TRAINING DAY

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Will didn't have time to worry about Ryder. It was a hectic scramble from the start. They were shown their quarters and then fed and watered. After that was a quick orientation. It was only when they were brought to an open warehouse for the first training session that he began to worry. Will looked around for his cousin, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"It's possible that he is giving you some space until you are ready to talk," suggested Becca.

Will and Remy shared a look, and the brunet burst out laughing. "A sweet, compassionate Damian Ryder? I would like to see that."

Will was not amused. "I think I feel sick."

Remy patted him on the back. "Cheer up. Ryder can't be as bad as you know what."

"I can't be as bad as what, exactly?" came a voice from behind them.

Remy yelped, and Becca jumped. Will slowly turned around to see Damian standing behind him.

Damian was clad in a white exo suit, but he didn't bother putting on his helmet, which was clipped to his waist. A pair of dog tags hung around his neck along with a lizard head necklace. He had his usual predatory smile on his face as he poked at Will's chest like a cat toying with a mouse. "Hello, cousin."

"Ryder," Will looked wary.

"So, you ready to talk?"

Will folded his arms in front of him and glared at Ryder.

Damian sighed and shook his head. "Why do you always have to do things the hard way?"

His demeanor changed as he fell into a military stance. Gone was the sly schemer that Will knew, and now standing in parade rest in front of him was a bona fide military man.

"Cadets, Atten-hut!"

The trainees froze in their tracks.

"Your Mecha training begins now!" boomed Damian. "Get your ass in gear! Your training mechs are to your left, and you have five minutes to armor up – Move, move, move!"

The cadets broke out of their stupor, and there was a mad scramble towards the far end of the warehouse where the training mechs stood with their front chassis open.

Ryder grinned slyly at them, and Will cursed, running off with Remy and Becca to grab a good machine before the others.

They made it to the line of grey-white training mechs, and Will beelined for the one that looked marginally better than the others, clambering in. He slipped his feet into the mech's legs and then followed up with his arms. Will felt the mech seal around him as the chassis swung closed. The helmet slipped on, and a heavy clang echoed as the protective plates adjusted themselves. The HUD came to life behind his faceplate.

Green text scrolled across the screen.

'Welcome, new user. Establishing machine-human interface.'

The outside world got projected onto the screen, and he had a full field of vision.

'CAD connection established. G-class prosthetic limb detected. Adjusting controls.'

The suit tightened around him as it adjusted to his height and size. Will felt the suit contract around him until it fit him like a glove.

User designation assigned as 'Trainee.' Master control retained by Trainer - Damian Ryder.

Will frowned at the message. The machine wasn't fully under his control? He glanced at Damian standing in the distance with apprehension. He had a very bad feeling about this.

The mech's servo motors whirred, and Will felt his arm being tugged. His right hand moved on its own. It dropped down and headed for his behind. An armored finger scratched his metallic butt and then brought the finger up to his helmet.

Will's mouth hung open. "Did... did he just make me sniff my own ass?"

A snort of laughter came from the mech's internal speakers, and he saw Damian doubled over with silent laughter.

"Ryder, you dickhead!" yelled Will, furious.

Ryder's shoulders shook, and he spoke between chuckles. "You ready to talk yet?"

"Screw you, asshole!"

Ryder shook his head with mock sadness and brought out his slate. A few taps later, Will felt his suit drop dead.

"What the?" exclaimed Will.

The screen was still working, and he could see the outside world, but the power assist stopped working. Will felt the entire weight of the mech bear down on him. There was no more strength enhancement coming from the suit, and he was now wearing basically weighted armor.

Exclamations and curses came from the other cadets, and Will surmised that he wasn't the only one with the problem.

A sharp clap rang through the warehouse like a gunshot, and Damian strode forward to the suited-up cadets.

"Good, it appears that you lot can follow instruction," said Damian. "Welcome to mech piloting 101, cadets. I'm Damian Ryder, your instructor for this session. I've only got two rules in my class: be present and no slackers. Sound good? Fantastic."

"Now you must be wondering why you aren't in full control of your mech. You are the top candidates at your school. So what is this back-to-the-basics crap?" Damian grinned. "Let me just set the record straight for you lot real quick. You don't know jack shit about mechs or piloting."

"Your starting classes are about two things: fundamentals and foundation building. You need to be able to work with a depowered Mech before you handle a fully powered one."

Someone raised their hand in the air with great difficulty. Ryder pointed at the student.

"How are we supposed to move, sir? This thing weighs a ton."

Damian clicked his tongue. "Don't be overdramatic, cadet. All of you are awakened, and the mech weighs only about 150 pounds. Tell me, what is the first path to psionics?"

"Um, Enhancement?"

"That's right," said Damian. "Now that you have your answer, we can begin. Welcome to mech piloting 101, cadets. Your first lesson - walking."

The students fell silent as they understood the assignment. They looked down at their heavy suits with apprehension.

