“Can you pull up the other footage? It’s called ‘Hot Site’”

A new world unfolded into an endless siege of enemies trying to break the defensive line.

“Zoom in on the horde.”

“2x magnification.”

“More.”

“3x, 4x, 5x.”

“Stop. Resolution 8k. Interesting. These aren’t real. The bullets are still impacting them. Focus on their oculars.”

“Readjusting.”

“Flesh on a holographic image. Has to be. It’s impossible though.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s like putting a bunch of electronics together, adding some skin to make it look real, and then somehow it magically gained a bunch of real organs. CGI technology.”

“Theories?”

“Bunch. All CGI and fictional. Not a lead. Please play out the rest of the scene.”

Everything up until the explosion was shown vividly, including the source of the blast.

“Pull up brain scans.”

“Initiating medical parameters.”

“No change. Target and leader just executed a series of arbitrary decisions.”

“Source?”

“No causal origin.”

“Unmask filter applied.”

“That’s definitely… something.”

“What?”

“Something paranormal walking around mindlessly, whispering things into their ears. Next.”

“Level 2 intensity applied.”

“Much clearer. Not a full outline yet, but abnormal neural activity. Heavy resistance. Breaking down. Pull up Sophia’s neural activity and reference this one.”

“Neuro parameters applied.”

“We have a winner. Two stubborn minds. Unreasonably stubborn. One caved into despair. The other fought back viciously and got stronger over time.”

“What does that mean?”

“In layman’s terms, this Private has an extraordinary will of mind. She’s excited. She’s not daunted by the unknown. She relishes dangerous situations and has the brawns, as well as brains, to complement them. Next level.”

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“Level 3 intensity applied.”

“Useless differences.”

“Level 4 intensity applied.”

“Incredible. Pull up Cold Site and reference Rose to this, when she was acting wild.”

“Initiating deep brain scan.”

“We’re filling in some dots now. She struggled badly. Intense camaraderie, an invisible bond. Physical intervention and shotgun blast tipped the scale back in our favor. Sophia was like dropping a nuke on a cripple. That other fellow was screwed from the beginning.”

“Incredible.”

“Indeed. Hot Site. Next.”

“Level 5 intensity applied.”

“Rewind and focus on the bottom floor. Zoom in on the rotting.”

“Done”

“Process is missing, again. Why? Still more useful than before.”

“The same theory?”

“Yes. Someone with insider knowledge is working against the military. Big shots problem. Not ours.”

“Did we accomplish anything useful then?”

“Absolutely. We found out someone is against the military’s interest.”

“Is that something?”

“Better than not knowing where to start to begin with.”

“Ah. Is there anything you’re curious about?”

“Yes. I want to know how they masked the most important part. It would advance this technology to who knows what.”

“Do you want me to work on it?”

“That would be wonderful!”

“Glad to help.”

The man lent the sphere to the young woman, then continued to assess his other equipment. After a while, he grabbed various unrelated things. He focused on a detonator and what looked like residue from a bomb.

“Let’s hope the scene of detonation tells me something. If I’m not mistaken, the stubbornness lies with the weapon, but he didn’t know how to make a bomb. He didn’t come in with any explosives either. Fire against fire. How interesting.”

——|——|—|—|——|——

At first, it was rather ordinary. A simple jab. Many variations. Another jab, many variations. Precision, counters, deflections, and parries. When it got to the point where he was a perfect mirror of her, they transitioned into techniques.

He would still find time in the day to do reps, periodically increasing both the amount and intensity. He didn’t feel like specializing himself. He thought it would limit him. It mostly didn’t fit his style. He wanted to be a master of all trades. That way, his destiny would be in his own hands.

He was informed of the missions that happened while he was training. He heard about the unknown fate of Joe, the one he barely beat. He was gone in an instant, helpless to do anything. He wondered if that would’ve been his same fate if he had been born a few years earlier. He thought back to the chance encounter again. What if someone else randomly stumbled on it?

(Hooooo)

(Haaaaa)

A helpful exercise from Chantel. It was best not to dwell on past events. Focus on becoming stronger to face the situation in the future. Seek out the truth when you have the strength to protect yourself. What good are you if you’re dead?

He stretched out a palm and gently tapped the air. The grass shook as a supply shed in the distance was pierced. He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, a faint red glow appeared around his iris. He tapped the air again. Wind and earth became restless as a wall rose amid tidal winds, two conflicting forces. The earth can withstand the wind, but eventually, it is whittled down. Now there was a faint green glow. The wind was silent, but the ceiling of the supply shed flew off like a spinning top.

‘Supernatural Warrior. Supernatural Magician. Supernatural Rogue. The method is different,’ Sikhail recalled the words of the elder.

He turned to the side and tapped his palm again. The grass swayed, but nothing else. He lifted his head up and stared into the sky. He would always be a top-notch student. He now had a Military background.

During these few months, he had gained more.

‘Use the palm to subdue, restrain, and demonstrate. Use the fist to hurt, impair, and give intent. Use the finger for precision, lethality, and ultimately confirm,’ Sikhail thought, ruminating on the words Chantel imparted to him.

He walked forward in his battle-suit, looking down at his hand-guns. He slammed the ground using his foot. As giant slabs rose, they simultaneously fell apart, breaking into cubes. As he spun his gun, the cubes bled, their blood littering the air. He slammed his palms vertically. A thunderous collision pulled various metals from the ground. A horizontal slam of his palms mixed everything together. A bit of sleight-of-hand formed earthen metal spikes.

He aimed the gun and pulled the trigger. The spikes drilled a hole in the direction they were facing. He pulled back his fingers the same way a gun reloaded. The spikes fell, crumbling into dust.