Reyn spends the early morning in a half-forced merriment as he prepares for the day.
He tries desperately to drown out his doubts and anxieties with good vibes and songs. A fairly pointless exercise.
He finishes his preparations and heads for the door, stopping just short to take a deep breath and straighten his clothes.
"Reject the Impossible!" He assures himself.
"Victory or Death!"
A sudden response comes from the other side of the door, startling Reyn.
He opens to find Ghazal leaning on its frame.
Ghazal tilts his head to one side and raises an inquisitive eyebrow.
Reyn snorts in response and nods an approval.
The two men strut off to start their day in mutual agreement without need for another word.
The recruits had been told the day before that they were to meet at an outdoor testing facility on the HQ's northern outskirts, at the foot of the Tahtali Mountains.
They walk the glistening green paths of the facility together, chittering as they march in instinctual unison, an aura of enthusiasm permeates the group. The new recruits are looking forward to the debut of their aetheric abilities.
As they come up to the training facility, Glenn Foster and a few others are there to greet them.
"Welcome recruits!" His voice booms, once again.
"Today you get your first true taste of your aetheric abilities and skills! Through your hard work, dedication and commitment to the Branno-Brook initiative, you have all proven yourselves worthy of this honor!"
Glenn claps his hands and encourages the recruits to do the same. Reyn smiles and claps, but each slap seems to bring with it a bite of anxiety.
"With me today are a couple old friends and battle buddies. I'm sure most of them will look familiar to you."
Glenn proceeds to introduce 6 active and retired archaner veterans, giving a short summary of their background and skills. A few of the names are familiar to Reyn.
Rick Justice was a retired archaner, with top level physical-enhancing biokinesis. A veteran of 6 gates. He left the battlefield after the Berlin battle. No official reason was given.
Victoriana Amari, an extremely powerful telekinetic and teleporter. She was unaffiliated to any Strike Team but was a veteran of 4 gates and one of the most famous archaners on earth.
And John Buchanan, one of only a handful of frontline healers. Possessing the abilities of both biokinetic healing and ferrokinesis.
The 3 other archaners alongside Glenn didn't seem to feature in Reyn's memories, though he was sure he'd seen them at some point.
"The team here will be working as invigilators and assisting you in the testing sessions. With their variety of skills and experiences, we'll be able to suss out your abilities and their limits. You are to respect their seniority and authority during this time."
Glenn explains more of the testing process and how the following days would proceed as the recruits all listen on eagerly.
Various tests and trials have been prepared to help the recruits and trainers understand their individual skills. As the training and testing progresses, they would learn to improve control of their aetheric abilities, moderate their power usage and how to use their aetherics optimally in various combat and non-combat situations.
"The goal here is to learn the basics of moderation and control. We're not expecting you to master your abilities any time soon. But by the end of this week, you should feel confident in your ability to control your aetheric output. We will make sure you understand your ability, its strengths and weaknesses, and the danger it can present if not used correctly."
Glenn's shoulders and chest seem to broaden, his immense height growing even higher as he speaks with overwhelming authority.
"GAARD needs to be confident that none of you will be a liability to this organisation and its mission. The power you will wield here today is a product of the hard-work, commitment and loyalty of the many men and women that have sacrificed, bled and died for this organization and its mission. Make no mistake, recruits. Inadequacy will not be accepted. Subordination will be eliminated. Disloyalty… crushed. You are archaners now. So act like it."
The mental and physical pressure created by Glenn's words rattle the recruits.
The stakes are set and the recruits find themselves aiming at a new goal. Their commitment, loyalty and resolve are all galvanized by Glenn's speech.
The group moves into the training facility, a vast open area contained within a 6 meter tall, thick concrete wall, crowned with another 4 meters of steel-mesh. An arena to test and contain the powers of fledgling archaners. An aetheric arena.
The training grounds are segmented into various sections, each featuring different objects, objectives and challenges for the recruits. Cameras and sensors line the arena, and various safety and medical equipment can be seen strategically placed around the facility.
A breeze rolls over the facility as the recruits enter, bringing with it an air of fear and excitement.
Doctor Ravinok suddenly appears in a spiral of matter, sporting in his hand a small crystalline cube, radiating with color and energy.
"Good day, Brannon-Brook beauties."
The doctor grins, lifting his prize above the recruits' heads.
"Behold! The aetherite power-core. Appreciate the shimmer. This little beauty is your doorway to the impossible!"
The sparkling stone glints across the recruits eyes as the doctor waves it in the air above them.
"Now, let me remind you. The system is very simple. The power-core is the battery of your ARCH-unit, yes. When the power-core is done, so is your ARCH. Very important to maintain power-core charge outside of ACZ. Use too much, and you may find yourself on the battlefield, weaponless."
