The first week of training began. Catlicam thought it would be simpler, after all, he had been exercising every day since he got his new limbs. Catlicam couldn't have been more wrong!
"Are you that dumb from birth?! I told you that to activate the rotating blade you have to deactivate the claws! Are you still deaf? Do I have to have the doctor check your ears?!" The instructor yelled at Catlicam.
Because he had mechanical arms and legs, Catlicam was taking classes with an instructor different from most. Catlicam discovered over the week that several of his organs were also synthetic, as they were badly damaged. There were 5 other guinea pigs like Catlicam, the only "students" in this combat class.
Catlicam's arms and legs were equipped with various weapons. Like blades, claws, and a small shield. All of these were connected to Catlicam's brain, all he had to do was wish for them, and they could be used. But since Catlicam didn't have these before, he didn't know how to combine his weapons with his abilities. ]
The instructor did not treat Catlicam and the others as humans. He even almost hit them several times, but since they were equipped with state-of-the-art prosthetics, it would be a great loss to the researchers and the government. For that reason, no matter how angry he was, the instructor could only curse and squawk.
"Instructor, I hope... you know that you are a... big piece of shit." One of the guinea pigs said breathlessly.
The instructor gritted his teeth, exasperated. His hands seemed to be itching almost begging him to hit these people, but he couldn't. Just one prosthesis like this was more than he earned in a year! But his revenge would come, much faster than they imagined...
Catlicam preferred to keep quiet. He knew that all the guinea pigs were still useful because it was only the first week of training. When time passed and they noticed who would be useful and who was just inflating their numbers, the researchers would surely remove these prostheses without even the slightest anesthesia.
How did he know? He still remembered the work he was doing in the factory he had worked in all his life. They manufactured food printing machines. The androids could not work with these, because most of them had a component in their bodies that was harmful to the final result, they ended up contaminating all the food that would come out of the printing machine.
When Catlicam started working in that factory, the manager was incredibly nice to him and all the other 24 employees that came in at the same time as him, but this friendliness did not last long. After a month, seeing who would be productive and who would just increase the expenses of the factory, the manager began to despise the workers who took longer to learn, and before long, all those people were fired, leaving only Catlicam and 3 other people.
"Hey, you! Are you getting distracted in the middle of my explanation? You dare?!" The instructor woke Catlicam from his thoughts.
"No, sir!" Catlicam stood as erect as possible.
The instructor just snorted and pointed at the hologram in front of everyone once again.
"Since we're done about how to kill a human most efficiently, let's now talk about giants. Giants have strong muscles, tough organs, and high pain tolerance. Don't try to compete to see who will get tired faster, because of technological prosthetics or not, you won't win."
The instructor tapped his foot on a part of the floor, and the hologram changed. What appeared now was the basic anatomy of giants, and even if looking at it without ever having studied anatomy in depth, it was possible to see some differences with human anatomy.
"Giants have 2 hearts, so don't try to execute them by destroying their hearts. Tests show that most giants can live with only one heart for more than 1 week after 1 of their hearts is destroyed."
The hologram is marked with a red X in the region of the giants' hearts.
"One of the parts where giants most resemble humans are in their tendons. If you can, cut out the tendons, to immobilize them."
The hologram focused on the tendons, showing where they were and the best way to identify them when in battle. One of the guinea pigs raised his hand, signaling that there was a question. The instructor looked with displeasure but still waved for him to ask. The guinea pig stood and voiced his thoughts.
"Instructor, what if we are on a stealth mission and need to kill the giant quickly and quietly?"
The instructor nodded, signaling it was a valid question.
"The answer is simple: the brain! On every mission you are sent on, you will receive great equipment, but in the absence of it, there is still a way to kill it quickly."
With another tap, the instructor changed the hologram, now showing a sort of underground fight, between a short man and a giant. The man, who was short even by human standards. It was like watching the fight of a titan against an insect.
The giant, with his bare hands, was striking with hooks, jabs, and uppers, but the small man always dodged just before the blows hit him. When the camera got closer and the focus improved, it was possible to see that the little man was actually a teenager!
The hologram played back had no sound, but you could see that the audience was booing the young man. The young man was just dodging the giant's blows, attacking only the back of the giant's knees. Despite being booed and clearly at a disadvantage, the young man had a sadistic smile on his face, something that seemed to annoy the giant.
Catlicam and all the others were completely focused on the fight, even the instructor barely blinked, so as not to miss any details. The young man seemed to be dancing in that arena, soiled by blood, vomit, and urine. The giant roared and attacked with a powerful punch, which the young man easily deflected by leaning his body slightly to the side.
But it had all been a strategy of the giant, who had studied the young man's patterns. Even though he could not use much force in the blow, the giant delivered a brutal kick to the young man's torso, and although they could not hear anything, everyone seemed to be able to hear the young man's ribs being broken and the fervent clamor of the audience, who were eagerly waving their betting tickets.
