Shooting up into the sky I felt the wind on my face and couldn’t help but smile. These moments where it was just me and the sky with no pressure were some of my favorites. Taking a second to make sure I was high enough up to be hard to spot, but not approaching any jetways, I took a moment to just feel the wind. To be able to fly free is a privilege not afforded to many and I always tried to not take it for granted. Realizing that while I would still be early it was probably best to head to STAR headquarters and get ready to train. Looking out to the northwest I spotted the river and started following the landmark that would take me to STAR.
This was what I couldn’t tell Christina yet. Everybody knows about how some people possess Supernormal abilities, but what almost nobody knows is that there is a level above “Delta” designated “Quantum” and that I’m the first recorded Quantum in the last 20 years. I mean how do you just casually drop that into conversation? Oh and by the way it’s classified so if you tell anyone, you and your family could face prison on the light side.
So yeah, did I also forget to mention I’m also training to be a Supernormal First Responder, and that I’m part of a newly formed government unit called the Supernormal Tactics and Response team? I’ve been training for the last 2 years to use my abilities for crisis intervention and to essentially fight supernormals and other high level threats. I was so engrossed in thought that I almost overshot the building I was looking for. It would have been nice to have enhanced vision to go with my other abilities, but honestly, that would just be greedy considering most people get just one ability.
The STAR base is a relatively unremarkable building of cookie cutter gray concrete and glass with some brick inlays that fit with the collegiate architecture of the area. As a government building, it has a guard booth and gate to go along with the standard issue fencing and security cameras every fifteen feet or so, and at first blush it looks like a pretty standard Administration building, but after learning more about tactics from my instructor and Captain Williams you realize pretty quickly the building has multiple choke points and kill boxes. Pretty intense stuff for someone who was studying the applications of advanced color theory not too long ago.
Don’t get me wrong it makes sense considering what’s underneath the building but still, I really hope it never gets put into action. Unfortunately considering the ever increasing aggression from various factions over Supernormals and Supernormal research it’s a very real possibility which means it has to be planned for no matter how bleak a thought that is.
Slowing my airspeed and losing altitude I decided to come in for a controlled landing in the parking lot away from the gatehouse. Once I’d received clearance to fly more regularly I made the mistake of landing inside the perimeter once and set off a security alert that Ian still won’t let me live down. It’s a fun story now, but at the time the conga line to yell at me was long and distinguished. Colonel Morales, I was used to yelling but the tag team of quasi-parental disapproval I got from Lieutenant Colonel Amin and Captain Williams was something I’m not eager to repeat. Thankfully my instructor and the rest of the team just used it as a teaching moment. Well everyone except that asshat Chief Brunner. Who it seems has made it his life’s mission to make my life difficult.
Sighing and pushing the thought of that douchenozzle out of my mind I touched down in the parking lot next to Captain William's restored 1982 Ford Bronco and walked up to the guardhouse and announced to the security officer on duty “PMC Walker reporting for training.” with my best smile.
“Security Badge please.” replied the security officer whose name was Travis.
“Crap! It’s in my bag I think. I’m going to dig around in my bag a bit, so don’t get fidgety and call in an alert or get shooty Travis,” I said to the Officer with a smirk.
“I believe the last time that happened was due to a certain contractor who can’t find their security badge not following protocol.” Travis deadpanned.
“Ouch Travis, I thought I told you not to shoot.”, I laughed as I dug my badge out of my bag. “Here, you go. Now you can stop firing those zingers.”
Laughing as he scanned the badge, Travis handed it back with a hearty “Good Luck Miss. Walker.” as the gate opened. This was it I couldn’t help but think. The point of no return. Taking a breath and walking onto the STAR campus it was time to find my instructor.
The walk to the building was pretty straightforward although now that I knew that the hedgerows lining the approach were designed to slow down an approaching force I couldn’t find much fun in the landscaping anymore. Oh, well all part of being on the inside I keep telling myself as I pushed open the glass doors to the reception area. Seeing the Security Officer on duty I flashed my badge and walked up to the reception area where Julie was currently helming the desk.
“Is he in?”, I asked hoping that he was in early so we could start my practice run-through early.
Looking up from her computer with a warm smile Julie said, “Oh hi Dani. Let's check the board and see if he’s checked…in.”
Noticing her odd pause l couldn’t help but ask “Um, is everything ok?”
Julie didn’t answer me and instead looked at something over my shoulder and before I could turn around to see what she was looking at a voice right next to my ear said, “Yes, I’m in, and I thought I taught you to be more aware of your surroundings.”
