Onyx led the two novices down to the lower floor of the warrior house. With each step, the sounds of his own class became clearer, a rhythmic thudding and the low murmur of voices echoing up the stairwell. If he hadn't once been in their shoes, he would have pitied them. They were about to learn that the first stage had been a fun summer camp. The second stage, or ST, was where the real work began.
"Did you know there was a basement level?" Trinity whispered to Luca, her voice tight with unease. The walls, smooth and polished, were a stark, blinding white that made her feel trapped in a tomb.
Luca squinted, shielding his eyes with a cupped hand. "No! My eyes are burning," he complained, his voice a low groan.
Trinity felt fortunate that her senses were less sensitive than his. "Squint your eyes," she instructed softly, a small smile playing on her lips. "Slowly open them as you adjust to the new light." She recalled how Thomas had helped her before, a familiar warmth in the memory.
Onyx, walking a few paces ahead, listened to their hushed conversation with a detached interest. He only paid closer attention when the girl spoke of overcoming the brightness of the lights—the first hurdle all STs had to face. He wasn't sure how Westley would feel about her words. At this stage, it wasn't about helping one another; it was a brutal, unwritten rule that only the strong survived. You didn't help with something that could be done alone. His gaze flickered to the tiny, hidden camera on the wall. Big Brother was always watching. And in the STs, Westley was the eagle eye.
The long, empty corridor finally ended, opening up to a massive, windowless bunker. The air was thick with the scent of ozone and metal. It was a vast, open space with a huge, enclosed, silver cage at its center, where wolves were currently fighting. A massive chain slowly lowered the bird-like cage into its place on the floor, the metallic shriek of it echoing through the cavernous space. Strip lights, even brighter than those in the hallway, lined the high ceiling, casting stark shadows. Around the perimeter of the room, a painted track ran along the floor, and various cutouts in the walls led to unknown, darkened tunnels.
To their immediate right, a wall of monitors flickered with different images. Some displayed the forest, a live feed of the pack's territory. A few others showed the city center, its streets bustling with humans. Another screen showed a topographic map, a digital terrain marked with tiny green dots. As one of the dots turned orange, the strip lights above them shifted to match, bathing the entire room in a soft, warning glow.
A group of thirty people stood engrossed in the monitors, oblivious to anything else.
"Deploying team 10. Low-priority sensor triggering," a girl with long brown hair called out, her fingers flying across a tablet screen. She gestured to a large display board that mirrored her commands.
"Team 10. Orange. 48.036, -80.574," a man with a stern face repeated, his eyes fixed on the board.
Luca's eyes widened. He understood immediately what was happening. The numbers were a location. Onyx stood back, letting the pair take in the sight, watching as Team 10 gathered and then disappeared through one of the tunnels.
"Come on," Onyx said, gesturing for them to follow. He led them over to Westley, who stood hunched over a tablet behind the group of STs monitoring the pack's lifeline.
"West," Onyx greeted, nodding toward the two behind him before turning to rejoin his own group.
Westley, a tall, imposing man with bulging muscles, looked up with an expression of irritation. He ran a hand over his shaved head, sizing up his newest burdens. An introduction wasn't necessary. He had already read their files. The Alpha's son, a notorious troublemaker who was lazy until recently, and the Beta's daughter, a defective with a scheming mother. He still held a grudge against her mother for the public scolding he'd received from the Beta.
Westley's eyes shifted back to his tablet. They had eight wolves currently floating between teams. With these two, they could form an eleventh team. He typed a command into his tablet, and the information instantly appeared on the large board, displaying Team 11 with the names of the ten wolves assigned to it.
"You're Team 11," he announced without looking up. "Your assignment will be on the board."
Trinity had expected more—a grand explanation of what it meant to be a Second Stager. But it seemed that after those few clipped words, Westley was done. He turned and walked back to the monitors, his attention already elsewhere.
Luca was practically vibrating with excitement. They would finally be doing more than just mindless training. With a light tug on Trinity's wrist, he pulled her along toward the large board.
Trinity glared at his hand on her wrist, her jaw clenching. She yanked her arm out of his grasp and walked next to him, a scowl on her face. She wasn't a toddler who would get lost.
As she reached the board, Trinity scanned the task assigned to their team: Sensor Expansion. She wasn't exactly sure what that would entail.
Just below the board, a group of eight wolves stood, their gazes shifting nervously around the huge room. Trinity followed Luca, who seemed to know exactly who they all were, their shoulders relaxed as he approached them.
