WARNING: Graphic descriptions of scars from fighting.
Personally, I don't think I did a good job with the description, but I wanted to add the warning just in case.

Room 34C was a spacious hall with black mats on the floor.
There were several doors that led to different storage rooms, but there were no pieces of equipment out just yet.

A tall young woman with long, wavy brunette hair stood in the centre of the room.
The light caught on a few strands, a golden glow shining along her hair.

She took the time to stare at each of the trainees, her expression unreadable, even to Makoto.

"I'm your Handler, Agent Arden.
You will not call me anything else other than Agent Arden, is that understood?"

Alessa's harsh tone startled Raphael and Makoto, but Rhiannon and Ashryn weren't phased.

Ashryn didn't like being told what to do, but she was used to being trained, so she understood the importance of respecting and listening to authority when it came to potentially keeping her alive.

Rhiannon was used to being bossed around too.
She had no problem with doing as she was told, unless she thought someone was being unnecessarily bossy or rude.

"Is that understood?", she repeated.

Makoto nodded.
"Yes, ma'am!"

"Agent Arden", corrected Alessa.

"Yes, Agent Arden", said Rhiannon.

"Yes, Agent Arden", replied Ashryn.

Raphael decided to test the waters, by not responding.
He didn't see the need to anyway.
She was just another bossy person hellbent on moulding them into boring people.

Alessa squinted at Raphael, moving closer when the young man didn't flinch.
She got right in his face, his now shaky breath attacking her face.

"I didn't hear you, Trainee."

Daring to be different, Raphael inched closer, the strands of hair that covered his eyes brushing against Alessa's temple.

"That's because I didn't say anything."

His low voice sent chills down Ashryn's spine.
Ashryn wasn't one to rock the boat immediately.
She would respect her trainers unless they gave her a reason not to.
But Raphael's approach— she couldn't help but be drawn to it.

Alessa raised her hand, and Rhiannon was sure Raphael's would get a slap to the face.

Instead, Alessa rolled up her sleeve, revealing a long scar that ran all the way up to her shoulder.
The scar was pink, and pinched slightly, resembling the branches of a tree. Embedded into it were shards of emerald crystals that looked like they were pushed deep into the skin.

Instinctively, Raphael's eyes widened, the scar taking him by surprise.

"This is one of many scars I've gotten over the years.
This one came from my mission in Agoraville.
Believe it or not, this is healed.
It took a year for it to heal up, and if I miss even one of my regular sessions at the Clinic, a sharp pain shoots up my arm, and it feels like tiny little needles are pushed into my skin.
And then there's the electric volts that follow."

Alessa looked into Raphael's eyes.
"It feels like I'm being fried alive."

Raphael winced, her description and tone making him feel like he was the one with the injury.

"If you don't want to treat me with respect, that's fine.
But it'll be your loss.
I've been through things you couldn't even imagine, you sheltered b*stard."

Alessa stayed there for a few seconds, before stepping back.

"Do I make myself clear?"

Raphael nodded.
"Yes... Agent Arden."

Alessa nodded approvingly.

"Good.
Now, you will eat, sleep and breath this mission, ok?
I don't want any distractions.
And I don't want any drama either. You're not little school kids.
You're a team.
I expect you to act like one."

Astra and Oren walked in, hanging back when they noticed Alessa was still talking.
Alessa gave them a discreet smile, before turning back to the trainees.

"A few things you should know.
Your Trainers will report back to me, and I will bring up any concerns with Head Guard Aoife and Head Guard Calihan."

"And anyone who falls behind will get left behind, understood?", continued Alessa.

Astra and Oren were shocked, and Astra opened her mouth to speak, but Oren shook his head, indicating that this was a matter to discuss later.

"And romantic relations of any kind or banned", she said.

"What about s*xual ones?", asked Raphael.

"I've read your file, Yuan-Ko.
No one here would touch you with a six foot pole."

Ashryn pressed her lips together to suppress her laugh, but Rhiannon didn't have much luck. Raphael glared at her.

Makoto raised their hand.

"Yes?"

"Agent Arden, why are relationships banned?"

"They are distracting.
This relates to both each other and the trainers."

