"I can't believe that she's still in the program." A whisper rang through Kaelin's ears which soured her face. Still, she ignored it as she went on with her training drills. With Brose and Vhorren around, she had more than enough competition to keep her on her toes.
Aiming the pulse pistol in her hand, she quickly fired her shots at the targets.
*Bang-Bang-Bang*
The weapons charge and shots filling the air as her shots landed onto the target, by the time she was done, her arms were spent as the tally were brought up.
[{Kaelin Morren, improvement with the Energy Pulse Pistol has been noted}]
[{From 72 to 79}]
Still, her face didn't show the slightest trace of satisfaction as she looked at the top scores for the drill.
[{Brose Emberborne: 89}]
[{Vhorren Dren: 82}]
[{Kaelin Morren: 79}]
As much as she tried, there seemed to be a ceiling that she failed to shatter for her to catch up to the two. In terms of the physical field, Vhorren was a monster followed with Brose and then her, intellectually, Brose was a force to be reckoned with before she followed, Vhorren wasn't as proficient with this field.
'I can't accept this level of performance.' She sighed taking off her ear muffs.
[{All trainees are expected to report to the main hub}]
The message relayed through the speakers eliciting groans from some of those still busy with their training. Still, it was an order that they could simply ignore.
...
A lady took the stage, her gaze drifting over the trainees. "It has been a rough couple of weeks with you all but so far, your progress has been commendable." The air dense as no one dared to so much as breathe too hard given the arduous repercussions one would face. Kaelin recalled Jasper who was forced to make ten rounds in his shorts, a feat she was sure was comparable to torture.
The annoying mosquitoes at the bottom and the cold temperature at the top of the summit made her skin crawl if she were to be given such a challenge. "However today we have a new challenge. As I'm sure that most of you are aware with the growth of bizarre creatures emerging from the kingdom of Othare."
The screen behind her shifted to show an image of the crater, the next a swarm of tentacles shooting from the ground as Jarren's silhouette was visible at the corner. "Now it's not just Reuthar but the other kingdoms as well that are burdened with this plague." The pictures shifted showing a stream of monsters formed from the pit.
Some straight out of a nightmare ranging in shapes, some were reported to be docile however the amount was no more than four, the rest either hostile on sight or until provoked and with their increase of emergence, it was only a matter of time till they too were overwhelmed.
"Therefore we've managed to make a device to simulate your fight with one of these abominations." She mused, her hands gesturing at the scientists to take he stage. From her Maeve took the stage, a familiar figure they had all grown accustomed to as the head of the Ark Facility.
"So far thanks to the development of earth technology and that of our best scholars, we've managed to make a device capable of simulating your current elements in the face of one of such beasts, please make your way to the designated room." A message flickered on their wrists, the bracelet detailing their destination.
...
Kaelin looked at the massive room, it's sterile air and white walls nothing new given the setting of the facility. But what caught her attention similar to the rest were the massive glass capsules that gave off faint hums promising something more, a gateway into newer heights.
A scientist spoke about the basics, covering what to do should any form of unprecedented altercation to occur during the experience. "What if it fails?" One posed from the group. "Rest assured that we've thoroughly checked these machines and tested them, they won't fail out of the blue."
Another asked with their hands folded. "You said that it would attach our brains to the machine, what if the device short circuits or something? Would that fry our minds?" A look of irritation could be seen on the scientist's face however he kept his smile. "We've already tested for that and should such a situation come to be, multiple fail-safes will be deployed to shield your minds."
Still, the crowd seemed unconvinced however given Maeve's sharp eye and their general, there was no option for them to turn it down. Kaelin made her way to the pod as instructed, following every command relayed to her as she began the machine. The screen flickered to life before a faint prick grazed her neck.
Her heart raced with what was to come as with a flick of her fingers, the procedure began. Her body was put in a relaxing state, the screen showing an empty room.
[{Warning!}]
[{Unexpected error has-}]
The sudden notification made her body run cold as operatives outside of her pod began to run tests, others wondering the cause of the fault was. "Mam! We have a problem with the candidate Kaelin Morren." A concerned voice shot at Maeve. "What's the problem?" Operatives could be seen trying to terminate the process.
The man helplessly raised his hands into the air staring at the screen. "I can't quite pin point the cause but we have to get her out or it could fry her brain. I would guess that there's something wrong with the circuitry frame." Maeve's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"How? These pods functioned just fine yesterday?! Just get her out of the pod, we wouldn't want another undocumented death on our hands." The flurry typing of keys could be heard, the air turning stiff as Kaelin kept on getting the same message of error.
