WARNING: Some graphic content in the first paragraph.

Ashryn lay on the ground, her matted hair stained with crimson blood. Imelda was next to her, her neck bruised and bloodied.

"No, no, no, stop it!
It's not real, it's not real, it's not—"

Raphael's alarm went off, and the young man sat up straight, his back drenched in sweat.
He closed his eyes, in an attempt to calm down.

"You're amazing, Raphael.
You're strong.
You're so clever.
You can do this."

He opened his eyes and looked at the drawer beside his bed, where he kept his smaller inventions.
With a shake of his head, he turned away from it and got out of bed.

★★★

Finian looked at the trainees, which made Raphael and Makoto scared. Imelda was nowhere to be seen, and Ashryn was actually rather sad that she wouldn't get to interact with her today.

"Ok, Trainees!
Today we're—"

Someone ran towards Finian.
Finian grabbed their arm, and shifted his weight from his right leg, that was in front, to his left leg.
He tightened his grip on their arm and threw them forward.

Raphael flinched at the sound, and he crouched on the ground with his hands over his ears.

"Woah, it's just Imelda!", exclaimed Ashryn.

Imelda and Finian shared a knowing look.
She frowned, barely looking at Finian as he helped her up.

"What's going on with you?", asked Rhiannon.

"Just shut up!", yelled Raphael.

He got up, his heart racing.
Unable to take the stress anymore, he shook his head and started to walk away.
"I–I can't be here."

Finian ran towards him, blocking his path.
"Listen.
Keep your chin up, ok?
We're just preparing you for surprise attacks."

"But I'm not a fighter!
I–I can't fight these creatures.
I'm in way over my head here!", said Raphael.

Finian waited for a few seconds, before moving to the side.
He watched as Raphael walked away. He didn't regret pushing Raphael as much as he did— his job was to make sure the trainees were ready for anything.

But he did regret how he went about pushing him.

"Alright, let's not let that keep us down! We're going to teach you the over the shoulder throw, and then you'll get into pairs and do it, ok?
Makoto, you're with me."

"Wait, can't I be paired with you?
I'm the strongest so—", started Ashryn.

"So your experience and skill will be very valuable for Rhiannon", she interjected.

Ashryn rolled her eyes.
"I guess."

Finian stood facing his right, and Imelda approached him.
She placed a hand around him, and Finian grabbed it.

"Surprise attacks are very common in our line of work", said Finian.
"Now, I'm going to shift all my weight onto my back leg, which will make it easier for me to throw her over my shoulder."

"This time, Finian will just throw me enough so that I land on my feet, not on the ground.
This is so you'll be aware of how much strength you should use."

Finian bent his knees a little, before grabbing Imelda's arm and throwing her over his shoulder.
When she landed on her feet, he placed his arms around her waist, in an attempt to steady her.

Imelda didn't pull away, or show any signs of disliking the close contact.
In fact, Makoto noticed that she smiled. It was the faintest smile they had ever seen, but a smile nonetheless.

But it was their eye contact that Makoto was fascinated by.
Imelda's eyes showed a flicker of desire, and Finian's steady gaze showed his comfort in maintaining eye contact with her.

Makoto was intrigued by this.
Finian seemed so rough and vicious, yet he handled Imelda with such care, as if she were a china doll.

It gave them some hope.

Perhaps the giant warrior wasn't so cold-hearted after all?

"Coming at you!", yelled Finian.

He grabbed Makoto and threw them over his shoulder.
Makoto fell to the ground.
Instead of moving, they just looked up at the sky.

Nope.

Maybe he was just a cold-hearted after all.

★★★

Raphael wandered the halls, his eyes firmly fixed on the floor.
He tried to count to ten, but he still couldn't shake the visions.

He attempted to recall every invention he ever made, down to a simple device he made to make it easier to pick fruit from the tallest trees near his house.

But with those memories, came a deep sense of dread.
The hurtful names, the weird looks.

