Maxim and the rest of the class followed Sydney as she led them through the campus, a few students from other classes were still out and about, trying to find their classroom. The entire group was silent, cautiously looking around, wondering where their instructor was taking them. Aidan leaned his head closer to Maxim, his voice in a whisper. "Where do you think she's taking us?"
"I don't know. Wherever it is, I have a strong feeling she's going to be taking us there a lot."
"Do you think it's a training facility?"
"Possibly. We are 'special forces' after all. Seems like we'll be doing things differently than the other classes, both civilian and military."
The class soon arrived at an inconspicuous spot on the academy, a large area filled with nothing but dirt and weeds. However, in front of them, was a small stairway that went underground. Sydney stopped in front of the first step and turned around. "And here we are." Motioning to the stairs behind her, she continued to speak. "During your time at the academy, you'll be spending many, MANY hours here."
Aidan raised his hand. "Just what exactly are we looking at, Instructor?"
"You are looking at the newly completed training center, finished just a few weeks ago just for you guys, the special forces class."
Another woman raised her hand. She had short black hair, brown eyes, and a very pale complexion. "What exactly does this training center consist of? What types of training does this provide?"
"Everything you'll need to improve your skills and pass the curriculum. There's hand to hand combat, saber, traditional gunnery, sniping, and even the newest generation of weapons: energy weapons."
The woman grinned. "Thank you, Instructor."
Sydney waited a few seconds for more questions before continuing. "In addition to everything I mentioned, there's also a large simulation room for you to put what you've practiced through its paces. This is what we're going to be doing today. For your orientation, you'll be split up into two groups and compete against one another. The rules are simple: you'll be provided a non-lethal training weapon that was manufactured after we received the schematics of your preferred weapons. You'll be placed on separate ends of the room that's filled with obstacles. There's no straight path to the other team. On top of that, you'll have to both guard a single button at your end. If the other team presses the button, your team loses. Your team can also win if you knock out every member of the other team."
Brandon raised his hand. "How will you determine if a member of the team has been knocked out?"
"There's going to be a sensor placed on you that will keep track of the 'damage' that you received. Once the counter reaches zero, it'll send a signal to your weapon, which will shut it down. Once your weapon shuts down, you'll have to exit the combat zone."
A guy with a haircut Maxim had never seen before raised his hand. "Does the winning team win anything?"
Sydney chuckled. "The only thing you'll win is bragging rights. This is just an activity to gauge your individual skills and how well you're able to coordinate your efforts with relative strangers. I know from experience that you'll be having to work together with strangers as a member of special forces. So consider this as your first opportunity to impress and make your beginning few months at the academy easier for you."
Sydney took out a small bag from her pocket. "In this bag are two differently colored marbles. You'll come up one by one after I call out your name and grab one. You'll then separate into two groups based on the color marble you've picked. First up...Kolten Murphy."
A rough looking guy stepped forward. His brown hair was mainly unkempt, which to Maxim was odd considering they were in a military academy. He had broad shoulders, large muscles, and looked to everyone like a small tank. He put his large hands into the bag and took out a red marble."
Sydney pointed to the left. "All red members, please gather to the left."
Kolten walked over to where Sydney was pointing. "Melek Numa."
The man with the unusual hairstyle stepped forward. HIs hair was dyed blue, his hair styled upwards that reminded Maxim of a cone. However, unlike his hairstyle, the rest of his body was relatively normal. He was average height, not bulked up with muscle in the slightest, but not a scrawny man either. He reached into the bag and took out another red marble. Melek turned around and walked up next to Kolten.
"Freya Baker–excuse me. Freya Barker."
A smaller woman with longer blonde hair that reached the middle of her back, blue eyes, and light complexion stepped forward. Maxim was slightly surprised to see a woman that clearly hadn't trained in any military matters as a part of this group. Her arms were small with almost no muscle tone and slim body. She took out a blue marble from the bag.
Sydney pointed to the right. "All blue members will gather to the right." Freya quickly walked over, obviously not wanting to be the center of attention for very long.
"Amanda Bender."
The short haired woman from earlier stepped forward. She had a very pale complexion, and slender arms, but her aura was different from the others who had already stepped forward. She must have experienced at least some combat already. She certainly has the aura of someone who has at least. She reached into the bag and took out red marble. Without saying a word, she walked over to Melek and Kolten.
"Lexi Spears."
An average sized woman stepped forward. Her red hair was styled into a small bun on the back of her head. She had blue eyes that Maxim thought were filled with determination, but at the same time was filled with nervousness and uncertainty. She grabbed a blue marble. After she quickly walked over next to Freya, Sydney called out the next name.
"Brandon Kerring."
Maxim watched as Brandon stepped up to the bag and reached into the bag. Taking out his hand, he took out a blue marble.
"Eric Bailey."
A well-built, short haired man confidently stepped forward, already standing as if in formation. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and a few freckles on his face. Reaching into the bag, he took out a red marble. As he walked away, Sydney looked at him. "I'm looking forward to seeing how well you perform. Your family is rather well known in the military."
Eric smirked, turned his head, and nodded. "I'll be sure to give you what you want then."
Sydney nodded and looked at the remaining three people who still haven't been called.
"Ellie Doyle."
The last remaining woman stepped forward. She had light brown hair that was put into a ponytail. She had large, brown eyes and a toned body. Maxim watched as she walked over and reached into the bag, taking out a blue marble.
Ellie began to walk towards the blue group when Sydney called out the next name.
"Aidan Watson."
Aidan gave Maxim a nod, knowing they'd be on different teams. He reached into the bag and pulled out a blue marble.
So, Aidan is on the blue team...they don't look like the strongest team. Guess I'll get to see what his leadership skill are like right off the bat.
"Last but not least: Maxim Harris."
Maxim stepped up and immediately walked towards the red team. Sydney cleared her throat. "I'll be expecting those marbles back after the simulation, but for now, I'm sure you're all eager to begin. When you are at the bottom of the stairs, the red team will head to the left and the blue to the right. You'll follow a hallway all the way down to the end where you'll see a door. Ignore the other doors for now. Enter through the furthest door and strategize in that room. I'll let both of your teams know when to get into position. You'll just enter through the only other door in the room."
Sydney stepped up and away from the stairs and motioned for them to walk down. Aidan immediately began to walk towards the stairs, the rest of the blue team following him. As Ellie, the last in the group, began walking down the stairs, Eric began to lead the red team down. As Maxim began to walk down the stairs, he grinned to himself. So this is it. Already going to be getting some firsthand knowledge of how good they are. Let's see where their starting point is.
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