Monday, 8 June 2024, 7:05 am
Ghazal wakes wildly from his sleep, slapping his blaring phone and groaning as he rubs at the stiff muscles on his legs and back. He rolls out of bed cursing at the decisions made by the Ghazal of yesterday, leaving him to deal with his current aches and pains.
A sly thought strokes his mind, bringing with it a bottom-lip-biting grin. He could fake a training related injury and get some aetheric healing, he schemes, beaming with a sense of accomplishment at his brilliant plan.
A quick sojourn into his bathroom would relieve him of gastronomic burdens before he jumps into the shower for a half-hearted attempt at personal hygiene.
He dresses himself as he hums out Arabic tunes, slipping on the uniform's blazer and patting the breast pocket affectionately. He takes a quick peek inside, smiling sheepishly at the small, square paper that he had kept safely all week.
He plops into his shoes, gives himself a final visual check and verbal encouragement before bursting out of his room, ready to conquer the day.
As he strolls into the dorm kitchen, he notices Jocelyn gracefully flipping pancakes in the kitchen, a twist of his head would reveal Reyn sitting at a counter across from her.
Ghazal's eyes tighten as he mentally confirms his vision.
Reyn leans on the counter with his head resting in his hands, his eyes glazed over and his face drapped in a disgusting amount of publicly visible affection pointed unabashedly at Jocelyn.
He moves toward Reyn, his face folded into confusion as he witnesses the strange scene playing out.
As he sits down on the stool next to his friend silently, he watches as Reyn sits, fully focused on Jocelyn's cooking performance and completely oblivious to Ghazal's arrival, or any other external factors beyond the woman's performance.
Ghazal nudges Reyn in the ribs, breaking his trance so finally notices Ghazal's presence.
Reyn's face mutates into an unnaturally wide smile that seems to double with the width of his head as he turns to Ghazal. The two proceed to quickly recount the events of Reyn's late night interactions with Jocelyn through a series of complex eyebrow wiggles, eye flickings, hand gestures and whispered grunts.
Ghazal's eyes widen as Reyn intricately explains the details of the kiss Jocelyn bestowed upon him and the start of their fledgling relationship.
Reyn suddenly reaches out his hand expectantly towards Ghazal as he smiles, but Ghazal slaps him on the back as he nods proudly, startling Jocelyn as she works the stove top.
"Oh, morning Gaz." Jocelyn says with a welcoming smile as she greets Ghazal. "Want some pancakes? I'm making a bunch."
"I'd be a bloody bellend to say no to that! Load me up, miss!" Ghazal happily responds, sporting a knowing smirk. "Excuse me, Joze. My best mate Reyn here just told me something very interesting and I was wondering if you could corroborate his story?"
Reyn suddenly chokes, coughing and spluttering as he tries to intervene.
"Gaz!" He yelps, struggling to catch his breath.
Jocelyn giggles as she turns back to the pancakes sizzling on the stove top.
"His lying, Gaz. We haven't fucked yet." she says pointedly, causing Reyn to almost slip out of his seat in a scramble to get a handle on the conversation.
"Holy shit, you guys! Seriously? I'm right here!"
"Hm, fair enough. At least he made a move. I swear, I've been begging him to snag you for ages. Took his sweet time, didn't he?" Ghazal says pompously as he slaps Reyn on the chest, leaving behind a small piece of paper. Reyn quickly collects it with a smile as he stares at Ayame Kurosawa's autograph.
Jocelyn's voice would startle him into quickly hiding back in his pocket.
"Actually, Gaz, I made the first move. Practically had to throw myself at him! It was pretty degrading actually. You think he's into that?" Jocelyn asks, her back faced to the men as she hides he snickering.
"Oh! Why am I not surprised? Sounds exactly like him. He has some weird kinks, but that's pretty obvious." Ghazal says, shaking his head as he leers at Reyn. "Oh well, what's done is done. I trust you'll take responsibility for my best mate from here on, right?"
Jocelyn turns to face the duo. She approaches the counter, leaning over it as she stretches herself toward the two men. Her face is cold and serious.
"Don't worry, Gaz, I'll take care of all his needs. Every. Single. One. You have my word. Sir." She proclaims proudly and reaches out her hand which Ghazal shakes firmly.
The two nod knowingly at each other while Reyn looks on, embarrassed and bewildered.
"Screw you, guys!" he pouts as he turns away from Jocelyn and Ghazal while they laugh at their playful interaction.
The two continue to poke fun at Reyn's long lived crush and indecisions. They are shortly joined by Chunmei, Paolo and a few other recruits that were invited by Jocelyn to enjoy her delectable bounty of pancakes, leaving Reyn to fume with embarrassment on the group periphery.