"This is Trinity," Luca said, gesturing to her. He didn't need to introduce himself; unlike her, the rest of them had grown up together. There were no strangers in a pack.
A man named Leo gave a brief nod of acknowledgment but didn't offer names or a simple "hello." They were just as standoffish as any other wolf Trinity had met.
"We need to assign roles," a man announced, his voice clipped and impatient.
In this tight circle, Trinity felt invisible. She was so short compared to everyone else that no one met her eyes. While she had always been short, this was the first time in a long while she felt unseen. Everyone looked serious and fierce, as if they had fought countless battles and had no time to slow down or wait for anyone.
Zach, the man who had spoken, held the tablet. The screen displayed the roles that needed to be filled: Team Commander, Scout, Specialist, Communication, and six Enforcers.
"I've been on the most missions. I have the highest seniority. I'm the strongest," Zach announced, his eyes barely lifting from the screen as he tapped the first role. "I'm the Commander."
"Seniority doesn't mean anything," Luca piped up. He was new to the STs, but he knew that seniority was a negative here.
A predatory smile crossed Zach's lips as he looked up, a challenge in his eyes. He was willing to fight for the role. "You think you can command us, newbie?" he sneered.
The others in the group chuckled, all seemingly agreeing that Luca was not the right choice. Even Trinity, who knew Luca was her only ally, thought his ambition was a bit over the top.
"What are the roles?" Trinity spoke up, and all eyes snapped to her.
"You want to be a commander, too?" Malika laughed, her voice dripping with derision. She thought the two newcomers were far too boastful, especially Trinity, a "defective." The idea of her in a command position was hilarious.
Trinity's dead stare stopped Malika cold. Zach handed the tablet to Trinity, and she quickly scanned the roles. She decided to hasten their progress. "Since you've all been here for a while, you should know who should be in which slot. Logistics, who would it be?" she asked, her voice calm and firm.
The eight wolves all shifted their eyes to Malika. They had been floaters up until now, and every time they had to join a new team, Malika always filled the logistics spot.
"Name?" Trinity asked, not looking up from the tablet she'd decided to take over. The wolves' way of resolving things seemed far too slow.
"Malika," she answered, her voice uncertain. She looked around at the other wolves, wondering why they were letting Trinity do this.
The board behind them suddenly glowed, displaying Malika's name as Logistics Lead.
"Scout, who is it?" Trinity didn't waste any time. From what she'd learned in the first stage, everything was a test.
"Dom," he mused, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. Despite the isolation of the STs, gossip still managed to seep through, and Trinity's name had been buzzing. She was becoming a sought-after female, and he wanted to know what made her so special. What was it about her that was so captivating?
Trinity spared Dom a quick glance, noticing his different physique. Instead of being bulky, he was tall and slender with defined muscles—he looked built for speed. The board lit up again, showing Dom as the new Scout. Next, it listed Luca as an Enforcer.
"Enforcer?" Luca read aloud, looking at Trinity with a perplexed expression.
"Let's walk before we run. It's day one. We don't know how anything works yet," she explained calmly.
"Enforcer is fine," he said with a shrug, holding himself back from patting her on the head.
The board lit up again as Trinity assigned Leo and Tank as enforcers. Tank's name felt like a perfect reason to make him an enforcer; he was the largest of them all, with bulging muscles that looked like he ate six cartons of eggs for breakfast. The last three women were also made enforcers. The only roles left were Specialist and Commander. She placed herself as the specialist, then made Zach the commander before handing the tablet back to him.
"Why would you be the specialist?" Zach asked. Even though he was pleased with how the roles had been divided, he felt a bit off-put. It was as if she were the one leading them.
"Easy. None of you want me as your enforcer. Anything could happen, and if enforcers have to battle without weapons, I'm at a disadvantage. I can't speak telepathically, so logistics is out. I have no sense of direction, so scout is out."
"So you're a specialist because you're bad at everything else?" Malika wondered aloud, trying to follow Trinity's logic.
Trinity looked up, her expression unwavering. "I can blend into human society better than the rest of you. If we encounter humans, I'm your best bet. I can also trick wolf senses. And I'm an amazing shot. You want me to watch your back. Should we head out?"
Westley, who had listened to everything unfold, found himself chuckling. Trinity had expertly taken charge without setting off any alarms. She had subtly made them aware that she was the best one to take control, while also giving it away. It seemed Thomas hadn't overstated her abilities. He would be keeping a close eye on her.
Author's note
Hey everyone been a while. I'll try to get more chapters out this week.