CHAPTER FOURTEEN: 

SHOOT FIRST, ASK QUESTIONS LATER

I burst through the door, moving the sights of my rifle around the room in a counterclockwise manner. Under the instruction of Sergeant Mendoza, I cleared the nearest corner of the room to my right as I pushed forward into the center of the first floor. Maneuvering through the room in a fast, but controlled manner, swinging my rifle left to right while I saw nothing, but deep blue at the same time that the hairs that stood on the edge remained still. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. I dropped the barrel of my rifle to the low-ready. There was no life to be sensed on the first floor of the simulated high-rise. 

“First floor is clear. What should we do next, Sergeant Mendoza?” I asked, keeping my rifle pointed downwards.

“Not bad SSM-13, not fantastic, but you aren’t completely a lost cause. To answer your question, any time you clear the first floor of a building, the first thing you want to do is pull security on the doorway to prevent any ambushes. After that everyone will do ammo and injury checks in the event that you do take contact. If not, keep going. From then on, it’s just a matter of rinsing and repeating until every floor is clear. Once that’s completed, you’ll send up a status report to your assigned coordinator, who will clear you to either continue the mission or await an ammo drop at nearby designated coordinates.” Sergeant Mendoza said. 

“And what happens if we do have casualties, Sergeant Mendoza?” Dae-Seong asked.

“Take their life band for identification, say a prayer, and charlie mike.”

“Charlie mike?” VV-06 asked.

“Continue mission, recruit.” Sergeant Mendoza said, stepping onto the stairwell that led to the second floor. “What are you waiting for, pointman, an invitation? Push up to the next floor, remember you can never hesitate. Now keep going.”

“Moving Sergeant.” I said, raising the barrel of my rifle back up as I aimed up the narrow walkway of the stairs while one phrase ran through my mind: no burials, no funerals, and no one to miss you.

###

We spent every morning for the next two weeks in the blazing sun as we worked daily without rest to clear the dozens of buildings set forth. Sergeant Mendoza barked out instruction after instruction after instruction. Some structures were entirely empty, others had some holographic human survivors, and they filled some to the brim with Parasites as we ran through hundreds of simulations. I had imagined thousands of times what they might’ve looked like in my head since becoming a Superiōrem soldier. A natural reaction considering that I’d be fighting them for the rest of my natural-born life minus and career-ending injuries. It wasn’t hard to guess that they would be hard to picture. After all, I had never seen one a day in my life. My family had lucked out on that end as we were able to escape before things truly went to complete shit. What I saw in the buildings, though, would give even demented serial killers nightmares for months. Most of the parasites had freakishly elongated limbs and extra appendages, with rotting flesh that looked as if it was melting off the undead corpses or sewn up poorly in a botched surgery. One thing they all had in common was that they were all massive. It quickly made sense why we carried high-powered hand-cannons when our enemies were walking brick shit-houses of carnage and flesh devouring horror. 

We followed Sergeant Mendoza as he led us down the now all too familiar white tunnels to the chow hall for mid-morning breakfast. Releasing us to our own devices for team morale-building, he said. No one wasted a second as each of us quickly grabbed plates, power-walking to our vividly marked table as we sat down to engorge ourselves on our daily supply of unseasoned meat. All this government funding and they still can’t spare a brother some salt and pepper. I sat down next to PA-10, parallel from VV-06 as Dae-Seong was right next to her. I tossed her a flirtatious smirk that she politely ignored in her own way, as if I were the plague. I decided not to waste anymore time as I began stuffing my face until I was satisfied. Leaning back, I watched everyone else eat their portions. As I stared at their ravenous expressions, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to get out of this team. Was it status? A group that would help me get a high rank and good station? Or something else entirely? Whatever it was, I wanted to figure it out soon. We might never see each other again, we might not all make it through, but I didn’t want to spend the rest of the year hating every waking moment of it, dragging around my half-dead body alongside everybody else. 

“Hey Dae-Seong.” I called out.

He must’ve been ignoring me at first because I didn’t receive a response for a long while. Right before I was about to call his name again, I heard a loud bang come from under the table that drew the stares of the other teams. Dae-Seong nearly screamed out in pain. Two bright red circles decorated his face like a clown, as he did his best to hold it in.

“What the fuck was that for you, bitch?” Dae-Seong whispered across the table, blood still dripping down his porcelain skin.

