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Chapter 5: Training Day
Ember Valley — PRIME HQ | October 16, 2024 | 8:24 AM
Francis arrives at the base with Ashley. She notices the authority Francis holds at the base as each employee or soldier she walks past salutes her. They walk into her office.
“So…are you the boss here or something?” Ashley asks.
“Something like that. I’m the Commander. I’m Second-in-Command. So, I do have a lot of control over PRIME,” Francis replies.
“She’s being modest,” Savage says.
Sitting in her chair, he turns around to face them. Smiling, he stands up and walks around her desk to greet them.
“You must be the new addition to the team,” Savage says. “Welcome to the Warriors. Miss—?”
“Ashley. Ashley Lora…and the team? Warriors? What is that?” Ashley stammers.
“Well. It wasn’t official until yesterday. I overheard a team of mine talking about them. He called them Warriors. I really liked the name, so it stuck. I was putting together an initiative for a superhuman response team to combat the Rebels. I’m sure Francis brought you up to speed on them?” Savage explains.
“She did.”
“You, Ms. Lora, are invited to be a part of that initiative. Now, I want to introduce you to the rest of the team.”
Savage presses a button for the intercom.
“This is Director Savage. Operatives Swift and Rocket, head to my office!” Savage orders.
In as little as a second, someone knocks on the door. Savage smiles.
“That boy never fails to surprise me. Come in!” Savage says.
Swift walks through the door.
“You called, sir?” Swift asks.
“Yes. This is Ashley Lora, AKA Viora. She’s going to join the Warriors,” Savage says.
Ashley turns around and locks eyes with Swift. He walks over slowly, staring directly into her eyes. He stops in front of her and offers his hand
“Hey. I’m Swift, but you can call me Bruce. Nice to meet you,” He says.
She shakes his hand. He smiles once he feels how clammy her hand is.
“Don’t be nervous. This is going to be a lot of fun.” He says.
Just then—Violet’s mind lights up. She feels the happiness that Swift is feeling.
What is this? Why am I so happy now?
“What did you do to me?” Ashley asks.
His smile fades. “Whoa—what? I didn’t do anything.”
He backs away and throws his hands up in surrender.
Right as I shook your hand and you said fun, I immediately started feeling happy. What did you do?”
Savage and Francis take a glance at each other. Rocket finally enters the office.
“You called for us Bo—? Oh, hello?” Rocket says.
“Rocket. This is Viora. Do you mind if I give him your real name?” Swift asks.
“Why did you ignore my question?” Ashley presses.
“About the mind tricks? Nah. I’m just fast. And apparently good vibes, too.”
“Or maybe she’s an empath?” Francis interrupts.
Francis steps closer. “Put your hand on my shoulder. See if you can feel how I’m feeling.”
Ashley rests her hand on Francis’ shoulder. An explosion of deep sadness floods her mind. Thoughts of all of the victims of the surge and the tension rising from the Rebels begin to form as Ashley sheds a tear.
“This is what you think about?” Ashley whimpers.
“Yeah. An empath. This is big, sir. We may be dealing with someone who has telepathic powers to some extent. I advise that we immediately begin training them,” Francis insists.
“I agree. Rocket, that’s why we called you and your brother. To introduce you to Viora and get all three of you to begin Warrior training,” Savage explains.
“I see,” Bradley says. “Hello, Ashley. I’m Rocket, but you can call me Bradley, and please don’t shorten it to Brad. I’m Bruce’s older brother. If you need anything, I’ll do what I can to help.”
Bradley gently taps her shoulder. A wave of calm washes over her—his mind steady, serene, which comforts Ashley instantly after synchronizing with his calm mind.
“War Room. Ten minutes.” Savage orders. “Let’s see what you’re made of.”
Savage and Francis lead the three Warriors to the War Room downstairs, outside of the base, to get them ready for their training.
***
War Room | 8:45 AM
Savage, Francis, and three Warriors enter the War Room lobby.
Commander Lewis is standing before them, arms folded behind him, with a big grin on his face.