The doctor explains. Reminding the recruits about the dangers of over using their ARCH-units outside of an ACZ.
The ARCH-unit requires raw aether. In aether-rich environments like an ACZ, the ARCH has effectively limitless access to aether as the unit is able to constantly feed off the aether naturally absorbed into the user's body.
However, outside of an ACZ, the ARCH-unit will use the power-core as its energy source. Greatly limiting its scope of usage.
"So, when outside ACZ, moderation is key. Control your power output!"
Ravinok leads the group deeper into the facility, reaching another room filled with all manner of computers, machines and other electronics. A monitoring station overlooking most of the facility.
He disappears for a moment, returning to the group soon after, now holding a large metal case in one hand and a binder of pages in the other.
"Your power-cores and your training assignments."
The doctor slams the case down on a table centered in the room, opening it to reveal 16 neatly ordered stones, each shimmering with colour.
He opens the binder and starts ordering its papers around the table.
"This is your training assignment. Individually curated for each of you to best evaluate and test your abilities and skills."
The group nods in approval.
"As you know, aetherite is our most precious and rare commodity. We cannot afford to use them… how you say…willy-nilly. So, please, I repeat it. Moderation, Brannon-Brook! It's key. We cannot afford to replace power-cores all day."
The doctor refers to the biggest obstacle that humanity faces in their war against the invaders. Their lack of aetherite. A substance unknown to man until 50 years ago. Humanity has never found a natural source for aetherite despite their most fervent attempts. Their only means of acquiring the substance is from the core-crystals of fallen aetherians, and more importantly, the barrier crystal. The barrier crystal is composed of extraordinarily pure, concentrated aether, and is humanity's best means of attaining the material.
The doctor talks more on the subject of their power-core usage and the recruits nod earnestly as he speaks.
"Good, now come, stand in line. I will give you your assignments and cores for today's exercises."
They quickly line up, and the doctor hands them their papers and power-core's.
He reaches Reyn near the end of the line.
"Not you, Mr. Mitchell's. For today, we have a special assignment for you. You remain here with me for now.
Reyn nods. His brow furrowed in confusion.
The hand outs finish and the recruits are led back out the room to Glenn and the veteran archaners waiting outside.
They are quickly divided into groups based on their ARCH-types. The groups then split, each led off by one of veteran archaners.
Reyn watches on solemnly until a large hand finds his back with a firm slap.
"Don't worry Mitchells, you will join them soon enough."
The doctor bellows as he encourages the dejected young man.
"But first, very important work. Come!"
Ravinok opens a door at the far end of the room. A deep darkness waits inside.
"Follow me. Apologies for the Black-Light here. I will lead the way."
Reyn follows the man closely as they move into the dark room. Ravinok's loud, ragged breathing is his only guide in the Black-Light.
"Come, this way Mitchell's. Hurry!"
A hand grabs Reyn's arm and leads him quickly through the darkness. Ahead, slivers of light leak from beneath a door.
Ravinok bursts into another room, dragging Reyn along.
As Reyn's eyes adjust to the brightly lit room, he finds himself in a quaint little kitchen area.
Ravinok immediately starts rummaging through cabinets and draws, returning to Reyn with hands full of snacks and sweets.
"My secret stash. We keep this between us, ha!" The doctor laughs.
Reyn can't help but chuckle.
Ravinok drops down onto a nearby coach, and gestures for Reyn to do the same. He tosses his horde of edibles onto a table and encourages the young man to indulge in the delectable bounty.
Reyn reluctantly paws at the sweets before selecting a strange turkish candy. He unwraps it and slides it into his mouth, surprised by the sourness that assaults his taste buds.
"Ha! That's good, ya!"
"Hmmm, hmmmm"
Reyn mumbles, his jaws locked as his body tries to suppress the sour sensations. He tries in vain to hide in discomfort.
"Spit it out, boy!"
Reyn shrugs, crunches the sweet between his teeth and quickly swallows the whole thing in a single gulp. Wiping the drips of drool that had escaped his lips.
The doctor laughs!
"Definitely Lunara's boy! So stubborn, just like your mother."
Reyn smiles as he tries to suppress the lingering tastes.
"Did she ever talk about me?"
"Uh, not much."
"Hmmm…"
The doctor's smile softly fades as he moves a treat to his mouth.
"She did mention that you were super smart, and funny…"
His eyes quickly light up again while he chews excessively on a bright pink confection.
"She used to call you the godfather of aetherics. Said you practically invented the science behind it and most of the technology we use to harness aether."