Raphael would dream of a time where his happiness drowns out those memories.
But he was happiest when he was inventing things.

Something he'd never get to do whilst he was here.

He fantasised about a world where he was like everyone else.
Where no one could ever bully him.
As proud as he was to be himself, the words they said didn't hurt any less.

Then he remembered that, if he was like everyone else, he'd be... normal.

He shuddered at the thought.

"Raphael?", questioned Minerva.

Raphael was ready to attempt a tornado karate kick the minute he heard his name, but his brain registered the owner of the voice, and he decided to spare them.

Or spare himself the trouble of having to attempt a tornado karate kick, something he had seen one of the agents do one day.

"Yes?", he asked.

"What are you doing here?", asked Minerva.
"Wait, um, shouldn't you be in class right now?"

"I... wasn't feeling well."

"Oh", she frowned.
"Do you know the way to the Clinic?"

"I've... I've already been.
They said I need to rest", he lied.

He heard Minerva respond, but he wasn't even listening properly, because a room on his right caught his attention.

Inside the room, were a few people with metal pieces and
equipment—state of the art equipment.

Minerva noticed Raphael staring and smiled.
"We're getting ready for our annual tech competition", she explained.

Raphael's eyes widened.
"Tech competition?"

Minerva nodded.
"You make any kind of device you want, and the winner is announced in a few weeks time.
I'm working on some improvements to my security system."

Raphael frowned.
"Security system?"

Minerva was taken aback by his blatant disgust.
"Um, y–yes?"

"You've got the best equipment ever! You could make a robot that sprays sweets everywhere, at the push of a button!
You could teach a robot how to paint like the most famous painters in the world!
The possibilities are endless."

Raphael frowned.
"Yet you choose... a security system."

Minerva felt her cheeks heat up from the embarrassment.
"I, well... we mainly focus on things that will help us in missions here.
Not fun little projects."

Raphael gasped.
"Fun little–oh the gumption!"

"I–I should get going.
Enjoy your rest."

Raphael glared at Minerva as she entered the room.
He felt his blood boil at the thought of all those precious materials being wasted on bland ideas.

He remembered where he was heading in the first place.

To tell Aoife he was quitting.

But he couldn't leave now, could he?

Not after the future of inventing was in jeopardy!

He looked at Minerva through the door. "Well, the competition has only just begun, Imposter."

★★★

Rhiannon wanted to get some extra fitness practise in before her Tech session, but couldn't find Astra or Oren anywhere.
Astra was much nicer today, and even Raphael seemed to appreciate her approach.

Then again, anything was better than Finian's teaching style.

Astra wasn't perfect, and she still lashed out a couple times, but Rhiannon could see she was making an effort to be better.

She remembered that Astra gave her the location of her room, so she navigated the tricky hallways, wishing now more than ever that she had been given a tour of the building.

"Hey, are you lost?", asked a young woman with a blue turban on.

She had a certain warmth about her that surprised Rhiannon— it was rare for her to see someone that exuded warmth in this way.

"Um, actually... yeah.
I am.
I'm looking for Astra Riviera's room?"

"Oh, I just came from there!
It's literally just down the hall, to your right, and then three doors down", she said.

Rhiannon felt overwhelmed already. The woman seemed to have picked up on this, because she smiled sweetly at her.

"You know what, these halls are tricky for first timers.
I'll walk you to it", she offered.

Rhiannon smiled.
"Thank you, I really appreciate the help."

Rhiannon finally noticed the young woman's leg, and saw that an unusual, spiral shaped contraption was hugging it.

"Sorry, I just realised, I know the way already.
I can take it from here", she said, quickly.

The young woman paused, before noticing Rhiannon taking a quick look at her leg.

"Don't worry, I'm used to walking on it", she said, looking down at her leg.
"It's uncomfortable, but the real pain comes when it slips out of place."

Rhiannon winced, as if she could feel the same pain the young woman described.

"And we're here!", exclaimed the young woman.

