The final day of training had finally arrived, though it didn't feel any different at first. The same blaring horn woke them up before dawn, dragging Kikidori and the other recruits out of bed. The same cold, tasteless breakfast awaited them in the mess hall, and the same barked commands echoed through the air as Sergeant Relk stormed around, ensuring everyone was in formation.
But there was a buzz in the air—an undercurrent of tension that Kikidori couldn't ignore.
"Today's it," Peter muttered, leaning close to Kikidori as they lined up outside the training grounds. "They're finally letting us go."
"'Letting us go?'" Kikidori repeated, raising an eyebrow. "You make it sound like we're prisoners."
Peter gave him a look. "Aren't we?"
Kikidori didn't have an answer for that.
The day began like all the others: endless drills, relentless exercises, and the ever-present shouting of Sergeant Relk. But as the sun climbed higher in the sky, the routine began to shift.
"Alright, listen up!" Relk barked, pacing in front of the recruits. "Today marks the end of your training. Some of you have impressed me. Most of you, however, are still pathetic excuses for soldiers. But pathetic or not, you're all we've got, and it's time to see if any of you are worth the dirt you've been crawling through."
Kikidori exchanged a glance with Quinn, who stood stoically beside him.
"You'll be put through a final test," Relk continued, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the group. "A simulated battlefield scenario. Your goal is simple: survive."
"Survive?" Layla muttered from somewhere behind Kikidori. "That's not exactly reassuring."
Relk's sharp eyes landed on her. "Do you have something to say, Munrow?"
Layla straightened up, shaking her head. "No, sir."
"That's what I thought," Relk sneered before turning back to the rest of the group. "You'll be working in teams. Fail as a team, and you fail as individuals. Now move out!"
The recruits were split into groups and led to a section of the training grounds that none of them had seen before. It was a sprawling arena filled with obstacles, trenches, and mock fortifications. Towers with mounted turrets loomed overhead, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of smoke from small fires scattered throughout the area.
"Looks like a war zone," Vorden remarked, his usual grin replaced with a more serious expression.
"That's the point," Quinn said.
Kikidori felt a knot of anxiety form in his stomach as he looked around. He was grouped with Quinn, Peter, Erin, Layla, and Vorden—arguably some of the more competent recruits, though that did little to reassure him.
Relk's voice crackled over a loudspeaker. "Welcome to your final test, recruits. The rules are simple: complete the mission objectives and make it to the extraction point. Fail, and you'll be spending another month under my watchful eye."
"Another month of this?" Peter groaned. "Kill me now."
"Quiet," Erin snapped, her sharp eyes scanning the arena. "We need to focus."
"What's the mission, anyway?" Kikidori asked, glancing at Quinn.
Before anyone could answer, a loud klaxon blared, and a holographic display lit up in the sky above the arena.
MISSION OBJECTIVE:
Capture the enemy flag.
Avoid enemy fire.
Reach the extraction point.
"Great," Layla said. "Capture the flag. How original."
Kikidori frowned, glancing around. "Wait, what enemy?"
As if in response, the ground trembled, and a series of humanoid droids emerged from hidden compartments in the arena. They were tall, sleek, and armed to the teeth with what looked like plasma rifles.
"Oh, that enemy," Vorden said, his tone light despite the tension in the air.
"Focus up," Quinn said sharply, his eyes narrowing. "We need a plan."
The simulation was chaos from the start. The droids opened fire as soon as the klaxon ended, forcing the recruits to scatter. Kikidori dove behind a pile of rubble, his heart pounding as plasma bolts whizzed past him.
"This is insane!" he shouted, pressing himself against the ground.
"Welcome to war, Kikidori!" Vorden called back, grinning as he ducked behind a nearby barrier. "Try not to die, yeah?"
Kikidori rolled his eyes but didn't respond. He peeked over the rubble, spotting Quinn moving swiftly through the battlefield. The other boy's movements were precise, almost calculated, as he led Erin and Layla toward the flag.
"Cover them!" Erin shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos.
Kikidori scrambled to his feet, grabbing one of the mock weapons they'd been issued. He fired blindly at the droids, hoping to draw their attention away from the others.
"Nice shooting," Peter said sarcastically, crouching beside him.
"Shut up and help," Kikidori snapped, shoving another rifle into Peter's hands.
Together, they managed to provide enough cover for Quinn's group to advance. Vorden joined them a moment later, his grin widening as he reached for Kikidori's shoulder.
"Nice work, rookie," Vorden said, clapping him on the back.
Kikidori flinched, but he didn't pull away. He was too focused on the mission, on the droids, on surviving.
The group managed to capture the flag after a tense skirmish, but the extraction point was still half a mile away.
"Stick together," Quinn ordered, his voice calm but firm. "We're not out of this yet."
"Gee, thanks for the reminder," Kikidori muttered, earning a smirk from Layla.
The journey to the extraction point was even more chaotic than the battle for the flag. More droids emerged, their firepower intensifying as the recruits tried to push forward.
At one point, Kikidori was separated from the others, forced to take cover behind a crumbling wall as plasma bolts rained down around him. He could hear the others shouting, but their voices were drowned out by the noise of the battle.
For a moment, panic threatened to overwhelm him.
"I can't do this," he muttered, his hands shaking as he clutched his weapon.
But then he remembered Quinn's words from their first night in the barracks: Figure out what you want, and why you're willing to fight for it.
Kikidori gritted his teeth, forcing himself to take a deep breath. He didn't want to be here, didn't want to be a soldier—but he also didn't want to be the weak, powerless kid everyone thought he was.
He wasn't going to let this place break him.
With a surge of determination, Kikidori stood up and fired at the nearest droid, managing to hit its arm. The droid's weapon sparked, and it turned its attention to him, giving the others a chance to regroup.
"Kikidori, move!" Quinn shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.
Kikidori didn't hesitate. He sprinted toward the others, ducking and weaving as plasma bolts zipped past him. By the time he reached them, he was out of breath but still standing.
"Not bad," Quinn said with a nod.
Kikidori managed a small smile. "Thanks."
The group reached the extraction point just as the final klaxon sounded, signaling the end of the simulation. The battlefield dissolved around them, revealing the plain metal walls of the training arena.
Relk's voice echoed over the loudspeaker. "Congratulations, recruits. You survived… barely."
The recruits exchanged weary glances, too exhausted to celebrate.
As they filed out of the arena, Kikidori couldn't help but feel a small sense of accomplishment. He still didn't know what the future held, but for the first time in a long time, he felt like he'd taken a step forward.
"Hell's over," he muttered to himself as they returned to the barracks. "For now, anyway."
The End of Chapter 15.