Masked (13 page)

“I can’t believe we’re going to
learn to freakin’ teleport tomorrow,” boomed Alex in his deep enthusiastic
voice as we were dressing down for the day. He was apparently very excited
about the prospect, but of course we all were.

The small area that served as the
men’s living quarters for the Titan basic training program was not much to write
home about, not that there was anyone to write home to. It was a cramped, one
roomed dorm with a set of three steel framed bunk beds and six large steel
lockers lining the walls. The walls were a flat muted grey and the flooring a
plain grey vinyl covered in a heavy coat of shiny polish. Attached to the room was
a bathroom also done in all grey, with two toilet stalls and a large shower
with two heads. The space smelt like the bleach we used to clean everything
with.

We were three weeks into the
training program and every one of those days had started and ended with the
same routine. Even though our speed, endurance and strength were well above
that of an average person, we still could work to increase those levels even
more. We started early and worked out the first hour on our own. I usually ran.
Even after a few weeks, it was still a thrill to glide over the track. I
couldn’t wait to get out in the open to run. I could only imagine the rush it
would give.

After the hour of fitness time,
we had a half hour to shower and gather for breakfast in a small room set up
with cafeteria style tables. There was always plenty of hot prepared food brought
in from the main facility cafeteria.

Although there were only seven of
us that ate each meal, there was probably enough food for a group of
twenty-five at each sitting. One thing we found was the more we used our
abilities, the more energy we required. It seemed the calories used in running
faster and exerting amplified strength increased in proportion with the
performance level.

In short, our intense training
schedule meant we had to eat a ton of calories to keep up our energy levels.
Most of us ate around 8,000 calories on a day when eating light. The great
thing about it was I could be a glutton and not have to pay for it. I’d never
have to worry about love handles when I was older.

After breakfast came a long nine
hour training session with a half hour for lunch and an hour for dinner before
we headed back to the living quarters. Meal times were relished by us. It was a
time where we could relax and try to enjoy conversation with each other,
sometimes being able to forget the situation we were in. It was the most normal
part of day, eating with the people who had become friends.

The girls had their own room on the
other side of the hall, so after dinner, we never saw them again until morning.
Although we were left to ourselves, we were restricted to the living quarters.
The rooms came with a box of paperbacks and for lack of anything better to
occupy the time before bed, I was able to pour through a good dozen or so of
them.

During that first week, we all
developed the strength and speed as promised. We spent most of the first week
learning how to control our newly acquired power, which proved to be more
difficult than I had expected. I’d assumed the use of the abilities would come
naturally but found, without the appropriate amount of focus to harness such power,
things could really get out of control.

The first time James tried to run,
using what we liked to call our ’super speed‘, he didn’t give himself enough
room to stop and ended up running directly into a concrete wall. There were
several similar incidents with all of us. I had an incident being over-zealous while
turning a doorknob.

Our first few weeks were focused
on learning tactical combat techniques, both hand to hand and with various
firearms and weapons. I was surprised how quickly we picked up on everything. One
would have thought we’d been professional soldiers just brushing up after a few
weeks’ holiday rather than post-comatose teens.

On the tactical firearms range,
we moved through a simulated conflict zone, and it didn’t take long before we could
all make it through, hitting each target without taking any lethal shots. Sara was
especially adept at adapting to and moving through the range. She had it nailed
after only two attempts.

Our hand to hand training was a
hybrid of several styles of martial arts. It only took the one demonstration
and a few rounds of sparing for each move to be ingrained in my mind. It was
that way with the others as well. In just a short time we were all sparing with
seemingly flawless technical expertise. The most difficult part was learning to
control the power put behind each punch or kick. Certain situations would call
for certain levels of force behind each blow. When we were facing each other, the
full force of our hits could be taken, but when we were to head out on missions,
we’d be facing others without our abilities. If we couldn’t pull back, each of
our hits could be lethal. The equipment we practiced with told us the force of
each hit and soon we had control.