Rhiannon smiled.
"Thank you so much!"

The young woman smiled.
"Don't mention it.
And I'm not just saying that because you're one of the trainees."

"Y–you know who I am?"

She nodded.
"Of course!
Everybody's talking about you guys.
But don't worry, if I hear anyone say anything bad, I'll kick them—with my good leg."

Rhiannon couldn't help but chuckle at this.
"Wow, thanks!
I'd tell you my name but... well, I think you already know."

She nodded.
"I do.
I'm Faizah, by the way", she said, holding her hand out.

Rhiannon shook her hand, a big smile appearing on her face.
"It was nice to meet you, Faizah."

"You too, Rhiannon."

When Faizah left, Rhiannon stared at the door.

Was this stupid?

Would the other trainees think she was getting special treatment?

No, no of course they wouldn't.

After all, she was doing this for them.

If she was a better agent, she'd be more of an asset to the team.

She saw that the door was ajar, and questioned whether she should knock, or just go inside.

The smashing of, what Rhiannon assumed was glass, startled her, and she barged in, fearing the worst.

"Do you need h–oh!"

Rhiannon stopped in her tracks when she saw Astra and another young woman making out on her bed.

She quickly covered her eyes.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so, so, so sorry–"

Rhiannon was cut off by the sound of loud laughter, which made Rhiannon move her hand away from her face.

Astra was laying on her back, her face turning red from how much she was laughing.
The other young woman—someone Rhiannon didn't recognise, leaned over her, her eyes welling up from laughing.

The young woman repeatedly tapped Astra, in attempt to get her to stop laughing and calm down.

"S-sorry, your reaction was just... really funny", said Astra.

"I'm really sorry if I overstepped!
It's just, you said I should come to you if I needed any help–"

"And I meant it", said Astra, in an earnest tone.
"Please, come inside."

Astra gestured to the young woman beside her.
"Sorry if the broken glass scared you, we were a little clumsy.
Anyway, this is my partner, Sophia."

Sophia grinned and waved.
"Hi!"

Rhiannon's eyes widened.
"Oh, you're married?"

Astra shook her head.
"Oh, no, no we're not those kind of partners!
We're partners for our missions.
She's also my girlfriend."

Sophia beamed at the mention of the word 'girlfriend'.

"Yeah, we've been partners for about two years now, but we've been dating for almost a month", explained Sophia.

"Oh!
Is it hard to date someone when your jobs are so... dangerous?"

"I mean, it's different for everyone.
For us, I think it helped.
We know what each other's priorities are when it comes to our missions, so we know how to be there for each other", replied Sophia.

"I didn't think of it like that.
So... everyone works in pairs here?", asked Rhiannon.

"Mostly, yes", replied Astra.
"For example, Imelda and Finian are partners.
Oren's partner is another agent you probably haven't met yet."

"Yeah, but we don't just work in pairs", added Sophia.
"We usually team up with another pair. So, they'll do the computer work, things like hacking and getting us into places, and we'll do the field work", she explained.

"Yeah.
Having people pair up makes it easier to maintain as much control as possible", said Astra.
"That's why we're trained in all areas, so we can take on any role."

"Wait, so, you guys take lessons too?"

"Of course!", said Sophia.
"We need to learn just as much as you do."

"But, your training is arguably more important", reminded Astra.
"After all, this mission is a big deal."

Rhiannon nodded.
"Of course."

"So, what did you need?", asked Astra.

"Right!
Um, well I was wondering if you could help me with my stamina?"

"Of course!
Let's head to the Training Grounds!"

Sophia's eyes widened.
"Oh!
You're going right now?"

Astra nodded.
"Yeah.
Is that ok?"

"Well, yeah, of course!
It's just, we haven't had much time to–"

Astra quickly planted her lips on Sophia's, before kissing her cheek after she pulled away.

"I'll see you later, Soph!"

Sophia sighed wistfully as she watched Rhiannon and Astra leave.

