The mess hall, probably the largest room Locke had seen thus far, was already packed by the time he got there. The mood was completely different from the one he saw hours ago. Recruits and other soldiers were talking with each other now, visibly separated by their posture. The recruits mostly had their heads tilted downwards and hands on their laps. They almost looked afraid to become too relaxed, the opposite of their more experienced comrades.
It begged the question of what regular soldiers were doing there alongside recruits? Everyone appeared to be cordial towards one another. Probably the more experienced troops helping recruits become more comfortable in their new environment.
Locke searched for Aaron, but he wasn’t here. Would anything happen to him for not coming? Nobody seemed to care who was in attendance, at least right now. Dennis tapped Locke on the shoulder, pointing at vacant seats near the end of a table. As they took their seats, Locke walked past the woman Geller was tormenting. Chaney, he recalled. She was sitting in between a group of soldiers but didn’t seem to be conversing.
Locke tried to look around for more familiar people, specifically the red-clad woman from earlier. Again, no luck, especially with his view being blocked by taller soldiers.
In the front of the mess hall, a large space was elevated above the room just by a few inches. A podium lay centered in more steel flooring.
The room’s commotion was silenced almost immediately as Geller moved up towards the elevated space. He must have come in from another entrance, as Locke didn’t see him arrive. By the time he stopped moving, the room was dead silent. He didn’t have to say a single word.
He cleared his throat, and with his booming, baritone voice proclaimed, “All rise for the honorable Admiral Jason Black!”
Everyone in the room stood to attention, hands at their sides. Locke watched four more people enter. The one in the center, which Locke assumed to be the admiral, was an elderly man. Easily in his late sixties, his grey hair was slightly frizzy and messy on the sides. His black uniform had gold cauldrons on either side, most likely a sign of eminence. Locke didn’t get a good look at his face, but he appeared to be wearing large glasses. The admiral walked with a cane and appeared to have a slight limp.
Next to the man, Locke saw two familiar sights. One of them was the woman he met in the lift, Captain McManus. She was dressed in the same red uniform, unlike the two. Their uniforms had highlighted gold and blue lines across their shoulders. Locke recognized one as the shorter man that Geller walked in with, Lieutenant Cantrell.
The other man was one Locke hadn’t seen before. He was about as tall as the other man in black, but his skin was paler. A permeant scowl was etched on his face, despite the upbeat appearance of both his squadmates.
The admiral walked up to the elevated space and shook Geller’s hand. Locke was surprised Geller’s grip didn’t snap the admiral in half. A strong breeze looked like it would knock the man over. Although, the man was an admiral. He had probably seen more battles in his lifetime than Locke ever would.
Once Geller hopped offstage, the admiral cleared his throat and spoke. “You may be seated.”
His voice echoed throughout the mess hall, but there was no microphone to be found. Locke assumed that he might have been wearing one.
The admiral cleared his throat once more. “I see a lot of newcomers around me. That’s good, that means everyone got the invitation.” A few small chuckles were heard around the mess hall. The admiral smiled in response. “This marks the…two-hundred and fourteenth year that Station Gamma has remained open to recruits and fully operational. Despite pressure from the Axis and their soldiers, we will never falter.”
A few bits of applause rang out. The admiral beamed at his recruits as he let everyone finish. Locke hooked onto one word that the admiral had said. Axis. An enemy name. Now, Locke was getting somewhere. He listened intently as the applause finally died down.
“The past few years have given us great strides in research on the Axis. However, there is still much to be learned about our foe. I ask you, the new blood with us tonight, to help us not only make strides in battle but advances in knowledge as well.”
The old man took a deep breath inward. “I hope that throughout this, we will never forget the travesty that happened one-hundred and thirty years ago. How many brothers and sisters we lost that day, and how unacceptable that loss will be for years to come. I am sure that some of you may be fighting for lost family and I am sure some of you are simply here to ensure that such tragedy never happens again. Whatever reason you may give, do not forget to fight with your heart. Dedicate yourselves to ensure that humanity will persevere through these hardships and see the android threat will be eradicated.”
Locke drew in a sharp breath as the words sunk in. The Union was fighting androids, but why? He didn’t know there were others like him, never mind that they were the enemy of mankind. Everyone in that room was human, except for him.
