A days work

Elias adjusted his stance carefully, his movements still deliberate and clumsy. "Doing my best," he replied with a dry smile. "It's not exactly graceful, but I'll take progress over nothing."

His gaze shifted to a figure standing off to the side—a woman with auburn hair that seemed to catch the light. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed loosely, her posture both composed and self-assured. Elias tilted his head toward her. "You must be Faye?"

She gave a slight nod, her expression neutral but not unfriendly. "That's me," she said, her voice carrying a wry undertone. "Politician's daughter turned broke when the military took over. Now I'm here with a great singing voice and a bunch of shattered dreams. But hey, we've all got our baggage, right?"

Elias hesitated, brushing his fingers near his still-tender stab wound, unsure how to respond. "Yeah… something like that," he muttered awkwardly.

The silence hung for a moment, heavier than either seemed to expect, until Paul approached. He wiped his hands on a towel as he walked, shaking his head slightly. "Checked on the others," he said. "They're still in their rooms, complaining about not being able to move."

Elias raised an eyebrow. "So I wasn't the only one hit with a penalty from the Doctor?"

"Not even close," Paul replied with a short laugh. "Which makes it pretty impressive you're already up and moving around. After that little speech you gave last night, though, I guess it's not too surprising."

Elias blinked, caught off guard. "Speech? I wasn't trying to be inspirational—I was just venting."

"Maybe," Paul said with a shrug, "but it landed. Don't overthink it."

Elias tried to shrug, though his reversed movements made it awkward. Kikaru's gaze drifted above his head. Confused, Elias followed her line of sight and saw his task window glowing faintly.

"Wait, you can see that?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, since the Doctor showed up, we can see each other's tasks now. It's weird at first, but you get used to it."

Elias frowned as his head tilted the wrong way again. He forced it back into position, hoping nobody noticed. "I can't see anyone else's, just my own. What even happened for you all?"

Kikaru stretched her arms, then turned, pulling back her tracksuit jacket just enough to reveal her side. Blue veins branched out from her shard, glowing faintly under her skin.

"It's like the shard… fused deeper," she said. "After we passed whatever that test was, it felt different. It's not painful, but it's definitely not normal."

Her gaze flicked back to Elias. "What about yours? Where's your shard?"

Elias scratched his neck, his voice casual but thoughtful. "X-rays showed it under my ribcage, right below my heart. It's not visible."

Kikaru's eyes narrowed slightly. "So it's just… inside you? Not sticking out anywhere?"

He nodded. "Yeah. No idea how it happened. I got stabbed and shot, then woke up in the hospital. Maybe it entered through the wound." He chuckled, though the thought didn't sit entirely well with him.

Kikaru tapped her chin, her expression unreadable. "Huh. That's… different. But I guess it makes sense. Shards seem to do whatever they want."

She motioned to the wall, where Oliver's workout plan was displayed. "Work out with us. Do what you can. Afterward, we'll hit breakfast."

Elias glanced at the chart, reading through the grueling list of exercises. His muscles already felt heavier, but he nodded, adjusting his stance as best he could.

Elias squinted at the workout board mounted on the wall. The bold, glowing text spelled out an intense routine:

Workout Regime:

Warm-Up: 20 jumping jacks, 15 burpees, 2 laps around the gym.Strength Training: 100 pushups, 50 sit-ups, 30 pull-ups.Cardio: 5 minutes of jump rope, 3 laps around the facility.Cool Down: Stretching, breathing exercises.

Dot's hovered over his shoulder, her small figure leaning toward the display. "That's… a lot. You sure we're not training for the Olympics?"

Elias grunted, shaking his head. "Feels more like punishment. Which, I guess, it is."

Paul clapped him on the shoulder, a wide grin on his face. "It's not so bad. Just take it one step at a time."

"One step, sure," Elias muttered, dropping to the floor for pushups. "Try doing it with your body moving backward."

As he lowered himself, his arms jerked awkwardly, and he nearly slammed into the ground. Dot's zipped downward, her voice teasing. "You okay there, champ? Need me to count how many times you almost hit the floor?"

Elias pushed up shakily, his face reddening. "I'm fine, Dot's. Just… keeping it interesting."

"You've got the interesting part down," Kikaru said from across the room. She was mid-set on her sit-ups, moving with quick precision. "But maybe pick up the pace. At this rate, we'll be eating breakfast in the gym."

Elias exhaled hard, lowering himself again. "Funny. Real motivational."

Paul chuckled from the pull-up bar. "Think of it as tough love. Keeps you going."

Dot's floated closer to his face, her antennae twitching. "What number are you on? Four? Five?"

"Eleven," Elias grunted, his voice strained.

"Oh, well then," Dot's said with mock surprise. "We're practically halfway there!"

Half an Hour Later

Elias collapsed onto his back, panting heavily. He stared at the ceiling, arms trembling from the effort. "Fifty. That's all I've got right now."

Kikaru walked over, her breathing steady as she wiped her face with a towel. "Fifty's better than nothing. Keep pushing, and you'll hit your two hundred."

"Yeah," Elias said, his voice hoarse. "At this pace, I'll be done by next week."

"Maybe you just need a snack break," Dot's chimed in, hovering upside down above him. "Or a nap. You're great at napping."

Kikaru smirked. "No naps. Keep moving. If you don't finish, Oliver'll chew you out."

Elias groaned, forcing himself back to his knees. "Fine. What's next?"

Paul, now jump-roping at a steady rhythm, called out. "Cardio. You can run, right? Or… reverse-walk?"

"Don't tempt me," Elias muttered, stumbling to his feet. He took a few awkward steps forward, his legs resisting every movement. "This is humiliating."

"It's progress," Kikaru said, tossing him a towel. "You're walking. You're lifting. You're working through it. That's all that matters."

Dot's floated closer, her glow faint. "She's right. Even if you look ridiculous, you're not giving up."

Elias managed a weak smile, then jogged toward the track, his awkward gait drawing chuckles from Kikaru and Paul. "If I survive this," he muttered, "breakfast better be the best damn meal I've ever had."

Elias thought to himself that he might finally get the hang of things. His thoughts were interrupted as the door slid open. Everyone turned to look as Oliver walked in, followed by a slightly older woman with black hair streaked with strands of white.

Oliver clapped his hands sharply. "Everyone, line up! We have a special visit today from the head of the Chairwoman Division."