★★★

After a pretty uneventful Tech
session—aside from Raphael giving Minerva weird looks, and being uncharacteristically quiet in a session Rhiannon thought he'd love, Rhiannon decided to find Astra again.

Ashryn walked past her, not even acknowledging Rhiannon's presence.

"Want to go for a run with me?", asked Rhiannon.

"No thanks."

Rhiannon frowned.
"Oh.
Right.
Sorry, it's just, I wanted to ask Astra about some things that might help us here, but I don't really want to go al–"

"Wait, you said a run?", asked Ashryn.

"Yeah."

"I'd love to!
I just don't want to go now because I'm a little hungry.
But if you can wait about an hour
I'd love to join you!"

Rhiannon's face lit up.
"Really?
Great!
Yeah, I can definitely wait!"

Ashryn smiled.
"Hey, why don't we grab something to eat together?"

"I'd love to!"

Ashryn couldn't help but feel triumphant.
She couldn't care less about running with Rhiannon, but spending time with Astra would give Ashryn the opportunity to gain insider knowledge.

Rhiannon saw Makoto leave their room, and waved them over.
"Hey!
Want to eat with us?"

"Uh, maybe another time.
I'm going to check in on Raphael", they said.

"Oh yeah, he was acting really odd today", said Rhiannon.
"I think the combat session really got to him."

She turned to Ashryn.
"Should we pop in and see how he is first?"

Ashryn could think of very few things that were worse than that.
The more Rhiannon and Raphael talk about anything combat related, the higher the chance of Ashryn's lie unravelling was.

Raphael could never know that she was the one that told Imelda and Finian about him missing class.

"I don't think it's a good idea to crowd him.
Makoto can just tell him we asked for him, right?", she suggested, before turning to Makoto.
"Is that ok with you?"

"Yeah, that's fine with me", said Makoto."

★★★

Makoto almost choked on their own gasp when they saw Raphael hunched over his desk with an array of metal parts around him.

"Ah!
Don't you ever knock?"

"Sorry!
I did knock but you didn't answer.
I... I just wanted to check up on you."

Raphael squinted.
"And why would you want to do that? Am I a sick dog or a wounded soldier?"

"Well... no.
But I get it.
Combat is inten–"

"Look, I'm really busy.
You've seen that I'm in one piece, so can you just go now?"

Makoto frowned.
"I'm just saying... I'm finding combat really hard.
It's just so far out of my comfort zone. And Finian... he's so harsh.
What I'm trying to say is... I completely understand your hatred for the combat sessions.
I wish I could just skip them."

Raphael remained quiet for a few seconds, but he studied Makoto's expressions to see how genuine they were being.

"What if... what if you could skip?"

Makoto furrowed their eyebrows in confusion.
"What do you mean?"

Raphael took a deep breath, before reaching next to his desk, in the space between the wall and the side of his desk, and pulling out a small robot.

The robot was no bigger than Raphael's fist, and it had glowing green eyes.

"This is something I've been working on for a while.
I finished it last year, but haven't been able to use it that much."

"What is it?"

"Who is it", he corrected.

"Oh.
Sorry.
Who is it?"

"This... is HoloBot.
And he's going to get us out of those dreadful combat sessions."

____________________

Hi.

I know I said I'd update on Monday but I managed to write this and I've just been really excited to carry on with this ever since I finished re-ordering the plan yesterday.

Raphael is going through a lot right now. But are you intrigues to learn more about HoloBot?
And Minerva inadvertently helped him find his reason to stay!

Makoto has my heart at this point. I love that they are checking up on their fellow teammates.

Speaking of having my heart, isn't Faizah so lovely? We'll be seeing more of her too!

Were you expecting Sophia to be Astra's girlfriend? I didn't leave any clues for it, but their relationship will be referenced a lot more.

Any thoughts/theories?

What are your thoughts on this chapter?

DoodleYeet

LeMystical-Puffle

ruesbennett

SoniczurcX

bardsarethebest