That sense of isolation suddenly came back to him in spades. That horrible, aching feeling of wanting to belong but not being able to. He wanted to run, but that wouldn’t do him any good. He didn’t even know where to run, never mind what would have happened if he escaped. Right now, he simply had to stay put.
Locke adjusted himself in his seat, drawing a subtle glance from Dennis before he turned back to the admiral.
“We shall never forget the sacrifices of the brave men and women who serve us now. The three exceptionally talented Legionaries before me,” Admiral Black gestured to the soldiers he walked in with. “will choose two more to join their ranks before graduation. With each new year brings new, young talent, as I saw in our good captain years ago.”
The admiral gestured to the woman in red.
“I can only pray that all of you will still be here by the time this year ends, but we are not that lucky. That is why I ask you to cherish your comrades, make your bonds strong so you may fight stronger. Ensure that you work to the best of your ability to succeed, and to help those lagging behind so we may all embrace victory as one. Always remember, the stars belong to humanity.”
Thunderous applause signaled the end of Admiral Black’s speech. Locke was trying to clap along, but he couldn’t stop overthinking what was just said. The only thing he could do right now was to wait this all out. But once someone figured out, how would they react? Locke could only assume that it would not be positive, but how severe would the punishment be?
Questions swirled like a vortex in Locke’s head. He tried to quell them, but every time he would, one would pop back up and bother him further. His train of thought was interrupted when soldiers began to bring out trays full of food and set them on the mess hall’s right side. Locke didn’t feel like eating, but he figured that would only draw more attention. With Dennis, he picked himself up and got on-line for some food.
Locke turned to the side as the admiral was escorted back out by the three people he walked in with. He tried not to make it obvious that he was staring, although the captain made eye contact with him. To Locke’s surprise, she gave him a small smirk and wave. Locke reciprocated to the best of his ability but didn’t know how much sociability he could muster.
Although, he was amazed that the captain had exerted the effort to acknowledge his presence. Their small interaction wasn’t nearly enough time to gauge what kind of person she was, but Locke was going to begin to assume the worst. To get in her position, she had to have killed countless androids.
Locke’s mind far too focused on the events that had transpired today to see it was his turn to get food. Dennis had to snap him out of his introspective thoughts. Locke grabbed a piece of bread and stew. That appeared to be all that they were serving. Not exactly a gourmet meal, but he hadn’t eaten anything his entire time on Mars. Locke had read that most military personnel were used to a shortage of food or lack of any extravagant meals. Not needing to eat, he was already used to it. However, he couldn’t speak for his squadmates.
Locke sat back down. Dennis was already making short work of his meal. Locke very lightly picked at the soup, completely ignoring the bread.
“What’d you think of the speech?” Locke finally piped up.
Dennis looked at him, then back down at his bowl of soup. “Eh. Typical speech to rouse your troops. He didn't write it, though."
“How can you tell?”
"You spend enough time around people, and you can tell when someone’s being dishonest. They may not even know they’re doing it, but they’re doing it. Most people subconsciously hate to lie, and it shows.” Dennis said, taking a bite out of his bread.
That stung. Locke wasn’t even sure if he was showing his dissimulation. Although, Dennis never commented on Locke’s made up past. Maybe it was just a human thing. Still, Locke would try to be cognizant of what he said and how it was phrased in the future. Dennis seemed to pick up on things that most couldn’t. A useful skill to be sure, but not one Locke needed to get on the wrong side of.
“I think he was being genuine about cherishing your comrades and all that, but the rest? He was forcing that out.” Dennis said.
“Could’ve fooled me.”
“It’s just my hunch. I am also prone to being wrong.” Dennis said. “Why don’t you ask him?”
“I don’t think I can,” Locke replied. “We’re a little too…what’s the word?”
“Unimportant?”
“I didn’t want to say it, but yes.”
“Well, we’re gonna fix that soon. Right?” Dennis said. “Look at you. The man who didn’t even know what a Legionary was all the sudden wants to become important enough to talk to an admiral.”
“Are you ever going to drop that?” Locke said.
“Nope.” Dennis grinned. “Come on, you have to see some humor in this.”
“My sense of humor isn’t my strong suit.”
“We can fix that too.” Dennis patted Locke on the back.
