The tactical drills continued for another hour. By the time Kozlov dismissed them, the rubber round impacts on Kai's shoulder and chest hurt more than he'd let on.
He used the pain strategically, favoring his left side slightly during movements—not enough to affect performance dramatically, but enough to be visible.
Zara noticed, her eyes flicking to his shoulder during rotations. He gave a slight nod. I'm managing it.
She gave a slight nod back. Good.
As recruits filed out for lunch, Kai moved more slowly than usual. Darius noticed.
"You okay, Chen? Petrov tagged you pretty good."
"Yeah, just sore." He rolled his shoulder experimentally and winced—that actually hurt. "Rubber rounds are no joke at close range."
"You should get it checked," Zara said, falling into step. Her tone was casual but her eyes were sharp.
She knew exactly what he was doing. "Medical can clear you if it's just bruising, or they can recommend light duty if it's worse."
"Good idea," he said.
They headed to lunch together. The mess hall was packed.
He moved through the line, getting food more out of necessity than hunger. As he sat down, he let himself show the fatigue more openly.
Halfway through lunch, he shifted position and let himself wince visibly—just the natural response to injured ribs protesting movement.
"You're hurting more than you're letting on," Zara observed quietly.
"It's getting stiffer as I cool down," he admitted. "I should probably get it looked at before afternoon qualification."
At 1315, he stood carefully. "I'm heading to medical. See you guys later."
The medical facility was clean and well-organized. The duty medic directed him to an examination room.
Dr. Yates examined the impact sites.
"Well, you've got some impressive bruising developing here," she said. "Does this hurt?"
He didn't have to fake the wince. "Yes, ma'am."
She ran a medical scanner over the sites. "No fractures, which is good. But you've got deep bruising and some muscle inflammation. It's going to hurt for a few days."
"Can I continue training, ma'am?"
She considered. "You can, but I wouldn't recommend intensive upper body work for at least twenty-four hours. The bruising needs time to stabilize."
She made a notation. "I'm recommending light duty for the rest of today. No weapons qualification—the recoil will aggravate the injury. You can attend classroom instruction, but give your shoulder time to recover."
She handed him a medical chit—official documentation. "And Chen? You got these injuries doing your job. That's honorable. But don't mistake toughness for stupidity. Rest when you need to rest."
"Yes, ma'am."
He exited with official documentation. Light duty for the rest of the day.
He now had approximately three hours of unscheduled time.
He headed to the administrative building, down to the basement level where the vault was located. The vault entrance was manned by a corporal at a desk.
"Recruit Chen," he said, showing his ID. "I need to access a safety deposit box. Box 247, Level 3."
The corporal checked his terminal. "You're not listed as the box holder."
He pulled out Cross's key. "Captain Cross authorized access."
The corporal typed, then his terminal beeped. "Yeah, there's a note here. 'Kai Chen authorized for access to Box 247.'"
He stood. "Follow me."
The vault was large, lined with safety deposit boxes. The corporal used his key in the dual-lock mechanism, then gestured.
"Your key for the other lock."
Kai inserted Cross's key. It turned smoothly. The box slid out.
Inside was a sealed envelope and a small data chip labeled "BACKUP FILES - 2102."
His hands were steady as he opened the envelope. Inside were printed documents:
MISSION LOG - COLORADO EXPEDITION 2102-C47 - UNREDACTED VERSION
He read quickly:
Week 1: Chen noted Patriarch's scouts were "unusually efficient" in locating them.
Week 2: Chen's assessment of the Patriarch: "He's too confident. Too informed. He knew details about our mission that weren't in any transmission. Either we have a leak, or he has intelligence capabilities that shouldn't exist."
Week 3: Wolfe reports concern about Ranger Michael Torres (assigned after serving in Colorado three years prior) exhibiting "odd inconsistencies—perfect recall of tactical data but emotional responses seem slightly delayed or inappropriate."
Torres. One of his father's team. The potential synth.
Week 4: Chen and Rivera discovered underground facility beneath Colorado Springs. Chen's log: "This isn't possible. The technology here is pre-war but maintained, active, operational. AI-controlled manufacturing. And the products... they look human. Sound human. But they're not."
Week 5: Torres disappeared during routine patrol. Found three days later with no memory. Medical examination showed no injuries, but behavior became more erratic. Wolfe recommended extraction. Chen overruled.
Week 6: Chen's log: "Torres isn't human anymore. I don't know when the replacement happened—three years ago or during the recent disappearance. But the person we have now isn't Ranger Michael Torres. Rivera has encrypted proof. We need to extract and report to command."
Then: Final transmission. Team ambushed. Chen and Rivera separated from main group. Wolfe extracted with the rest. Torres's body found three days later—killed during ambush or disposed of to eliminate evidence.
He flipped to medical reports:
MEDICAL EXAMINATION - RANGERS RETURNING FROM COLORADO OPERATIONS (2098-2108)
Seven Rangers. All showed similar patterns:
Perfect mission recall but reduced emotional responses
Slightly delayed reaction times in social situations
Unusually consistent behavior patterns
All transferred to isolated assignments or retired early
Cross had highlighted: "Systematic replacement program? How many more?"
Kai took photos with a pre-war camera, carefully returned everything, locked the box, and left the vault.
Outside, he checked his watch: 1425. He had the truth about Torres—his father's team was compromised.
Seven Rangers. Maybe more. How deep does this go?
He needed rest. Real rest.
He headed to Bay 3, now mostly empty. He set an alarm for 1945—giving him about five hours before needing to wake for the meeting with Kozlov at 2100.
He lay down, and despite his racing mind, exhaustion claimed him immediately.