Chapter 8

The next morning, Tim got up to see Thai lifting a dumbbell, muscles rippling with every single rep. "Good morning, Thai," Tim said, his voice still heavy with sleep.

But Thai ignored it, too fixed on his workout. Instead, it was Bryce, who was as good as awake too, answering: "Morning, Tim. So, what's on the schedule today?"

Tim stretched a little and looked over at the timetable on the wall. "Looks like today is off. Just relax and—"

The continuation of their discussion was cut short as the loudspeaker abruptly crackled to life. "All new recruits to advance to the stat center immediately."

"What a day for a nice rest, huh?" Tim muttered across to Bryce, who appeared as surprised by the announcement as he was.

Minutes later they walked to the stat center to find Mr. Thompson waiting for them. He looked stern. "Lucky for you today you'll be assigned to your first test. A level 1 Virex army has been unleashed in downtown Gallon."

Tim's heart skipped a beat. It was an area he was familiar with, being close to his home. Mr. Thompson went on, "This is part of your test and path to become a Vanguard."

Then, suddenly, a good-looking black suit appeared right in front of all the recruits. Each one of them knew this was a suit worn by any Vanguard. " These suits are programmed with advanced tech to enhance your body's capabilities," explained Mr. Thompson.

A large screen was projected while they started suiting up. Each recruit's stats were being displayed. A look at the top displayed 60%, belonging to Brandon. Friends around him were cheering. He was on top of the world. Tim rolled his eyes. "Show-off," he muttered under his breath.

Tim slipped into his suit, whispering, "For Mom," as he watched his stats climb. His heart soared as it got close to 100%, yet again it fell to 0%. Brandon's laugh reverberated around the room. "It's zero, just like Tim's account balance," he said, taunting, and the room erupted in chuckles.

Sweat pooled around his pits, and his face burned with shame, but he forced himself to remain stoic. Bryce gave him a knowing nod of confidence. "Don't let them get to you Tim. Be ready to show 'em. "

Mr. Thompson's voice sliced through the tumult. "Quit it! There's no time for horsing around! Mission oriented, sound off!" he barked. With a grin, he added, "Ladies and gentlemen, have a bloody day."

Minutes later, they were inside the huge jet and flying toward the jump site. The jet engines roared and tension was in the air when the pilot's voice crackled over the intercom, "Prepare for drop."

Bryce nearly choked. "What… we're jumping from a jet?" he stammered.

Tim noticed his fear. "What's up?"

Bryce leaned in closer, whispering. "I'm scared of heights."

Brandon sauntered over, a sneer plastered on his face. "Scaredy baby, too scared to jump?" He laughed and turned his mocking gaze to Tim. "You two make a perfect pair of losers."

Tim was getting angry but before he could respond, Thai intervened. "Why don't you get your imbecile self away, Brandon?"

Brandon chuckled. "Looks like Tim's got a bodyguard."

Thai narrowed his eyes at Brandon. "When I move, I make sure to put some pain right into your ass."

Brandon frowned but decided to ignore the taunt. "See you down there, losers," he spat before jumping off the jet.

Tim glanced at Thai, wanting to thank him, but Thai ignored him and jumped off. Tim turned to Bryce. "Come on, we've got to do this."

Bryce's eyes were wide with fear. "I can't, Tim. I can't."

Tim grabbed his shoulder. "Look at me, Bryce. We'll do it together. I won't let anything happen to you."

Bryce took a deep breath, nodding slowly. "Okay. Together."

They stood at the edge of the jet's open door, the ground far below. Tim squeezed Bryce's hand. "On three. One… two… three!"

Wind howled around them as they leaped down, plummeting towards the almost invisible ground. He felt every ounce of Bryce's fear in the tight grip. "Breathe, Bryce. We're almost there."

The ground raced up to meet them, and they activated their suits' landing gear just in time, hitting the ground with a controlled impact. Tim helped Bryce up, who was shaking but alive.

"Look. We did it," Tim's voice started to waver.

Bryce made the smallest of nods. "Thanks a lot, Tim. Could nevera done it without ya."

The recruits regrouped, and Mr. Thompson's voice sounded from their comms. "Your mission is to neutralize the Virex threat and protect the civilians. Move out!"

The further into the city they got, the plainer the demolition had turned out to be. Buildings were falling apart around them, and there was the sound of explosions thickly in the air. Tim's heart raced, and somewhere not too far off was his home. But he was thinking of his mother.

The streets were in uproar; the sounds of war echoed everywhere in Gallon. That monstrous form of Virex spread throughout the surrounding area, performing in astonishing speed and precision. Tim, Bryce, and Thai pressed forward relentlessly, pushed by motivations and fears that looked likely to lose the battle.

