For the rest of the week, Caity was like a completely different person. In sparring sessions, she volunteered to go first. In shooting ranges, she grew more and more proficient with every single weapon in the arsenal. In a simulated battle, she pretty much single-handedly led her team of 12 to victory.
The funny thing was, the better she was at all the categories, the more time and attention she spent working on them, and the better she got. If previously she was stuck in a self-sabotaging cycle, then now, she was stuck in a self-improving one.
And damn, she liked it!
Soon, she was way beyond the level of recruits who arrived weeks before she did, and the effect of that was obvious. No one mocked her anymore. Even the instructors were more lenient when dealing with her than they were with normal recruits.
Much to her dismay, whenever she flexed off her bruises in front of Ryan like trophies, Ryan made no reaction at all. Finally, one day during lunch, she sat down at Ryan’s table.
During the lunch periods, hundreds of Phasewalker recruits were sitting in the same room around dozens of different tables. Some were bigger. Others, smaller. Throughout the days Caity has been observing Ryan, he has always been sitting in front of one of the smaller tables with just a single chair. That didn't stop Caity from dragging over another seat and sitting down beside him.
Ryan glanced at her and nodded in greeting.
“So, what are you watching?” Caity asked as she noticed Ryan was staring down on an iPad. Ryan quietly tilted the iPad over, and Caity immediately regretted it. On the iPad screen, a man quietly pulled an army knife out of a screaming man on the ground.
“I didn't know you like to watch horror movies over food.” The girl said as she did her best to suppress the urge to vomit. Really? HD quality of someone being tortured and killed? During lunch? Who does that?
Ryan glanced at her. “It’s not from a horror movie. It’s from real life.”
“Oh…” Caity did her best to process it. “Well,,,mind telling me about it?”
As much as it grossed her out, she really wanted to know more about Ryan. The man intrigued her. His words motivated her, and to Caity, he himself felt like a model of perfection. She might not try to sleep with him anymore, but that didn't stop her from trying to get closer to him.
Ryan replied quietly.
“The man on the ground was a Mexican police officer. He tried to enforce the law, unlike his corrupt comrades, but that got him in the crosshair of the local drug cartel. They kidnapped him and his son and tortured them. They first skinned his son alive and forced him to watch. After that, they moved onto him.”
By the time he was finished, Caity’s face was pale as paper. She glanced at the bloody image across the iPad once again before suddenly standing up and running straight to the bathroom. When she returned two minutes later, she quietly pushed her full plate of food away. No need for that in the near future.
“I’m sorry,” Ryan said apologetically, but his face was still blank. He was just saying it because it was expected.
“No, it’s fine. I’m the one who asked.” Caity sighed. “Why, though? Why are you watching this over lunch?”
“I have my reasons.”
That was all Ryan had to say.
After that day, Caity did go to Ryan’s table for a few more times, but she realized there was very little interaction between them. Ryan would sit there and finish his food quietly with his gaze trained on some sort of screen, either reading or watching something. Caity would sit beside him in boredom, trying to start a conversation but constantly failing at it.
“Don’t bother.” One day, one of the girls said to Caity as she walked over. “You’re not the first gal that tried getting up and personal with him.”
Caity rose her eyebrows. She recognized the girl talking. Alex. Alex was a recruit who has been particularly determined in mocking Caity during her first days here, but all that changed when Caity beat Alex up in a sparring match, and then proceeded to lead her team, including Alex, to victory in a simulated group match.
The two weren’t close friends, but Alex has been a lot nicer to Caity since then. The girls weren’t in any real conflict. For most teens, grudges could be easily removed.
“Oh…” Changing her mind, Caity suddenly decided to sit down at Alex’s table, which had several other recruit girls. All of them welcomed her. “so, what do you know about Ryan?” She gossiped with a small smile on.
“Ryan?” Alex smirked. “If you ask me, I think he’s a total psychopath. Absolutely no emotions.” She waved her hand. “I actually tried to befriend him. Actually, I’m pretty sure everyone here did…”
“I didn't.” A short girl hesitantly rose her hand.
“Ok. Kathy didn't, but everyone else did.” Alex was unfazed. “But he looked at us like we’re just objects and not people, you know? Something’s definitely wrong with him. And the things he talks about...it’s always about either shooting or killing or something. That seems to be all he knows.”
“Yeah well, psychopath don’t actually lack emotions. Just empathy. Common misconception.” Caity slowly ran her finger across her cheek thoughtfully. She had to admit, the more these girls complained about Ryan, the more curious she was about him.
“Honestly, I don’t care. I’m not into him anyways.” Alex shrugged before turning around and kissing a girl sitting beside her in the lips.
Caity stared at her and her girlfriend for two seconds before suddenly snapping away. She could feel her cheeks blush. She wasn’t against lesbians or anything, but PDAs really made her awkward.
On the other table, Ryan slid his finger across the iPad screen, bringing himself to the next page.