But Catlicam noticed something that few watches noticed. The young man, even though he had suffered this devastating blow, was still smiling. And just as Catlicam had expected, as soon as the giant wanted to rest his leg on the ground, his leg weakened.
The young man who had fallen far away came in a rapid advance, running with his torso almost touching the ground. Although the giant had fallen under one knee, he was still taller than the young man. The young man used his running speed as a boost, jumped up, and landed a powerful kick to the giant's chin.
The giant lost consciousness for less than a second, but that was all the young man needed. As the giant's body softened, the young man jumped on the giant's neck. The young man's mouth, still wearing a smile, was filled with blood from his previous injury, but he didn't seem to feel it.
The young man closed his hands in something that looked like a punch, but he raised his middle finger slightly, making it stand out a bit from the others. The young man then delivered brutal blows to the giant's temple. The giant eventually regained consciousness, and jumped up and tried to catch the young man.
But in a few seconds, the young man had already landed several blows on the upper temple, the most fragile part of the bone. The giant could not stand it and succumb, but the fight was not over. Everyone was on their feet, wanting to know the outcome of the fight, but the instructor turned off the hologram at that moment, bringing disappointment in all the guinea pigs.
"As you noticed, that young man didn't use anything outside of his hands. He identified that his chance of victory lay in being able to deliver strong blows to the temple, at the top of the bone, causing the giant to have a fracture in his skull. You can win, as long as you remember that your survival depends on it. Dismissed."
*********
At bedtime, Catlicam was still thinking about the hologram he saw earlier. If a child without any military training or equipment could do that, how far could he go with his prosthetics and training?!
Catlicam intended to run away first, but he heard from his instructor that the prostheses he was currently using were only temporary, more advanced ones would be used! How would Catlicam run away after hearing this? He would suck every drop of resource this place had, then kill everyone and run away!
**************
3 weeks went by, and they were 3 pleasant weeks for Catlicam. Despite the grueling training, his diet had improved, with meat almost every day, and he had also learned many techniques and had almost mastered the full functionality of his mechanical prostheses.
Catlicam didn't have much time to talk to Pluto during the week, but the few times he saw him, Pluto looked shaken and lifeless-eyed. Pluto said that in the class he was in, drugs were injected into the subjects every day. These drugs increased their brain activity and their bodies became stronger, able to carry unbelievable weights and with frightening speed, but with equally devastating side effects.
When asked what these side effects were, Pluto merely replied:
"It's better you don't know about that."
Catlicam was curious, but respected Pluto's silence. If Pluto didn't want to say, he would wait until he wished to talk about it. Pluto had helped him at a difficult time in Catlicam's life, and he hoped he could return that favor.
The combat between guinea pigs would be tomorrow, and Catlicam overheard the instructor talking to one of the guards that a large arena was set up, especially for this occasion. Catlicam was nervous, but whenever this nervousness seemed like it would overwhelm his body, a strange feeling of calm and stillness took over his entire body, allowing him to think more clearly.
There were only a few hours left before combat training, so Catlicam lay down on his bed, to rest and be in his best condition. Catlicam knew he was no longer young, his bones were no longer as strong, and his muscles could no longer take so much pressure. If he wanted to have a chance, he would have to get a good rest.
Catlicam had a strange dream that night. He was in a place that looked like the research center he currently lived in, it was all white, but this place seemed more... ethereal.
The space seemed infinite, and Catlicam noticed he had complete control of his thoughts and body. He walked, walked, and then ran, but the scenery didn't change and everything seemed the same. After a long time of walking, Catlicam found someone.
A man with white hair, white robes, and his skin seemed to be made of snow. He was sitting in the air, his eyes closed as if meditating on the truths of the world. As soon as the man noticed Catlicam's presence, his eyes opened, and what faced Catlicam back were endless darkness, as if the abyss itself had incarnated into a human body.
"Hm? How interesting, someone came to visit me. But this is no place for you, poor soul."
With those simple words, Catlicam felt as if the weight of the entire world had fallen on his shoulders, preventing him from standing. Catlicam fell to his knees, and in a few seconds, he fell with his face to the ground. Catlicam was about to cry for his life, but he suddenly heard a loud sound, like that of a siren.
Catlicam woke up and jumped out of bed, about to run for his life, when he noticed he was back in his room. His hands had two blades, his toes had turned into bestial claws, showing how unstable his mind was at the moment.
As if to prove that this was more than a dream, a warning appeared in front of him, as if a holographic screen had been attached to his eyes.
[Ding!]
[Welcome, host!]
[This is the Seth System, and I am the artificial intelligence that will accompany you on your journey!]
[Fulfill all missions assigned by the system to unlock new features!]
"What the fuck is going on?" Catlicam didn't know what face to make. Was he cursed?