Surge of Motivation

Kiah stood in front of the towering wall, a complicated expression on her face. Up close, she noticed the holds were too far apart for easy climbing, but she could use the cracks in the wall for handholds.

It was like a modern version of rock climbing.

The only issue? She'd never climbed anything in her life. Not walls. Not with ropes. Not even those indoor climbing simulations. Nothing.

Taking a deep breath, she latched onto the wall and began to pull herself up. Her fingers curled into the rough indentations as she used her arms to lift her body, planting her foot carefully in the next crevice.

She rose a few more inches, then—

'Shit!'

Her foot slipped.

Her heart lurched.

But she managed to catch herself before she lost all grip.

When she dared to glance down, the ground looked farther away than it should have. Even with her incredible, durable body, a fall from this height would leave her sore. And also leave her embarrassed.

She clenched her jaw and kept going, inching up with aching limbs and burning muscles.

Naya groaned below her, but Kiah didn't look down again. Her entire focus narrowed to the wall. Each movement was shaky and slippery.

Finally, she hoisted herself up and touched the top just as the buzzer blared through the room.

'It's finally over.' She jubilated in her heart.

Wayne and Kira had barely made it to the rope climb. Not that it mattered. It wasn't really a great outcome compared to the last team.

'But at least I made it out in one piece.'

Just when Kiah thought it was over, her foot slipped again.

Time seemed to slow down as gravity yanked her backward before she could react. She fell hard, her back slamming into the ground with a sickening thud. Stars exploded in her vision. Her breath whooshed out as pain rippled down her spine and across every limb like a shockwave.

A fresh wave of laughter erupted from the crowd.

Above it, Warden Gregory's voice cut in, flat and unimpressed. "Rustpoint, you can do better."

Kiah lay on the ground dazed until Naya descended from the wall and offered her a hand.

"Are you okay?" She asked, helping her up.

"I'll be fine," Kiah muttered through gritted teeth, "if I can find me a hole to crawl into."

They limped back toward the crowd. Snickers and taunting looks greeted them from all sides, but Kiah met each one with a glare.

"We didn't do that badly. I bet the others won't do much better." Naya said beside her, trying to sound upbeat.

Five grueling hours later and a slew of demoralizing physical tests later, Kiah and the others sat slumped over their dinner trays in the cafeteria, barely touching their food.

Naya had been wrong — painfully wrong.

They hadn't just performed poorly. They had ranked dead last.

Every other team had at least made it to the rope climb. Some had even come close to finishing. Compared with that, their performance was a joke. And the reminder came with every new team that took the course and outperformed them effortlessly.

They had a long way to go if they wanted to make it to the top. It was painfully clear.

At the end of the day, they all returned to their various rooms and fell asleep in hopes that the next day would be better.

***

Kiah's eyes snapped open.

She jolted awake as a shrill alarm screamed through the building.

Her heart raced as she looked around for a fire, but found none.

[Initiates. Gather at the departure station in ten minutes. Failure to do so will garner punishment.]

An automated voice rang out on repeat from the speakers through the halls, accompanied by the blaring siren alarm.

Kiah groaned, barely resisting the urge to scream into her pillow.

"What the hell is going on now?"

She dragged herself out of bed, washed her face in the sink with cold water to shake off the exhaustion, and dressed quickly in her uniform and boots.

When she stepped out into the hallway, chaos greeted her. Half-asleep, Initiates shuffled or sprinted toward the departure station. Everyone looked like they had been woken mid-coma.

It was barely six in the morning, and after the tough exercises yesterday, they needed more rest.

"We didn't even have breakfast." She muttered as she merged with the flow.

They reached the departure station to find rows of capsules waiting, their engines humming lowly in anticipation.

As they assembled, Warden Gregory appeared, arms crossed.

"What are you lots standing around for? Get in. We have work to do." He barked.

Kiah spotted Naya, Wayne, and Kira ahead and quickly joined them. They entered one of the capsules and strapped in.

"What is happening?" Kiah asked, fastening her harness.

Wayne yawned, blinking lazily. "Training has officially started, I guess."

The capsule launched with a jolt. Minutes later, they landed in what looked like a demolished city. Collapsed structures piled up into heaps that were as tall as mountains. The streets were broken, and a hazy layer of dust clouded the air.

A short distance away stood rows of compact tanks stacked neatly. They looked like reinforced backpacks, but each was filled with water. At the bottom of each tank, a cluster of heavy-looking stones shimmered ominously.

Warden Gregory's voice boomed through the dust.

"This drill is all about endurance. Each of you will take a tank. You will climb that mountain—" he pointed at a massive heap of crumbled concrete and steel that towered in the distance, "—twenty times. Up and down. Non-stop."

A beat of stunned silence reigned.

Then the murmurs began.

None of them had eaten. Not even a drop of water. In their state, moving up this mountain of ruin, carrying a tank of water and stones, would surely kill them.

"You'll get breakfast after your tenth descent. Drop the tank any time during the drill and you starve," Warden Gregory added, settling comfortably into a foldable chair like he was about to watch a movie. Folding his leg smugly, he waved them off. "So get moving before I change my mind. Chop, chop."

Hearing his final order, some initiates immediately rushed toward the tanks without thinking, eager to get it over with.