Aeon Legion: Labyrinth (17 page)

Terra got in line with the
rest. The first optio used his shieldwatch to generate a glowing ring
that passed over Terra clockwise before disappearing.

“State saved. Move along,”
he said.

Terra walked up to the next
one.

“Name?” the woman asked.

“Terra Mason,” Terra said.

The
optio touched a holoface on her shieldwatch and a ring formed over
Terra again. It swept around, changing her uniform. Her name now
appeared on the sides of her uniform's upper arms while the word
tiro
was in front of it. The last optio pointed to a group of recruits
near the end who stood in a square formation.

“You are in Decennary
twelve,” he said.

Terra
walked over to the group he pointed to. They stood on a square
labeled with the numeral
XII
.
She stood on the back corner.

Moments later, Nikias walked
over to the formation while chatting with an optio. Nikias wasn't as
tall as Terra had expected. Terra thought his lean build and scars
combined to give him a savage look. He wore a uniform with the same
design as the training uniform save for the emblem on his upper arm.
Over the formfitting uniform, he wore armor pads of the same design
as Alya's. Terra thought that now Nikias looked like a Spartan.

“These are your groups,
centurion,” the optio said, gesturing to several poorly formed
squares of recruits.

Nikias sighed after looking at
the group. “I swear they get worse every year. All right. Form
ranks!”

The recruits shuffled around
while Nikias shoved those who were out of place into formation. Terra
settled into her corner with little trouble. She got a closer look at
Nikias as he passed. His scar looked different up close. It was an x
shaped scar on his cheek. She could have sworn it was different the
first time she saw him.

One recruit saluted Nikias.
“Sir. My name is Th–“

“I'll learn your name if you
last more than a month,” Nikias interrupted. “Now stand at
attention and remain silent.”

The recruit did so.

After a moment, Nikias
stiffened to stand at attention. Terra glanced to the other
centurions who also visibly tensed. When Terra looked to the distant
stage, she saw why. Lycus walked up on the distant stage overlooking
the courtyard. He surveyed the recruits with a cold, expressionless
face.

After a moment, Lycus grinned
his wolfish snarl. Like Nikias, he wore armor over his uniform though
Terra couldn't make out the details at this distance. The armor did
not make him look any less intimidating. He paced back and forth on
the stage in a slow methodical step like a beast before a lunge. When
he spoke, his tone was calm but carried a savage edge as it echoed.
“As of this moment I am your enemy. You are all now accepted into
the program at the rank of tiro so you must observe saluting protocol
when needed. Keep in mind, though, that you are not a legionnaire yet
and my goal is to make sure you do not become one. You are unworthy
of this highest of all honors.”

Lycus turned, pacing the other
way with soft, controlled footsteps. “During this training I will
find a reason to eliminate each and every one of you. However, if you
perform well you will receive points. Points may be exchanged for
gear and other perks. You need one point each week or you will be
dismissed from the program. You will need a lot of points to get into
the Labyrinth, the final exam for every tiro.”

He paused for a moment while
his eyes searched the crowd “Any of your instructors can also take
away points if they wish, including me. Spend them wisely.”

After a moment Lycus moved to
the center of the stage again. “This will be the hardest thing you
ever do in your life. Every day your numbers will dwindle whether
through voluntarily resignation or failure. You may give up at any
time by discarding your shieldwatch at the base of the pillar in the
central courtyard. Then we will let everyone know you gave up.”

As
if on cue, a holoface appeared near Terra's shieldwatch. She looked
to see a picture and name of another recruit. There was a fair amount
of text detailing his age, sex, height, weight, and biographical
information. A flashing red line above his name caught Terra's
attention. It read
Terminated
from program due to tardiness. Arrived twelve seconds late to
training.

More holofaces appeared with
each saying the same.

Lycus pointed to several
tirones who the optios escorted to the pillar. There they discarded
their shieldwatches in front of everyone. Those who hesitated drew
glares from the optios who gripped their own aeon edges. None
challenged the optios.

Lycus then dismissed the
holoface. “Yes. We will eliminate you from the program if you are
even a second late in any part of the training. We are not like a
normal army. They enforce discipline. Here you must already have it.
Now if by some miracle you make it to the end of the program, you
will undergo the twelve trials of the Labyrinth. This is the final
test of the Aeon Legion. Amongst those standing next to you, only a
handful will make to the Labyrinth. Of those, one in twelve will die
there.”

There was a moment of silence.

He grinned. “We don't train
soldiers here. We forge heroes! Now, let's begin the eliminations.”

∞

They followed Nikias to an
open area. It had circular concrete floor encircled by a wall with
twelve spires like an arena. It reminded Terra of the structure she
and Alya had used to enter the city. Above them hovered a large ring
half the diameter of the wall. A metal catwalk circled around the
edge with ramps at every spire that led down to the concrete floor.
The open area could fit a large building inside of it.

Nikias touched a holoface and
a glowing ring descended from the metal halo floating above. As it
descended it transformed the flat concrete floor into a shallow pool
still slick with large clumps of thick mud. Foul smelling sludge
bubbled to the surface and Terra could see things moving in it. Oil
slicks floated in patches, discoloring the water in many areas.

The tirones stared in awe of
the transformation. Terra put her hand in the air, feeling a light
breeze from the edge of the arena. Terra wondered how a salient could
even simulate weather within a localized area.

Nikias replicated a handful of
silver coins and scattered them. They sank into the noxious mud.
“Welcome to the salient, an arena that can recall any area in Time.
This first day has three trials that must be attempted. Every trial
is optional. You must pass one test. The first trial starts now. All
you have to do is to try to find one of these,” he said as he held
up a silver coin before flipping it into the mud.

