A Strong Foundation, Can Birth Legends - Part 4
The next day was the same - calisthenics and running all morning, then class until the afternoon.
Today Deja taught us about wolves. The classroom became a holographic meadow, and we watched as seven solve hunted a moose. The pack worked together, striking wherever the giant beast wasn't facing. It was fascinating and horrifying to watch the wolves rack down, and then devour, an animal many times their size.
I avoided Sam and Kelly in the classroom. I stole a few extra crackers when no one was looking, but they didn't dull his hunger.
After class, we ran back to the playground. Today it was different. There were fewer bridges and more complicated rope and pulley systems. The pole with the bell was no twenty meters taller than any of the others.
"Same team as yesterday," Mendez announced. My face scrunched slightly at that.
Sam, Kelly, and Alia walked up to me. Sam started walking closer too me, but Alia stopped him. She walked up, grabbed my chin, then slapped me.
Thinking about the events of today, I got really pissed off.
'Why is he so arrogant?' I thought. 'I knew this was going to happen, it needed to happen. But it still pisses me off! And he thinks it's our fault as well! Ughh!'
I kicked off my blanket and sat up in my cot. It was around midnight and everyone was in deep sleep.
'Mendez really did keep them from thinking' The kids were all exhausted, I had seen how quickly they fell asleep. Some even fell asleep while changing. I let out a sigh.
'I can't sleep like this.' I think. I get out of my cot, put on my sweats, before activating my Unseen trait. I snuck out of the barracks and went towards the mess hall to fill my empty stomach. The lights of the mess hall were on.
'Damn it,' I thought. I couldn't be sure if it was Halsey, or if it was Mendez. I decided to go back to the barracks to put my clothes away. I didn't want to rip them up and then get punished by Mendez for 'losing' my clothes. I quickly changed my form from to my adult form, the one I used when I went to meet High Command. Growing on a Lieutenant's Uniform, I walked back to the mess hall and walked through the door.
There was only one person inside the mess hall. It was Halsey. She was holding a mug of coffee, and she absently sipped at it. She looked like shit.
I quietly picked up a tray and filled it with some leftover food in the kitchen before walking over and sitting in front of her.
"Your questioning the morals and ethics of this program, again," I say. "Again." Halsey didn't respond.
"Halsey, you should stop thinking about it. You're going to ruin yourself like this." I looked at her again. "In fact, you already are."
"I know," I hear her say softly. "But . . . the children. We," she paused with her mouth open, before closing it.
"You kidnapped 75 children from their homes, replaced them with flash clones that will probably die within a couple of years, drafted them into a dangerous program that could kill all the kids. Basically you ruined around 300 people's lives." I look up at the ceiling and let out a sigh. "It really is depressing if you think about it like this. The children, the parents, the clones. They really are unlucky."
"How," asked Halsey, "How do you deal with all of this, this," she was grasping at her words at this point.
"Regret? Moral? Conflict?" I provide.
"Everything," she said with a sigh.
"I really don't know," I say. "Maybe its because I saw the future, maybe because I realize how necessary this is. Maybe because it's the morals don't matter in the bigger picture. Or maybe it's I accepted what I have done to them, and I decided to be there for them. Like a mother, no, older sister." I set down my fork on my plate. I had lost my appetite. "Just remember this Halsey, you will probably end up being the motherly figure in the children's lives. So you better pick yourself up and work to earn that, instead of moping around all day. The UNSC needs you, the children need you, John needs you, I, need you." I get up, put my tray on a rack, and walk out. I could faintly hear the plinks of tears dripping.
'Ah, this really sucks.' I think.
[*Ding* Hidden Quest Complete]
[*Ding* New Quest Discovered]
'There were hidden quests?' I ask, baffled. 'And how did I get a new quest?'
[Yes, Alia, there are hidden quests. Remember, there are hidden elements throughout the system. Also, the system is an extension of your will. When you make a goal, the system will help you accomplish it, often by making a quest]
'Ah. So that's how I got the quest Strike a Deal and Authority is Power. I did decide to make a deal with Halsey and get authority before I got the quest.' I opened up my quest menu.
[Quests
Description: Make Dr. Halsey cry | Reward: Five Levels, Title - Truth Seer | Status: Complete
Description: Establish yourself as the older sister of the family (0/75) | Reward: Complete trust of all the Spartans | Timelimit: The augmentation surgery | Penalty: The Spartans who you did not accept you as their older sister will not listen to you
]
I read the quest, and my head started to hurt. How was I supposed to establish myself as an older sister? I couldn't just ignore the quest, as the trust of the Spartans would be important for the chaos I planned to create in the future. I had to get this right. Should I blatantly say that I am the oldest, therefore I am an older sister? No, some of the kids would probably think I was some sort of wannabe or weirdo. That would not do. What would an older sister do? Take care of their siblings. So what can I do to establish myself as someone who cares for everybody? Ah, I got it. That should do.
With that idea neatly stored in my mind, I walked back to the barracks, shifted back to my smaller body, and then opened up my status.
[Status:
Name: Alia Dawn
Level: 6
Class: Apostle of Death
Sub-Class: none
Titles: Reincarnator, Beloved by Death, Truth Seer !NEW!
