It was almost dusk and shots were still heard from inside the shooting club.
The boys took turns with each other all the weapons available, from ordinary pistols to the heaviest weapons.
— CEASE FIRE! — ordered Saith.
The shots were stopped shortly after the shooter's request. The group was a little panting.
— You are officially dismissed.
The boys dropped those guns and ran out of the impromptu club. Their clothes were sweaty and worn out.
Then Saith turned off all the lights in that area. He didn't follow them.
After a short walk to the FMA building, they climbed to the eighteenth floor with the help of the elevator.
There, they walked through the office towards the dressing room. They realized that most of the lights on that floor were already off. There wasn't a single employee there.
As they entered the dressing room, a type of giant fan, which they had not seen before, refreshed the whole place.
— Oh! What a relief! — Slezzy was impressed.
— I feel like I'm in a bath, but it's like no drop of water falls on my body! — commented Clay, eyes closed.
They changed into their cabins and soon collected their belongings. They also kept those white clothes in their lockers, respectively.
Then everyone abandoned the place, walking back to the elevator.
Upon arriving on the ground floor, the group separated. Clay, Kine, and Jean departed to the exit of the building, while Slezzy stayed at the reception desk.
— See you tomorrow, old man! — said Jean, a few meters away.
Slezzy talked to Emmeline on a phone call with her cell phone.
The young man heard the doors of one of the elevators opening. He turned and stared at the people coming out.
They were two agents to whom I had already seen earlier, in that exact place: A girl with black and greenish hair, in addition to the little boy whose Roy had introduced him, Lierond Shane.
They got out of the elevator and walked to the reception.
— Good night, Laura! — greeted the girl, facing Slezzy soon after.
After disconnecting the connection, Slezzy took his things and left the building, also saying goodbye to Laura.
During the walk towards the exit from the military area, Slezzy watched around him. There were only a few soldiers around, besides the strong lights of the posts, which dazzled his eyes, amid the darkness of the heavens. It was a little chilly.
Suddenly, the boy was confronted by a female voice:
— Hey, kid! Aren't you that guy... that all those NCC gossips haven't stopped talking about in the last few days?
Slezzy turned around slowly.
That girl stared at him, face to face, next to the iconic boy.
— Oh, of course! I did not even introduce myself! — The girl extended her right arm, greeting him next — My name is Helena! Helena Beny!
Helena was the same height as Shane, and both were apparently a little older than Kine and Jean.
The girl's hair was clearly highlighted by her greenish strands, which Slezzy had already noticed earlier. She wore a type of sunglasses and special, carried a backpack on her back and also wore black clothes of the same model as the boy next to her.
Unlike Helena, Shane was very secretive. He carried a kind of tanned sheath, restrained by a sword, suspended to the belt, which also suspended a hook gun. His radically dark hair was classically traced by a small fringe almost all over his Forehead.
It was hardly noticeable, but Helena carried a gold chain around her neck. The girl also carried the same type of sheath, occupied by a sword, also suspended from her belt.
— It's a pleasure, Helena! My name is...
— Slezzy Kaliman! — she said, imperative.
— What? How do you know?
— Let's say... Captain Roy leaves his own documents... easily accessible — he replied, opening a small smile afterwards.
— Can we keep walking? — complained Shane, with a tone of complete disinterest in that conversation. He walked back towards the gate.
— Wait a minute! — Helena stopped him, positioning his right arm on the chest of the boy, preventing him from continuing walking.
— First... I need to know the name of the blond boy... — Said, embarrassed.
— How brazen you are... — Provoked Shane.
Helena threw a series of curses at the boy, suddenly, but was soon interrupted by Slezzy:
— His name is Jean...! Jean Trindade!
— Okay. Now... can we go? Little girl in love — provoked Shane once again.
Helena was very shy.
— Hey, if you had access to the captain's documents and you found out my name, how come you didn't have access to Jean's name?
— I don't have access to all the documents. As a matter of fact, maybe it was luck, since only your form was on his desk when I checked it out.
Helena and Shane started walking towards the exit.
— Wait a minute! — Slezzy extended his arm. — Since I helped you, don't you think it's fair that you return the favor?
— Um!? — Shane was clearly stressed.
Helena turned and faced the young man:
— What are you talking about?
— Well, this is my first day on the force, and to be honest, I still have some questions.
— Sure! I had an idea! — said Helena, pointing her index finger up. — As you were a very nice person, I will answer three questions!
— Ah! Now you've become a genie of the lamp!? — said Shane.
— Shut up! — replied Helena.
Slezzy felt comfortable in front of both of them.
— Why does the FMA... work with children... in a military area?
Helena smiled and replied:
— You never saw any children enter through those gates before you came to your training?
— I had seen it a few times, but I thought it was because of some military school or something.
— It may seem really strange, I understand. The media has been falling on top of this since the last few days, as child military training has become popular after the Baron's death... — The girl leaned her arm over Shane's shoulder. — You may not know it, but... since crime in this city has increased considerably in the last ten years, many children have become orphans by consequence. Lucky for all of them, a radical program, not so secret nowadays, came up with the purpose of training helpless children, orphans and without any prospect of life or future. The Blue Order.
— So... you came from there?
— Yes! In fact, most of the FMA's military came from there. The Blue Order was approved by government decree more than a decade ago, but none of this has ever been disclosed. It's like a school, but focused on the military. His teaching has always been meritocratic: whenever a student excels over the years, his skills are recognized and he receives an opportunity to enter the FMA, no matter his age!
Slezzy was shocked by all that information.
— So you shouldn't underestimate any child... or teenager in your next few days here — Shane said.
Slezzy fixed his eyes on the little boy.
— As you can see, all FMA soldiers respect each other and look at each other in the same way, without revealing the age or size of each one. They all know that... if a person is here... it's because they deserve it and someone has recognized their potential. Besides, we recruits are the last hope.
Slezzy recalled the moment he had met with Jan and Sanches, still in the NCC, when he received the invitation to such training.
— You... are right... — Said Slezzy, thoughtfully.
— Unfortunately... the media disagrees with all this — Helena vented, with an expression of sadness this time. — They still haven't recognized the whole structure behind it... the numbers of orphans taken off the streets and the opportunities given to them. Today, a military FMA underage can only act in some action, outside this perimeter, with the approval of General Santos. And yet, with their faces covered. Not counting all the security, housing and even food that we are guaranteed daily.
Helena resumed her steps towards the gate.
— Hey! I still get one more question, don't I?
Helena and Shane walked back out, ignoring the boy for a while.
— I WILL BE OWING YOU THIS! — cried Helena, far and back to the boy, saying goodbye with a wave of his right hand.
— How mean — commented Shane.
— Look on the bright side! He'll have plenty of time to ask a good question.
Slezzy smiled at me.
Soon, he walked in that same direction, finally completing the first day of training.