"Um, how far do we walk, sir?"

Damian grinned and pointed at the exit at the other end of the warehouse. "How about till there."

Silence fell within the group; even in their metal skins, the cadets looked unsure. They were a hundred feet away from the exit, and lugging their 150-pound metal frame across the warehouse floor was a daunting prospect.

"Your time starts now," said Remy. "Get your ass moving! Anyone who is not out that door by fifteen minutes gets an extra hour of training."

There was a clang as someone took their first step forward. The sound was akin to a starting gong, and they were off to the races.

Will channeled psions through his channels, and he felt his limbs strengthening. He lifted one leg off the floor and made an awkward shuffle as he powered through the motion. His foot landed with a clang, and Will grinned. He gritted his teeth and took another step, then two, and soon was clanging his way towards the exit.

"Good, power through it," bellowed Ryder. "To the slackers at the back, if you go any slower, you will be here for another hour."

Will raised his head and looked at the people around him. His HUD processed the visuals and displayed everyone's names with small bubbles of text above their heads. Will dismissed the text above Remy and Becca's heads as they trudged along.

"You three always seem to be together."

Will jumped in surprise as he heard Ryder's voice coming from within the suit. Green text flashed across the HUD, which read, 'Ongoing private call.'

A few seconds later, there were startled gasps from Remy and Becca as they were also invited to the call.

"Remy Soto and Rebecca Wagner? What an odd collection of friends you keep," said Ryder.

"Hey!" fumed Will. "Stop bringing other people into this."

"They seemed involved somehow," Damian chuckled. "Why don't the three of us have a chat? Remy Soto, Rebecca Wagner, what are your intentions with my cousin?"

Remy burst out laughing, and Rebecca spluttered.

"He's such a sweet boy," Damian continued with feigned concern. "I don't want the two of you leading him astray."

"Yeah, like that is possible," Remy snorted. "The whole thing was his idea anyway."

"Yes?" Damian urged him to continue.

"Ah..." Remy stumbled when he realized what he had blurted out. "Um, nothing... there were no ideas!"

"That's your dodge? You have no ideas? Quite the criminal masterminds you are," Damian rubbed his eyes. "Miss Wagner, you are also a party in this. Are you prepared to co-sign whatever these two idiots have cooked up?"

"I have nothing to say to you," Becca said firmly.

Damian sighed. "Suit yourself."

He tapped a few buttons on his slate, and all three of their suits locked up. Will, who knew what was coming, managed to stabilize himself into an upright position. It didn't matter though. Remy crashed into him a second later, and both of them came toppling down.

Becca wasn't spared either. She screamed as she crashed into a nearby mech. Yells came from behind them, and more mechs fell in a domino-like cascade. A few seconds later, the whole training class was on the floor, groaning.

"Ow!" Becca shook her head. "Is anyone hurt?"

"No, but I got someone's foot lodged up my ass," groaned Remy. "Get off me!"

Will glared at Damian through his faceplate. Ryder had a small smile on his face as he watched the trainees flounder on the floor.

"Now where did you go wrong?" Damian asked the prone cadets.

When no answer was forthcoming, Damian answered his own question. "You are too focused on channeling that you forgot your surroundings."

"In battle, no one has the luxury of being slow," said Damian. "Channeling is supposed to be instinctive. Most of you focused on one body part at a time. For example, when walking, you focus on the legs, but walking doesn't just involve your legs, does it? Your ankles roll, your knees bend, and your hips rotate. Then there is the spine and the hands. It is a sequence of muscles working in concert. There is a harmony and flow to it, and you must find yours."

Damian clapped his hands. "Now up, let me see that one more time. You need to keep at this until it is second nature to you. You have been walking, moving your whole life and never paused to think how or why. If you want to learn enhancement, you are going to have to relearn everything."

Damian turned to Will. "Now, get up."

Will grunted. It was easier said than done. Remy rolled off of him, but there was one more mech that had its legs resting on his back. Will pushed the offending limb away and made to get up. He channeled through his hands and legs. It was a clunky and mismatched attempt. Half the time he missed the correct timing for reinforcement.

The channeling was sloppy but it worked. He stumbled to his feet and took a shaking step forward. A grunt of pain came from below him, and Will yelled an apology as he stepped past the writhing metallic bodies.

Remy got to his feet and held his hand out to Becca. She, however, ignored the offered hand and got up on her own. More cadets were on their feet, but a group of trainees decided the best place they could be was on the ground. Will glanced in their direction and read their names off the HUD. It was Patricia Wagner and her friends. They looked like they had every intention of giving up as they lay on the floor feigning injury.

Will heard Damian chuckle over the comms. He glanced at his older cousin. Sparks raced up his hand, and he snapped his fingers. There was a flash of light, and Patricia and her lackeys squealed. They shot up off the floor like it burned them.

Damian shook his head. "It appears that you lot aren't motivated enough. Let's up the ante, shall we? Anyone not out of the training field in the next seven minutes gets extra practice. Additionally, anyone coming in last will also get extra practice."

