Neptuna Square was a small open space next to a fountain, shaped after the Roman God Neptune. It was a memorial to the millions who died during and after the attack on the Ring City of Neptune. The square was built after the first anniversary of the attack, and served as a reminder to the citizens of what had happened, and the sacrifices made to keep them alive.
At 8 o'clock in the morning the square was mostly empty, save for the occasional jogger and an old woman feeding the pigeons. Nathan walked out from behind the large statue and looked around, searching for the man he talked to last night. Eventually, he spotted him. The man was setting up a stand, which had a banner hanging over it.
The banner read: "Join the U.A.F., Shape Our Destiny!".
Nathan walked towards the stand. "I'm here, Mr..."
"Carter, Richard Carter," the recruiter said, holding his hand out.
"Mr. Carter." Nathan repeated, shaking his hand.
"Did you sleep well, Mr....?" Mr. Carter said while smiling, repeating Nathan.
"Rodriguez, Nathan Rodriguez," Nathan said, returning the smile.
"Hm.. Rodriguez..." Mr. Carter said, nodding his head. "Take a seat."
Nathan sat down, the stand was small. It only consisted of two chairs, a table, and a stack of papers. From a glance, Nathan assumed they were probably enlistment forms.
"So, Nathan. Are you ready to join the fight?" Mr. Carter asked.
"Yes," Nathan answered.
"Excellent," Mr. Carter said, smiling wide. "Then we will start with the paperwork."
"Paperwork? Really?" Nathan asked, surprised. "I figured the process would be a bit more... sophisticated."
"What were you expecting? Some kind of brain scan?" Mr. Carter laughed.
"Kind of, yeah," Nathan answered, blushing slightly.
"Well, there will be an examination. Both a physical and a mental one. But fret not, they are mostly a formality. Beggars can't be choosers after all." Mr. Carter explained.
"I see," Nathan said, nodding his head.
"Here," Mr. Carter said, handing him one of the sheets.
The form was quite basic, but long. It asked for all kinds of things, such as his date of birth, the names and contact information of his next of kin, his height and weight, and his address. It really felt more like a job application form than an enlistment form.
After a while, the paperwork was finished, and the exam was about to begin.
"This way please." Mr. Carter said, gesturing to the fountain.
Nathan followed him to the center of the square and watched him as he took out a stopwatch from his pocket.
"Due to material shortages, the physical examination is a bit more... informal than usual." Mr. Carter said, scratching the back of his head. "I'll set a timer for 12 minutes, I want you to run as many laps around the perimeter of the square as you can. Starting... NOW!".
"Wait wha-"
BEEP BEEP BEEP
The timer went off, and Nathan started running. He did his best, and at the end of the twelve minutes, he had completed a total of 14 laps, a bit over two kilometers.
"Congratulations!" Mr. Carter said. "You passed."
"That's good, but I feel like I might die." Nathan said, breathing heavily.
"It'll pass, if only barely" Mr. Carter assured him. "Now for the mental examination.".
"What do you want me to do? Do some math?" Nathan asked.
"Not exactly." Mr. Carter chuckled. "I just want you to answer some questions.".
"Go ahead." Nathan said.
"That's the spirit." Mr. Carter said, taking out a pen and a paper. "How would you describe yourself?"
"What do you mean?" Nathan asked.
"You know, would you describe yourself as brave, smart, strong, and so on.".
Nathan went completely silent. This was the only question he could not answer, or at least could not give a satisfactory answer to, for he was completely and utterly average.
"Take your time." Mr. Carter urged.
"I-I would describe myself as an average guy, someone who just gets by." Nathan stuttered.
"Is that it?" Mr. Carter asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah."
"Are you sure?" Mr. Carter asked, leaning forward.
"Y-yes, yes, I'm sure," Nathan answered.
"Hm," Mr. Carter grunted. "Well that is an answer too I guess.".
He looked down at his paper, jotting down a few things.
"Next question." Mr. Carter announced.
"Why did you choose to enlist in the U.A.F.?"
Nathan looked up at the sky, searching his thoughts for a good answer.
"Well sir, as you suggested; To become a hero." He finally answered. He felt a weird sense of resolve permeate throughout his body as he spoke to words.
"That's what I like to hear, Mr. Rodriguez." Mr. Carter said, his eyes gleaming. "Now for the final question.".
Nathan waited patiently for the last question.
"Will you fight for Humanity?" Mr. Carter asked, putting on a serious expression.
"I will." Nathan said.
Mr. Carter smiled, "You have passed the test. Welcome to the United Armed Forces.".
"Thank you, sir." Nathan said, standing up and shaking his hand.
"You are to head to the U.A.F. Training facility before noon, where you will begin orientation. Here is your preliminary Recruit's Permit." Mr. Carter explained whilst handing him an ID card. "Best of luck to you, Recruit Rodriquez.".
Nathan took the card and put it in his pocket, giving Mr. Carter a final salute before walking away.
'Guess I'll have to go back to my parent's place.' Nathan thought. 'I need to grab my belongings after all.'.
With his mind set on the goal, Nathan headed home.
***
As he approached the front door, he could hear the shouts of his parents coming from inside the house. They were fighting.
'What a surprise' Nathan thought sarcastically. 'Though I don't really feel like facing them. Maybe I should just sneak in.'.
With a slight smile, he grabbed the spare key and carefully opened the front door. Luckily, his parents were too busy yelling to notice the faint click of the door closing.
'Just need to grab my stuff and be out.' He thought whilst slowly walking up the stairs. Looking at the photographs on the walls, and walking through the hallways he had walked through his entire life, a small pang went through his heart. When noon came, he would be abandoning all of it to go to a far-off place to fight in a far-off war.
'I really am doing this aren't I?' He thought.
Eventually, he made his way into his room, which was surprisingly messy. It seemed as if a tornado had passed through the room. 'That's weird, I could've sworn I left it nice and tidy.' He thought, a puzzled expression on his face.
'I guess my parents are even angrier than I expected.'
He quickly gathered his clothes and stuffed them in his old school backpack. After packing his most valuable possessions, like his laptop and his favorite book, he grabbed his phone and headed to the U.A.F Training Facility.
'Time to shape my Destiny.' Nathan smiled.