“Welcome, Warriors!” He says. “This is the War Room. This is my domain. This is where you prove to me that you are all worthy of being here.”
Two giant doors open up behind, revealing the War Room.
A vast, coliseum-like chamber humming with energy. This wasn’t a training room. It was a battlefield simulator. Designed to test them. Designed to break them.
“The War Room has it all. Programmable matter installed into the floor plating used to reshape into hills, rubble, or whatever Terrain we need,” Lewis explains.
“Wow…” Rocket says.
“That’s not even the best part.”
Lewis points to the walls. “Concealed behind armored panels, we’ve installed drone ports and the highest-grade arsenal any man or woman can buy. Up top, hex-lit panels track your every movement. Sensors read heat, force, and reaction time—feeding it all to the big brains in Apollo.”
“Looks like I’ll have to give them a run for their money,” Swift says.
Rocket chuckles and daps his brother.
“Yes, you will. Let’s head to the Work Station,” Lewis replies.
Lewis leads the three Warriors to prep for their training. Savage turns to walk up the stairs, and Francis follows him.
“Francis, get some shuteye. You’ve been up all night. You don’t need to be here for this,” Savage says.
“I’m fine, sir,” She replies. “I have to make sure everything runs smoothly with—“
“That’s what Lewis is here for. You know this isn’t your style. Turn it in. That’s an order.”
Francis stops and sighs. She smirks and says, “Yes, sir.”
“Lewis will work with Apollo to compile diagnostics and a training report for you. I want you to compile a dossier for them. See you at 1400. ”
Francis nods. “Got it, sir.”
Back in the Work Station, Lewis is previewing Apollo’s prototype suits.
“Now, these suits were brought to you by The Tailor himself. These suits act as a second skin, featuring Luxigen-induced fibers that adapt to your power output,” Lewis explains.
“Who’s The Tailor?” Ashley asks.
Lewis chuckles. “PRIME’s number one designer. As one of the leads in Apollo, he has brought forth all of our uniforms, patches, logos, exosuits, you name it. He’s the main reason all of us look so damn good. You’ll meet him soon.”
“I gotta say, this does look pretty cool,” Swift says.
“Glad you like it. Now hurry it up, Swift. You’re up first. Ms. Lora, there’s a changing room just to the right in the hallway here for your privacy, ma’am.”
“Oh. Thank you,” Ashley replies.
“You’re very welcome. Good luck to you all.”
Lewis exits.
The trio change into their training suits and head into the War Room.
The walls and ceilings plate light up one by one until the room is filled with vibrant white light. The floor lay flat, waiting.
“Swift, step onto the floor. Rocket, Viora—head to the Docking Bay. Your turns will be up shortly,” Lewis says over an intercom.
“Good luck, bruh! Show ‘em what we do!” Rocket cheers and squeezes his brother's shoulders.
“I got you,” Swift says.
Swift steps onto the training floor, activating the programmable matter as a wave of light pulses through the entire floor.
Hundreds of holographic enemies pop up, and a laser grip fires in multiple directions and variable heights.
“Alright, Swift. This test is simple. 400 targets, as fast as you can. You must tag each enemy while avoiding each laser, all while maintaining above-mach speed. If a laser touches you or you go under Mach speed, you have to restart. This will test your maneuverability, agility, and thought processing at super speed. Now, the lasers and enemies are up for you to get an idea of where each of them is. Once the test starts, you get one enemy at a time, and the lasers will pop out at random. Any questions?” Lewis explains.
“No. Let’s get it!” Swift says.
He doesn’t know I have photographic memory. I already locked in where everything is. This is gonna be easy.
The lasers and enemies disappear.
Swift prepares to run.
Rocket and Viora watch from the Docking Bay.
An enemy pops up, then—BOOM.
Swift is gone, a blur of electric blue light ripping across the War Room.
The laser grid flares to life. Beams slice through the air at every height and angle. Swift weaves through them like water, barely brushing as he accelerates.
In less than half a second, he tags the first target a quarter mile away. The next enemy appears on the far end of the chamber. Another flash. Another tag.