The two continued to eat their food. Dennis finished his meal, grumbling about not being able to get more when he was done. Locke had to remind himself that every recruit hadn’t eaten in three days. He copied Dennis, taking a piece of bread and dipping it in the soup.
He tried to push the admiral’s speech and the Axis out of his mind but couldn’t. He then took a breath and analyzed what he learned from telling Dennis his fake backstory. Nobody knew where he came from, and nobody cared. Dennis didn’t even know where Staffordshire was, so it wasn’t exactly a well-known location. If he kept up this act, he would be fine. Nobody would ever know.
He felt happy to share a meal with someone he could call a close acquaintance. Dennis seemed to click with Locke, and he was thankful for that. Still, would Dennis treat him the same if he knew Locke was an android?
Once the men finished their meal, Locke and Dennis found their way back to the observation deck, and from there, the recruit quarters. The outside resembled a straight hallway with tan walls and a steel floor. Along the wall were doors placed between small crevices. The only difference between this and the medical wing was the lack of colored lines and gurneys. Locke kept looking out for their number. One hundred and ten.
Near the end of the hallway, they finally found it. Dennis put the key inside the door’s lock and twisted, opening to reveal the room Locke would be staying in during training. The room consisted of a triple-layer bed, a desk, and a bathroom with a shower. An incredibly barebones room by human standards, but a lot more than what Locke had on Mars.
Aaron had already claimed the bottom bunk, much to Locke’s annoyance. When the two entered, he groaned, turning himself over to try and go back to sleep. Dennis turned on a lamp near the desk, the room’s only light source.
“Turn it off,” Aaron grumbled; his mouth muffled from speaking into a pillow.
“Listen, man, you’re going to have to get used to a lot worse starting tomorrow,” Dennis said. “Consider this a warmup round.”
“How the hell are both of you not exhausted?” Aaron groaned.
“Doin’ a good job of hiding it,” Dennis replied.
Dennis reached into his pocket, and gently placed a small locket on the desk in front of him.
“What’s that?” Locke asked.
Dennis picked up and opened it. Inside was a picture of a young girl, probably around the same age as the three men. She had long, jet black hair not dissimilar to Locke’s when he grew it out, but had a slenderer, softer face. She was smiling a warm smile in the picture taken.
"My sister. Adopted, but still my sister.” Dennis said.
Locke thought that was obvious. She and Dennis looked nothing alike.
“What’s her name?” Locke asked.
“Bedivere,” Dennis said. “Unusual name, I know. Probably about as common as people called Locke. She picked it out herself.”
Locke recognized it from a collection of stories he read on Mars. “King Arthur, right?”
Dennis nodded with a smile. “My dad loved those stories. She got the name from there.”
“Do you two mind?” Aaron interrupted. Locke turned his head towards Dennis, who squinted his eyes at the man. He took a deep breath before entertaining Aaron’s comment.
"You know, maybe we got off on the wrong foot,” Dennis said, sitting down in the desk chair and rolling himself towards the bottom bunk. “I’m Dennis, this is my good pal Locke,” Dennis outstretched his arm in the android’s direction. “and we all have to live together in somewhat harmony for the next month or so.”
“Your point being?” The olive-skinned man replied.
“Let’s all try our best not to get on each other’s nerves, alright?” Dennis finished his thought as Aaron seemed dumbfounded. Dennis made an awkward smile towards Aaron and guided his arms in the man’s direction as if trying to cajole him.
“Alright.” Aaron finally said. “That does start with you two being respectful of my choice to sleep.”
Dennis got back up and snapped a finger. “He has a fair point. I call top bunk.” He climbed up the bunk beds ladder and was out of Locke’s view within moments. Locke did the same, claiming the middle bunk as his own. He pulled the covers over him, and tried to fall asleep, but couldn’t. There was so much he wanted to ask Dennis. He would try to ask Aaron too but didn’t think he would get much of a response out of him.
It was less about gaining information at this point, and more about trying to find a potential way out without making himself look like a criminal. Any kind of infraction and they would most likely go looking for records that didn’t exist. Right now, he had to admit there was no way out. The only way out was one far off in the future. Right now, he needed to stay hidden to the best of his ability. That would entail being as loyal as possible, and not drawing too much unnecessary attention.
Easier said than done. Locke wanted to hit himself for volunteering to be a part of that Legionary selection process. Something like that would only draw attention to him.
