Chapter 18 - the bravery of the unconscious

Alex trembled visibly; the one in front of him was none other than Sergeant Volkov, the highest-ranking among the sergeants. His fierce appearance made Alex swallow hard in fear of facing him.

"Cadet, tell me your name and team. You have earned that right."

Sergeant Volkov had a fierce smile on his face. This boy had given him a pleasant surprise; his name was worth remembering.

"M-my name is Alex… Alex Weber, team 2, on guard duty."

Alex trembled as he pronounced his name but did his best to remain calm, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Sergeant Volkov, who nodded slightly in recognition of his worth.

"Well, Cadet Alex, you have two options: surrender and give me the package calmly or fight, you know it's lost."

Alex did not find Volkov's words offensive. He was brave but not stupid; he knew that facing Volkov was like smashing an egg against a wall and expecting the wall to break—completely absurd.

Still… I don't feel good without doing everything I can.

Alex heaved a sigh, regained his confidence, and looked at Volkov with a gaze full of vigilance and tenacity.

"Cadet Alex Weber, greeting Sergeant Volkov."

Inhaling and exhaling once more, Alex stood up straight and gave a military salute to the sergeant in front of him.

"...Ready for combat."

****

Bam!

"HAHAHA, good, good, very good, that's the spirit."

Captain García laughed uproariously as she hit the table. The keyboard, the mouse, and some miscellaneous items flew up.

Lieutenants Abatino and Nicolau watched helplessly as everything that was on the table ended up on the floor after the captain's blow, but even that could not take away the wide smiles on their faces. They had only been there for a week, and already true warriors were appearing. What would happen between now and the preparation of the squares for the children? The simple thought of it made them smile even more.

****

"Hoo, well, chick, it's normal that you want to fly… but first you should start by hatching."

Cracking his neck and exhaling a bit of steam from his mouth, Volkov smiled slightly at Alex's stubborn gaze.

"You don't think so?"

Shit, this is so unfair...

Alex tightened his grip on the package. Facing Sergeant Volkov was like a rabbit trying to kill a lion; there was no chance he would win.

Alex thought.

Alex looked around, keeping an eye on Sergeant Volkov. Just when he decided to confront the sergeant, he managed to catch the sound of someone running.

Volkov and Alex looked simultaneously, and there was one of the students Ivan calls an idiot, running quickly as if he didn't see what was in front of him.

"But what the hell…"

Before Alex could finish speaking, the cadet passed him and pounced on the sergeant, who did not expect this situation.

"Run!"

****

Liam never thought in his life that he would be in this situation. Since he was little, he had grown up in a normal family. He has two siblings: an older sister, 18 years old, and a little brother of 6. His father has always worked in construction. Even when the great war hit the entire world, he did everything possible to support his family, and his teleoperator mother complemented his happy family.

A few days ago, he was chosen for this training. With a sense of pride, Liam felt that it was his opportunity to be someone important, someone who could make his family proud. But he realized that reality is often indifferent to the thoughts and dreams of each person.

Even here, Liam was still a normal person, recently even described as an idiot by another of his colleagues, and to make matters worse, Liam felt that he couldn't agree more.

Would he wait until life put what he wanted in front of him?

Of course not. Shit, even if I'm just a brat who hasn't hatched, I refuse to live like this for the rest of my life...

While Liam had a cluster of thoughts in his mind, he felt a force lift him up and crash him to the ground. A feeling of lack of oxygen took over him, and his vision in the middle of the cloudy night began to darken even more.

"Brat, the cemetery is full of brave people."

With his characteristic deep voice, Volkov picked up and slammed the brat who had just interrupted.

"Well, Cadet Alex Weber, now that the annoyance has disappeared, it's time for you and me..."

Volkov stopped talking, a surprised look spread across his face, even a sliver of recognition could be seen in his deep gaze. Even Alex, who was preparing for the worst, gritted his teeth and watched as Liam grabbed Volkov's leg.

"R-run Alex, cough, you must—you must run, ugh."