“Eek!”, I eloquently squeaked as I turned and jumped from the voice behind me. I was so startled I floated for a second. Standing there with his hands clasped behind his back in his casual uniform was my primary instructor, callsign Fox. Of mixed Japanese-American heritage, he had perfectly average good looks that allowed him to seemingly blend in everywhere while standing at about 5’11”. Sporting a short crop of jet black hair and he had a lithe build that belied just how strong he really was. I knew that part firsthand since he’d punched, kicked, and thrown me all over every inch of the gym facility in our training sessions. So much so that Brunner had named laying on my back staring up at the sky the ‘Dani maneuver’ which made me want to punch that douche in the nuts every time I saw him.
Although he had been my instructor for about two years now he was still a bit of a mystery. It’s not that he was standoffish or anything, just a bit aloof, and not prone to sharing so I didn’t know a ton about him. His file was evidently classified three ways from Sunday as well so I was left with rumor and innuendo. I did, however, learn quickly to make a habit of listening when he speaks and gives advice, even if I struggle with the follow through. I certainly do appreciate his wry sense of humor and subtle digs at Brunner.
The feature that is striking about Fox is that he has blue eyes, which I’m assuming he gets from his American mother. His eyes make him look super intense sometimes, especially when focused on a target…like right now, I thought with a blush.
With a nod, he turned to walk to the elevator and said, “It’s time for you to sink or swim.”
“Fox! Fox, wait a second. I still have to sign in!” I yelled at the retreating form of my instructor as he approached the secure elevator’s biometric scanner.
“Best be quick then,” he said over his shoulder as I fumbled with the ID scanner at Julie’s desk.
Julie took pity on me, winked, and said, “I got the swipe. I’ll do the rest so you best hurry. You know how he gets if you keep him waiting,” as she shooed me on with a smile.
“Thanks Julie, you’re a lifesaver!” I chirped as I waved over my shoulder while I jogged across the lobby to the elevator.
“Glad you could join me Star. What do you say we run your test prep so you don’t make me look bad tomorrow?” he said with a deadpan expression and a flat look in his blue eyes.
Horrified at the thought of making Fox look bad and his use of my codename I stopped dead and just stared at him wide-eyed as the doors to the elevator opened. I respected the hell out of Fox. He’d taken his responsibility of training me seriously and never once made me feel like I was stupid for my lack of experience.
Stepping into the elevator that was fortunately empty, Fox turned with the barest hint of a smirk and said, “You can stop looking like fish gasping for air. I was only teasing. I know how hard you’ve worked and as long as you give it your best, no matter the outcome you will have earned my respect. Now, are you getting on?” he said quizzically raising an eyebrow. “Remember conversation can be just as effective at causing you to lose focus as a physical attack if you let it. “You must be fluid and adaptable mentally as well as physically.”
“Yes sir!” I half shouted while blushing furiously and all but jumped into the elevator.
I have to say I was a little shook, but in a good way. It’s not that Fox doesn’t talk or have a sense of humor, he’s not some silent ninja in black, but he also takes his job very seriously. He gives praise when it’s earned, but to say I’ve earned his respect paired with a joke? My already sluggish brain was chugging to process that, and I couldn’t decide what made me happier. The fact that he felt comfortable enough to pick on me, or that I had earned his respect? Of course, he also wrapped it in a teaching moment but I wasn’t about to let that ruin it for me.
“Any particular reason you’re studying the floor so hard Walker?” Fox said as the elevator began its descent to subfloor five where the training area was located.
“I’m just nervous about tomorrow and whether I’ll live up to expectations. I’ve trained my powers for years now, and the last year of extensive training has been something I’ve really wanted, but I don’t think it sunk in what that would mean for the rest of my life. I hurt my best friend today and I can’t even tell her why. Not to mention leaving college and how this will affect my family. I guess it’s just really hitting home that if I mess up tomorrow it could all be for nothing,” I said while continuing to stare a hole in the floor.
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The elevator arrived on subfloor five with what felt like a very loud beep and we stepped out into the elevator lobby on the training level. After a few steps, Fox turned and faced me causing me to stop up short and said, “Do you want to quit Walker? Because it’s not too late. Sure you’ll have to mend some bridges in your personal life, and there are a bunch of people here at STAR who have invested time and resources into training and helping you with your powers that will be disappointed, but ultimately that decision is with you. Nobody will make you do this. I think you have immense potential Dani, and I would love nothing more than to see you use that potential to do good in the world, but I would understand why you would choose not to go through with it. You're going to be the face of one of the Government’s premier units and once you’ve been certified you’re going to be put in the field on active duty. Lives will be in your hands, and your life will be in others' hands. There will be no room for halfway.
“So let me be completely clear. If you’re not committed to doing this I will end this now and withhold my final approval for certification. You can go back to college and do your part for King and Country by continuing to come in for yearly testing. No lives on the line, nobody learning who you are and what you can do. Now I’m going to go to the training room and get set up. Go get changed and think about what I said and what you want to do. I expect your answer when you report for training”, Fox said as he walked off leaving me standing there.