----------------------------------------
The instructors that Section X hired really knew their stuff. They were more than aware of the limitations of human nature. If someone was put under constant stress, then sooner or later, that person would snap. Section X needed the Phasewalkers to be trained, but if they became mentally distraught, it helped no one.
So, Section X allowed the Phasewalkers to have some contact with their parents and the outside world. While they couldn’t get too far away from Eagle’s Nest during the one hour of recess they had every day in the afternoon, every week, the Phasewalkers had the Sundays off. This was a day they could spend on going home to see their families or on other things that they saw fit.
“Ryan,” Caity tracked down the boy once again Saturday night. “got any plans tomorrow?”
“I’m staying here.” The answer was, frankly speaking, unsurprising. “I need some more time with a sniper rifle.”
“Fair enough,” Caity said cheerfully. “Well, enjoy! I’m going home to see my parents.”
“Cool.”
The next morning, Caity went to the front desk and retrieved her phone and laptop. After that, she went to the garage and picked up a Section X vehicle. Her own car was left at her parents’ house, not that a lack of vehicles was a concern. Section X has spent millions, if not tens of millions, on Eagle’s Nest. They had a whole parking lot of cars for the Phasewalkers to pick from.
As Caity drove back, her heart was conflicted. On one hand, yay! She could see her parents again! Yet, on the other hand, she knew nothing would be the same now as it was before. The last time she went home, despite their best attempts, her parents couldn’t hide this concerned face. In their eyes, the proper thing for Caity to do was stay home and go to school like a normal girl. In fact, they have tried to change Caity’s mind more times than she could count.
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What could she say? They were traditional parents.
She just wondered what arguments they would come up with this time. Would they play the emotional card and shed some tears? Would they try to reason with her? Or would they pull the authority card and do what was “the best” for her regardless of her own opinions?
This bothered Caity, but every week, she went home nonetheless. No matter what they thought, they were still her parents. They gave life to her and they made her the woman she is today.
She got off the speedway and started driving through the suburbs. Suddenly, as she drove across a Chase bank, she could hear several loud “Bang”s.
A lesser person would think it was firework or something, but Caity has literally been dealing with nothing but guns for the past two weeks. She knew what gunshots sounded like, and these bangs were an exact match.
She slowly pulled over into the parking lot. Inside her car, she could see a few people running out of the bank’s door. They were the customers, obviously, and by the looks of it they were smart enough to get out of the line of fire in time. Chances were, they would call 911 very soon.
As a matter of fact, the moment the robbers fired their weapons, especially without silencers, they were done. This was a branch of one of the biggest banks in the country, not some random shop owned by a nobody! The police would be here in minutes! Whoever did this were amateurs.
The question was, what should she do?
The wisest thing to do would be to walk away. No one could blame her. Just get herself out of there like nothing happened. If she stepped in and even assuming she was able to save the day, the police would probably still investigate her afterward. It would be a whole lot of mess.
Chances were, that was what Ryan would do.
“But I’m not Ryan.” Caity suddenly noted quietly.
What was the point of her going through all the tough training if she couldn’t bring herself to use it in real life? Being the victor in the shooting range or the training field was good and all, but you know what was better? Being the victor in the real-world against real bad guys doing real bad things.
Plus, the entire purpose of Project Phasewalker was to protect the United States of America, especially its people, from harm. Yes, harm from different worlds, but it wouldn’t make too much sense if she just protected all the people from interdimensional threats and watch them be taken down by threats from this world.
Also, it would be another good flexing tool! Just imagine what the instructors and the other recruits would say after they hear about this!
Caity got off her car. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any weapon on the car, but before she got off, Caity picked up a pen from a compartment in front of the passenger seat and hid it into her jean pockets. In the hands of someone skilled enough, anything could be lethal.
She made it a few steps into the bank building when one of the gunmen suddenly saw her. He was carrying a shotgun. “On your knees!” He demanded with his weapon raised, but judging from his stance, Caity could tell he wasn’t ready to pull the trigger. As far as the man could see, a threat was a squad of SWAT officers with M4A1, riot shields, and body armor, not a 16-year-old girl in t-shirt and jeans.
Caity laid down on the ground nonetheless. As the gunman turned her attention away, she looked around the building. There were at least a dozen hostages and two gunmen. One was the man with the shotgun. The other one was a few meters away with a rifle of some kind. Both men were masks. The only thing that hinted at their gender was their voice.
On the ground, the blonde girl waited a little longer for a better opportunity to strike. The opportunity presented itself when police sirens approached. The rifleman turned to another room and said something to someone inside. Meanwhile, the shotgun man strolled by Caity. He was going to check to see if the officers were going to force their way inside.
He never got the chance.
Caity suddenly leaped into the air like a lioness with her eyes on the prey. Completely catching the gunman by surprise, she pulled out her pen and stuck it straight into the man’s exposed neck.
Caity knew, with just a pen, attacking anywhere else would be useless, but the neck was a person’s weakest spot, with vital windpipes only protected by a layer of skin. Most untrained fighters tended to ignore that.
