The Cosmic Test

Ernon knew that his turn would come soon enough. There were only four candidates left in the room and Ernon was the first to arrive. He knew he would be next. In the past few months, he had been practicing none stop, using his Cosmic Training Simulation Set. All of the hard work had been for this. Ernon knew he couldn't bail out now.

Just at that moment, Ernon saw Ivan walk out. He looked dead pale, as if he had seen something terrifying. Ernon noticed that his hand was shaking rapidly, out of control. 'What did they do to him?' thought Ernon, frowning. He didn't like how things were turning out.

A Few Minutes Later:

"Can I have Ernon Steller next please" said Candice. Ernon's eyes snapped open. He had been taking deep breaths, trying to control his breathing, therefore boosting his confidence. But with no prevail.

The boy stood up, knowing that his time had come. He followed Candice down the corridor. She was unusually happy, occasionally turning around and smiling at him. Ernon secretly thought that she enjoyed leading candidates into their demise.

Ernon knew that there had been thirty deaths during the process as well as 60-80 fatal accidents. The numbers have decreased in the modern era, but they still happen... Ernon soon entered a room. Inside, there were ten people waiting for him. "Hello Ernon Stellar" said a man. "My name is Leon Zachari and I will be leading the Cosmic test"

Ernon nodded. He knew that if he said anything, he would break. It might also give a wrong impression to the reviewers. Which is something that could go really wrong for test takers. "Take your place in the middle of the room" said Leon.

Ernon noticed that Leon was staring at a screen in front of him. He had never seen something so tehcnologically advanced. It was especially created for the ISA. "This training will consist of three tests" said the leader of the Cosmic test. "Get ready, candidate Ernon Stellar" he finished and the room transformed in front of Ernon.

He opened his eyes and saw that it was a simulation. "Test one, Agility" said a robotic voice. Ernon was mesmerized by the quality of the simulation. Nothing like what he had at home. It felt too real. Ernon saw a rock the size of a chair fly towards him. It looked like a space rock. Ernon jumped to the side. He had to be more careful.

The rest of the Test seemed surprisingly easy for Ernon. He dodged chunks of rocks left and right. Outside, everyone stared at him with awe. They watched as the levels increased. The boy made it look like child's play.

Inside, Ernon was starting to sweat. Larger rocks were heading straight for him. There were more rocks in one place and they seemed to be getting faster and faster. Ernon soon found himself trapped. There were a straight line of rocks coming his way. Ernon saw an opening in between the rocks nearer to the end.

He knew there was no other way, he ran faster and faster and finally, he made the leap. He flew through the air, through the two opposing space rocks. He felt his arm scrape between one of the rock. The simulation faded and Ernon stood in the glass room. "Final score, 1268" said the robotic voice.

Ernon had no idea if that was good. But he really hoped it was. He was disappointed. He knew he could have made through the rocks. Meanwhile, the Test Reviewers and Scientists were in awe. They had never seen a candidate so talented. They secretly hoped he would succeed in the other tests.