Kale stood in front of a metal door with no design or groove. It was just thick and plain.
He looked at the screen of the phone that had been given to him and read through the instructions once more.
Lifting the watch, he ensured its interactive screen made contact with the door.
The metallic barrier moved and allowed Kale access to his room.
The latter entered and inspected the place. Everything that was expected of a room was present.
It had a bed to the side of the wall, a single desk and chair, and a door that led to the bathroom attached to the room.
At the end of the room was where the closet was. The only thing very strange about it was the giant glass capsule that was beside the closet.
On further thought, the idea that the military had gone above and beyond to provide all these was strange.
After all, it wasn't a five-star hotel.
Pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind, he approached the capsule. The military wouldn't hurt him. Right?
'Oh, who am I kidding? These are the same people who let people die to test our reaction to chaos.' He sighed but still walked to it.
He now stood opposite its reflective glass and was able to take note of all the structures attached to it.
The first was a panel that had the image of an open palm beside the main capsule and the other was a small metal cylinder.
It wasn't hard to deduce what was required of him, so he placed his open palm on the panel.
The Panera scanned his palm and let out three consecutive beeps.
The capsule hummed slightly and opened to reveal its content, letting out the hiss of pressurized air.
A full-body exo suit revealed itself.
"Is it really an exo suit? It's more like a battle suit." Kale commented out loud.
The battle suit was pitch black with numerous small blue lights that blinked rhythmically. It appeared extremely futuristic.
Kale stared at it almost in a trance-like state and unconsciously reached for it.
When his hand lightly grazed the chest plate, the suit hummed to life, snapping Kale out of his trance.
He tried to run but tripped on his feet.
From the chest, it opened up and revealed its hollow inside. It had enough space to fit a fully grown adult male.
Kale stared at the suit with caution. He didn't know what it was. Just because it looked like a suit doesn't mean that it was just that.
And who knows, maybe he wasn't meant to touch the suit, or if it was a test to see if the new recruits would be able to control their curiosity.
He spent about ten minutes trying to figure out what it could possibly be, but gave up, groaning.
"Damn, why did they have to put us in different rooms?!" Kale rubbed his hair in frustration.
His phone that laid on the floor beside him buzzed and he warily reached for it, half expecting a message regarding his opening of the capsule.
[Assessment Result Available]
[Calculating…]
[Role Assigned: Soldier]
[Congratulations (Kale Vincoff), you have been seen as skilled and valuable enough to be awarded the role of (Soldier)]
[Further tests will be carried out later to determine where you will fit best in this role]
Kale read it a couple of times over, but the content didn't change. He was a soldier.
'I got it.' He sighed. "Mom. Dad. Little sis. I'm a step closer to annihilating those creatures that are responsible for your deaths."
A little while ago, he had made a vow to wipe out all the beasts responsible for his parents' deaths.
"If I got this then Axel must also be a soldier. I'll go to his room as soon as I sort this out."
His focus went back to the suit. The suit that the government had so clearly provided.
'Something is definitely going on. I mean, if the military had this sort of technology, why didn't they use it during wars?'
Kale didn't know anything yet he was going to find out soon enough.
He summoned courage and walked to the suit and stood silently in front of it. He turned his back to it and walked backwards into it.
The cold interior touched his back and sent shivers and goosebumps down his body.
The suit closed up around him.
"Huh? Feels big." Kale commented on the excessive space and as if hearing him, the suit hummed and closed in on his body until it became perfect in size.
Feeling a bit excited, Kale took a step forward, and the suit followed him. His movements were uninhibited; if anything, they were even more fluid.
He took a few side steps and made some quick movements and not only did he succeed, he was moving far faster than he had ever in his life.
[Power Error]
[10 minutes of battery left. Find a power source]
A feminine voice spoke to him in the suit.
"Is this an AI?"
[Yes. I am Nova, your battle suit's AI. Here to help and guide you]
"Okay Nova, where do I get your power source?"
[A crystal cap. A metallic cylinder.]
Kale turned and looked at the metal cylinder that was attached to the capsule.
He reached for it and pulled it off.
[Place the cap over the left forearm.]
Placing it as instructed, a small slot opened on the forearm of the suit.
The cylinder reacted immediately and dropped something into the slot.
Before Kale could react, the AI spoke.
[Crystal Shard successfully received.]
[Estimated Battery Life… 3 hours at walking speed.]
Kale made a couple of kicks in the air and noted the speed and power they packed.
He even imagined how useful the suit would have been when he and Axel had encountered that beast.
His mind slowly delved into the memory and the sensations of that day with the ash and chaos and…
[Increased heart rate detected.]
[Entering Battle Mode.]
Then the suit moved.