All the fretting made him even more wiped out. Just a few days ago, he was on Mars repeating an endless cycle of work and reading. Now, he was in an unfamiliar, potentially hostile, environment with a chance at becoming an elite android killer.
Locke finally turned over in his bed. He was happy for getting away from his past but at the same time, angry that he left it. He was safe there, but did he value safety in exchange for a life of repetition?
He never had any conflict with himself, never doubted anything he’d ever done. One couldn’t doubt while cleaning up rubble. That had to be signs of progress.
The next morning, he and the other two men were awoken by the sound of a series of shrill beeps. Locke rubbed his eyes and heard either Aaron or Dennis groan. He wasn’t quite sure which direction it came from.
Once Locke got his bearings, he noticed a small clock on the desk. The numbers blinking repeatedly, five-thirty in the morning. A small set of numbers above the clock read 8/1/3016. January 8th. An actual date. Locke wasn’t sure what the date was on Mars, but it far elapsed his history books. They all stopped after the 2700s.
He got up before anyone else did and clicked a button on the clock, stopping the alarm. Looking back toward the bunk, Dennis crept down the ladder. He shot Locke a slight smile.
“Aaron, get up,” Dennis said groggily, lightly kicking the man’s bunk. “Come on, hurry up, and get ready.”
Locke hopped in and out of the first shower he’d ever had in his life. He could only imagine how horrible he smelled throughout all of this. It was such a wonderful experience that he wished it could last longer. He was afraid Geller was going to burst through the wall and tear him in half if he took too long. Once out, he put back on the same set of clothes he spent the last few days in. He had nothing else, and neither did Dennis or Aaron.
Dennis did the same, putting on a white collared shirt and khaki pants. He looked like he was going to a business meeting rather than a war. Aaron was up the last but took the quickest to shower and dress. The three hurried out of their room, seeing a few more recruits do the same. They all ran like a small herd of animals to the observation deck. Locke only hoped Dennis remembered the way from yesterday.
Luckily, Dennis guided them all to the observation deck. They weren’t moving at a leisurely pace, but obviously too slow for Geller. The giant man already waited in the observation deck, visibly impatient.
“Come on! Hustle! Move it!” Geller’s voice boomed throughout the hallway, prompting Locke to break into a jog. He eyeballed the three men as they got in line next to each other. There were already a few others there, but nobody was speaking to each other. Everyone stood forward, eyes ahead, and listened to the sounds of Geller tapping his foot against the floor.
More piled into the room, and within a few minutes after Locke had arrived, all thirty recruits seemed to be there.
"Everyone’s early today,” Geller said, looking around the room. “That’s good. Let’s see if you all can keep that up this whole time.” A bit of praise from the bitter man, more progress.
He walked over to the side of the observation deck and reached into a large black bag, unzipping it and gently laying it down on its side. There appeared to be clothing inside.
Geller held pieces of clothing up. Black uniforms similar to what the soldiers wore. However, there was just a single white star on the shoulders. Everyone else seemed to have multicolored stripes under it. Under it read Pilot Apprentice, the lowest rank. The recruits were official now.
“These are your uniforms.” The drill sergeant spoke. “You are expected to maintain these to the best of your ability. If I see a single bit of dirt or grime on these uniforms, I’ll club you across the head with your own femur. Is that understood?”
There was resounding 'Yes, sir!' said throughout the recruits except for one person. Aaron. Locke tensed as Geller saw that the man didn’t even try to open his mouth.
Geller slowly walked towards the olive-skinned man. His short stature made Geller especially giant next to him, practically eclipsing Aaron in size.
“Is there a problem with what I said,” Geller bent down to get on eye-level with Aaron. “Runt?”
“No, sir,” Aaron muttered, looking Geller in the eyes. Locke commended that kind of bravery.
“Then why did you not speak up when everyone else did?”
Aaron pursed his lips, looking like he was struggling to find an answer. “Wasn’t thinking, sir.”
“Then how about you start now,” Geller said. “Screw on your head and shape up. You’re ruining the first day for the rest of your fellow insects.”
Geller walked back to where he originally was and continued speaking to the recruits. He bent over and picked the uniform back up. “If you all want this uniform, you will have to prove to me that you deserve it today, and if you keep it, you will have to continue to prove worthy. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Right, then. Section, march!”