“I didn’t like the way you were ignoring meu amado. Besides, it takes one to know one Cunt-Seong and I gotta say you’re a real soft-looking one, cadela.” PA-10 sneered, popping the fork in her hand against the inside of her cheeks as she pulled it out.

Dae-Seong chuckled, the sadistic glint returning to his eyes as he stared at PA-10. Now that I think about it, I’ve never bothered to ask her name. She’s definitely a little crazy, but she hasn’t tried to kill me just yet, that’s for sure. 

“That’s rich coming from a horny bitch with her head stuck in Shit-stain’s crotch.” 

“Awwe, is our little Cunt-Seong mad my face isn’t stuck in his? Don’t worry, I’m sure there’s someone out there that likes shrimp, or maybe you could ask the good doctor for the other kind of enhancements.” 

I couldn’t help bursting out with laughter, not caring what others might think of me as I slammed my hand on the table hysterically, all the while wiping a tear from my eye. I also didn’t miss the sputter of fluid that escaped the partings of VV-06’s lips as she did her best to turn away. Dae-Seong’s face was soon tinted red once again.

“Fuck every last one of you.” Dae-Seong spat as he rose from his seat to leave.

“Hold up, Dae-Seong. Just sit down for a minute and listen to what I have to say.” I said.

Dae-Seong stuttered mid-step, turning towards me. The evil glint was still sharp in his eye.

“What the fuck do you want?” 

“I can tell you what I don’t want. To be shot in the back by accident some day in the field while we’re clearing buildings that aren’t so abandoned. Miss little goody two shoes here might be too cool for the rest of us, but I didn’t come here to make enemies.”

“Yeah and people don’t live out their entire lives thinking they’re going to end up in hell one day. Shit happens.”

He’s really getting on my last nerve…no if we’re going to be worth a damn, we need everyone to buy in. Come on D, swallow your pride cause he damn sure won’t.

“But it also doesn’t have to be that way between us.” I rose, my hand extended once again. “Let’s bury the hatchet and try to move forward. If not for both of our peace of mind at night, then at least for a better than slim to none chance at getting a high ranking at the end of all this.”

I stood there, waiting, watching every fiber of muscle in Dae-Seong’s face twitch. It didn’t take a genius to know what he was thinking as I watched Dae-Seong imagine every different scenario work itself out, play-by-play in his mind. It was a brief moment before Dae-Seong reached out to clasp his hand into mine as he pulled slightly.

“This is nothing more than a convenient alliance until I get out of this godforsaken place. Once we get the scores we need, consider this truce done and if you call me a lady-boy one more time, I swear I’ll cut off those fat ass lips of yours.” Dae-Seong said, venom dripping from his tone.

It only takes one bullet D, only one.

“Consider it done. Welcome to the team, Dae-Seong or should I call you MF-09?” I asked innocently.

“Whatever you want as long as you pull your own weight. I’m heading to the next course.” Dae-Seong said, walking off.

A long whistle passed through my lips, relieved that I’d ease the tension in the team by however small a margin.

“He’s a genuine piece of work.” I said as I heard the loud shuffle of chairs grating against the floor, noticing that VV-06 had also stood up.

“We all are.” VV-06 said, carrying her plate in hand as she walked away, stopping in step. “You know, I thought you were just another Noblesse punk with his head stuck in the clouds aiming to get by on the coattails of his family not caring for anyone but himself. You surprised me today….color me impressed, barely. I didn’t think you’d be able to put away your petty differences for the betterment of the team….I can respect that…you’re still a stalker, though.”

That’s better…I guess?

“She’s an absolute ray of sunshine, isn’t she meu amado?” PA-10 snickered.

“At least it’s better than before. That’s all I can ask for here.” I said.

“Oh meu amado, you could ask for so much more. You just have to say the right words.” PA-10 winked as she followed the rest of Delta team.

Yeah…still crazy…but maybe crazy good.

