Vanguard Word Update

2k words

***

Her abdominals were like rocks beneath his knuckles, but as much as it hurt his hand, the attack sent Samiha reeling. She only tumbled maybe two small steps backward, but the alien looked like she’d just seen a ghost, a hand creeping to her stomach as she gave Cadell an astounded look.

“Not such a shi’ahk, after all…” Samiha murmured, and again those amber eyes burned into his own. That mockful energy behind them was gone now, replaced by a cool, calculative look.

Cadell pressed his attack, sending out kicks, punches, shoves, all of which she blocked and parried. He could just see from the corner of his eye that they were attracting a little crowd of spectators, there were even a couple of the instructors among them.

He kept himself in her personal space, her larger arms no use with such limited range of motion. Just as he started to think he had her on the backfoot, she made her move. Spreading her arms out to the sides and then up, as though she was about to deliver the biggest hug, Samiha pulled her hands together in a clapping motion, her sheathed wings drawing into their full lengths.

Her clawed feet left the deck, Samiha’s wings fluttering like sails catching on wind. Cadell’s wide eyes were bracketed by a sudden burst of wind, the force nearly knocking him off his feet. He looked on as she vaulted clear over his head, landing behind him with a thump so heavy he felt the impact through his legs.

The group of onlookers murmured and pointed, all their suspicions about the Balokarids being flight capable confirmed. She landed in an acrobatic squat, her strong legs absorbing the impact, Cadell turning just in time to block a fist aimed at his gut.

They reached another clinch of trading blows, not quite scoring hits on each other as they maneuverer around the training mat. As tall and brawny as she was, she was tiring far quicker than he was, her warm breath washing down on him in short instances as she began to pant. Her little flight-move had cost her a decent amount of energy, perhaps she had been banking on Cadell being too slow to react to her sudden burst of speed.

She lanced out with a punch, and instead of dodging, Cadell caught her arm in his fists. He threw her arm backward, while driving his shoulder forward into her chest, using all his weight to knock her off balance. A combination of summoning all his strength, and her depleting energy, resulted in the Balokarid tumbling to the ground, Cadell following her down.

He straddled the alien, knees on either side of her chest, her torso wide enough he felt like he was sitting in the saddle of a giant bull. He drove his forearm beneath her chin, applying just enough pressure on her neck to make her still, his face inches from her beak.

“Dead,” he said, a cocky grin curling his lips.

She gazed up at him with those amber eyes, then threw her head back and chuckled, her laughs coming in short, breathy bursts. She fluffed herself up just like the way she’d done back in the rage cage, letting her feathers stand on end to let the body heat beneath escape.

“It would seem so,” she breathed, propping her elbows on the mat and she leaned up, bringing her beak closer to his face. Whether that was intentional or not, he couldn’t say. “If you possessed claws or talons, perhaps, but your swiftness cannot be denied.”

“Call it evens, then,” he said. He lifted his pinning arm, then offered it out to her. She seemed to find his assistance amusing, and he soon found out why. She took his hand into her own, and when he tried to pull her up, he barely succeeded in lifting her head.

Samiha smirked at him, getting to her own two feet, her hand closed over Cadell’s for a little bit longer before she let him go. Some of the humans cheered from the sidelines, pleased with the outcome of the interspecies brawl, slowly filling off now that the fight was done with.

“You’re stronger than I imagined,” Samiha told him. “Shi’ahk arra’ntal. Teaches me to judge your cover, so to speak.”

“Why do you keep calling me that?” he asked her. “Shi’ahk? What does it mean?”

The sweeping crest atop her head roiled a she took a second to think. “Our words do not translate so directly into yours,” she explained. “Shi’ahk is a concept, usually in reference to a male who is small or weak.” She turned and appraised him, Cadell feeling an odd sensation creep up his spine at her intense stare. “I shall have to think up a different term to call you.”

“We have one in our dictionary that might fit the bill.”

“Oh? Go on.”

“It’s a concept, like yours, except in means someone who you know you can depend on, who will always have your back and wont let you down. We call these people friends.”

The grin creeping up her beak faltered, her feathery tail twitching.

“Really?” she asked. “I thought…” She stared at the ground for a moment, then came to her senses, inhaling deeply. “Never mind. Of course, we can be friends.”

Her stiff reply confused Cadell, but he took it as a sign that the days of the two of them arguing and fighting were long gone. There was nothing like a good brawl to help burn off some steam, and he didn’t get the impression it left any hard feelings between them. If anything, it had improved his image in her eyes, even if he had only landed a handful of hits against her. Perhaps she would treat him more fairly next time around at the simulation.