Under Caity’s impressive muscle strength, the pen went straight in. The man yelped in pain. A hint of fear flashed across his eyes, but Caity didn't have time for mercy. Adrenaline rushed through her body. This was the first time she was in a high-stake situation like this one, but she realized she strangely enjoyed it. Even now, her mind was hard at work: she, a 16-year-old girl, even with her skills, would struggle in hand-to-hand combat with a man in his prime.
She was outnumbered 3 to 1. One second of delay could end her life and everyone else in the building. With that in mind, Caity had no choice but to get her hands dirty.
She pulled the pen out of the man’s neck.
Blood rushed out of the fracture like a stream. The large man felt like all the strength has left his body. Deep down, even though his body was still struggling, he knew everything was over for him.
“Jack!” The rifleman snapped in the back, and Caity acted according to the plan she came up with even before she went into motion. She grabbed onto the larger man’s dying body and held it up in front of herself. If the rifleman had to shoot her, he would need to really desecrate his friend’s corpse. The body was heavier than expected, but Caity still managed to cover most of her body.
This made the rifleman freeze. Not long. Just a moment. That moment was all Caity needed to reach down and grab onto the shotgun on the floor.
Bang!
Caity never liked shotguns. Firing a wave of shrapnel in the general direction and hoping one would hit the enemy was stupid when you could fire a single precise headshot. But now, she didn't have much choice. Thankfully, on the other side, the rifleman collapsed and screamed in agony.
Two hostages screamed as shrapnels landed near them. Thankfully, none of them were grazed.
Caity dropped the body and moved forward, reloading the shotgun in the process. She made sure to always be behind a table or a wall or a pillar. Anything that could offer any cover if the rifleman was still in fighting condition.
When she finally reached the rifleman, she realized a piece of shrapnel has impaled itself into the man’s left eye. Even now, he tried to fight back. His hand reached into his belt. Before he could pull out his handgun, Caity emptied another wave of shrapnel into his chest.
“Jack! Caleb! What is going on…”
In the other room, a third gunman walked out. He had a handgun. When he saw a random girl with a shotgun standing over the bodies of his two comrades, he snapped and raised his weapon.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Caity’s heart was pounding, but thanks to her training, her hands were rock solid. As soon as she saw the man, she has already gotten behind a rolled over a table. Even so, she knew she had to move now…
Bang!
“Uh!” Caity gulped as she looked down and saw a spot of red on the t-shirt at her lower abdomen. The table wasn’t bulletproof! She should’ve known it! But there wasn’t any other good cover in sight!
The excruciating pain came a few seconds later than anticipated, but when it did...oh boy! “Uhhhh! Damn it! Fuck!”
She knew she had to fight back. Her cover wasn’t even a cover for god’s sake! But her stomach was shot and the bullet was still inside her, almost completely crippling her movement. Within a second, she would be shot another time. After that, it would be the point of no return.
Suddenly, her thoughts flowed to a lot of people. Mom. Dad. Ryan. Even Alex. What would they say about her death? Her parents would be devastated. Would they go after Section X for her death? Probably. Ryan probably wouldn’t care. Alex might be a bit sad, but soon, she would forget about her.
She would be lost. Forgotten. A Phasewalker, trained by Section X, killed by three amateur bank robbers. How ironic.
And for what? Saving a bunch of people she didn't even know.
The pain was getting dull. Caity didn't need to look down to know she has lost tons of blood. Not literal tons, thank God, but still too much. She was going into shock.
Suddenly, gunshots exploded around her, waking her up. But it wasn’t the gunshots of SWAT officers as she expected. Instead, not far away, one of the hostages, an Asian woman in his forties, was the one doing the firing. She must have been one of the hostages who gained the strength to act when Caity stepped in.
When Caity was shot at, the lady grabbed onto the rifle on the ground and finally realized how to use it at the last moments. And boy...wasn’t her timing just perfect?
Her covering fire was inaccurate, but all the bullets flying across the air was enough to keep the gunman pinned back behind a wall.
A strange determination flashed across Caity’s mind. All of a sudden, she found her energy renewed. If a civilian could fight, then so could she!
With a move that she swore she would regret, the girl landed a punch on the bullet hole at her abdomen.
“Ahhhhh! Fuck!”
The amplified pain was almost blinding, but for the moment, it kept Caity awake. That was all she needed to reach her upper body outside of the cover, raise her shotgun, and held her position.
On the side, the automatic rifle quickly ran out of bullets. The last gunman wasn’t too bad. Sensing the opportunity, he acted without thinking and jumped out into the open with his handgun ready, only to find himself staring down the double-barrel of a shotgun.
“Fuck you.” Caity smiled. Her body was shaking in pain, but her hands, the ones holding onto the shotgun, were cold and steady. “Fuck you very much.”
Bang!
Footsteps came in from the entrance, along with the warnings of police officers to drop their weapons. Caity grinned and let her shotgun slid out of her grasp. Distinctively, as her eyes closed, she could hear an officer calling out something.
“Medic! We need a medic here!”