His eyes laid on the target one hundred and twenty meters away. Today would be the day he proved himself. Today he'd pass Full Stop. Rex glanced at Commander Dorvan. The ever stoic man folded his arms, his gaze fixated on the cadet. The other seekers observed from the sidelines. It was no secret to anyone Rex's performance wasn't impressive. 

They thought he'd be sent back to Sanctuary. That his time as a seeker would soon come to an end. He'd show them how wrong they were. All night Rex spent with Seth. All night he learned how to master his Mind Cage. Although, he didn't know how well he controlled it when under pressure. His nerves suddenly spiked. His heart furiously pounded against his chest.

Stop it!

His friend emphasized doubting or overthinking automatically led to failure. He stared at the silver-haired boy behind him. Seth stood next to Chase along with Barry and Aaron, emerald eyes peering at him blankly. Rex surely didn't want to squander everything he'd been taught, it'd be unfair. 

Not to mention, if he truly failed again then he would've wasted the time of everyone currently present, instructor and cadet alike. Grunting under his breath, Rex shut his eyelids. In an instant, his surroundings were consumed by darkness as he relived his practice session.

"Remember, you control your emotions, not the other way around," Seth had repeated. After he'd constructed the Mind Cage he felt weird, as if a piece of himself had been forcefully stripped away. When he glanced at Seth the boy didn't seem concerned. No, it looked like he was pleased. Without a word, Rex walked to the starting line of Full Stop. He planted his feet sturdily, bent his knees and angled his upper body forward, then proceeded to take long breaths. In and out. Everything around him disappeared. What mattered most was the target.

Opening his eyelids, the newly invigorated Rex nodded towards Dorvan. When the commander began lifting an arm into the air the cadet felt like time was moving in slow motion. He faced his destination without a semblance of doubt. I won't fail! Not this time!! Rex's heartbeat returned to normal, his body no longer quivered, and his arms hovered near his sides.

The second Commander Dorvan dropped his arm Rex rocketed forth. He was off, blue flames ejecting from his shoulder engines and streaks of dust vomiting behind him. With his head cleared he concentrated on ascertaining a solid form, his arms stretching out behind him and his knees bending. 

Strong winds threatened to knock him to the ground but they were of little concern. They ravaged his brown hair. Collided against his chest. Blew into his flapping cheeks. Yet he ignored the predatory zephyrs all the same. Nothing would keep him from his goal. Before he knew it, he'd already reached the halfway point. His environment transformed into a coagulation of color. As difficult as it was to see, one thing remained clear as crystal: The target. 

He could've reduced his speed, thus increasing his chances of victory. But victory wasn't what he desired. He needed to demonstrate his true capabilities. Needed to prove to Commander Dorvan why he was here. With that in mind, he rapidly increased his velocity, a human bullet shooting across broken earth.

Alex gazed in disbelief. Until now she hadn't witnessed anyone who rivaled her in speed. While she couldn't say Rex fit the description he wasn't far from surpassing her. Regardless, it'd be meaningless if he couldn't prevent himself from crashing. She would preserve her judgment until the results were clearly determined. 

The same went for Chase. Barry and Aaron, however, stared wide-eyed at their blazing comrade. Unlike them, Chase knew mobility wasn't Rex's problem, it was, in fact, the opposite. When moving as fast as he did, it was hard to tell how many minutes passed. Despite this, as long as he could see and know when to stop he'd be fine. 

Speaking of stopping, if he didn't do so soon then he'd slam into the wall like before. His perception of time arrived at a jarring pause as Rex remembered last night. After his third failed attempt at mastering Full Stop, he'd asked Seth an explicit question.

"Huh? Why am I helping you?"

"You've got a reason, right? It's not like we're age-old friends."

"If I recall correctly, you wish to find Eden. To accomplish that dream you'll need to work harder than everyone else. I simply chose to lend you a helping hand. Under my tutelage you'll eventually go on to do amazing things, I can picture it now. Who's to let this one hurdle stop you?"

"Ah, so you're just a nice person-"

"Is what I would've said if I was some kind of saint," he grinned. "I'm a thrill seeker! My goal in life is to fill my heart and soul with adrenaline! While that can be achieved whether you're here or not I've got a habit of familiarizing myself with interesting people. If they send you back to Sanctuary your brother would likely return as well. And if that's the case, I'll be stuck with the rest of these uninteresting planks of wood. For my boredom's sake, I've to ensure your position as a seeker is secured."

"That's it . . ?"