Cadell felt a pang of anxiety at the thought. Would they pass at their rerun of the sim, or would they suffer another wave of embarrassment and be shipped off, the program terminated? Only time would tell, and there wasn’t much of that anymore.

-xXx-

Cadell tapped his feet against the deck, leaning on his knees as they waited for their squad to be called. Two weeks had rushed by, the fateful day of their return to the simulation baring down on him like a freight train. This was it, months of training and hard work, and it all broiled down to a timeframe that wouldn’t even last ten minutes. There would be no second chances, this was their second chance.

Little chatter passed between the five of them, Samiha on his direct right, the others lining the seats beyond her. Even the outgoing Hunter had sensed the growing tension within the group and had sealed his lips. Cadell heard a pin drop somewhere outside the waiting room.

Since they were squad eleven out of eleven teams, naturally they were the last of the platoon to take the test. With nothing to do but wait, Cadell focused on remembering all the skills he’d learned since arriving on the Hub, and trying not to imagine what would happen if they failed again. Not being the one squad to fail the sim was one thing, but they had to also get a fast enough time if they wanted to appease Lieutenant Marek. He didn’t want to be negative, but those were two tough goals they had to make without error.

At last, the door to the simulation room opened, and a group of five men filed out, chatting and laughing and rubbing sweat from their hair. They stopped to look at the giant monitor that took up one of the walls, the screen depicting the rest of the platoon’s times. They scored just under six minutes, which put them comfortably at rank seven. None of the teams had K.I.A across their scores.

The guys from squad ten noticed Cadell looking their way, one of them perking up as they crossed the room before them.

“Check it out everyone, the lucky elevens are back,” he jeered, grinning when Kazlu frowned at him.

“Maybe the winged wonders will get a little further this time,” another added, directing his attention to Cadell. “Don’t get too personal with the holograms this time, Mitchy, wouldn’t want you dying in front of your team again.”

The others joined him in their mockery, Cadell fuming as he struggled to find a meaningful comeback. Suddenly Samiha jumped to her feet, standing protectively in front of Cadell.

“My fist will get personal with your face in a moment,” Samiha growled, using her tall heigh to leer at the man. “Back off.”

“Woah, hey, ch-chill out, dove,” the man said, raising his hands in surrender and stepping back. “We were just joking around.”

“I’m sure you were. Begone,” she growled, gesturing at the door.

The men left without another word, Samiha turning to give Cadell a sympathetic look. He could confidentially say that Samiha would never have done that for him a month ago, Cadell giving her a friendly tap on the arm.

“’Preciate that, Samiha.”

“Ingrate shi’ahk’s,” she muttered in their direction. “Let us prove how wrong they are.”

“Now you’re talking,” Hunter added, rising from his seat. “We’re way more prepared this time round, mates, we got this in the bag.”

A male voice crackled over the intercom. It was Marek’s, telling them that the sim room was ready.

“Our moment of truth,” Kazlu muttered. “Remember your training, friends, and we’ll get through this.”

Spirits were high as the five them proceeded through the door, the lingering doubt weighing in Cadell’s chest lessening.

Just as last time, the strange layout of the simulation space drew Cadell’s attention to the walls and ceiling, the cage of metal bars forming a dome across the rectangular room. Cadell’s nose twitched as an aroma of exertion lingered in the air from all the previous groups, faint but there, yet that was the only indication the space had seen any use, everything else was sterile and clean.

The alcove in the wall storing all their special equipment drew them over, the team affixing their kinetic vests and plastic guns – the Balokarids donning their shield sleeves to either arm. There was no idle chatter this time around, they all knew what to expect, and their futures very well depended on what happened next.

The little light sources lining the cage bars flicked on one by one, starting as small white dots and then blooming into harsh floodlights, Cadell taking it as a signal to close his headset over his eyes. The room gave away as the glasses panned over his eyes from above, replaced by a large warehouse made of gunmetal-black material, far larger than what the real room would have suggested. It seemed identical to the first simulation – with this side of the warehouse packed with a maze-like set of walls, then giving way to an open-planned area as it reached the far end.

“Alright people,” Cadell announced, pulling back the loading bolt of his weapon. “You all know what to expect, but don’t get comfortable. The Lieutenant’s probably moved things around to try and surprise us. Let’s not give him the satisfaction.”

“Yes, Sir,” they all replied together. Even Samiha, although Cadell was too focused on what lay ahead to give it much thought.