Ashley’s eyes widen. “Oh my God…he’s fast!”
Rocket grins, arms crossed. “Crazy, right?”
A streak of electric blue light ricochets across the stadium-sized arena, cutting between lasers and striking targets in rapid succession. No stumbles. No stalls. Just motion—fluid, relentless, surgical.
Four hundred enemies. Zero laser hits.
Swift finishes.
“Time! 1:59:36. Your top speed was 2,305 miles per hour. That’s just over Mach 3. You were moving faster than you were yesterday!” Lewis calls out.
“Huh, isn’t that something? I was jogging…” Swift chuckles.
In the Docking Bay, Ashley is clapping for him. His brother grins harder than ever before.
Swift walks in, and Ashley rushes to him.
“That was incredible! How are you so fast?” Ashley asks.
Swift blushes.
“Uhh, I don’t know…I’ve always been kinda fast?” He says, scratching his head.
Rocket laughs, “Yeah, good shit, bro!”
“Thanks, man!” Swift replies.
“Fire Guy, you’re up! Report to the starting area,” Lewis orders.
Rocket walks past them and steps on the training floor. The programmable matter in the floor transforms the arena, forming a mini-mountain region with valleys and hills.
The walls open up, releasing over thirty drones. They fly to various locations of the arena.
“Now, Fire Guy, you will have multiple tests. The first test is similar to Swift’s—eliminate the targets. However, these drones will be equipped with fire-suppressant capabilities. If you’re hit, you’re out. This terrain will determine how flight-capable you are. Like the laser grid in Swift’s test, you should not touch the terrain—nor the floor. Eliminate each target without getting hit, hitting the terrain, or the floor. Your test begins the moment you fly into the air. Any questions?” Lewis explains.
“Pretty self-explanatory. I got this!” Rocket replies.
Rocket bounces in place, shaking his hands and drawing a deep breath.
He heats up, then—VWOOOOOSH.
Rocket bursts into the air, and immediately, the drones begin the chase.
“HAHAHA, come on with it, then!” Rocket yells.
Rocket heaves two fireballs at two incoming drones, blowing them up on contact. He blasts off into the valley, being chased by five drones. He spots three ahead of him, dodging their shots and blasting them out of the air. He flips vertically, preparing his trap. Before he hits the ground, he blasts flames out of his feet, shooting him skyward as he unleashes a flamethrower to destroy the chasing drones. He spirals upward to avoid the debris and heaves more fireballs at another cluster of drones.
Intensity. Precision. Heat.
“You guys are really something. I can’t do anything like you two could…” Ashley says.
“I’m sure you can do even better,” Swift replies.
Rocket maneuvers through the terrain like a trained master, checking off each drone in quick succession.
He blows the last drone up before flipping and landing on his toes with his arms stretched out as if he were performing an acrobatic dismount.
“Time! 1:56:83. That was quicker than anticipated!” Lewis reports.
“It’s in the genes! That was fun. What’s next?” Rocket replies.
“A little game of fetch. Open the canopy!”
The roof suddenly opens, revealing the sky and blazing Ember Valley sun. A missile shoots out from the wall and flies out of the War Room.
“That’s a hypersonic missile deployed to blow up the White House. Your next test? Stop it from reaching Washington D.C.!”
“The fuck?!” Rocket yells.
He flies back up to chase the missile.
“Okay, Viora. While he’s busy doing that. It’s your turn now. Step onto the training floor,” Lewis says.
“Oh?” She stammers. “Uh, okay.”
“Why are you nervous?” Swift asks.
“I don’t know how to use my powers…I don’t even know what I can do!” She replies.
“I see. A good friend of mine told my brother to think of it like breathing. There’s energy inside of you, which you should be able to feel. You dig deep and bring it out. You’ll know what to do then.”
“Uh, okay…breathing. Okay, I’ll try.”
Viora goes onto the training floor, and the mini-mountain disappears into the floor, leaving four blocks of programmable matter in different sizes and shapes.
“Your task is simple. Pick them all up simultaneously. They each have variable weights, so let’s see what you can do,” Lewis says.