Jocelyn would eventually finish her cooking, position herself behind Reyn and drape her body over him as conversations shifted to their training activities planned for the day.
Reyn basks in the moment as Jocelyn presses her warm, supple body firmly against his back, her arms wrapped around his neck as she rests her head on his shoulder, gleefully chatting and laughing along with the rest of the recruits.
Their words don't reach him while his mind is captured by Jocelyn's presence entwining with his. He smiles long and deeply before eventually finding a path into the conversation.
Their discussions would find its focus on their recruitment training plans for the week, especially the start of their theory and classroom work, which was scheduled for the day. None were eager to spend the day being lectured instead of exploring and training their aetherics.
They would start their various theory classes and practicals, which would form part of their recruitment program. Including courses such as E.T.E.A. Biology and Combat Strategies, General Gate Suppression Tactics and Civilian Support and Evacuation Protocols.
Archaners, especially those on Strike Teams, were expected to maintain an extremely high standard while performing their duties, whatever they may be. Not always enforced, but always expected. These standards have all been studied and perfected by GAARD, which the recruits were to learn, understand and practice in all aspects of their duties.
They finish their breakfast together, and after a quick cleanup of the kitchen area, they join the other recruits as they march to the lecture hall for their day's activities.
There they would revise the results of the first day of Aetheric trials and go over some basics of ARCH-unit control, power management and maintenance.
Reyn listens intently. Every word and picture is a chance for him to learn and better understand the connections between his body, mind and the aether. With a better understanding of himself, what drives him and holds him back, understanding the ARCH-unit and how to control his power were the next pieces of the puzzle that he would solve.
Their final class for the day comes to a close as their lecturer concludes his lesson on the basics of ARCH-unit maintenance and cleaning.
As the class collects their belongings and prepares to leave, a blue-coated lab-assistant bursts into the room, rushing toward the lecturer.
"Mitchells! You are to report to Ravinok, immediately." The lecturer yells out across the hall. Reyn's eyes flick forward and he quickly moves to the front of the room to take a piece of paper the lecturer held out for him to collect.
The note would tell him to meet Ravinok at the training facility entrance, as soon as possible.
He gestures a quick hand and eye motion toward Ghazal who was still collecting his things at his desk. Ghazal nods with understanding and Reyn drops his possessions on a nearby desk and rushes out of the lecture hall, leaving Ghazal to collect his things and notify Jocelyn of his rendezvous with Ravinok.
Reyn quickly makes his way over to the training facility, ripping off his blazer and tucking it under his arm as he sprints from the GAARD HQ's campus towards the training facility on the other side of the compound. He eventually reaches the facility, huffing as he wipes away sweat from his forehead and neck.
Ravinok suddenly appears in a whirlwind of particles as he approaches the training ground's entrance.
"Mitchells! You keep me waiting! Come, I have some experiments to run on you. Your data still proves indecipherable, so we will do some simple measurements to help understand your ARCH-type." The doctor says as he frantically gestures for Reyn to follow him.
The two quickly move into the training arena and Ravinok leads Reyn through a set of doors on the facility's ground floor. They move down several flights of stairs, passing through different areas covered in black-light. The two eventually arrive at another testing area, deep beneath the training facility.
"This area is used for running some simple physiology tests and measurements." Ravinok says as he leads Reyn through the room. The area looked like a combination between an industrial forge and a gym. Six large, mechanical devices were set up and lined in a row along the room's back wall. Each device connected to a litany of machines and monitors setup around them which were being manned and controlled by number blue-coated lab staff.
"As you know, your ARCH-unit keeps track of very detailed measurements regarding your physiology and mental state, as well as your aether usage and how it feeds into your aetherics. Your fight with Rick in the gym, I studied your ARCH-unit's output, GAIA and I have been through all the data and combinations of data, yet still we find no connection between your ARCH-unit usage and your aetherics. That last punch against Rick... It would require an enormous amount of aether pushed into the limbs to allow for that kind of powerful movement, yet we see nothing. No aether flowing through your body." The doctor groans as he rubs at his chin.
"When you activated your aetherics… the aether, it flooded your skull instead. All of it feeding into your brain, and what's more Mitchells, you sucked your power-core dry with a single attack. Where did all the aether go? Truly an anomaly! So, today we do some measures of strength, reactions, speed and resilience. We see how your aetherics affect your external environment and your body through some simple tests."
"Yes, sir." Reyn nods approvingly.