The cadets glanced at each other for a moment before all hell broke loose. There was a mad scramble towards the exit. Will grabbed Remy and Becca and pulled them forward. There was a lot of pushing and shoving, and Will dodged a falling mech.

A loud stomping noise came from behind them, and Will spotted Rowan Kade making a beeline for him. The larger boy filled out his mech, and the machine looked full to bursting. From the looks of it, he wasn't even channeling. He lugged the armor with brute force and pure muscle. When he noticed Will looking at him, the bigger boy snarled and redoubled his efforts.

"What's gotten into him?" asked Remy.

"Maybe he remembered you flipping him off this morning," said Will.

"No," said Becca, "You stepped on his face as you got up."

"That should do it," Will muttered.

"Now things are getting interesting," Damian chortled.

"Stop eavesdropping," Will snapped.

"You should stay and fight," said Damian. "It will be like a sanctioned mech battle like in the circuits. I'll even commentate."

"I'm not going in any fight where you're refereeing."

"Chill out, cuz," drawled Damian. "You are so angry all the time. It explains your sloppy field control."

"It's not sloppy," Will muttered.

His HUD flashed, and a small window popped up showing a wireframe diagram of the mech in the middle of a walking animation. It took a second for Will to realize that it was a real-time update from the mech's current state. Green and red lights flashed in the areas where he was channeling.

"See all that red," said Damian. "Your timing is way off. You start the reinforcement too late and end too early. And the amount you strengthen yourself by is also haphazard. Like I said, sloppy."

Will began studying the diagram with zeal. "Why didn't you bring this out earlier? This looks useful."

"It's useless for a beginner," said Damian. "Plus, you shouldn't be worrying about something like this. If you keep wasting time, Kade Jr. over there is going to catch up."

Will heard the heavy stomping behind him, but he didn't bother turning back. He focused on the schematic and watched the mech mirror his movements. He corrected his channel with every step, and soon there was more green than red in the model.

"Oh ho!" Damian sounded impressed. "You are still getting the power wrong, but that's quite an improvement."

"Shut up; you are distracting me."

"Oh! And there's Kade Jr.!" exclaimed Damian.

Will only had a second to move out of the way of the fist that came flying at his head.

Kade rounded on him and made another grab for Will, but he moved out of the way again.

"A wild haymaker! Another, another, and another," Damian shouted. "A close call for our runt from the Undercity!"

Will ignored the commentary as the bigger boy panted for breath. Kade had been powering through pure physical ability, but now he was getting tired. He made another swipe at Will, who took advantage of the bigger boy's lack of speed. He ducked under Kade's long arms and punched him in his liver. Kade stumbled to the side, and Will capitalized on his momentary weakness and kicked the back of his knee. Kade's legs fell from under him, and he slammed headfirst into the ground.

"Idiot," Will spat and prepared to walk away when a hand clamped down on his leg. Will cursed as Kade pulled him down.

"Oh, what a reversal! Kade Jr has him on the ground!" Damian commented. "Here it is! Double sledgehammer! He punches the runt in the face and keeps punching!"

Will covered his face as he tried to haul Kade off of himself. Through the corner of his eye, he saw Remy rushing to his aid and jump on top of Kade.

Will felt the wind knocked out of him as Remy came crashing down. There was a scramble of metallic limbs, and Remy choked Kade from behind. Will was not above kicking a man while he is down and rained punches on the bigger boy as he struggled to escape Remy's grasp.

Both boys pummeled Kade into submission, and the bigger boy flailed his arms around trying to block the hits.

"What are you two doing?" Becca's voice cut through the grunts and shouts. "You are the last ones on the field. Hurry up!"

Will raised his head and saw the rest of the class almost at the exit.

"Shit!" Remy cursed, and both boys pushed Kade aside and scrambled after the class.

"Breathe and focus on channeling," said Will, and the three of them sped up their mechs. They stomped after the group and soon caught up to them. A few seconds later, they had overtaken them.

Will was sweating by the end of the exercise, and their efforts hadn't been wasted. The three of them were among the first few to exit the warehouse, and they gratefully collapsed on a mound of piled-up snow.

"Done," Remy gasped as he made snow angels with his mech.

"Yes," Will panted, and he found the rest of the class looked just as joyous.

"Well done, class," clapped Damian. "You made it out in fourteen minutes and seven seconds. You beat your deadline by one minute."

The class cheered at the declaration, but Damian wasn't finished.

"However, it appears that you weren't the only ones that made it out. The neighboring class has you beat by two minutes."

Will raised his head and saw Valerie Maxwell in a training mech with her helmet off. The silver-haired girl saw him watching and gave him a wink.

"Since you are all behind by an entire class, you are in some serious need for some extra lessons," said Damian. "Now, how about we run some drills?"

There was a collective groan from the class, and Will slumped his head back into the snow.

"This is going to be a long month."