Into the barracks

Time was running out like sand through an hourglass. I needed to become stronger, and quickly. The General’s decision was clear: proceed with the remaining serum to create an elite army of one hundred super soldiers. Meanwhile, Number One persisted in his efforts to extract the serum from my body. Despite his concerns about the potentially lethal dose I had consumed, my body was recovering well from the battle with Randy.

I remained confined to the research wings of Fort Vanguard. With little else to do, I could only study to pass the time. One day, while engrossed in studying fighting techniques, a sudden bolt of agony tore through my body. My world collapsed into a blinding white noise, followed by darkness. I fell unconscious, only to awaken in a vivid nightmare that lasted three days.

When I finally emerged from the mental prison, I opened my eyes to a sterile room surrounded by unfamiliar faces. Among them stood Dr. Ernest, a figure from my father’s past. He had worked with my father at the CosCap research facility. His gaze was icy, his demeanor hostile.

“So, you’re Cipher. Why on earth did he give you such a name?” he asked, his voice a grating rasp, “Your father spoke of you often. Are you aware that the world is on the brink of destruction, and it’s all your father’s fault?”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Fredrick Silver committed the highest form of treason,” he began. “He stole from me and betrayed the entire world. He rushed to complete an experiment that would have taken centuries, killing hundreds in the process. Now he’s fleeing back here after wounding n animal he couldn’t kill. If anyone is the enemy, it’s him—not the Vodocks!”

I wasn’t surprised by his accusations against my father. After the explosion, all of my father’s friends turned against our family. Although, it was astonishing that Dr. Ernest, a man I barely knew, would wait for me to wake up just to insult him.

I had the power to silence him instantly, but that would only confirm his claims. Hearing him accuse my father of causing the impending war made me want to strike him. Yet, after the incident with Randy’s grandmother, I had vowed never to hurt anyone again. I was torn in two: one part of me was hollow, devoid of guilt or regret, while the other sought a peaceful way to achieve my goal—defeating the Vodocks and atoning for taking the nine vials.

“Ernest! What do you think you’re doing?” Dr. Priya intervened, another of my father’s colleagues. “Don’t listen to him! No one knows what truly happened that day. But one thing I’m certain of is that your father was a good man. I don’t know why he did what he did, but I’m sure he had a good reason.”

Her words stung like salt in an open wound. She, too, believed my father was responsible for the deaths of hundreds in the building.

A sense of emotional numbness washed over me. The dark part of my consciousness grew stronger with each passing moment. Was it a protective mechanism? I was still in denial about certain truths, blinded by the arrogance that comes with power.

I recalled what had happened during those three days when I lay trapped in the sterile prison of my mind. It was a battleground of memories, where a dark cloud intertwined with reality and my past, threatening to erase my identity.

To avoid causing trouble, I left and returned to my room. As I walked through the hallways, I felt it—my senses had become even more amplified since waking up. I wondered if it was a side effect of not sleeping for days. To cope with the overwhelming flood of sensory information, I chose to wear blackout glasses, effectively blinding myself to avoid being overwhelmed.

A few days later, the General could no longer wait. Number One, having failed to extract the serum from my body, determined that my life was not in danger. That’s when the General decided to give me a chance to fight, assigning me to a special fourteen-member Class-X squadron. It was a newly formed group of non-military personnel, created as he began preparing his army for the serum injections. A series of training exercises commenced to select the top one hundred soldiers for the Planetary Defense Project.

The air was crisp and unyielding as I stepped onto the sprawling training grounds of Fort Vanguard, where I had been staying for the past few weeks. Rows of barracks, training fields, and other facilities stretched as far as the eye could see, each radiating an aura of disciplined order. The rhythmic sound of marching boots echoed, a testament to the relentless routine of military life.

A mix of apprehension and determination coursed through me. This was a stark contrast to the chaotic, ill-defined battles I’d fought with Randy. Here, structure and hierarchy reigned supreme, demanding unwavering obedience. I knew this environment would test me in ways I had never imagined.

Each squadron had its own barracks. I arrived at ours and found that the others had already settled in. The General showed me the file for our squadron. Two members, Captain Agatha Cook and Dmitry Petrov, a Russian soldier, were military personnel. The rest were either non-military or ex-military.

The other members included William Cage, also known as Fist of Steel, a retired boxer; Fujibayashi Yukio, a swordsman from Japan; Abdu Wardak, an elite mercenary from Afghanistan; Drake Wilson, a former detective and genius marksman; Billie and Bill-Board, South Korean twins who were both ex-military and MMA fighters; Sane, an assassin; Zack Vaughn, the son of a billionaire; Loid Anderson, a lawyer; and Diego Castro, a mathematician. Finally, there were two extras: myself and another member who had yet to arrive.

The barracks consisted of a storage area, a separate room, and a sleeping quarter with rows of beds—a microcosm of the regimented life we were now part of.

Before I could even greet the others, a strong-looking woman entered abruptly. She was beautiful but strangely intimidating, even to me with my newfound power. Upon seeing her uniform, we realized she was a captain, and everyone stood at attention.

This marked the beginning of my transformation into a soldier. A surge of adrenaline rushed through my veins. I now stood before the people I would fight alongside to defend our planet. A mix of emotions coursed through me, but excitement rose above them all. The countdown had begun.