Next day Samuel and Hector got into the cockpit as usual, the captain ordered them to head further into the practice field.
"Time for you to play with live rounds; this is the real deal, so get your aim on point, it wouldn't be the first time we have accidents. Now move!"
The two gray giant machines ran through the training field towards their position. The targets, bots shaped like tenctopus started to spring out of everywhere, from underground, from behind obstacles, some drones acting as targets flew around, the gray exoskeletons opened fire for the first time with real ammo. The recoil was significant, making both pilots get surprised.
"You call that shooting? Get your shit together Samuel" the captain pressured them to do better.
The two men started landing some hits on the fast moving drones and the evasive targets on the ground. They managed to time the targets pattern rather quickly.
"Men this is like playing a video game" said Hector.
Seconds later alarms started to sound all over the cockpits of both pilots, followed by a sudden increase in pain.
[Both units have been eliminated] The AI announced.
"Like a video game right kids?"
"Captain, what happened?" Asked Samuel confused and in pain.
"You guys focused on what was in front of you, didn't pay attention to your rear, this is a lesson that might save your lives, remember that the enemy outnumber us at least one hundred to one in almost every battlefield, if you don't watch your squad members back and your own, you will all die. Lets start over. Your painkillers dosage will be reduce twenty percent as punishment. Now get to it"
With the increase in pain and having to watch their backs, their focus dropped and their aim got a lot worse because of that.
"Running low on ammo, need a reload" announced Hector.
"No reload for you, the rear has been destroyed by the enemy" the captain laughed at them, as the two gray machines kept opening fire to the moving a buzzing targets.
"Then what do we do?" asked Samuel who's ammo also started to dwindle.
"Aim well and make every shot count" answered the captain with an annoyed voice.
"Oh come on! There is just too many" complained Hector.
Minutes later the alarms started ringing once more in their cockpits as the drones carrying the targets surrounded the two giant robots.
"Captain, I know this is an exercise; but this is too much, there is no way we can do this" Hector voiced his opinion.
"I see" Captain Virna moved ahead on the training field. "Control, reduce my painkiller dosage to five percent and restart the training"
The two young men could hear the teeth of the captain clench as the painkillers infusion dropped. The woman launched alone against the incoming targets. Like a ballerina in a theater the giant and heavy machine moved gracefully through the field while turning and shooting all the land and air moving target. She didn't miss one shot.
"I am done and still got a few rounds left; this exercise is the lower setting in this base, you will get good at it, or I will force you to get good at it. Practice is over; tomorrow we will practice with the multi exo AI supported connection system; get a good rest, it is gonna hurt."
The two young pilots went back to the launching platform.
"Homs, that was crazy, she didn't miss one shot"
"I know Hector, I was there" replied Samuel with a snarky attitude.
"¿Que pasa esse?"
"Nothing men, I am just pissed off at myself"
The two men got back to the barrack and did nothing for the rest of the day, they just lied on the sofa lazily.
"Men, the captain is gonna chew us out tomorrow, and what the hell is this multi exo system stuff?" Hector asked.
"No idea, but I am sure is gonna hurt like hell"
"Hey why don't we ask the AI?" Hector came up with the idea.
"Remember MARTA signal is jammed inside the base" Samuel reminded Hector.
"Makes no sense, she is connected to the exo's systems" Hector said confused.
"Didn't you read the manuals?" Asked Samuel.
"Of course I did... technically, I did"
Samuel looked at Hector with a judgmental face.
"Well, I didn't read some chapters, you know, exos history and AI chapter, I just looked over, you don't need to know all that to be a pilot, I ain't wasting no time"
Samuel let out a sight.
"The system in the exoskeleton has been confirmed to be too strong for the enemy to hack into, the human brain can not be corrupted so easily. Still MARTA only connects to the Exos while they are at base. It cant connect during missions to minimize the risks. Besides, the node that connects to the Exos is partially isolated from MARTA other systems. The AI helped create Exos, it was impossible to let her out of this no matter how hard the army tried."
"Frankly, I don't like those AI homes, they give the creeps" confessed Hector.
"Well we basically have some kind of AI implants all over our bodies now, so..."
The two men talked for a while, had their meals and went to sleep later. Next day; they went down to the launch platform and got into the cockpits, like always.
