Axel and his crew were in line, staring at Commander Rourke, the giant of discipline towering over the recruits. The air within the huge training facility was thick, thick only with the occasional hum of machinery. Cyrus was a few feet away, his grey eyes sweeping and darting over Axel's crew before he emitted a soft, irritated "Tch."
Axel hardly even glanced at him, his gaze solely on what lay before.
"Pay attention!" snapped one of Rourke's aides, a stern-faced soldier with a clipboard. "Your first drill today is warm-up. And by that, I don't mean a walk in the park. You'll test your bodies to the limit where you break—or demonstrate you're worth this center's time."
Lila's expression dropped. "Warm-up? That does not sound so wonderful," she muttered under her breath.
"You are going to do one hundred push-ups, one hundred squats, and run two kilometers with no pauses!" the assistant snapped.
Eli groaned aloud. "Are they executing us on the spot at five in the morning?"
"Prob'ly," Ava said with a half-smile. "What'd you think? Lavish yoga?
Axel didn't say a word. He sank to the ground without pause and started his push-ups, leading the charge. His precise, efficient movement served as an example for the rest of his group, though there was tension between most of the recruits on either side of them.
"Move, move, let's go!" the assistant shouted. "We don't have all day!"
Kaid growled through his whipping back and forth, beads of perspiration bursting forth on his brow. "They are not exaggerating when they say it's hardcore. Ridiculous."
Lila fought alongside him with her squats, shaking with every single one. "This… aches," she breathed, gulping.
"Easy does it," Atlas counseled in a relaxed tone while he trundled along at a steady pace. He was in excellent form, even allowing for the exertion he was putting out.
As the recruits started running two kilometers, the platoon resembled troops having emerged from the battlefield. There were a number already keeling over, sides heaving or gasping for breath.
Eli, a step behind, groaned with all his might. "Whose brilliant idea was it to make us run after all that?"
"Move along!" Ava yelled, her voice strained but firm as she fought through the pain.
Axel, taking the lead, never hesitated. His step was ruthless, his thoughts covering the pain in his muscles. He had a mission, and nothing could stand in his way.
***
Nearly an hour of intense physical work later, the assistant let out a whistle to get everyone in line. The recruits, perspiring with every pore open, stumbled into line.
"A warm-up," the assistant said, striding in front of the recruits like a predator stalking its prey. "Now you will break off into your specialties. Melee fighting, shooting, assassins—you will go and learn more about what you say you are good at. See if you've got what we need."
"Finally," Kaid groaned, loosening his tight arms.
When the teams separated, Axel's group just nodded at one another briefly.
"Don't die there," Ava instructed Eli, clapping him on the back as they headed off to their locations.
"No promises," he grumbled, adjusting his shoulder.
Lila waved farewell as she entered the marksman zone with her sniper rifle tightly in hand. "Good luck, all of you."
"Same to you," Axel replied matter-of-factly before he made his way to the melee zone.
***
The advanced training was no kinder than the warm-up.
In the melee stage, Axel and Kaid clashed against holographic opponents, their glowing bodies moving with lethal precision. Axel wielded his sword in swift, deadly strikes, taking apart the phony opponents with ease. Guards observed him intently, grumbling amongst themselves.
Kaid, on the other hand, was honing his counterattacks, his teeth grinding as the training droids pushed him to his limits. "How are you not yet tired?" he asked Axel during bouts.
"I have my reasons," Axel replied quietly, his voice unyielding even as his movements were vicious.
In the marksmen unit, Lila moved across the ground, her sniper rifle trained on mobile targets way out in the distance. She took target after target, each shot of hers striking its target with deadly precision. The instructor standing watch over her unit nodded with appreciation.
"Nice shot," one of the other recruits called out freely impressed.
"Thanks," said Lila modestly, adjusting her scope.
Meanwhile, Eli was out at the shooting range, growing increasingly frustrated as the mobile targets increased their pace. "Can't they get these to slow down for one second?" he grumbled, brushing sweat off his forehead.
"Concentrate," Ava told him from the assassins section next to him, where she was doing fight maneuvers. Her super-sharp claws shone as she sprinted between targets, slicing through each with ease.
By the time the day ended, most of the recruits were barely standing. Many had collapsed during their training, their bodies refusing to continue. Axel's team regrouped, their faces pale and drenched in sweat.
"I can't feel my legs," Lila groaned, leaning against a wall for support.
"I think they forgot we're human," Eli added, clutching his side.
Ava sat on the ground, her sleeve mopping sweat from her forehead. "Day one was all that was allowed. How are we going to make it through the rest of this?"
Kaid, still trying to catch his breath, looked over at Axel. "You look like you hardly broke a sweat. What's wrong with you?"
Axel's face still didn't reveal anything. "It doesn't matter if I'm exhausted or not. I have something I need to do. That's all that matters.".
The team looked at each other, a combination of amazement and worry passing between them.
"Whatever works for you, I suppose," Kaid finally spoke.
"Here's hoping we all survive," Atlas said, his tone low but firm.
With that, they headed back to their room, battered but not broken. Axel's thoughts were elsewhere, though. He couldn't help but think about what was to come—and what he was going to do in order to make it happen.