[{Warning}]
[{If the subject is not ejected from the experience, the subject's mind may be prone to harsh electrical outbursts which can result in death}]
She tried what she had been relayed to by the instructors on getting out and yet the pod refused to budge. "We can't get her out in time, it would be best to shatter the glass and forcefully get her out!" Maeve paused hearing this. "What are the risks?" The sounds of typing filled the room before a answer was short back.
"It could damage her spinal nerves making her unable to walk but it's better than having a carcass for a trainee." Maeve as much as she wanted another way knew it would be a foolish idea to drag out the window of Kaelin's death as she was forced to make a decision.
"Make sure that she gets out, with the level of technology we have, I'm sure that we could focus on her condition later on." Kaelin could only hear faint mumbles of the outside world before a battering ram obstructed her vision. Her eyes widened with horror as the lot outside began to ram her pod.
*Boom-Boom-Boom*
With each ram, more and more cracks could be seen forming on the barrier before one final heave came through.
*Shatter*
Her body was coated with a blanket of shards, most of which didn't touch her body. "Get her out!" Maeve barked before Kaelin's body was lifted out of the pod. A bench was already brought for her before she was hauled away. "I want a more grounded reason as to why that happened!" And with that Maeve took her leave, the instructor letting out a faint sigh of the situation.
Even as much as she had no weight in the current matter, the death of one of her own students would take a toll on her consciousness till her end. 'It's a good thing that they managed to get her out in time.' However she knew that the girl would be deemed unfit to keep on going with the program.
'You gave it your best, it wasn't your fault.' She found herself apologetic of something she wasn't a cause of.
...
Opening her eyes, what greeted Kaelin was the faint electronic signals of the devices hooked to her body. "You're lucky to have survived." She was at first baffled to see Maeve waiting for her however the grim expression on her face made her heart sink. "What's the problem?" She asked immediately.
Maeve hesitated, her eyes darting to the doctor beside her who fiddled with the instruments whispering something in her ear before turning her attention back to Kaelin. "Three days ago, you were on the verge of losing your life however we managed to save you." Kaelin paused for the part to break her heart.
"However much to all of our expectations, you managed to survive the forced exit. So far we have no clear explanation of what happened but do now that we are working on it." A sigh of relief escaped Kaelin's lips however her moment of respite didn't lady long noticing the stiff atmosphere lingering in the room.
"However due to the incident, your parents have requested that you be withdrawn from the program entirely." Kaelin paused hearing this. "But I'm fine, I can keep going." Maeve seemed heartbroken as she went on with her news. "As much as we would want to keep you around, we can't ignore orders. You'll be dispatched after you fully recuperate."
"What?!" Maeve made her way to the exit , glancing over her shoulder before taking her leave. "Consider yourself lucky as you would be bound to a wheelchair with the procedure." Now aware the situation she was in, she was glad with the altercation she faced.
"Mom, you always did like to breathe done on father's neck." She couldn't help but let out a low deprecating chuckle as she turned her head to face the nurse who was busy next to her. "You won't be here for long." He urged before taking his leave. Now alone in the room, she could only let her thoughts fill in the blank to help pass the time.
...
*Two days later*
Waking up, a part of her was glad that she would be getting out of her room, the other part of her down trodden as it would mean that she would be out of the Ark program. "I still can't believe that they were so stubborn to the point of having me withdrawn from the program."
As much as she wished, she knew that she had no other say in the matter as she forced herself up. Glancing around, she furrowed her brows at the emptiness of the room. "Didn't they say that they would be clearing me today?" She couldn't help but wonder before her question was answered.
[{Warning}]
[{Abominations detected trying to gain entry in the west wing of the facility}]
Taking off the pipes connected to her veins, she made her way to the exit which were filled with blaring alarms and red flashes. The usual banal and sterile halls were now filled with operatives trying to deal with the matter. "You need to stay here for now Kaelin, it's the only way that you will be safe from the tide."
One of the medical personnel stated as they pushed her back into her room. Now weak, she had Jo strength to protest allowing her to be whisked back to her bed. "You can leave after the lockdown is lifted!" A monotone voice chimed through the speakers. The halls once filled with boots making their way to the west wing dell silent, the nurse still prohibiting her to leave.
Something she was sure would take no more than an hour dragged into multiple hours. Within the confined room they were in, Kaelin was forced into a staying with no weapon while the man reached out for a surgical scalpel, still not yet enough for her liking but she had no other choice but to make do with what she was given at her current situation.
...
Hours dragged on, halfway she lost interest with what was going out there as sleep claimed her. By the time she regained consciousness, what met her was an empty room once more. The medical personnel was missing however what met her was a faint stench of ash and cinder. 'What happened?' Now making her way down the hall, she first headed for the main hub.