Raphael looked down to hide his smirk. For him, this would be the easiest rule to break.
And depending on who he chose, the situation could be manipulated to suit whatever his needs were.

Agent Arden gestured to Astra and Oren.
"These are your Fitness Trainers, Astra and Oren.
I'll leave you to it.
I want you all on your best behaviour. Mess around... and I promise you you'll regret it."

Astra and Oren led the group to the outdoor Training Grounds, where elaborate obstacle course was set up.

"Ok everyone, I'm Agent Rivera, but you can call me Astra.
Make no mistakes, these sessions won't be all fun and games.
You will be pushed harder than you've ever been pushed before."

Raphael rolled his eyes at Astra's strict manner.
He hated being bossed around.

Astra noticed Raphael's eyeroll, and she crossed her arms.
"Drop and give me twenty."

Raphael scoffed.
"I'm not—"

"Drop, now!", she yelled, her eyes widening in anger.

Oren was taken aback by this.
He wanted to stop her, but he knew that they had to show a united front, or the trainees wouldn't take them seriously.

Raphael found the idea of conforming tortuous, but the idea of conforming by doing physical activity?
That was an unspeakable evil.

But he couldn't seem like more of an outcast in front of his fellow trainees. He didn't care what they thought of him, but if they weren't threatened by him, it would be harder to manipulate them in the future.

So he dropped.

And gave her twenty.

Ok, that's a lie.

He didn't just do that.

He cursed under his breath, and struggled immensely, but after five minutes of strenuous effort, he managed to get to... seven push ups.

So, I suppose the previous statement is incorrect.
All he did was drop.

In his defense, he spent three of those five minutes trying to summon up his will to live.

"Pathetic", spat Astra.
"You'll have to do better than this if you want to stay alive!"

"Right now the alternative sounds wonderful!", exclaimed Raphael.

Oren turned to Makoto.
"You're up first.
All you have to do is climb the net, jump in and out of the tyres on the ground, and crawl under the net, before doing ten push ups and running back to us."

Raphael wanted to vomit at the mention of those words, but Makoto just nodded.
They climbed the net with ease, before jumping in and out of the tyres like it was second nature.
Ashryn swore she could see a smile on their face as they wriggled through the net.

"They aren't human", said Raphael.

"Or maybe they did this thing called 'going outside'?", suggested Ashryn.

Astra smiled and nodded approvingly. "Not bad.
Your dismount from the net was wobbly, but you were good on your feet."

Oren pointed to Rhiannon.
"Your turn."

Rhiannon started off well.
She struggled when she had to climb the ropes, her upper body strength not strong enough.

"Move, hurry up!", yelled Astra, making Rhiannon flush with embarrassment.

She finished the tyre jump relatively quickly, but had used up all her energy on the ropes, so she struggled to crawl under the net.

"Come on, my Grandma can do better than you!", yelled Astra.

Rhiannon's blood boiled at Astra's unnecessary comments.
She felt tears form in her eyes.

"Rhiannon, what are you feeling now?", asked Oren.

"Like a failure?", mumbled Ashryn.

"I'm... I'm tired."

Oren nodded.
"Close your eyes for me, ok?
Just close your eyes, and take a deep breath for me."

Rhiannon did as she was told.

"Good.
Now, I want you to tap in to what you're feeling for me.
Let it rise inside of you."

Rhiannon thought about all the embarrassment she felt at Astra's words.
About how fitness was the area she wanted to impress in.
She thought about how much she was letting everyone down.

"Have you done it?"

"Yeah."

"No use it.
Clear your mind of any thoughts that say you can't do this.
Any other negative thoughts you have, don't fight them.
Just use them to power through."

Raphael seemed like he was in a trance just by listening to Oren's words.
His warmth was a stark contrast to Astra's demanding nature.
He didn't know fitness could be
so... uplifting?

Rhiannon closed her eyes, and allowed the swelling feeling in her chest to rise, sending a tingling sensation across her body.
She took a deep breath, and continued to crawl.

She was near the end, when her ankle twisted.
She screamed in pain, the noise even worrying Astra.
The trainers looked at each other.

"Holy sh...", started Ashryn, letting her words trail off.

