They Found Us!

The daily drills ended around noon, and the MCs went on to verbal lectures about some features of the UVS.

Two of the researchers from the Laboratory Facility and a couple of instructors were in charge of the lecture.

They made use of holographs to explain some information that hadn't been passed across to the MCs yet.

Dennis listened attentively even though it was information that he was already aware of. He realised that being privy to a real UVS made him know a lot that the others were still in the dark about.

"Remember, while access may be granted to some of these, it consumes a higher amount of power. When your suit power capacity reduces to zero percent, it automatically deactivates and takes 24 hours to recharge. Until it returns to a full hundred percent, you will be unable to equip it. Be warned..."

The voice of one of the researchers rang out loudly.

Dennis nodded in response, recalling when Mr. Ansel mentioned it as well. He already decided that so long as he didn't get into a situation that wasn't too serious, making use of level one and two weaponry or attacks would be enough. Anything higher would just be an overkill that would deduct power at a rapid pace.

"How powerful can the UVS be?" An MC asked from the side.

....

Evening time soon arrived, and now Dennis was free to go engage in his training. He headed for the training chamber, hoping to meet Malik in there.

When he got in, only a few MCs could be spotted in the surroundings. Malik was nowhere to be found.

"Hmm... still not here, huh? I didn't think it would take this long," Dennis had a slightly worried expression but decided not to overthink.

'Maybe I should ask Miss Anne about the details of the classified mission,' Dennis thought while lifting a 100kg barbell with his right hand.

He was well aware that the mission was classified, but with Miss Anne's rank in the military, he was hoping she would know the details.

Dennis worked out for about two hours before leaving the chamber. He performed every single task he could ranging from lifting heavy weights to practising his punches on a metal dummy.

He couldn't help but think about his sparring partner Malik. Everywhere seemed a bit dull without his presence.

'Maybe by tomorrow he'll be back,' Dennis headed back to his room with this thought in mind.

*************

"Dennis, help!"

"Can you hear me, man?"

"I need help!"

"Running out of power!"

"We're almost on the brink of death!"

"We won't survive for long!"

"It was good knowing you, man..."

"Going off..."

**************

Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!

Dennis suddenly jolted awake with beads of sweat dabbling down his face and neck.

"Was that... another nightmare?" Dennis mumbled while trying to catch his breath.

"Am I so worried to the point of having a nightmare about him?" He placed his hand on his chest, letting the tips of his fingers rest on the saucer-like item attached to his chest.

Dennis recalled from his nightmare that a battle between Malik and the others had ensued with a literal army of unidentifiable beings. They fought with the UVS and managed to score a couple of bodies, but it wasn't enough.

They were cornered and surrounded, leading to the death of many on Malik's side.

A few of them managed to escape the encirclement but couldn't get too far, and the unidentifiable army was starting to catch up. It was like watching an ambush.

Malik kept asking for help because their suits were running out of power, and he knew that it would spell their end if it happened.

Dennis sat in place for a bit before jumping off his bed.

'Such a vivid dream... it almost felt like I was experiencing it in person,' He decided to go wash his face in the meantime, not taking note of the low blinking red dot on his left chest area.

....

....

....

"Why have you been acting weird?" Dennis said to Lara in the training chamber.

"Hmph! Let's just get this over with," She responded while extending her fists.

"This isn't personal," Dennis stated while taking a battle stance.

"It is now," Lara responded before charging forward.

Fwwwhiisshhh~

Her speed was superb as she arrived before him in nearly an instant.

Lara threw out five punches within the span of a second, taking Dennis by surprise with her swiftness.

Although she was very quick, Dennis's reaction speed was nothing to scoff at.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

Dennis redirected her fists by slapping them sideways one after the other before evading the fifth.

The moment he swerved towards his right, Lara changed the trajectory of her attack to follow him.

Grihh~

Dennis grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him.

He held her in a military lock that had her body pressed against his.

Lara's face instantly reddened as she subconsciously lowered the strength in her arm.

"I don't feel like you're giving it your all... Focus, Lara," Dennis whispered in her ear.

Lara quickly jolted out of her reverie and twisted her arms that were locked in tight by Dennis.

To his surprise, she wriggled her way out of his hold like she was boneless and slid underneath his legs.

Before Dennis could react, she grabbed both of his legs and pulled.

Bam!

Dennis fell face flat while Lara jumped to her feet and raised her right leg to stomp his back.

He swiftly rolled towards the side, evading her stomp before sweeping his right leg sideways to trip her.

Lara jumped into the air and did a back flip, evading as well. Dennis's face was slightly squeezed as he rose to his feet and charged towards her the moment she landed.

Lara lunged in his direction as well, 'Just because I like you doesn't mean I won't give you an ass whopping today. Hmph!'

....

Minutes later, Lara was lying on the floor with her arms locked behind her back and a few red patches on her face.

Dennis sat atop her with a disturbed expression on his face, "Do you yield?" He asked.

"No!"

"Why are you so stubborn?"

"Hmph!"

"Yield."

"No!"

"You're wasting both our time."

"Hmph!"

"Just fucking yield!"

"No!"

Dennis was starting to have a headache at that point.

'It worked with Malik, why doesn't it work with her?' He knew she was all beat up and didn't have the strength to resist anymore but couldn't understand why she just didn't want to accept defeat.

"Why are you being this stubborn?"

"Grrhh!"

"You're a dog now?"

"Fuck you!"

"Just yield!"

"No!"

"You're defeated."

"The only thing that could defeat me is death and even at that, I will never yield!"

Silence.

Dennis was pretty much speechless at that point. He had never met a person as stubborn as Lara in his entire life.

They had been at it for thirty minutes with one of her joints dislocated but still she remained unrelentless.

"Meh... Whatever. I don't wanna spend my whole day on this," Dennis let her go and stood to his feet.

"I won anyways," He added.

"You didn't win! Hahaha, I never yielded!" Lara let out a burst of hysterical laughter.

"Tch," Dennis's forehead twitched repeatedly in annoyance. He couldn't recall the last time anyone frustrated him to that point.

He was tired of engaging in a back-and-forth banter with her so he proceeded to leave.

"Malik still isn't back yet... gotta ask Miss Anne now," He walked towards the instructor's lounge.

....

....

....

In a dimly lit cavernous landscape, two humanoid figures moved with silent urgency, their breaths shallow as they sought refuge from the relentless pursuit of unidentifiable lifeforms.

The cavern, with its jagged rock formations and caved-in passageways, provided scant cover against the looming threat. Glowing crystals protruded from the walls and floor in sporadic bursts of illumination, casting eerie shadows that danced across the uneven ground.

The rhythmic echo of steps reverberated through the cavern, a haunting reminder of the imminent threat.

Both human figures were currently hiding behind a large rock protruding from the ground. A blinking red light could be spotted on the right chest area of one of them.

"It is useless!" A female voice yelled in frustration.

"Keep your voice down," A male voice whispered.

"Do you really think anyone would be able to come for us, Malik?" She questioned with a tone of frustration.

"I don't know but we mustn't give up hope. If we can hold on for a few hours longer your UVS could be fully recharged and we could get out of here," Malik voiced with quietly.

"I should have never agreed to this mission"

~Sigh~

"Try to relax, Becca..." Malik placed his hand on her shoulder, "We should be..."

Before he could complete his next sentence...

"KIRU TI VA HUMANS!"

A loud voice rang out from behind.

"Shit! They found us!" Becca's eyes widened in horror.