This was the perfect opportunity, he thought. By taking this chance to test out his ability in a controlled environment without the possibility of harming others, he could start figuring out how to control his aetheric output.
"Good, just wait there, we are almost done with preparations." Ravinok says as he strolls off to discuss the procedures with a group of lab-assistants.
Reyn stands in the centre of the room, watching the various workers go about their jobs. Ravinok and his group move to one of the machines at the far end of the room.
A large contraption that stretched from floor to ceiling, in its center was a giant clamping mechanism of some sort. Ravinok watches on intently as one of the assistants activates the device, causing it to erupt to life with violent bursts of steam and sparks, the assistant moves over to a large lever located at the front of the machine, he rolls up his coat sleeves and tightly grips onto the handle.
Reyn startles when the man's ARCH-unit suddenly activates and sparks to life as he starts to pull on the lever, Reyn could see the man struggle with all his strength.
The machine clunks and cracks, shooting out sparks and steam as the assistant pulls on the lever. He eventually lets go when the device sounds a loud, beeping alarm.
Ravinok and the rest of the group gather around an assistant holding a digital clipboard, going over the measurement results. Ravinok smiles, claps his hands and turns to Reyn.
"Come, Mitchells. We are ready to make the first measurement." Ravinok yells out as he gestures for Reyn to approach.
Reyn quickly makes his way off to the machine, where Ravinok gives him a brief explanation of its purpose.
"This is a simple test of physical strength. Simply pull the lever. The device will measure the amount of force you can exert upon it. There will be resistance, so don't worry if the lever doesn't move, we will still get accurate results. Just pull with all your strength, my boy."
Reyn nods sternly and moves over to the lever, his instructions are clear. But the process for Reyn to control his aetherical power output was anything but.
He stands before the lever, widens his stance and grips the handle with both handles tightly. He looks over to Ravinok, who nods and points a thumbs up at him.
Reyn takes a deep breath. He focuses his mind on the task at hand, dedicating all calculated contemplation to a single action. As the outcomes of his calculations burst from his subconscious, so too does his ARCH-unit erupt to life with cracklings of sparking aether, sucking Reyn into his mind.
The aether bubbles plip and plop as he hits the surface of his inner-ocean and immediately dives toward the transition zone.
He fervently looks through his options, deeply relieved the bubbles show him scenes providing far more reasonable outcomes compared to his last foray into his mind. The visions of Rick's exploding body still haunt him.
He finds a bubble that shows a good looking outcome. In the vision Reyn pulls on the handle, moving it a few centimetres to the back, the device cranks and pops off sparks and steam while Ravinok and his team look on wide eyed.
A solid choice, he thinks. Enough to impress with an overwhelming show of strength without going overboard or causing any damage.
He hopes his performance would be enough to help show his potential as an offensive archaner and quell some of the questions hanging over his aetherics.
He punches the bubble, and as the brightness of the aether shimmer fades, he finds himself pulling on the handle with all his strength, the device starts clunking and clattering increasingly faster as he pulls.
The lever jaggedly creaks back, its thick metal rod beginning to bend as Reyn strains against it.
"Stop! Stop, Mitchells!" one of the lab-assistants screams out.
Reyn quickly releases the lever and turns to Ravinok's group. The doctor stands at its front, gripping his chest tightly. The others around him bark at each other while tapping on their clipboards and pointing at the measuring device in front of them.
Ravinok walks over to Reyn, his eyes wide as he rubs at his chest. His face carries a look of serious concern.
"Mitchells… this is... What exactly are you doing?" He says, his face looks scared and confused as he eyes Reyn intensely. "Anymore and you would have broken it. You cracked the scales, Mitchells. Your strength, I've never… How is this possible?"
Reyn stares at the doctor bewildered and confused. He was sure his choice was a reasonable one. A slight tug on the lever, just enough to budge it a centimetre or two.
"Reyn, this is getting serious. We need answers! Your aetherics… I'm seeing things that should not be possible. And it scares me, Mitchells. You may possess abilities... Reyn, it is of the utmost importance that we fully understand what you are capable of, the nature of your aetherics."
"Yes, sir. I-I understand." Reyn stutters in response.
Sweat collects on his brow as he struggles to suppress the urge to reveal all he knows about his abilities to Ravinok, but his indecision, fed by fear and caution, prevents him.
"I-I-I don't know sir."
"Please, Reyn, is there anything you can tell me about your ARCH-type, anything that could help us understand it?"
"I'm sorry sir. I just did what you said. Focused my thoughts on pulling the lever, and pulled it." Reyn says as he shakes his head.