"Ah, yes, this is true." He smirks proudly.
"She also said that you're probably the most powerful archaner on earth."
The doctor's face turns serious.
"Oh, um, I didn't mean to…"
"What did she mention about my abilities?"
"Um, nothing, I don't think. I thought she was joking. I - I… "
The doctor suddenly bursts into rapturous laughter.
"Relax boy, come, enough chit-chat. We have more important matters to discuss."
"Yes, sir."
"Your resonance assessment. You remember, ya, some strange result we see."
Reyn nods. How could he forget? For years he worked so hard to meet that moment, only to be left in disappointment.
"Your results, they intrigued me. So I start digging through your data. Trying to find the patterns, you know. All week GAIA and I analyse, analyse, try to make sense of the readings…"
The doctor presses on about Reyn's assessment results and his work trying to make sense of it.
He had spent days scouring billions of data sets with his A.I. assistant trying to make sense of Reyn's aetheric connection.
"Yet, we find nothing. No anomaly. No issues with equipment or algorithms. Everything work perfectly."
The doctor's eyes harden as he tilts towards Reyn.
"You, are the anomaly Mr. Mitchells. You possess within you… something. Something that defies reason. Something that defies categorization. Something that we currently do not understand. It is unique, it is strange and perhaps it is powerful."
Reyn's eyes widened.
"This is why we must learn. We must experiment. We must understand. Without knowledge, how can we find the truth? How can we know our purpose, our fate, ha?"
Reyn slowly nods, not fully comprehending the doctor's thinking.
"So Mr. Mitchell's, are you ready to find your truth, your purpose? And perhaps we find within you answers to questions yet to be asked, ha?"
The doctor rises, causing Reyn to do so instinctively as well. Ravinok grips the man tightly around his shoulders and leads him back out the room and towards the training yard, prattling about the aetheric sciences as they go.
As they come closer to the training yard, faint sounds can be heard emanating from the arena.
Suddenly, a large explosion rips through the area, rattling the building and blowing out windows.
"Merkaan! What the fuck was that. Moderation, you damned idiot! Goddamn! I'm gonna need a healer here!"
Reyn pokes his head out a shattered window. In the training ground below, Ghazal lays flat on his back, his clothes ripped and scorched. A giant, scorched crater has opened up next to him, and Rick Justice stands over his body, berating him for his dangerous incompetence.
Reyn chuckles, quietly encouraging his friend in his mind.
Across the training ground, recruit archaners are testing out their new skills in various ways and veterans watch on and instruct.
Jocelyn spends the morning learning how to summon and manipulate spheres of water, she finds herself a soaking mess by the end of her training session.
Ghazal finds himself in a Black-Light room early in the day, his burnt skin being aetherically healed as he whimpers in pain.
Other recruits each learn the basics of controlling their aetherics, some showing natural talents while others struggle to adapt.
"Come boy, this way!"
Ravinok chases Reyn on as they move through the facility, eventually coming upon a stark white room. A small window lines one wall, the rest of the interior, completely empty.
Reyn suddenly feels a cold sensation hit the back of his neck. His body suddenly twitches as raw aether starts moving through his cells, vibrating through the atoms that make up his body. Anxiety cloaks his mind as his quickly body adjusts to the new sensations.
A power-core now adorns his nape.
"How do you feel?"
"Um, ok, I guess"
Reyn fingers at the stone at his nape.
"Good… but what do you feel?"
"..."
"Hm, nothing?"
Reyn shakes his head.
"Very odd. You see, the synchronization is linked to the subconscious. The aether feeds it, strengthens it, gives it form. This is what we see as aetherics. The aether allows the mind to shape its surroundings, to rewrite the rules of physics to meet the archaners demands."
Reyn nods, he has already been taught this as part of his studies.
"But more importantly. The aether speaks to us. It tells us what we are capable of. The possibilities. It reveals to us the possibilities we possess. Like a whisper, it speaks to your subconscious. And yet… it does not seem to speak to you. Strange."
Reyn's head droops as he receives another blow to his insecurities.
"Now, go stand there, I will give further instructions."
Ravinok points Reyn to the center of the room, as he moves inside, the doctor vanishes into the floor.
"Ok, Mr. Mitchell."
The doctor's voice suddenly pervades the room. Reyn notices the man and a few others peeking out from behind the little window in the wall.
From the room door, a lab assistant wheels in a large metal cube.
Reyn's stares in bewilderment.
"Ok Mr. Mitchell's, since we can't learn about abilities through analytical data and testing, we will learn it then the old way. Practical science, ya! We start with basics… please, punch the cube."
Reyn stares at the window and back at the dark metal cube before him.
"Just punch it?"