Everyone watched in surprise as Rhiannon pushed through her injury and continued.
She screamed out in pain, but she didn't stop moving.

An impressed Astra looked at a smiling Oren.

"Your words did that", she said.

Oren shook his head. 
"No.
I mean, they probably helped, but what we're witnessing here?
I think that's all her."

Astra smiled.
"Looks like we've got a fighter."

Rhiannon limped back to others, and Ashryn found herself offering her shoulder for Rhiannon to lean on.

Hey, Ashryn recognises strength when she sees it.

Ashryn helped her onto a bench.

"I've called someone to take you to the Clinic", said Oren.

Astra turned to Raphael.
"Push ups, you're up."

Raphael sighed.
"Pain, go easy on my gentle soul."

★★★

The trainees were escorted to the fourth floor, where they were able to find their rooms.
They all had separates rooms, with Ashryn and Rhiannon's next to each other, and Raphael and Makoto's rooms directly opposite theirs.

Raphael waited for everyone to go into their rooms, before finally letting his legs buckle and colliding with the floor. He crawled to his bed, the physical activity too strenuous for him.

He closed his eyes, too tired to take in his room.

Makoto looked around their room.
The walls were a cream colour, with a thin strip of red along the bottom and top.
Their bed was a king size, something Makoto wasn't used to having.

The en suite was surprisingly spacious. The marble tiles were a mixture of grey and white, with small specs of teal dotted around.

The shower had a curtain around it, but there was also a bathtub in there.
The towels were a mint green colour, and upon closer inspection, Makoto noticed that their name was stitched in blue.

"Pretty luxurious, right?"

Makoto jumped at the sound of the voice.
They quickly turned around, relaxing ever so slightly when they who it was.

"Sorry!
I didn't mean to scare you", said Rhiannon.

Makoto shook their head.
"It's ok."

"I knocked but... well, I guess you were in here.
We've got a couple hours to k*ll.
I was hoping to do some bonding with Ashryn, especially after she helped me out with my ankle, but she went to check out the canteen, or the 'Fuze'."

"The Fuze?"

"That's what they call the canteen, apparently."

"What about uh... Raphael?
I think that's his name."

Rhiannon nodded.
He's passed out on his bed.
Guess he's burnt out from the fitness session."

"Oh.
Well, I kind of forgot to pack lunch."

"No problem.
We can get something from The Fuze?"

Makoto shook their head.
"I don't think I'm ready for that much social interaction yet."

Rhiannon contemplated this.
After a few seconds, she spoke again. "Are you allergic to any food?"

"No.
Why?"

"I brought lunch from home.
Not to brag but, it's pretty tasty.
But my Mum over-packs.
We can share if you'd like?"

Makoto was taken aback by Rhiannon's friendly nature.
She seemed so quiet before.
Makoto put it down to her being more comfortable when she's with less outspoken people.

Still, it was nice to have a friend in here.
She seemed to be really good at fitness, like them.
And they were sure she'd be better at combat than them.

That could be useful.
Having someone that wasn't afraid to fight if they needed to.

It would really put them at ease.

"Sure, we can sit on my giant bed."

Rhiannon gave them a small smile.
"I know, right?
It's big enough for all four of us to sleep in it!"

"Don't say that to Raphael.
He'll just think it's another 'sociable person k*nk."

Rhiannon laughed, her whole face lighting up when she remembered this morning.

"Oh, don't—I can't believe he said that!"

Makoto and Rhiannon laughed, happy to be in good company.
Rhiannon placed two sandwiches on top of each other, before handing them to Makoto.

_________________

GUYS GUYS LOOK AT THE COVER! It was made by kamalaskhan and it's so pretty! I feel really good about writing every time I open it and see the cover. I definitely recommend checking out their books, but if you request a graphic, please be mindful that they take a while to do.

Now back to the story haha.

Agent Arden's intense! And so is Astra.

What are your initial thoughts on Astra and Oren?

It seems like there could be a good friendship starting between Makoto and Rhiannon— are you excited to see that?

The next chapter will show the combat trainers and the tech trainers!

DoodleYeet

LeMystical-Puffle

ruesbennett

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