"Not everyone has an overly complicated endgame, you know. Some of us enjoy the simple aspects of life." Smiling, Seth stared at the cavern's blackened ceiling. "Then again, I'm no stranger to the feeling of not achieving your heart's wishes. A desire as simple as mine can easily come true. For you to aim so high, why, you're bound to have a rougher journey than I ever will. Through hard work and dedication, I'm positive you'll soar to greater heights. Just promise to tell me how astonishing the view is, alright?"

Promises were meant to be kept.

Rex leaned backward. He'd practiced it all night, a move he'd become so accustomed to it practically became second nature. The next step was adding pressure to the bottom of his feet, the soles to be precise. Finally, he drastically lowered his pace, the blue flames beginning to weaken. 

Reaching his destination whilst maintaining his form a thick sheet of dust enveloped the cadet. Dorvan hardened his glance. As the group grudgingly followed their instructor to the end of the Full Stop track Chase spotted a figure standing within the fading cloud. Rex stood straight with his right hand touching the surface of the wall two paces in front of him. His eyes were shut but he opened them upon hearing the sound of advancing footsteps. They belonged to Commander Dorvan, the veteran seeker giving him a stern stare.

"About damn time, Cadet Hunt," he muttered.

The cadets shouted and clapped in excitement. They cheered the name of the soldier who'd finally conquered his first major endeavor. Everyone was happy. Everyone except for the bewildered Rex himself. He curiously gawked around and then at his hand, his palm kissing the crimson cross-shaped target marking the cavern's end.

"Wait . . . Did I-"

"Only speak when spoken to, cadet!!"

"S- Sorry sir!"

"It would seem you aren't completely useless. Sadly though, I'm not overly enthusiastic of how you'll fare against some of the more challengings drills," the man grumbled. "Regardless, a triumph is a triumph. Cadet Rex, continue to work hard!! Clear every hurdle in your path!"

"Affirmative, Commander Dorvan sir!"

Nodding, he turned to face the other seeker trainees. "This is something I thought I'd let you ingrates know, so open those ears of yours and pay attention! At the end of the month, I'm required to turn in my evaluation for each of you. I guess you could call it a progress report." He furrowed his brow prior to screaming, "So don't even think about slacking off, understand!! Get ready to push yourself to the limits!!"

Rex couldn't contain his excitement. If he got high results on this evaluation then they'd have to recognize him as a capable seeker. However, Dorvan's comment made him slightly unnerved. If I took this long completing Full Stop how will I compare to the other cadets? His rising perturbation was calmed when he saw Chase's proud and reassuring smile, Rex slowly returning to his senses. 

Maybe things weren't as dire as he originally suspected. Fully utilizing his Mind Cage would definitely bestow upon him the results he sought, wouldn't it? He sure hoped so. He'd cleared his first obstacle, however, what remained were the next couple thousand!

* * *

"Nice! I knew you could do it!" Seth said, slamming a hand on Rex's shoulder. They sat at their normal spot in the dining hall. Barry and Aaron faced them while Rex sat in between Chase and the overjoyed Seth. "Looks like I can put my nerves at ease. You really had me on the edge of my seat. When you looked at me I thought you'd forgotten the Mind Cage. Who knows what the commander would've done to you if you'd failed?"

Rex shuddered at the thought. "It was thanks to you I made it this far, Seth."

"Don't mention it! Just make sure not to break that promise we made. Now without further ado, lets chow down on some day-old gruel!"

"What's this promise he's talking about?" Chase whispered.

"No need to worry."

Barry released a belch after finishing his plate of food. "You were amazing out there, Rex! I didn't think you could move so fast!"

"Same here," Aaron agreed. "I'm sure you would've mastered the suit eventually but to make such progress in only a single night is commendable, to say the least."

"As Chase mentioned, my emotions are my biggest enemy," Rex sighed, pointing a finger at his noggin. "Once I learned how to control them it simply became a matter of properly maneuvering the suit. If you guys mastered Full Stop in a day then one night was all I needed."

"That's the spirit!" shouted Barry.

"Sadly, my work isn't done." His blank stare lingered on the empty plate resting on the table. "I have to perform well in this evaluation. Even though I completed Full Stop there is so much I've yet to learn. Some of the instructors more than likely suspect my accomplishment today was a fluke. The same could be said for the other cadets."

"Sounds like something they'd do," Seth answered with a full mouth.

Rex bawled his hands into fists and declared, "I can't afford to take it easy just yet. Not until they acknowledge my skills."

"Even after your accomplishment you still feel the need to better yourself? You're a respectable one, alright." Aaron commented.

