"So you are a merit Student, huh? "
The boy who appeared to be the same age as Crey asked him with a judging look before huffing in condescension. He was standing at the entrance of the administrative block with his arms crossed and a dismissive look in his eyes.
"Well, I don't think you are any special! "
Crey too observed this haughty-looking Young man, who was almost the same height as himself. The only thing that vastly stood out was his orange-colored hair. Though he was looking good, Crey doubted that it could be his natural hair color.
Seriously, how could anyone possibly have natural orange-colored hair!
"And, you are….."
"Cheh!.."
He pointed to his uniform and retorted rudely,
"Can't you see this! I am your senior and appointed by General Dan to receive you today. But I don't think a half-hearted guy like you has any right to be a merit student ... .when stronger students get no chance to become one. Absolute f*cking waste!"
Crey stood unresponsive, completely understanding his angle solely from this proclamation. But he had no idea how he should respond to him? He was in no mood for discussion or justifications right now.
He had just been discharged after two weeks from the hospital and was here in the academy. But this guy who wasn't having him….
"Oi, look that way!" He pointed in the opposite direction, "Go by yourself and look for the 'Office 201' block. There will be staff to help you through your admission and sorting procedure. I am going, as I don't have any free time to waste on you."
The guy who didn't even bother to give his name shook his head and walked away. There was an obvious gloomy expression on his face but in his heart what he was feeling was rage. Rage due to unfairness!
'Right, Enemies even before I started. I am getting more and more feeling that this 'merit' thing would create more problems than I want. '
Crey sighed while musing.
"After all, the ideal number of problems is always zero(0)!"
Crey, throwing the incident to the back of his head, turned around to walk towards the directed way. He looked at his arms which were now mostly healed with little scars of burning left in their place. Despite literally rapid healing he had to skip two weeks of the initial term in hospital, unlike Eyas who had been discharged just two days later after the Field exam.
Crey strolled towards the office room unhurriedly. On the way, he found no one, almost empty corridors and hallways greeting him. He was quite surprised to find that the administration block of this Academy was quite deserted. Though he had speculated earlier that this building would be bustling due to the admission Office being here.
Finally, after ten minutes, he reached the block which said 'Office 201' inscribed on the metal wall on the top. Only now Crey relaxed as he opened his Watch and canceled the message he was about to send. A few minutes before, He had decided to write to General Dan for help. Walking for so long in the lonely corridor without the intended block in sight, he was of half mind that the Orange guy had deliberately tricked him.
Now just as he was about to enter the block, he heard the rapid clicking of heels arriving toward him from behind. He turned around to notice a middle-aged lady in a business suit walking toward him. She had an impatient look on her face and her gait rapid. Since she looked to be in a hurry, he quickly gave way to her.
But to the surprise of Crey rather than going past him in the block, she stopped right in front of him. She had hands on her waist as she inquired him in irritation,
"Are you the Final Merit student of the new batch? "
Crey was taken aback but he had no idea whether he was last or not. He pretended to think for a bit as he slowly started to speak,
"I am not sure…."
"Shut Up! It's you then what's with dilly-dally? Or you think everyone is as free as you to waste their time. Follow me, there is no need for physical, we will straight start with an AI assortment."
Crey cringed inside, upon getting chided by the stranger he had just met, but he kept his face plain as he followed behind her. After a few minutes of signing some e-documents confirming his attendance, he was sent into the test room with his shoes removed.
It was the small 1×1 room which was enclosed by some unknown glass type metal that sounded just like wood upon tapping. He walked inside to notice that the cubicle room was enclosed from all sides with slim glass-like metal. It looked more like an 'aquarium for a man' than a room.
"Listen, it is an AI simulation test where you will be soon sent into induced lucid dreaming. It would be much similar to a VR experience where situations would be set according to your mind or heart. Don't panic and relax your breathing."
Crey was confused as he looked above to find where was microphone or camera from where this announcement was occurring,
"What? What do ...."
"Don't worry there is full privacy as we could not see your dreams. A Supercomputer will personally measure your Brain activity to develop a personal AI according to your personality. It is the privilege of Terra Academy students as the custom-made AI would not only make your life easier but also helps us to determine your grades in various fields. Come on now, close your eyes, 3, 2, 1…go! "
The lady casually ignored questions from Crey as she relayed her instructions rapidly. It was obvious that she had long gotten used to this standard speech protocol so much so that she had memorized her lines by heart.
Before Crey could realize what she meant? The glass floor, as well as walls, began to buzz with a slightly charged current. Crey felt the tingling on his foot sole as he felt the static charge building up in the glass room. Soon all the hair on his body was standing up due to goosebumps. It wasn't long before he began to feel itchy and then…
And then….well it was the last thing he remembered before he found himself here.
Crey gasped heavily as he looked around to find himself in a very familiar situation but he was shocked to see how he could be here. All around him were burning buildings, with fire swarming with unbelievable intensity.
It was all familiar… no, it was just as real. The plummeting oxygen he could feel, smoke burning in his lungs, and the burning heat….just as terrifying...just as he remembered.
"Oh boy! This is the last thing I want to dream about."
Whispered Crey as he suddenly remembered where he was. The secret subterranean facility where he was raised to be a killer. It was one of the most special and classified Spyder research facilities.
He was….back at his home!