Brandon, on the other hand, proved to be a whirlwind of free-flowing attacks, flashing by with prodigious agility to slice through the Virex. His advanced-tech suit showcased him as a real force. Every strike was well placed and lethal. The other recruits could only watch, a mix of awe and irritation in their eyes from the display of skill he showed but the arrogance he was performing with.

Bryce kept his composure, firing nonstop, but somewhere in his subconscious lay the fear of the heights that was making him nervous. All of a sudden, he screamed in pain as a massive Virex thrusted upon his leg, making it bleed massively. Tim's heart pounded out of his chest as he rushed to the place where Bryce was, speaking urgently over the earpiece. "Soldier down, need a medic here!"

The Virex roared and advanced its jaws at them. Tim fired his gun towards the thing, but the bullets bounced off it. "It's not working!" he shouted as frustration mounted and the beast bore down at them.

Thai appeared from nowhere and attacked with the agility of an experienced warlock. Running along a wall, he did a perfect back-flip and threw a bomb that latched onto the Virex's back. The result was an explosion, which was just deafening, and the Virex turned into pieces.

Now lying on the ground amidst tremendous pain, Bryce tried to gasp out, "I…can't feel my leg!"

Tim knelt beside him; his face was etched with so much concern. "Relax, Bryce. It's all over."

Then, Thompson's voice boomed through their communicators, "Everyone, fall back immediately!"

Worry spread among the recruits. "Why are we supposed to do that?" Tim anxiously replied.

"Our scanners show millions of Virex coming your way. It's a trap!"

They turned, then, to see the horde of Virex advancing, a sea of darkness flooding the streets. The ground trembled under their sheer numbers. Brandon, his overconfidence and adrenaline still high, chuckled. "I've got this," he said, a cocky grin on his face.

He surged towards the Virex, pulsing incantations of death. His friends wished the best for him and shouted clarion words of encouragement, but then a figure separated from the masses—a Virex unlike any other. It had eyes on its chest, somewhat helmeted, but almost humanoid in a disturbing manner. Brandon fought to the hilt; his strikes were fast and powerful, but the creature twice as fast and thrice as potent.

The creature shot forward, dealing a sharp, brutal blow that sprawled Brandon out in the dirt as blood surged into his mouth from his tongue. His breath knocked from his lungs, the cockiness of the other recruits was nowhere to be seen now.

He dropped in the dirt, and as he fell, the humanoid Virex continued to step closer, its voice cold and derisive. "Some courage is admirably foolish. It won't keep you alive."

Brandon's eyes went wide in surprise. "You can talk?" he gasped weakly.

The Virex knelt beside him, its eyes flashing with malevolence. "Yes. They didn't tell you, did they? About the truth."

Battling the darkness that threatened to gather him up in its comforting arms, Brandon asked, "What truth?"

The Virex grinned down at him, a nasty twist of its lips. "How they lie to you and paralyze you with those lies, just as I have paralyzed your body with

Brandon's mind was a haze of pain and confusion, a jumbled mess; he couldn't understand. "What do you say?" he mumbled weakly, his voice barely more than a whisper.

The Virex was leaning closer to him, its hot breath brushing against Brandon's face. "Did the Vanguard tell you any truth, or did they feed you the same lies they fed us?"

Before Brandon could answer, Tim came into view. The virex turned, a grin that deformed its grotesque face. "Ah see who decided to show up to the party."

Tim's heart pounded, knowing he should not have come alone, yet he let Thompson's words slide somewhere back to the background; the man, after all, already urged them to retreat. Yet he couldn't shake this feeling that there was more than what meets the eye.

"Look who's talking?" Tim asked, his voice quivering a bit. The Virex sneered, "I can smell rage and fear from you, Tim. You're angry that Brandon stole your girlfriend, and you're terrified because you're standing before a talking Virex, unarmed."

Tim's blood suddenly ran cold. The Virex had struck a nerve. How could it possibly know? It felt as though the creature was staring into his soul.

The virex chuckled as though sensing his thoughts. "Yes, I see it all Tim. Brandon stole your girlfriend, didn't he? You can repay the favor right now. "

The hearts of Tim raced as the virex picked up a sharp piece of glass with a slimy tentacles, offering to him. "Here's your chance for revenge. Kill Brandon, and I'll let you go. "

Tim watched the glass, his mind working a mile a minute. Brandon had it coming, didn't he? After all the stuff he had pulled? But then he looked at Brandon, lying there on the ground, not a match for anything, even the little bit of blood that crept from his wounds.

He could see it in Brandon's eyes. The expression of pure fear.

"Do it," the VIREX taunted. "Prove you're not weak. Prove you're better than him."

Tim's hand trembled as he closed around the glass. His heart battered so loud he thought it might rupture. Could he really do it? Could he really kill Brandon?

The Virex's voice dropped wth satisfaction. "That's it. Take your revenge."