"What choice do I have? Commander Zeke told me Commander Dorvan removes those he deems unworthy of being a seeker. From this point onward I need to work twice as hard as before. It's the only hope I have of increasing in the ranks. This progress report is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate my potential."

Seth sighed. "Why does this sound like more work for me?"

Chase could tell Rex had no intention of turning back now. The days to follow merely further cemented just how strong his resolve really was. He mainly spent most of his efforts playing catch up. One week he focused on The Climb, an exercise meant to teach basic essentials for situations involving scaling the sides of canyons or caverns. Unlike Full Stop, the task possessed a certain level of complexity. 

Rex needed to rely on his enhanced strength to ascend the wall, his coordination in order to prevent losing his footing, and finally a sense of navigational prowess so that he knew exactly where he wished to go. At the end of his drills, his fingers and legs ached. Unsurprisingly, having to constantly grip onto unstable rocky ledges did a number on his body. Who would've guessed?

However, Rex retained a natural talent when it came to the Relay Races. Despite any semblance of the trauma he might've experienced previously, it miraculously subsided when received a chance to race. Teams of two or three were put against each other and expected to complete the track before the other. 

Whoever won was rewarded with an hour break while the losers were forced to jog a lap around the base. In all his races Rex only ever lost once. The cadet to best him happened to be the redhead herself. Chase had warned him of Alex, Rex shuttering whenever she analyzed him out the corner of her eyes. 

Regardless, his brother provided him some assistance when it came to the air projections feature. Although, he almost smashed into a rock pillar on his first attempt. He may not have died but he did receive a smack to the cranium.

As his training continued Rex began to lose track of the counting days. To his befuddlement, only a single week remained. Soon, they'd be evaluated by the hard-headed and strict Commander Dorvan. 

As he looped around the corner of the obstacle course Rex strove to stay focused. In this course, he could easily trip or collide with one of the many other cadets speeding the ring-shaped raceway alongside him. Observing their performances was none other than Dorvan himself, a chuckling Zeke at his side. It was his arduous stare that forced the doors of Rex's internal vault to creak open.

Just as he was about to lose his equilibrium, someone in front of him collapsed. There was too little of a distance to avoid him and he was moving too fast to stop. Rex cursed out loud as he rapidly approached the dirt-smeared trainee. 

Let's hope this works!! 

The fallen seeker prepared to get trampled over, however, the pain he braced for never befell him. Acting on instinct alone, Rex propelled into the air, the currents underneath his boots carrying him higher. The stunned cadet watched Rex soar above him like a bird. Unfortunately, while Rex knew how to lift skyward nobody ever taught him the proper landing procedure. The boy squinted as the previously flying seeker plummeted, his face meeting solid terrain.

"A- Are you alright?!" he panicked, bolting to Rex's side.

". . . More or less," Rex grinned, jumping to his feet. "Accidents happen, right?"

"You sure? Your nose is bleeding!"

"Is it?" He touched the bottom of his nostril, red liquid staining the black glove covering his finger. "Look at that, I guess it is."

"Maybe we should visit the medical room just in case."

"I'm telling you, there's no need for-"

"What the hell are you two maggots doing?!!" thundered Commander Dorvan. "Cadet Rex! Cadet Simon! If you're hurt then wait on the sidelines instead of standing there like a pair of morons!! Get a move on!!"

Seeing as how there wasn't a point in arguing, he exited the obstacle course along with Simon. Rex had indeed seen Simon in different parts of the base but never actually acquainted himself. As he wiped his nose clean he decided now was his chance to change that. He seemed nice enough. "I'm so sorry I got you in trouble!" the boy apologized loudly, startling Rex into dropping the cloth he used to dab his nose. "My turns need more practice!" he claimed, bowing his head repeatedly.

"It's no big deal," Rex chuckled. "Name's Rex Hunt, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine! I've heard a lot about you! You were found outside of Sanctuary! How amazing!" he exclaimed. "I also witnessed you clear Full Stop! Your skills are incredible!"

"Think so?"

"No doubt!" Simon's excitement suddenly disintegrated, his smile becoming a frown. "I'm nowhere near your level. I mean, you were held back for five days yet you somehow managed to catch up. While I may have passed Full Stop on my first try there are a plethora of other assignments I failed. I'm afraid I won't attain a very good assessment come Evaluation Day."

Rex dwelled in silence listening to the boy's dilemma. He was all too familiar with his strife. "You desperately want to advance, don't you?" Simon gave a slow nod in response. A smirk spread across Rex's face. Patting his new friend on the shoulder, he said, "In that case, maybe I can help."