For the second time in the span of minutes, Fox had rendered me speechless. As I stared at his retreating back I couldn’t help but think that I didn’t like the reason this time nearly as much as the first time. I sighed as Fox continued down the short hallway until he disappeared at the junction to presumably go to the training control room, and headed to the locker room to get changed. I really hoped the room was empty as I wasn’t particularly up to banter after Fox had dropped the hammer on me.
Fortunately, the locker room was empty as I began changing out of my civvies and into my practice gear which consisted of a specially designed high-cut white leotard with short sleeves and a zipper front that opened down the middle to my bust line. It was a pretty cool design with red side panels and a red strip across the shoulder with blue trim and a blue star on my chest where the zipper runs through it, and it was designed to help monitor my output during training sessions and provide biometric data for benchmarking. It was only in the last few years of training that it was upgraded to its current white, red, and blue version. The reasoning behind the flashy training suit as it was explained to me was to acclimate me to wearing not just my chosen colors but an outfit that will draw attention. To start conditioning me to be comfortable having the focus on me in high pressure situations because public relations and marketing are going to be an unfortunate byproduct of choosing to be a government-sanctioned supernormal first responder regardless of whether or not PR is something I feel spectacularly unfit for.
Reaching into the locker and pulling out my boots, and gloves I realized that all the hours of training aside, even this outfit which was custom designed for me, reflected the commitment of the people who believed in me. Sure I’m not so naive as to believe I’m not being used in some ways for what I can do or bring, but it would be unfair to label everyone like that, I thought as I pulled on the white thigh-high leggings. The leggings were made of the same material as the leotard and had a red stripe on the outside that visually continued the lines of the red side panels from the leotard and were unique as the shoes were built directly into them. My understanding is that the shoes have to be specially reinforced to handle the forces of turning, jumping, and landing with enhanced strength and that the whole thing works together structurally to reinforce and cushion my movements. All I know is that they are very comfortable.
Feeling a bit more centered, I realized that this had almost become a ritual. The act of getting dressed for the last few years to train with Fox and the rest of my instructors signified all the work I had put in toward this goal. It would be silly to back out now right when I’m at the finish line and honestly I would be extremely disappointed in myself if I didn’t do this. Not to mention what kind of example would I be setting for my little brother If I didn’t follow through and qualify? How could I look him in the eye if I didn’t do anything but my best? I would be disrespecting everything my parents have done and sacrificed over the years. My family never asked for any of this and if I can’t stand for my convictions what can I stand for? How could I ask others to stand for or with me?
Closing my eyes and taking a deep centering breath as Fox taught me to do, I counted to five and exhaled. “Ok let's do this,” I said to the empty locker room and picked up my gloves as I started to close the locker before remembering to reach in and grab the blue garment that was folded on the locker’s shelf before closing it and walking to the back of the room. The exit into the training area was past the showers and the door was conveniently labeled ‘Warning Training Area’ in yellow on it so it was pretty hard to miss. Once out of the locker room you entered the ready room which was a room that had big reinforced windows and seating so that if you weren't in training you could watch what was going on while you waited. There was also a console for controlling the room’s programs and configurations as well as stairs and a lift up to the main control room and viewing area which was two floors above. Last, there was a door that led to a medical room that could be utilized in the case of any injuries.
Fox was standing at the console typing something while geared out in a light version of his tactical armor. Technically speaking Fox is a Special Forces Weapons Specialist with a secondary specialty in Infiltration, but he’s also certified as a hand-to-hand combat instructor and the mess hall gossip says that he’s also some kind of edged weapons specialist. I’d even heard rumors that he’s highly skilled in wetworks, and supposedly, a bit of a legend in special forces circles. The respect he’s given by the base staff tends to lend credence to the idea that at least some version of the rumors are true. Even dickface Brunner doesn’t mess with Fox which is the biggest tell that Fox’s reputation as a badass is probably earned, and I wasn’t relishing the possibility of having to face him for real.
I took stock of what weaponry he was carrying, remembering how he always says that battles are won and lost in the details. In addition to his tactical armor, on his right thigh in a drop holster was a training Sig Sauer 9mm XM17 variant that fired rubber bullets. In the small of his back was the XM18 variant of the Sig and on his left leg was a combat knife, but the biggest surprise was the sword sheathed across his back. He’d used training knives in sessions from time to time, but I’d never seen him use a sword before, and I was really hoping it was a training weapon and not as pointy and stabby as it looked.
Finishing whatever he was entering with one last button press Fox straightened up and grabbed his gloves and began putting them on while giving me a droll look and said, “Are you ready?” to which I nodded. “Good, so here’s what’s going to happen. The training room weaponry is going to be set to seventy-five percent of your estimated durability. This means you are going to feel it if you get hit. Firearm rounds will be rubber with a polymer core so they will hurt, and just as in real life you will be most vulnerable in your face so be mindful that you will not be immune from potential injury. Additionally, environmental armaments will be deployed against you so be prepared for anything.
