Kai turned around slowly, finding the confidence to face Ake. "I came to apply."
"Ha!" Ake laughed and the rest of the teens followed. "Poor trash like you? What makes you think you would ever get recruited? It's for elites only, you dweeb. You're never getting in."
"But I just did," Kai stated.
"What?"
"Yeah, I just applied," he repeated.
"You're a filthy liar, you pig!" Ake's voice rose, hitting Kai with a punch that made him fall to the cold floor. "Wasteland beggars like you can't be one of us."
"Alright then, ask the receptionist," Kai replied from the floor.
"Shut up!" Ake kicked at him.
"Ake! What is wrong with you!"
Everyone quickly spun around to see who had spoken, and of course, it was Annika, Ake's powerful and intelligent twin sister. She walked up to confront Ake, her blue hair flowing behind her.
"This has nothing to do with you, Annika!" Ake cried. "Get out of my way!"
"And I'm sure his business has nothing to do with you either. Why must you always be a bully?" she snapped at him.
"Annika, he's a worthless slave, we must show them their place. Slaves don't belong in imperial grounds and they do not belong in S.T.A.R.L.I.T.E."
"Well, in that case, if he's here, it means he's no longer a slave and he's now an elite," Annika said as she approached Kai who still lying on the floor. She offered him a hand but he refused and got up on his own.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine," Kai replied vindictively. "Thanks, but I didn't need your help."
Annika smiled. "I see..."
"Annika, what are you doing? He's from ground zero. He's scum! Trash!"
"Don't make me deal with you, Ake. Shut up." Annika then turned to Kai. "I'm sorry about my brother, he's an asshole. But let me make it up to you. I can see you don't have a vehicle to take you back. Let me give you a ride in my aeromobile, and save you the stress and time of waiting for the rollerbus."
Kai thought about it for a second. He had to return to the cottage before Master Sven and the first roller but for the evening had already gone, he would have to wait an hour for the second main roller but as the medium ones only go short distances. "Why are you helping me?" Kai asked grudgingly.
"Why else?" Annika beamed. "Because you need help." There was silence for a while before she said. "Come on let's go." Kai glanced back at Ake and the rest of his gang as he and Annika walked out of the headquarters.
He entered the aeromobile with Annika. It was hovering in the air, its surface was made of a reflective alloy, shimmering under the ambient city lights. The seats were very comfortable and there was a holographic display panel before him. It was his first time inside an automobile as they were very expensive and only driven by the richest and elites.
The driver took off and started to drive them away from the imperial grounds. Annika still had that soft smile on her face. "Sorry about my brother once again."
"You should stop apologizing," Kai said bluntly. "I'm used to people judging me based on my appearance."
"There's nothing wrong with your appearance," she said.
Kai eyed her. "I'm a slave."
"But you're also very handsome," she grinned. "I can see it. Under all that tattered hair, and scars. You're a very good-looking guy, you have bright eyes too."
"Your compliments feel very unnecessary," Kai replied.
Annika smiled. "My name is Ann—"
"I know who you are," he cut her off. "I know your father."
"Is that why you're being cold? Because my father is President Kirk Randi?" she asked.
Kai didn't reply, he only looked at her for a few seconds. Annika was very pretty, but she looked like a distraction. She was the daughter of the man who would rather see him suffer than help him survive. He had to hate her as well.
"We've arrived at ground zero," he said. "You can drop me off here."
"You sure?" Annika asked. "I can take you straight to your home if you like."
Kai didn't want her to know where he lived. "I don't have a home," he replied. "I'm fine here."
"Okay."
The driver landed the aeromobile on the dusty and dry wasteland known as ground zero and dropped Kai off. Annika waved as she was driven away but Kai didn't wave back. He didn't want to play into her game, he didn't trust her.
He arrived at Master Sven's home minutes later and as he hurried to check on his sister, he was met with a horrid sight. Astrid's illness had gotten worse and the next stage had begun, her skin had started to rotten from the inside and pouring outside. Astrid lay unconscious as all this happened.
"Astrid!" Kai screamed, tears pouring out of his eyes. He couldn't bear losing his sister and so he quickly hurried to get a bucket of clean water and soap while his heartbeat increased rapidly.
He returned to the room with the water and set it down close to his sister. It was late, Master Sven would soon be back and he hadn't done any chores.
Kai's hands trembled as he dipped the cloth into the bucket.
"Don't worry, Astrid," he started to pray. "You will be fine. Everything will be alright." The water started to ripple with his anxious breaths. And then tears started to fall from his face, he was crying silently and painfully.
"I'm going to join the academy, okay?" he continued. "My application was successful, I don't know if they'll pick me but we have to hope. I'll save you, dear sister. I promise I will save you." He delicately began to cleanse her skin which was rotting. Trying his best not to cry like the weak slaveboy the elites called him. The smell of the rotting skin was intoxicating.
When he was done cleaning her skin, Kai took out his astral node one more time. He stared at it, why couldn't it just give him powers? He wanted powers! That was the only way he could be a successful alien hunter.
"What are my powers!" he demanded.
-|POWER: ZERO|-
-|POWER LEVEL: ZERO|-
-|SKILL: UNAVAILABLE|-
-|SKILL: UNAVAILABLE|-
-|SKILL POINTS REQUIRED TO UNLOCK SKILLS|-
-|SKILL POINTS AVAILABLE: ZERO|-
"Ugh!" Kai yelled, slamming his hand on the table. "What kind of astral node doesn't give someone powers."
As he was still angry, the front door opened and Master Sven returned. "Kai! Kai! Where the hell is that wretched brat?"
Kai quickly put the astral node under his bed and hurried to his Master to get the beating he knew he was going to receive.