The recruits began to line up in lines of two and jog forward. Geller stepped out in front of the group and began shouting orders and directions whenever the recruits would come to a fork in the hallways. Nobody had anything to eat yet, and Geller was already forcing them to march. It didn’t affect Locke, but it seemed to be affecting everyone else.
The recruits were trying their best to stay strong as to not get on Geller’s bad side, but it was wearing thin. He never commanded anyone to stop, just led them from hallway to hallway without any end.
Every time they would come to another fork, he would expect Geller to command a halt. Yet, he never did. He just continued to dart around the recruits, belittling them as they struggled to keep up. Locke heard someone in the back break into a coughing fit and fall behind. People were trying to help him forward, but Geller disapproved.
Locke turned his head slightly to see Geller swat away a hand trying to help the coughing recruit. “He’s dead! You wanna die too!? Leave him!” He heard Geller shout. “Keep moving! Keep moving!”
It must have been an hour in now, but Geller still didn’t seem like he was stopping. Locke was amazed at the man’s endurance. He didn’t show any sign of losing steam, he was always at a steady jog.
Locke estimated that hour two is where people began to start dropping. He saw some people in the front begin to clutch onto the wall around them as they fell. It was instinctual for Locke to try and help them, but knew Geller was going to give him a hard time for it. To cope, Locke began to take note of everything around him. The familiar hallways, the rooms ahead, the split paths. All of them started to look a little too familiar after a while.
Then Locke turned his head to see the observation deck as he quickly jogged by. He was right, Geller was having them jog in one big circle. Nobody else seemed to make note of it, however. They were probably all too tired and had their eyes fully forward.
Locke saw another person drop in front of him. A petite, red-haired woman. She seemed to reach out for Locke for support as she fell but to no avail. Locke jogged by her, hearing Geller berating her for stopping.
He looked to his side to see Dennis looking flushed, too tired to go on. His once confident trot turned into a stumble. Heavy pants escaped his mouth, and every breath seemed to bring pain.
By hour three, Geller guided them back all into the observation deck. Everyone could barely stand. The recruits wobbled as they tried to keep themselves upright. Locke feigned exhaustion, copying the lofty stances of his fellow recruits.
Geller was perfectly fine. He was sweating just like everyone else but stood proudly before his subordinates.
“Some of you have earned your uniforms. However, most of you have disappointed me even more than I thought possible. Consider it a mercy that I even give you this.”
He began to call everyone up to get their uniforms one by one. Once everyone had them, Geller gave one final announcement. “Go get food, go shit, go sit in your rooms for all I care. Do not let me see you without a uniform. Dismissed!”Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. The recruits all went their separate ways to go change into their uniforms. Locke, Dennis, and Aaron all made their way back to their rooms and changed.
The uniform was all one piece. Locke put one leg into the trousers, then zipped up the portion that covered his chest and arms. Once on, the uniform seemed to adjust to his body shape. It tightened and loosened until it was a perfect fit.
Once the uniform was done adjusting, blue lettering appeared on his left breast that read PLEASE SPEAK NAME.
“Locke Morholt.” He said into the mirror of his bathroom.
The badge’s wording changed to SCANNING RANK. The white star on his shoulder glowed for a moment, then dimmed once more. Eventually, it produced new writing. PA L. Morholt. Underneath it was a familiar insignia.
Locke recognized the insignia from the pod that crashed on Mars. It was two gold interlocking spirals on a blue background. In the middle was a system of dots, all connected by white lines. Under it read United Systems Military Forces in gold lettering.
He didn’t think the uniform suited him, nor was it the most stylish of things, but it was the first thing Locke had that he could say was exclusively his. That had to account for something.
Dennis and Aaron had hopped in and out of the bathroom to change as well. Locke was even deeper into this group now. An android being part of a military that was against androids. The threat of Locke being found out was only a sloppy day away.
“Breakfast?” Dennis asked, snapping Locke out of his pensiveness.
“Please,” Aaron said, which made Dennis crack a smile.
“Look who’s warmin’ up.” The brown-haired man said.
“Who said I was going to eat with you?” Aaron said. “I’m taking it back here.”
"You're comnig with us, you've gotta spend time with us on the way there. That's what I call progress," Dennis opeend the door, letting his two squadmates walk out in front of him.
