’t Marcus Kane, I’m not trying to pick a fight with you, kid,” said Orion. “Just pointing out the logical conclusion of your argument.”

Tom sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m just…tense.”

“Yeah, no shit. Clench any harder, you’ll be shitting diamonds.”

Tom felt a chuckle escape at that remark.

“Anyway, don’t sweat it,” said Orion. “People’ve said worse about me. Both behind my back and right to my face. Don’t give much of a fuck what others think.”

“Back on topic, how do you explain Olivia’s situation? If she’s not bonding with the Unicorn, then isn’t it possible that a mistake was made? Not saying the Omega Force screwed up, but maybe whoever’s interpreting it. We don’t know anything about that side of it.”

“Yeah, that’s a possibility. But I think you’re just freaking out because you’re in over your head,” said Orion.

You’re right about that, Tom thought to himself. He didn’t want to acknowledge that out loud. After his arrogance got him sidelined in Brazil, he felt even more unworthy of the title of leader than before. He had high confidence that everyone on Sanctuary all thought the same thing—they should’ve picked Rachel.

“You’re harder on us than most around here, what makes you so sure Olivia’s doing fine?” asked Tom.

“This.” Orion swiped the three screens away and they minimized. He waved his hand and brought up another one, showing a different sync score, one that was lower than Olivia’s.

“Where’d this come from?” asked Tom.

“From the records. Taken from another rook’s first Titan session,” said Orion.

Tom sighed. “Let me guess. That’s from my first session, isn’t it?”

Orion stared at the young leader and then laughed. “Man, they’ve really done a number on your self-esteem, haven’t they?”

“Then whose is it?”

“This was from Pierce’s first session.”

Tom blinked a few times and stared at the score in disbelief. He turned his incredulous expression on Orion.

“Close your mouth before you start catching flies.”

Realizing his jaw had been open, Tom shut his mouth. He pointed at the screen. “You’re telling me that is Caleb Pierce’s first sync score?”

“You’re too young to have hearing problems, Stone,” said Orion.

“But Caleb was—is a legend. One of the longest-serving Knight in recorded history,” said Tom. “How could Olivia’s sync score be higher than his?”

“Nobody’s perfect right out the gate is the point here,” said Orion. “If the Unicorn thinks Reyes is the one, then she’s the one. She knows better than us what’s good for her.”

Tom folded his arms across his chest and directed his attention back to the field. He thought back to his own first encounter with the Phoenix Titan and how challenging he’d found her. In the time since, their bond had grown stronger.

No shit, that’s how it works with people, too, he reminded himself. He’d been so fixated on getting them in fighting shape, he supposed he hadn’t given them much time to just work together as a group. And wasn’t that what a leader was supposed to do? Beyond just shout commands and kick their ass, wasn’t he supposed to bring them together as a team?

“Hey kid, one more thing,” said Orion. “What I said about nobody being perfect right out the gate? That’s advice for you to take to heart.”

“I was just thinking the same thing. I’ve got to prioritize building trust between the five of us.”

“Well, yeah. But also, you’re new to this yourself,” said Orion. “There’s no such thing as a born leader. No such thing as a born anything. I don’t give a damn if it’s the arts or sports or leading an interdimensional defense force—everybody sucks ass at first. The ones who succeed? They don’t quit when they’re knocked down—they get back up, learn from their mistakes, and try again.”

Tom cocked a brow at the old man. “You’re being uncharacteristically nice right now. You aren’t dying or anything, are you?”

Orion chortled. “Nah, I just heard about what you did to Marcus.”

“Oh…that…”

“Others may give you shit about it or say it wasn’t appropriate or some such bullshit. But honestly? The sonnuva bitch had it coming.”

Tom felt a smile tug at his lips. He’d been convinced he was about to get booted out of here. But now, after he’d learned he actually had support, he started to feel better about his situation.