Location: United Nations Special Programs Training facility, Texas, United States.

Date: September 04, 2045.

Time: 8:07 EST.

In the vast emptiness of the Chihuahuan desert, a stadium-like structure stood.

It was still under construction, with scaffoldings and heavy equipment scattered around.

And circling everything were military checkpoints and a mix of concrete walls and wired fences, controlled by forces sent by the United Nations and the US.

A black van approached the first checkpoint. It had no markings but had a large, heavily tinted window on its back.

"Stop." A loud robotic voice ordered before showing itself.

The robot had a vaguely humanoid shape. It was almost three meters tall. Its rigid, sharp edges didn't give a friendly aura, not to mention the giant cannon it used as its left arm.

The robot had one large eye covering its entire head. From that eye, multiple lasers appeared, slowly sweeping through the vehicle part by part, its eye flickering whenever it finished one part.

When the scan finished, the robot's eye turned blue, and it approached the driver seat, each of its steps being loud and heavy, lifting dust from the ground.

"This area is exclusive to authorized personnel. State the purpose of your visit." It said, bent forward, staring at the driver.

From this distance, the UN emblem on the machine's chest was easy to see, and right below that was a logo of a white hare holding a rifle.

And for a robot with many parts and heavy armor, it worked very quietly, as if someone designed it to be silent.

The driver opened his window.

He was a balding man, wearing a jet-black suit with a distinct gold-colored UNAS pin on his chest showing his position as an official field agent. He held a badge towards the robot. His eyes locked on to the hare logo. "So he is here too," He murmured. "We are here with permission."

The robot scanned the badge, then the man. Its eye glowed green this time. It stepped away from the road and turned to the checkpoint gate.

"Entry permission confirmed. Please drive forward."

The agent nodded and closed his window as he drew forward.

Behind the van was a comfortable sitting area for passengers, adorned with a small mini fridge and a television.

"I am sorry our road trip took so long, Miss Alice. Hopefully, you are not bored." The agent said, his eyes still on the road.

Alice was sitting comfortably, holding a half-eaten chocolate in hand. Next to her was the sword. It didn't have eyes, but anybody could notice it was locked to the small TV, playing a Spanish soap opera it was a fan of.

"I am not used to car rides this long. This country is big, but the van was very comfortable," Alice answered before chomping her chocolate.

"Well, mam, you had the chance to see the biggest state of them all, even I get tired of the sizes sometimes, but it is a nice place, not many Crimson invasions, cheap houses, good food, and if you got decent folk as your neighbors, living here is nicer than most." He said, his voice carrying notes of pride and happiness.

The van moved through a couple more checkpoints, each armed heavier than the others, but nobody stopped them, making the rest of the ride smooth.

When they reached the parking area, the agent exited the vehicle and opened the van's passenger door.

"We arrived, Miss Alice. I hope you enjoy our facility."

"Come one, we're going," Alice said to the sword, still watching the soap opera.

It didn't flinch.

"Alright, hard way it is." She grabbed it and then dragged it with herself. The sword tried to resist it, but Alice was stronger.

Before exiting the van, Alice nodded with a smile to the agent. "Thank you for driving me." She waved him goodbye before approaching a large elevator at the end of the parking area.

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"What's gotten into you." She shouted at the sword when they got far away from the agent.

"No, what is going on in you? Couldn't you wait for just fifteen more minutes?" The sword shouted back.

"Come on, you are supposed to be the older, wiser one between us. Why are you acting crazy whenever you watch that damned show?"

"My dear Ricardo was about to confess his love to sweet Maria. The setting sun behind them, the wind pushing Maria's long hair, the instruments flawlessly mixing in with the atmosphere, you robbed me of that! How can I not?" The sword struggled his way out of Alice's grip. It levitated and followed her from behind. "Now I have to wait who knows how long to see the ending."

Alice rolled her eyes. "If you promise to act normal, I let you use my phone to watch the rest."

"Deal!" The sword faded away, leaving a trail of golden glitter behind.

Alice pinched her forehead and entered the elevator.

"Now, which floor was it? I noted on my phone."

Alice took her phone out and started scrolling through it.

Someone else entered the elevator before she found her answer.

A boy of her age. He was taller than his peers, slightly over 180 centimeters, and his long, brass-colored hair shone with the elevator light.

The boy wore a blue suit with no markings of rank or loyalty.

"To the training grounds, I assume." He said with a knowing smile.

Alice was startled and almost dropped her phone but got herself together quickly and answered. "Yes, I am," "How did I not notice him." She thought.

