Chapter 29 Last Chance, Zero Mercy

 But as much as they searched for loopholes, they couldn’t ignore that every move she made was recorded. Finally, Enzo said, “Let’s get our hands on that playback. Whatever she did, we can analyze her tactics and learn from them. That score didn’t come from nowhere.”

Sierra stood back, arms crossed tightly, staring at the screen silently. She didn’t say a word, but her expression revealed everything. She’d thought the new girl was just another hotshot - someone who talked big but would fizzle out when it came to real combat training. Seeing Aria dominate the VR test on her first attempt, without any prior training, left her frustrated.

"How?" she thought, "How is she this good? Isn't she supposed to be a new pilot like us? How is there such a difference?! This newcomer hadn’t even set foot in a VR room before, and yet, she’d blown past every other student! All of us combined! This makes no sense! If she is so good what is she doing here, in leftovers' class?!"

The room was buzzing with excitement. After watching Aria crush the simulation, the students realized they were off the hook from a brutal session of running laps and there would be no West’s notorious stun baton. High-fives were thrown around as they celebrated, shouts of “Heck yeah! No shock baton today!” echoing in the VR room. Some even did a little dance, light-heartedly mimicking dodging and ducking from an imaginary baton swing.

Jacob let out a low whistle of amazement.

 “Wow, new girl scored big, huh!”

 His eyes tracked over to where Sierra was standing stiffly by the wall, clearly caught off-guard by Aria’s performance. He gave her a gentle nudge, leaning against the wall next to her. 

“Hey, aren’t you happy? Fewer laps to run thanks to the new girl. She’s amazing, right?”

Sierra’s jaw clenched, and she stayed silent, her arms crossed, watching Aria through narrowed eyes as the other students practically mobbed her with praise. Jacob could see the gears turning in Sierra’s mind. He knew better than anyone how much she wanted to succeed, to be the best, to stand out in this competitive academy.

Trying to lighten the mood, he nudged her again, “Hey… listen, I know how much becoming a top pilot means to you. And, if I’m honest, I’m just the new guy here - barely a month in. You deserve someone who can push you to be even better. Maybe you should give it a shot with her. You and Liana could be the top team in the class. I’m just saying, I think she might be the ticket to reaching that goal you’ve been talking about...”

Sierra’s eyes flashed as she turned on Jacob, barely containing the wave of hurt and frustration surging through her. 

 “What? Are you ditching me, Jacob? Just trying to push me off on some flashy, new prodigy so you can get rid of me? Is that it?”

Jacob blinked, caught off guard by her reaction, but she didn’t give him a chance to respond.

“I don’t want a shortcut to being a great pilot. If I just paired up with someone like her, it would be her talent that got us there, not mine. I didn’t join the academy to become someone’s sidekick. I joined to become like Aria Lock.”

 Sierra’s eyes softened slightly as she spoke the name, admiration flickering in her gaze, a touch of marvel coloring her voice. 

“She was everything I ever wanted to be. She was fierce and brilliant and didn’t need anyone’s praise or permission to show the world what she could do. She went from nothing to the leader of an elite squad, the kind of soldier people respected without question. That’s the kind of pilot I want to be.”

Her voice broke slightly, but she pushed on, her passion only growing stronger. 

“Aria Lock was more than just a pilot to me. She was the reason I joined this academy in the first place. When I was younger, I watched every bit of footage of her that I could find. Every mission she led, every win her team scored against mutants - she was protecting all of us, the Beehive, the people who couldn’t defend themselves. And she did it because she was good enough to stand alone, to be the best without leaning on anyone else. That’s what I wanted for myself. She may be gone now and my dream of joining her elite squad was crushed but I will become a pilot and do my best like she did.”

Sierra’s eyes darted toward Aria, still fresh off her impressive solo run in the VR simulation. She clenched her fists tighter, the anger returning, mixed with a deep-seated frustration. 

“This… Liana Hale... new girl is just some flashy show-off who lucked out on her first day and suddenly thinks she’s untouchable. But that’s not what makes a great pilot. It’s about grit and discipline, about pushing yourself past your limits day in and day out. I don’t want a partner who’ll make me feel like I’m in her shadow. I want to be a great pilot who can go toe-to-toe with people like Aria Lock, not just sit on their achievements.”

She took a shaky breath, her voice softening as she looked at Jacob.

 “I thought you understood that. We’ve been working at our training since you joined, and I thought we were aiming for the same thing.”

 She closed her eyes for a moment, swallowing her frustration.

“Anyway, sewer rat, you’re my pilot. I don’t need anyone else. If you think I’m going to just hand over my dreams to some showoff because she has a fancy score, you’re dead wrong. I want to be the one to fight by your side, pushing each other to be better, not relying on someone else’s skills to lift me. So don’t ever suggest something like that again. Got it?”

The room fell silent as West’s booming voice echoed through the VR chamber.

“Attention!” he shouted, his voice as sharp as a whip.

 The students scrambled into line, the remnants of their celebration dying instantly on their faces. West’s glare swept over them, cold and unforgiving.

“Now! Listen up!” he continued, "I am in an exceptionally bad mood after seeing today’s miserable display! What are you all celebrating for?! The fact that the new student saved your useless butts? That you’ll be running fewer laps?” He scoffed, looking each of them up and down with disappointment.

 “This is a disgrace! An embarrassment! You’re actually proud that someone else did your work for you?!”

West’s words came down like a hammer.

 “Let me make myself very clear. From now on, if you fail to score double what she just scored as a collective, then get ready for punishments even harsher than what I’ve given you so far! I am done playing nice with you all! The finals are in just a few months, and if you’re not up to par by then, you can forget about even touching real tank mechs! No field training, no placements - nothing!”

His glare intensified.

 “You think her score was amazing?! Well, let me break it to you - that’s the average score of any decent pilot! It’s nothing special! What you just watched her do was the bare minimum you’ll need to survive in real combat. And this was just a simulation against Tier 1 mutants! Tier 1, for god's sake! A level one scenario! Are you celebrating someone clearing the lowest level? It’s pathetic!”

A collective gasp rippled through the room as the weight of his words sank in. He didn’t let up, his gaze sharp and unforgiving.

 “You have one week. One week to double that score. If I don’t see a collective 400,000 on that damn monitor by then, it’s going to get a lot uglier around here. Mark my words!”

West’s face was a mask of iron as he folded his arms and shouted, “Now, I suggest you all step up your game or quit already!”