Officially this is a tactical endurance test where the goal is for you to guard a zone indicated by the blue hexagon by the back wall. Full disclosure though, this is a FUBAR test. What are you going to do when you need to protect an asset or guard civilians against an attack of unknown firepower and no backup? The average response time for law enforcement to get on site is ten minutes so that will be the general timeframe for the test. Lastly, I will be playing the role of a rogue supernormal. Obviously, I will not be trying to severely injure or kill you but I will not be holding back. Now, do you have any questions?” he said.
“No sir,” I said swallowing a sudden lump in my throat. I wasn’t sure I was ready but as Fox had said it was time to sink or swim.
Glancing at the blue garment in my hand Fox remarked, “Oh, and Dani this is a cape on exercise.”
Sheepishly unfolding the blue cloth I was still holding I looked at Fox and asked him, “Can you attach my cape? I didn’t know if I’d need it so I didn’t attach it.”
“Sure,” Fox replied taking the cape from my hand and stepping around behind me. The cape in this case was a single-shoulder cape that hung off my right shoulder. My regular uniform featured a full cape but since this was a training uniform mobility and comfort were prioritized so this uniform featured a detachable asymmetrical design. It let me get used to moving with the garment without having to wear the full thing. There was a soft click as Fox attached the cape to the magnetic anchor at my right shoulder blade.
Fox stepped back around to the entryway and gestured that I should follow him, so I walked with him into the giant space that is the training room with the door whooshing closed behind us. I’ve trained here hundreds of times with Fox and Captain Williams among others but I couldn’t help feeling nervous as I looked around the cavernous space. The room was pretty technologically advanced using some pretty cutting-edge hologram tech. It was explained to me that a Delta with an invention ability had helped design it, and the room would simulate an environment using physical objects and environmental effects to sell the illusion. It was pretty cool in all honesty. At four floors high I could fly to some degree and the walls were reinforced to handle the abuse from supernormals. The training room must take up a significant amount of the width of the facility to be this big and house the internal machinery that makes it work.
Once Fox had walked about a third of the way into the room he stopped and put his hand on my shoulder briefly to get my attention and said, “Ok Dani there’s your defense point,” pointing to a blue hexagon shape on the floor by the back wall. “Again, the rules are simple, defend your zone. Remember your training. Be observant, but do not hesitate. The battlefield is chaos and you need to be fluid and adaptable. The test ends if you are defeated by being incapacitated, if your zone is breached, or if you hold out until backup arrives without any of the former conditions being met. Do you understand?”
I nodded my assent with a lukewarm, “Yes sir.”
“Good. Here is your tactical communicator. It is already set for the dispatch channel. Now go take position at your checkpoint. Oh, and Dani. Remember, I will be coming for you and I will not go easy,” he said with a smirk. There was a cold edge to his expression that I can’t ever remember seeing before as he turned his back to me to walk to the front of the training room. Frankly, it gave me chills.
Oh goodie, I get to fight Fox. I’m not sure how this is prep, I grumbled to myself while Inserting the earbud-like device into my ear as I floated over to the blue hexagon at the back of the room which was my defensive zone. While Fox had given me the basics of the exercise, I didn't exactly know what I was going to be up against. I’d fought Fox plenty of times but he was instructing and he never was going full out. I knew he was a Delta, and a strong one at that, but I don’t even know what his actual abilities are, just gossip and vague allusions. None of this felt like exam prep, and it didn’t help that the little voice in my head kept screaming ‘Danger, Danger!’.
Which is why I about jumped through the roof when my earbud crackled to life with a crisp, “Overwatch online. Star, confirm comms,” landing a few yards from my defensive zone I turned to face the control room and responded, “Star confirms. I can hear you loud and clear Overwatch.”
“Overwatch confirms. Hold position Star we’re going to start up the scenario. Once we’re in the green up here we’ll give a warning and countdown from 5. Be advised once the scenario starts, only scenario related communications will be provided.”
Looking up at the one-way windows of the main control room I asked, “I don’t recognize your voice overwatch and since the scenario hasn’t started yet I can ask questions right?”
“Nope.” came the response quickly with a hint of a grin in the inflection. I didn’t know who Overwatch was but I at least appreciated they had a sense of humor. I was equally appreciative that they didn’t have assface Brunner in the role. Small victories I suppose.
“Star, systems are green. The scenario is go,” suddenly crackled through the earbud and I frantically looked around for Fox but couldn’t see him anywhere. The ball of anxiety that had been sitting in my gut exploded into fear when the earbud followed up with “Five, Four, Three, Two, One.”