“O-okay…” She mumbles.
She takes a deep breath and holds onto the pendant on her necklace.
Yvette. I hope you’re doing good, girl.
Her eyes light up.
She extends her hand, and the smaller block begins to move. She grunts as she slowly covers the block with psionic energy.
Focus. Focus. Focus.
She slowly begins to lift the block, hovering it a few feet in the air. Suddenly, the floor begins to tremble, breaking Viora’s concentration—forcing her to drop the block. The floor lights up red.
“I’m sorry, Viora. But you failed,” Lewis says. “You have two more retries.”
“Hey, what the hell?! That’s cheating!” Swift yells.
“Shut it, Swift! This is her test, not yours. Her powers are mind-based. She has to have adept concentration skills. If she can’t hold a forty-pound block during a 3.5 magnitude earthquake, how will she carry a small child to safety when needed in an emergency?”
Deafening silence.
“Viora. You have two more retries. When you’re ready, please lift the block again,” Lewis says.
Viora exhales slowly and closes her eyes. She opens them and covers the block again with psionic energy. She hoists it higher this time, and the rumbling begins.
The block lowers, but she maintains hold of it. She focuses on the block next to it and covers that in another construct.
Shit! It’s much heavier!
She lifts it, now balancing two blocks in the air.
Sweat begins to form on her forehead. Her left hand is starting to tremble.
The ground shakes a little more now.
Focus!
She forms a construct around the third block. This one is heavier than the first two blocks combined.
Slowly, it levitates into the air.
Focus!
She raises the block to the same level as the other two, and the floor rumbles harder now.
She goes for the final block.
This one has to weigh twice as much as the first three altogether.
FOCUS!
Sweat pools under her chin as she creates a construct around the final block.
“Come on, Viora! You can do this!!” Swift cheers.
Viora, struggling to lift the final block, begins to weaken her tether to the other blocks as they lower.
“No, no! They’re dropping!” Swift yells.
“YOU’RE NOT HELPING ME FOCUS!” Viora yells.
Swift goes silent immediately.
FOCUS! YOU GOT THIS! LIFT IT!
The block shifts, and she lifts it barely an inch. She begins to grunt loudly.
The block slowly climbs up—reaching a few inches. The floor now shakes at a 10.0 magnitude earthquake.
You’re already used to the shaking. Core tight. Focus.
You can do this! YOU ARE STRONG!
She does it.
She finally lifts the last block to the height of the other three for over thirty seconds.
The floor’s rumbling slows down, and suddenly—Rocket comes in hot!
He lands on the ground hard, with a part of the missile in his hand.
“I did it!” Rocket yells.
“Rocket! Shut it!” Swift yells.
Rocket didn’t notice Viora was training. “Oh shit, sorry!”
However, she is still holding all four blocks up. She finally drops them, and her arms are noodly.
“You have successfully passed Viora,” Lewis reports.
Swift races out of the Docking Bay, cheering beside her.
“Damn—don’t tell me I missed her test?” Rocket says, glancing at the blocks.
The Warriors celebrate.
Lewis tallies their training notes and walks upstairs to Savage.
Savage doesn’t speak.
He watches from the darkened upper balcony, arms folded. Next to him, Commander Lewis clicks a stylus against his datapad.
“Rocket’s upper heat limit is insane,” Lewis mutters. “Could melt steel in under three seconds. Maybe less.”
“Noted,” Savage replies. “Swift is also getting much faster. Peaked at speeds of Mach 3.”
“We’ll need countermeasures. Something fast. Cooled carbon foam or suppression cannons, maybe.
Savage nods.
“I’ll have the Apollos draft two reports,” he says quietly. “One for augmentation. One for containment.”
Lewis eyes his sideways. “Trust issues?”
“Precaution,” Savage replies. “Even gods fall. I need to know we can catch them.”
Ready for what comes next in The Surge: Aftermath? Chapter 6: The Clash of the Titans — Part One is waiting
Also, you can check out the Warriors’ dossiers in the full dossier index.