"Today we will link directly to MARTA, get your self ready, the information load will be high, steel your resolve and keep your mind focused" the captain announced.
"Another battle experience?" asked Hector.
"No. This time the three of us will use the AI to connect our Exos with each other and form a unit. You guys will learn to fight using the AI network"
"Wait, wait, wait, doesn't connecting to the AI is a security risk?"
"Since a year ago we have find out that the enemy doesn't have the computational power to invade MARTA current main system. They can effectively subvert the system of inferior AI, auxiliary branches or automated equipment by hijacking the system signal. However, that doesn't work on the Exos; the human brain is too complex. We now can connect to MARTA main node during battle, we are able transfer information among all the Exoskeleton unit on the battlefield in real time. Do you guys know what that means?" The captain explained.
"We got no blind spot. Your homies are watching your back all the time" answered Hector.
"Why we didn't know about it?" Asked Samuel.
"That is classified information, only now you have earned the right to know. We have learned that the enemy gets information from our regular network, we purposely mix some misinformation into the net and also keep many secrets away from regular population. Much of the general information on the most prominent exoskeletons and pilots are outright wrong. Not many people know about the real capabilities and limitations of Exos, or the pilots struggles, and I remind you two that it must be kept that way. Now get ready, is time to get to work."
The machines went fully on line.
"Francis, cut the restriction, give the guys a full taste of of the network power"
"But, captain, that might be too.."
"Just do it Francis, I take the responsibility"
"This is gonna hurt" said Samuel as he readied himself for what was to come.
"It always do" agreed Hector.
As the three Exoskeletons and pilots connected to MARTA and among themselves the two young pilots screamed in pain, until their bodies were flooded with pain killers.
"Captain, I am dizzy this is confusing, is like having two extra eyes"
"Goddamn it, Focus Samuel!" Yelled the captain.
[Captain Liss, I would recommend lowering the feedback to a lower setting]
"Denied, keep the current information flow. Focus Samuel!"
It took Samuel and Hector half an hour to get used to the high amount of censorial input.
"Finally, now try to walk" ordered the captain.
The young pilots followed her instruction and almost fell to the ground a few times. That day was spent trying to adapt to this new setting. Hector had a slightly easier time, Samuel found it really hard to focus with all the input from both exoskeletons and also all the information MARTA dropped on their brains.
One week later the three exos were running around the practice field while maneuvering around the obstacles. Samuel had improved but his progress was too slow for the captain liking.
"Sorry captain, for some reason is harder for me to focus when we are using the network"
"It is not the first time, we have had a few pilots with the same issue; but I must warn you, the more pilots there is in a team, the harder it becomes to focus. After you officially become a pilot I recommend you train a lot with your team mates. The network can save a complete Exo squad from certain death. Do you remember the projection of the Korean battlefield you saw?"
"Yes, I do"
"Most of those pilots survived, the team activated the network and managed to rescue that pilot and hold the enemy off until reinforcement arrived"
The three Exoskeletons ran around the field and shoot the practice targets with certain degree of synchrony, day after day they practiced and improved their skills.
"MARTA, what is my actual painkillers requirements compared to the captain?" Asked Samuel on day.
[You current dose is three times higher than what the captain Liss requires]
"MARTA, reduce my painkillers to the captain levels"
[That is not advised]
"Just do it"
[Denied, authorization by a higher ranking officer is required]
"Captain?"
"Do you think you can manage kid?"
"Let me give it a try"
"Well, you want it, you get it"
"MARTA, comply with the pilot request"
[Affirmative]
A few minutes later Samuel clenched his teeth as he tried to keep up with Hector and captain Virna.
"Hey captain, can I reduce my painkillers too?"
[I would advice against that, captain, Pilot Gonzales has a lower degree of compatibility and tolerance than pilot Terrence]
"Lower his dose a twenty five percent" ordered the captain.
[Affirmative]
"Thanks captain... Oh fuck!" Hector cursed as he felt the pain increase. Still he managed to hold out and completed the training session of the day.
Hours later; the two men stood in the living room of the barracks. The days were they used the Exo network feature, the stimulants became a necessity. As the two men waited for the drugs side effects to disappear they studied their performance sheet spread and compared it to the previous graduates from the program.
"Soon" Samuel said as he checked the graphs while Hector nodded.