Instructor Sadim

"You all sure are lucky ! Since our great country isn't facing any immediate threat, the Parliament has decided that every newbie must be trained for three years before he's sent to battle. That is the bad news. The good one is that you lucky bastards shall be trained by the mighty I, Sadim. There is no need to drag this any longer so I will be quick. It's not like I'm enjoying this moment with you sons of b**ches... There are three rules that you must engrave in your tiny little brains.

One ! I commend, you obey. If I say something and one of you is not listening closely, the only thing he'll receive is my fist through his lungs.

Two ! Murder is allowed. But there are two limits. Only one on one, no weapons. And both must be at the top of their form.

Three ! Those who are better ranked shall eat first. There are two ways to earn points. By killing or fulfilling missions.

Now, have I made myself clear ?"

While listening to the giant bare chested gorilla that was shouting at the thousands of youths standing in uniform rows, the boy frowned, clearly not happy to hear that he was still three years afar from his objective. He recalled how this happened.

Only two hours had passed since he had signed and the order fell on their heads, unexpected. All newbies under the age of eighteen must be transferred to one of the training camps outside the city and spend three years until they graduate. Afterwards, they will be sent to the frontline as cannon fodder. Everyone knew what it meant. A Great War was planned, and the Country needed to train soldiers until then.

Silence was the only thing that responded to the Instructor words. All the boys and girls who were massaging their eardrums after being hit by the loud voice of their newly appointed teacher looked at each other, perplexed and frightened. Sadim shook his head in discontent, clearly not satisfied.

"Apparently, no. So... You all just violated the first rule. I asked a simple question and nobody answered. When I ask, you answer. And the only answer I will accept is 'Yes, Instructor Sadim' ! I will be clement, but only this time. Let's try it once again. Have I made myself clear ?"

Then all the youths shouted the loudest they could in unison "Yes, Instructor Sadim" !

It didn't work because of respect or enthusiasm. The only reason they complied was because they knew that they didn't have a choice. As soon as they signed that paper, they gave up their right to think by themselves.

Hearing this pleasant thing called submission, Instructor Sadim grew a scary smile on his scarred-filled face. "Good. You are not soldiers yet. Only a few bugs not even worth a penny. So I concocted a master training especially for you. Rejoice ! I'm gonna turn you into monsters. And those who drag the pack will die.

To begin with, you all will receive a tracking chip. Don't resist, it only takes a second."

As he said that, a dozen men passed through the rows and applied a sort of pistol at the arms of everybody. Each time they pulled the trigger, a 'thud' could be heard and a strong pain would be felt. Where the gun shot, a blood red spot testified of the micro chip that'd soon leave no trace.

It took less than half an hour for everyone to receive theirs. Inspector Salim was walking between them the whole time. Fortuitously, it happened that he passed by the young boy when it was his turn. The technician took his arm, prepared to shoot, but as he was doing so, he was stopped by the barrel size palm of the Instructor.

"Wait." Then he squatted to talk with the boy.

"Hello there ! What's your name ? You can answer."

"Yes, Instructor Sadim. I don't have one, sir !" the boy shouted back.

"How cute. This isn't convenient. How should I order you around in the future if I've nothing to call you ? Mmh... What's his registration number ?" he asked the technician.

"He's gonna be JUN989, sir."

"This is perfect. You shall be Jun for now. So, Jun, why do you already have a tracking chip on you ?"

"Yes, Instructor Salim. I don't know, sir !" the boy did look confused by his words. Salim knew how to distinguish between lies and the truth, and he could tell the boy wasn't lying.

He grasped his arm, took a twenty inches knife hanging on his belt and then slashed at a particular place. With two fingers, he searched under the skin and finally took out what looked exactly like the micro chips they received. Salim carefully examined it in his palm. The boy never flinched, this was not a level of pain that stressed him anymore. But he did wonder what it was doing in his arm without him knowing. There was only one possibility. That it had been applied when he was still too young to remember.

When Salim had looked closely for a while, he raised his head to look at him again, deep in his thought. Then, silently, he closed his hand, turning the chip to dust. "Get him a new one." He stood up, walked at the front while Jun received his new tracking chip.

"Okay, now that you are all prepared... Let's start. Your first mission is to go out into the wilderness for a month and survive. In thirty days, you can return. Good luck."

The thousands of youths were surprised, not really understanding what they were supposed to do. One of them gathered all his courage and raised his hand. Salim saw him and nodded, allowing him to speak.

"Yes, Instructor Salim. Hum... what is it we are supposed to do for this long ?"

"Ha ha ! As I said, you need to survive. Do you all think that the wilderness is an easy place to live ? There are a lot of beasts that would find a bunch of brats like you very appetizing, you know. Actually, I would be surprised to see half of you return in a month. Ha ! I forgot to say. Rule number two does not apply outside the camp."

All the boys and girls gasped. They didn't know. In fact, there were not a lot of people in the Outer City who knew what the outside looked like. The gigantic walls did their job well and protected them, hiding them from the danger but at the same time preventing them from seeing what's there to be afraid of. And as many of them would die young anyway, there were no tales about the wilderness that spread in the population.

A tall girl, her face full of freckles, raised her hand. Sadim sighed. "Last question."

"Yes, Instructor Sadim. Will there be weapons of some sort for us to defend against those beasts ?"

"What ? You expect us to give you weapons ? That would be a huge waste of precious material. You must know that you won't see any kind of weapon, at least until the second year. Before you learn how to use them, you should learn how to defend yourselves without. Okay ! Time for you to go ! Get out of the camp now ! The ten last will have one arm broken !"

The announcement had an amazing effect on all the boys and girls who were still delaying. As soon as they heard this, they started to madly run to the gates of the training camp. Jun, dragged amidst the thousands, had no choice but to follow the pack.