The tirones exchanged glances.
Terra noted they were a varied group that stood in a semi circle
around Nikias. Although each wore the Legion's training uniform, most
also had armor or clothing from what Terra guessed was their native
time. She assumed it wasn't forbidden so long as a recruit wore their
training uniform underneath their native garb. One tall and muscled,
dark skinned man held a patched hide shield in one hand and a short
spear in the other. She thought he was a Zulu Impi warrior, but
wasn't sure.

Terra found herself surprised
to find as many women here as men. One girl who Terra guessed was a
Native America wore a red bandanna on her head with a leather vest
and a knife on her belt. Another fair skinned Celtic girl stood out
with intricate blue tattoos on her face and arms while her hair was
bleached white and styled into spikes. But, an Asian girl who wore
the training uniform with no other weapons or armor stood out. This
made Terra feel a little better about not having a weapon for
herself. When Terra visited the armory, they had said she could only
bring weapons with her into the training she had already trained
with, which for her was nothing.

A tall tiro stepped forward.
Terra recognized him as the young man named Vand who had walked out
of Lycus's office a day before. He took one look at the mud and shook
his head. “I will not wallow in filth and anyone who does is an
idiot. I'll pass.”

Many nodded in agreement.

Vand looked to Nikias. “We
can just do the next one if we want right?”

Nikias shrugged. “I said
they are optional.”

Terra's gaze narrowed. Had she
missed something? Lycus had said the training would be brutal. Why
was this test optional? Still, that pool of muck smelled awful and
she would hate to think what lived in it. Perhaps she should skip
this one and wait for the next test?

Nikias glanced at the tirones
before checking his shieldwatch. “Well I better go get the other
groups started. I'll be back soon.”

Terra gathered her courage and
stepped into the mud. After all, Nikias hadn't said she needed to
find a coin, only try. Years spent in a dusty quarry made her not
mind getting dirty. She sank knee deep after a few steps. Laughter
and a few chuckles came from behind as she waded waste deep. It
reeked much worse when up close and she could see worms and other
small creatures wiggling in the cesspool.

Vand laughed, pointing at
Terra. “Look at the piggy wallow the mud!”

Terra ignored him. Instead she
focused on the center most point of the pool. That's where most of
the coins had landed. However, when she drew close to the middle, the
pool deepened, coming up to her neck. She would have to do this the
unpleasant way. Holding her breath, she sank down into the water.

She reached down with her
hands, probing along the bottom for metal. Her fingers brushed
against something hard and smooth before grabbing it. She gasped when
breaking the surface. After coughing out the foul tasting water and
almost vomiting, she held up the shiny silver coin.

By the time she drew near the
shore, others now waded into the muddy, viscous water. Most went
waste deep, trying to avoid dunking their heads under and hoping to
get lucky.

Terra walked onto the metal
ramp, the weight of the mud slowing her pace. She then stood to the
side, letting the mud drip off of her while examining the coin. When
Terra looked up, panic shot through her upon seeing Vand stare at her
coin with hungry eyes.

Vand looked over his shoulder
for Nikias and smirked when he realized they were alone. He shifted
his attention to Terra and walked over while cracking his knuckles.
“I want that coin, piggy. You will give it to me now.”

Terra squeezed her grip around
the coin, glaring at Vand. “Why would I do that jerk?”

Vand towered over Terra.
“Because I can kill you without much effort. Besides, I'm doing you
a favor. Everyone here can see you don't belong. You'll be dusted in
a day.”

“Dusted?”

Vand gestured as though
throwing a handful of dust in the air. “Dusted. Done. Washed out.
Failed. You will fail, losing your chance at immortality and die of
old age. Die and turn to dust. These people are looking for a real
soldier, a killer like me. You're just some fat little civvy from a
cushy time in history. I'm a Helcian Shock Trooper, cybernetically
augmented and bio engineered to be the perfect soldier. But you? I've
pulled bugs out of my boots more intimidating than you. So why don't
you give me that coin and it will pay me to not gut you.”

Terra clenched her fist
tightening her grip on the coin while she weighed her options. Vand
was not as terrifying as Lycus, but he stood taller than her and wore
impressive looking armor. Futuristic metallic blue armor covered his
torso, forearms, and lower legs. At his side he carried a complex
baton device that Terra guessed was a high tech melee weapon. She
regretted not having a weapon herself. Regardless, she wouldn't give
Vand the coin. She knew giving bullies what they wanted only
encouraged them to take more. “No.”

Vand's brow raised.

Terra shook her head. “I
won't let some bully push me around. I have dealt with people like
you before. Go pick on someone else. You will get nothing from me.”

Vand shrugged and shoved Terra
to the ground. Terra rolled on the ground face down and tried to push
herself up when she felt a boot press against her neck.

“Move and I will snap your
spine,” he said in a bored tone. He leaned down and twisted Terra's
wrist until the coin rolled free. He grabbed it up and shuffled it
between his fingers. “Now if you tell the instructor that I stole
this coin I will–”

“Picking on the runt
already?” Nikias said from behind Vand.

Vand grinned before taking his
boot off of Terra's neck. “I was just showing this recruit some of
my many martial art moves.”

Terra stood and pointed at
Vand. “This jerk stole my coin!”

Nikias nodded. “Well that's
unfortunate. What are you going to do about it?”

Terra stared at Nikias in
disbelief. “Shouldn't you make him give it back?”