With a burst of speed, Tess swiftly overtook Zack and Szedra, determined to reach the front where Lanse led the pack. The fact of Zino originally occupying the leading position was mind-blowing. But when struck her even more, Zino's eyes were focussed on the clouds as if she was in another world.
One word went by her head—weird. Tess looked away from Zino to glare at the back of Lanse's head with rage before she reached his side. He glimpsed her the second she started to move ahead of him and he picked up speed to catch up to her. They continued running while not allowing the other to move ahead. To Tess's annoyance, it caused them to be running side by side.
That jerkface. She would rather him be behind her but she no longer ran ahead of him as he would run faster to catch up to her again. They both knew they were not in a race so the idea of speaking their minds never made it to fruition. Preserving their energy was paramount, considering they were still far from reaching the mountaintop.
Amidst Tess's heavy breathing, a chuckle from Lanse penetrated her consciousness. It resounded in her mind, intertwining with the sound of her own labored breaths. Glancing sidelong at him, she was met with his wide grin, though the source of his amusement remained elusive to her.
Her attention was then drawn to a large scar beneath his rolled-up sleeve, high on his shoulder. The repulsiveness of it hit her with such force that she averted her gaze, desperate to avoid the nausea that threatened to rise within her.
Attempting to refocus her attention on the path ahead, Tess found her eyes repeatedly wandering back to him. It didn't take long for her to notice the presence of scars scattered across his body, hidden beneath his clothing. While she couldn't see his legs, an intuition whispered that they, too, bore the marks of past wounds.
She had never noticed the scars on other parts of his body since he was always covered up. It was quite bizarre and she began to wonder if he had a skin condition, since only serial killers had that many scars.
In an instant, her heart skipped a beat as her left foot became ensnared by an unseen obstacle. Her attempts to free it proved futile, and her life seemed to flash before her eyes as her body careened forward, crashing violently into the unforgiving ground.
"Uh!" she grunted upon impact, her form disappearing from Lanse's side. He halted his stride, turning to witness her sprawled on the ground behind him. His laughter erupted, a display of pearly white teeth devoid of any sympathy.
"Grandma has fallen and can't get up," he mocked.
Annoyance coursed through Tess as she pushed herself up from the ground, assuming a stooped position to alleviate the pain. Ignoring Lanse's taunts, she focused on the stinging cut that marred her right knee.
"Dammit!" she exclaimed, her frustration ringing in her voice.
A wide grin adorned Lanse's face as he effortlessly moved ahead, jogging backward to face Tess. "Quit trying to keep up, I'm way out of your league!" he taunted, before swiftly turning his attention forward and speeding off.
"Scarface!" Tess retorted, her voice carrying with a mixture of irritation and defiance. Lanse paused momentarily, as if contemplating a response, but ultimately decided against it.
Regret began to gnaw at Tess as the blood from her wounded knee stained her rolled-up pants. Unnoticed by Zino, who remained fixated on the clouds, she watched as Zino swiftly zipped past her, oblivious to her plight.
An idea sparked in Tess's mind, prompting her to remove the bandage from her hand and use it to wrap her injured knee. Anger simmered within her as she realized she would likely have to forgo wearing skirts for a while, and the worry of a noticeable scar plagued her thoughts.
She didn't notice when Zack and Szedra passed her and so when the sound of a whistle began to shriek uncontrollably panic surged through her veins. The whistle got louder and her heart began to beat out of her chest as she moved her hands swiftly to secure the bandage in a knot.
To her disappointment, she stood up to face the commander dead in the face. She looked away from his serious face glaring down at hers. Luckily he was standing directly in the path of the sun casting a shadow on her. She couldn't help but imagine the awkwardness of squinting against the blinding light while trying to meet his gaze.
"I don't recall calling for a break, cadet. Explain yourself!" the commander bellowed, his words reverberating in her ears and causing a disorienting ringing sensation.
She had pulled both her leg sleeves down to prevent any unwanted embarrassment. He couldn't see the bandage around her knee and so she had to explain herself.
"I fell, commander!" she yelled back at him in an equally loud voice that got him to raise his left brow awkwardly.