The boy moved next to Alice. The elevator closed its doors and began moving without any input from either of them.

"Did someone else call it," Alice said.

"Oh, sorry about that." The boy raised his hair. There were some metal markings on his temple, hidden by his hair.

These were signs of mechanical implants.

"Wait, you are a cyborg?" Alice asked but immediately closed her mouth. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."

Boy chuckled. "Don't worry about it, and no, I am not. I only have some light brain implants." He said with a large, forced smile.

"Oh." Alice nodded.

The rest of the elevator ride went quiet. Alice averted her eyes out of embarrassment.

Alice exited the elevator on the eleventh floor, but the boy stayed.

"I hope you have a good first impression." He said as the elevator closed and climbed above.

"Who he was?" Alice asked herself.

"I don't know." The sword answered. "But I didn't like him."

"Really, for what?"

"He is walking talking lies." The sword locked onto the elevator. "Everything was fake, from his smile to him only having light implants."

"You must tell me more about this because it looks serious."

"Anti-oxygen, the thing you all humans have that gives your kin your superpowers. He had lots of it in his body, but only on certain parts."

"But he didn't look old, why anyone would ever turn themselves into a cyborg? Your body being able to be hacked by computers is a massive problem, and ever since the Silicon Valley Massacre, it is mostly illegal."

"I don't know, but I don't like him. Open your eyes on him."

Alice nodded. "I guess we have to be extra careful here."

"We must." The sword agreed.

Alice moved through a long, empty corridor until a female staff in a long, white trenchcoat greeted Alice.

She stood before a large door.

"You must be Miss Alice Ardenblade, right?" The staff asked, holding a tablet in her hands.

"I am." She showed the sword. "And this my blade. I assume it will suffice as an identification."

"Oh, I am sorry, I didn't mean it that way. It was just for procedure."

"I understand, no trouble." Alice acted calm.

"I am glad to hear that. Now, please let me give you a tour of this part of our facility." The staff turned around, and the massive door behind her slid open.

Behind the door was a room filled with training equipment and arenas.

"This place is as big as my home," She thought as the staff passed her and entered the room.

Alice followed the staff from behind as she moved between equipment, explaining them.

"And this is our sparring grounds." She said, her hand pointed towards one of the arenas.

Arenas looked simple, only a solid sand floor with white stripes determining the borders.

Staff entered the arena, and as soon as she crossed the line, all white markings turned red, and dozens of drones with massive cameras came flying from the roof. "They may look primitive, but we use state-of-the-art motion capture technology, supported with thousands of sensors to create the best recording of each sparring session. Every movement, every moment—from subtle temperature shifts to intense, flashy maneuvers—is captured from all angles. You can even later inspect them by yourself or with our advisors."

"Impressive." Alice clapped her hands in applause.

"It sure is, and now, please follow me to the common room where other kids are." The staff exited the arena and moved towards a small door.

When she left, drones flew back to their hiding place on the roof, and the marking changed their color to white.

A short walk later, they stood before the communal room's door. "I can't go further from here, I wish you good days, and if you have any questions later, please find me." She slightly bowed forward and left the scene.

"Alright," Alice took a deep breath and straightened her posture, "Here we go."

She pushed the door open and entered the communal room.

Before her, three kids stood, glaring at Alice.

A tall, muscular boy who levitated a couple of centimeters above the ground with crossed arms, he had a disappointed look.

He wore a tight black costume with blue, red, and white stripes on his shoulders and 45 stars on his chest.

A short girl with white hair and red eyes, wearing a Soviet-style military officer uniform, stood in the middle. Her posture was straight like a pen, and her body was stiff. She had a long saber hanging from her hip with one hand on the pommel and a fiery look in her eyes.

She strengthened her grip when Alice entered.

And last, a shirtless boy with wings and claws. His upper body was covered in platinum-colored scales. He was the only one sitting. He had a mischievous grin and a tall glaive standing next to him.

Alice stood silently. "Why do they look so unfriendly? Did I offend them somehow?" She asked to the sword telepathically.

"I don't know." The sword answered.

"Well," The white-haired girl stepped closer to Alice. She inspected her while caressing her chin. "Expected something better, but anyways." She drew her saber and pointed towards Alice. "I challenge you to a friendly spar, knight heiress."

Alice grinned. "So, this is how they talk? Good."

She grabbed the sword, pointed at the white-haired girl, and infused it with aura until its golden glow overpowered the lamps in the room. "And I accept your challenge."