"Correct. You punch, we analyze. We see what mental and physical conditions are required to activate your aetherics."
"Ok."
Reyn sighs.
He takes a deep breather and steps one foot back, loading up a balled fist at the end of his right arm. His mind begins racing. Unsure of what would happen when his flesh met the metal. The possibilities seemed to vibrate within him.
His ARCH-unit suddenly bursts to life with brilliant color as he quickly brings his fist towards the cube.
"Reject the Impossible!"
His hand moves forward. He closes his eyes in trepidation.
Just as the hairs on his fingers touch the cold metal, a familiar sensation suddenly envelopes him.
~ SPLASH ~
"FUCK! AGAIN?"
He finds himself once again adrift on an endless shimmering ocean. Above a featureless sky undulating with shimmering colors.
Below him, an infinity.
He sighs, quickly resigning himself to the situation.
At least he didn't have to deal with more disappointment, he pondered. Wondering what would happen once his fist touched the cube.
As he lays staring up at nothing, a sudden plop beside him snatches his attention.
"Bubbles?"
He notices as large bubbles slowly rise up from the depths beneath him, shimmering spheres filled with dancing light.
He stares around in confusion for a moment before dunking his heading beneath the water.
Below him he watches in awe as millions of bright shimmering bubbles slowly ascend from the dark depths.
He moves down to inspect.
As he approaches a nearby sphere, the light inside entrances him and he notices a familiar scene.
Inside the bubble, a scene suddenly begins to play out, capturing Reyn's eyes.
It was him. In a stark white room, his fist millimeters away from a large metal cube.
"What?"
The scene plays out, and in it, a Reyn punches the cube with all his might. His hand fractures in an eruption of blood and bone and he falls to the floor writhing in incredible pain.
He winces as he watches the scene play out, an imagined pain suddenly ticking his hand.
He quickly moves away from the bubble contemplating what he just saw.
Another bubble suddenly rises up alongside him. In it, he sees the same scene, this time the punch connects and the metal cube wiggles. The Reyn in the bubble stands unperturbed.
Yet another bubble floats by, and it, a Reyn punches the cube, causing it to bolt through the air and lodge itself into the wall behind it.
More bubbles appear and they each show him a slightly different version of the reality he had just left behind.
The scenes play out in 5 seconds loops, only giving him a glimmer of what each possibility seems to hold.
He begins to understand what it all means and an involuntary smile splits open his mouth.
As he floats suspended in the depths of the ocean in his mind, he breaks out into uncontrollable laughter.
This was his ability. This was his skill. His aetherics.
This is what the aether had been whispering to him.
Possibilities. Infinite possibilities.
He swims around the ocean, peeking into all the possibilities he now possesses. Watching as the scenes all played out in different ways, they astound him, frighten him and disgust him.
As he weaves through the shimmering water in excitement, he doesn't realize that he has begun to grow tired. Quickly and unnaturally. The aether ocean seems to slowly turn to sludge.
His movement slows and his body feels heavy, each stroke of his arms stealing more energy from him.
And suddenly, he is drowning.
He struggles and fights as he tries to pull himself to the ocean surface unsuccessfully, and in a desperate attempt to survive, he grabs at a nearby bubble.
~ POP ~
Reyn opens his eyes as his fist connects with the cube. His hand moves through the metal as if it were water, and he finds himself stuck. His arm now deeply lodged into the solid cube.
"What…"
He looks around in confusion, unsure of what had just happened.
He noticed his arm now fully inturned within the metal. Not at all budging. He tries to pull loose but it proves fruitless.
"Bwahahaha."
Ravinok's laugh startles him as the doctor suddenly materialises out of the floor.
"Well, this is certainly interesting. Matter manipulation? Perhaps some kind of ferrokinesis or shape shifting? Ha."
"I - I can't get it out."
"Oh? Really… you got it in there. Surely you can remove it. Use your ability again!"
Reyn slowly nods and closes his eyes. Concentrating intently as he tries to find his way back to the ocean within.
Nothing.
"Um, I can't, doctor. I - I don't know how."
The doctor bursts out into laughter again, slapping Reyn on his shoulder.
"You're a funny one Mitchells. Just relax."
Ravinok places his hand on the cube and Reyn watches as it begins to wobble. He feels the metal vibrate and shift around his arm until he is able to twist himself loose.
Reyn rubs his stiff appendage while thanking the doctor.
Ravinok moves close, softly poking Reyn against his forehead.
"The answers you need. All in here. You just need to look and understand what it is you are looking for. When you understand your truth, all possibilities open to you, Reyn"
The man crumbles away again, leaving Reyn to contemplate his words in solitude.