Age: 0 (AN/: She doesn't have age as she is 'dead')
Health: 110 | Stamina: 120 | Mana: 100
Health regen: 0.11/sec | Stamina regen: 6/sec | Mana regen: 5/sec
Endurance: 11 | Strength: 12 | Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 10 | Agility: 10 | Derexity: 10
Unused stat point: 30
Constitution: Healthy
Description: Height of 4 ft 1 in with white silky hair that comes down to the bottom of her shoulder blades. Turquoise eyes, slim stature. A little loli. With the strength of an average man in his prime.
Skills
Innate Talents <>
Mutations <>]
'How did I get a new skill?'
[It came with your title]
'Oh. Thank you Eve.' I think. I open my skill menu.
[Skills
Description: Increased proficiency in wielding guns. Increases base accuracy by 75%. Gives knowledge on how to properly use any ranged weapon and how to maintain them.
Description: Gives knowledge on how to survive in the wilderness with or without the proper tools. Teaches foraging, cooking, trapping, basic carpentry, basic stone working, basic herbology. Increases resistance to starvation, thirst, and poison.
Description: Increased proficiency in melee combat. Increases fighting instincts and reaction time when engaged in melee combat. Increases efficiency of learning CQC styles and forms.
Description: Gained through the title, Truth Seer. Increases the ability to detect lies, hidden passageways and weak points.
]
The next morning, we woke up, took a shower, then did the same exercises as last time. When we got to the Academy, Deja showed us wolves hunting. Quite a gruesome display. But it showed the value of teamwork. Hopefully, that would make it through the thick skull of John. I didn't want to deal with an arrogant kid again.
When we got to the playground, which had completely changed somehow, Mendez announced that we would be in the same teams as last time. I saw John's face twiched slightly at that. It really pissed me off.
'Calm down,' I say to myself, 'You need to be the older sister.' I looked at his face again. He was looking at us with indifference. 'Screw this, older sisters need to properly scold their siblings anyway.'
I walked up, stopping Sam from shoving him, before grabbing John's cheek and slapping him. His eyes started watering, as the skin of his cheek turned red. I looked him straight into his eyes before saying,
"Don't ignore us again, John." I jab at his chest. "We are a team, a pack, just like the wolves we saw today. So, John, you need to act that part. Understood?"
John nodded his head.
I let go of his chin and said one last thing. "You might not like me for saying this, but you needed to be reminded. It's my job to remind you, as the oldest in the family. So let me remind you, family doesn't leave anyone behind."
I heard two dings in my head, as Kelly and Sam recognized me as their older sister. I smiled.
"Well then," I say, "You seem to have an idea of how to win, don't you? John."
John nodded his head saying, "Just try not to slow me down." He looked at the course, before pointing at a basket.
"Look," he said, "that basket and rope on the far side. It goes straight to the top. It's a long pull, though." He played with his biceps, looking uncertain if they could do it.
"We can do it," said Sam.
John glanced at the other teams; they were searching the course as well. "We'll have to make a quick run for it," he said. "Make sure no one else gets there first."
"I'm fast." "I'll do it," Kelly and I said at the same time. Kelly looked at me and said, "Real fast."
"Then let's race," I reply. She nodded, before turning her body to point to the basket.
"Trainees, get ready," Mendez shouted.
"Okay," John said, "Whoever gets their first holds it for us."
"Go!"
Kelly and I shot forward. Our feet skimmed the ground as we surged across the field of the playground. I looked at Kelly, her grace and speed reminded me of a wolf. She caught me looking at her, turned and looked at me, before speeding up. I smiled at that.
'I guess I should try harder.' I speed up, my feet taking long strides, and before long I pulled ahead of Kelly. I ran to the basket, and turned around, preparing to fight for the ride. Kelly arrived a few seconds later, panting. Her chest was rapidly moving in and out.
"You doing alright?" I ask, a bit concerned. I might have caused her to try too hard. I didn't want her burning out on me. She put her thumb up, too tired to speak. I hoped she was fine.
I turned around and looked back at the horde of children. John and Sam were in the front. But behind a kid. He beat them to us.
"Get out," he ordered. "I'm going up." I pushed him back, John and Sam running in.
"Wait your turn," said Sam.
We all started to pull on the rope, raising ourselves up. There was a lot of rope - for every three meters we pulled, we only rose up one meter. A breeze made the basket sway and bounce into the pole.
"Faster," John urged.
We pulled as one person, eight hands working in unison, and accelerated into the sky.
We didn't get their first. We were third. Each of us got to ring the bell though, - Kelly, Sam, me, and John.
We slid down the pole, each of us waiting for the others to land, then ran together past the finish line.
Chief Petty Officer Mendez watched us. He didn't say anything, but I saw a smile flicker across his face for a second.
Sam clapped us on our back. "That was good work," Sam said. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "We can be friends . . . I mean, if you want. It'd be no big deal."
Kelly shrugged and replied, "Sure."
"Okay," John said. "Friends," They all turned toward me, expectantly.
"We don't need to be friends," I say. Their expressions visibly deflated at my statement. "because we are already family." I finish, hugging them. Their faces brightened and they nodded their heads.
"Family," John said. He looked at me. "That sounds nice."