"Yes, yes! This is the basics of any aetherical action. Everything feeds off the mind. The aether works with the consciousness to shape its surroundings. But this is not the case for you. Your strength exceeds our ability to measure it, yet your body is unaffected by aether. The aetherics have not strengthened your muscles, or fortified your bones. Yet, with this body, you were able to transfer incalculable physical force onto this machine. This is simply impossible, Reyn. The aether bends the laws of physics, making possible the improbable. But it does not break the laws of our universe outright. What you are doing, it's simply not possible with our understanding of logic and universal laws. So I ask again, Reyn, please, is there anything you can tell me to help make sense of your ARCH-type?"
"Um. Nothing, I can think of, sir." Reyn shrugs reluctantly.
"Fuck!" Ravinok blurts out. "Oh, my goodness. Sorry. Sorry! My apologies for the outburst. It has been a long time, very long time, since I've been so… perplexed. Argh, but this is science. There is no time for emotions. Come, we have more tests to do. Quickly, people! Prepare the reaction-time assessment."
The lab-assistants quickly scurry toward the next machine along the wall.
It features multiple barrel-like tubes facing toward the opposite wall. The device looked like a large, mechanical gatling-type gun. It was also connected to various monitors and machines around it, as well as numerous thick pipes trailing out from behind.
On the wall opposite the machine was a small cubicle covered in reinforced glass with its front wall missing. It was surrounded by various painted lines and measurement markings.
"Over there, Mitchells. Stand in the glass box." Ravinok says, instructing Reyn toward the cubicle.
Reyn quickly makes his way over and positions himself inside, now facing the large contraception on the other side of the room.
"This machine will measure reaction speed and physical resistance. We will shoot rubber balls at you. You need to catch the ball. Simple, yes?"
Reyn nods an affirmative and the doctor signals his assistants to start the machine. It quickly hums to life with the sound of a fast-spinning apparatus sucking in air.
"Ok, Mitchells. The balls will increase in velocity after each shot, so be sure to use your aetherics. A hit to the head could prove very painful." Ravinok yells out from across the room, his face now beset with a grin.
"Ok, begin!"
The machine's humming suddenly stops as it clunks into action. Reyn sees a blue, rubber ball roll up through the device's pipes, tumble around in the spinning apparatus and a moment later, it comes flying towards him, faster than he can react. The ball hits him square in the gut, knocking out his breath and sending him crumbling to the floor, gasping for breath as he fights the urge to vomit.
"Your aetherics, Mitchells. Come now, boy. Stop wasting time. Again!" Ravinok bellows, trying half-heartedly to hide his laugh.
Reyn finds his breath again and collects himself, standing erect as he huffs furiously. He extends a thumbs up and the machine starts clanking again.
As the ball moves up into the barrel, Reyn activates his ARCH-unit and a moment later, he stands with his hand extended, holding the rubber ball.
"Good! That's more like it, Mitchells! Again!"
Another ball loads and Reyn catches it easily with the help of his aetherics. Then another, and another, until the balls are flying at the speed of typical handgun bullets.
"Hm, very good, Mitchells. Your reaction speed and physical resilience is of the highest order. Let's, uh, turn it up a nudge, yes?" Ravinok smirks. "Bring up the curtain!"
The floor below the machine suddenly opens, and a large, square, metal frame slowly ascends from the ground in front of it. Its center is completely empty. As it stops moving, the frame abruptly lights up, creating an optical effect in its center, making the entire frame look like a brick wall and obscuring the machine behind it from Reyn's view.
"Holographic curtain." Ravinok chuckles. "Prevents you from seeing the ball movements. The machine will fire through the curtain, you'll have less time to react. Careful now, Mitchells."
The machine stops humming and the room falls silent. Reyn tries desperately to suss out a clue of the machine's intentions, but the air suddenly buzzes past his ear, and a rubber ball bounces off the wall behind him.
He had no time to react or even consider activating his ARCH-unit.
He yelps as the machine stops humming and loads its next projectile. He activates his ARCH-unit, his thought focused, as before, on catching the incoming rubber ball. He finds a suitable bubble in the transition zone and pops back into reality.
He effortlessly catches the ball as it slams into his hands, it's materials molding around his fingers like putty as the speeding projectile comes to a sudden halt, but as his mouth is about to crack into a smile, another ball swiftly hits him in the face, knocking him off his feet and into the back wall. He lays twitching, unconscious and bleeding from a crushed eye socket, its eyeball ruptured by the rubber missile.
On the other side of the room, Ravinok lays on the floor surrounded by panicking assistants, himself knocked unconscious by the mental shock of experiencing a glimpse of Reyn's true aetherical ability.