Maintaining a serious expression, the commander locked eyes with her before speaking in a more composed tone. "Please, call me Sensei," he requested, diverting the intensity of the moment.
Her actions seemed to have gotten the reverse response as she expected him to be yelling at her right then and there. He became more interested in her turtleneck shirt she was wearing underneath her t-shirt.
Realizing it wasn't part of the assigned gear given to them. His curiosity piqued, he inquired, "That undershirt was not a part of your assigned training gear. Do you plan to overheat yourself?"
In response, Tess instinctively pulled her turtleneck higher, providing an extra layer of coverage to her neck. "I have a scar on my neck, so I have to wear it," she explained, trying to conceal the truth behind her words.
A weak chuckle escaped the commander's lips, and Tess anxiously bit her lip. Though her response seemed absurd, he appeared to believe her, as he detected no signs of deception. Unbeknownst to him, the scar she claimed to hide was not the true reason for her choice of attire.
The curse mark etched on her neck served as the sole distinction between a victim of the Sybervirus and an ordinary human. Claiming it to be a mere scar was all part of her calculated plan, allowing her to wear the protective barrier of a turtleneck and shield her identity.
"Well, if you'd prefer to risk a heat stroke for the sake of pride and dignity, that's your choice," his voice deepened, resonating with authority. "But sympathy has no place in training. Get moving!"
His last words got her shoulders to shrug from the unexpected harshness and her hands failed to cover her ears in time and so stopped mid-way. He lifted his whistle to his lips but she did not allow him to deafen her with its ear-piercing shriek so close to her. She swiftly moved away from him to continue running.
As they finally reached the summit of the mountain, a surprising sight awaited them. Zino, to everyone's astonishment, stood there without a hint of exhaustion, unaffected by the demanding climb.
Tess couldn't help but gaze up at Zino while resting her hands on her knees, sweat cascading down the sides of her face. Even Lanse wore a perplexed expression, mirroring Tess's bewilderment.
Szedra's thick, black hair obscured her face as she bent over, gasping for air, her breaths coming in deep, labored inhalations. They all swore Zack was done for when he fell on his knees with his head hung towards the ground.
Sensei disregarded Zack's exhaustion, instead singling out Zino for her exceptional performance. In response to the commendation, Lanse stood tall and, with a swift kick, sent a stone hurtling off the edge of the mountain, as if releasing his pent-up frustration.
He gave them only a five minute break before he had them move again. He contacted someone from a device in his ear and in no time there was another vortex teleporter for them to walk through.
The next task involved traversing a treacherous path, where they were required to perform walking knee hugs while carefully stepping on the slippery heads of rocks jutting above a rapid-flowing river. Any misstep resulted in the need to return to the start and begin anew.
Once again, Zino excelled effortlessly, flawlessly navigating the challenge. Tess and Lanse, seething with jealousy, trudged through the water, drenched and starting over from the beginning. Zino stood by Sensei's side on the opposite side of the river, observing their struggles with a hint of smugness.
Amidst their exertions, Tess couldn't help but notice a peculiar marking on Lanse's upper arm, faintly visible through his soaked sleeve. If she didn't know any better, it almost resembled a tattoo, shrouded in mystery.
Sensei relentlessly pushed them from one task to the next, their performance gradually declining. With each stumble, his patience waned, resulting in a ceaseless barrage of whistle blows and thunderous shouts. He admonished them, proclaiming that individuals thrice their age moved with more vigor and vitality.
Tess couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that these grueling warm-up routines resembled nothing short of regular Priman military drills infused with an extra dose of torment. If Sensei's intention was to demoralize them, it was undeniably working. Each exercise seemed to chip away at their motivation and endurance, testing their limits.
In a peculiar twist, her mind meandered towards the uncanny resemblance between "Priman" and "Primus." It couldn't have been a mere coincidence; rather, a deliberate choice to make their scam sound legit.
As the clock struck ten o'clock, Sensei distributed two desiccated sandwiches to each recruit along with a bottle of orange juice. When he told them they had ten minutes to eat he had to take out his stopwatch for them to know he was being serious.
Frecking insanity! Tess stuffed the dry bread down her throat.