###

Everybody in Delta team was gathered around on rubber mats sprawled out all over the floor in a room that looked like it was straight out of an old-fashioned Eastern Emirates kung-fu flick I nicknamed the Dojo. It was a moderately sized room where we received our lessons on hand-to-hand combat as each of us slowly learned how best to make use of our genetic enhancements. It also doubled as the place where each one of us got our asses handed to us on a silver platter, courtesy of chef Sergeant Mendoza. Something I think he enjoyed more than he should’ve. I locked my eyes on to Sergeant Mendoza’s body, the way his legs snapped at the knee as the training bag filled with heavy lead-sand flew backwards into the air time and time again. His body was a blur that my eyes struggled to keep up with as I watched his limbs swim through the air. His mission, pound into us our nation’s military martial art, UNF Grappling, hoping we become trained killers with or without our hand-cannons. UNF Grappling was a mixture of boxing, muay thai, and wrestling created to devastate the opponent Parasite or not.

“From there, you can move into the next joint lock position, where you have the choice of either dislocating the joint at the base or maintaining positive control on the target.” Sergeant Mendoza said, his body wrapped around a training dummy. “For the rest of the time, you all will practice these sets of moves with a partner. SSSM-13 and VV-06 will be one group and MF-09 and PA-10 will be the other.”

“Yes, Sergeant.” We said.

I wonder what she thinks of me at this point? She stopped taking her little digs a couple days ago. Maybe I got a little bit of respect in her eyes. Shit, I might actually have a chance. I strolled over to where VV-06 stood. Extending my hand out to shake hers, as was the courtesy Sergeant Mendoza had taught us. Over the past weeks, it became where our strengths and weaknesses lie. Between the four of us, Dae-Seong had the most brute strength, but was on the slower end, whereas I was a bundle of explosiveness excelling in the two areas. PA-10 was an unpredictable fighter, to say the least. I could never tell what she going to do next as she laced her combos with plenty of feints to throw us off. As to be expected, VV-06 was a textbook fighter that used her head to get her wins. No one had stood out yet, separating themselves from the pack, but I hoped to change that. I didn’t risk everything to get here just to be mediocre. 

“You better not dare take it easy on me again because I’m a girl.” VV-06 scoffed, while getting into position.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, it’s not like I have the room to go easy on you anyway,” I said.

Grunts and the sound of bone smashing against flesh echoed in the training room, alerting me that PA-10 and Dae-Seong had already begun. We might as well get started as well. In the past week, I worked out why my vision would become a blurred mess accompanied by splitting migraines. They had spliced me with the red-headed centipede, a creature that had shit eyesight, but a great sense of touch when using their antennas. After my enhancements, my whole body had become one big touch sensitive organ overwhelmed by all the stimulus that entered my mind. I needed to focus on the information that mattered rather than the useless stimulus that came from a subtle breeze. My infrared vision worked the same, activating whenever I was in the hunting mindset to make up for my absolute shit eyesight. I threw out a punch, then a kick, followed up with combos and feints. VV-06 dodged what she could as she threw out combos of her own. I could see the look on her face as she tried to devise a way to step into my body, sealing off my reach.

“So, when are you going to tell me your name?” I asked, while sweat dripped from my brow.

“Whenever you decide to ask me real nice like.” VV-06 muttered. 

A tingle ran up my arm as I blocked the blow that came soon after. I’d gotten better at predicting where the hits would land, something I was slightly proud of. Violence was one of the few things I had a knack for, apparently.

“I doubt that saying please will change your mind.” 

“Glad you know. Why do you want to know my name so bad anyway…what does that do for you exactly? Don’t tell me you're one of those creeps that likes to whisper the name of a girl they like while they finish themselves off” 

I ducked under an overhead kick that twisted at a weird angle at the last second. A buzz in the air at the last moment warned me of the knockout strike.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t come up with such wild out of left field accusations. It doesn’t do much for me other than making it easier to get closer to you. I mean, we are teammates, right? It wouldn’t hurt to be friends.”

“Friends with a Noblesse? That must be a joke.” VV-06 bounded into my chest, grabbing the back of my neck as my hands collided with her knee. “Since when has a regular Citizen ever become friends with a god of the upper echelon of the UNF?

I pushed off with a grunt, dropping to the floor as I shot my shoulder towards one of her legs, successfully tackling her to the mat. I forced her hips flat, on the floor, throwing a leg over to mount her while I pressed myself against her body. I stared into VV-06’s deep brown eyes while I sat astride her.

“Since I said so.” I huffed, standing back up while bending down to extend a hand.

“That wasn’t at all convincing. I really hope you didn’t practice that in a mirror.” 

“Yes…no…Maybe not, but it helped to make progress, didn’t it... Again?”

“Whatever helps you sleep better at night…Yeah.”