The last part of our tactical
combat training, before moving into the espionage, subterfuge and technical aspects
of our training, was to be combat teleportation techniques. When Batton had first
announced this, I assumed he must be kidding, except that Batton never kidded
about anything. Matthew soon put that thought to rest as he demonstrated one of
the teleportation devices to us. One second he was standing in the middle of
the room and the next he was directly behind me. I thought he had disappeared
somehow, which in itself was incredible, until I felt a tap on my shoulder.

He explained the device consisted
of four bands, two around the ankles and two around the wrists of the operator.
One of the wrist bands held a digital control device to enter settings and
activate the PTD. Matthew explained that once activated, an energy field connected
the four bands, creating a temporary artificial wormhole, to take the wearer
instantly to their destination.

He explained it was a top secret highly
advanced technology not available to anyone but our group. The designs for the technology
were experimental and a working model was not expected for decades. Titan got a
hold of the theory and early attempts at design and was able to develop the
technology. The devices could give our group an obvious advantage in the field.
The next day was the first day we’d get to try the PTD’s.

“You may want to make sure you
ask the wall before you decide to teleport into it tomorrow,” said Alex with a
smile.

James rolled his eyes. “Very
funny.”

“I found it pretty funny,” I said.

I had just finished showering and
was getting dressed into a fresh pair of grey PT uniforms. We had plenty of
clothes to wear but only two varieties, the black fatigues and those.

“I don’t know about you guys, but
I am starting to get a bit cabin feverish being locked up with you three each
night. Don’t get me wrong, I like you guys, but come on. There are three girls who
are more interesting and definitely more attractive than any of you just across
the hall, probably as bored as we are. What would it hurt to just wander over
and see what there up to,” I proposed to the guys.

“Come on. You just want an excuse
to go see Sara at a time she’s not kicking your butt on the range or all over
the ring,” accused Alex.

I shrugged not denying the
allegation.

James piped in. “I don’t think that’s
a good idea.”

“Yeah, there’s a reason we’re not
supposed to be out,” added Brian.

“Like what?” I asked.

No one could provide an answer.

“Well I’m in,” said Alex.
“Besides, what are they going to do? Fire us?”

“Just don’t get caught. I’m going
to bed,” said Brian.

Alex shrugged. “Your loss man.”

James didn’t say anything else,
but looked irritated. That wasn’t unusual for James. He’d made comments on
several occasions about our
cavalier attitudes
, as he put it, about the
training. He felt most of us weren’t taking the training seriously enough. He
couldn’t see how we could joke around so much in such a serious situation.

The truth was jokes and
lightheartedness were all we had to keep us sane. I’d lay in bed most nights,
not able to shut off my thoughts which turned and spun in wonder about who I
really was and all I’d lost. I was being trained to be a soldier. Soon I’d been
sent out on missions. The consequences of that scared me. I needed humor and sarcasm
to keep my thoughts as occupied as possible.

“Are you coming?” I asked James.

“No thanks. I take this training
seriously. Going on a panty raid doesn’t fall under my definition of serious,”
he said and walked into the bathroom.

Alex flashed a wide grin. “Panties?
You never mentioned that part. Let’s get going.” He set off in an exaggerated
stride to the door.

James was an okay enough guy. He just
didn’t know how to loosen up. He was always so tightly wound which made it hard
to get close to him. Also, I thought he had a thing for Sara and was a little green-eyed
of how she and I, for lack of a better word, interacted with one another.

Sara and I had developed a
closeness, a real bond with each other. It wasn’t that I hadn’t developed a
friendship with everyone, we were kind of forced to by how much we were
together every day, but Sara and I had a little more than that. I understood
her and she understood me. We’d clicked early on and were drawn together.

The unfortunate thing was all our
time was taken. There was little to no opportunity to be alone with her, to be
able to talk with her, just us. All we had was time during training or meals,
with the rest of the group. The only way we had to communicate our affection was
in the way we interacted with or looked at each other while in the company of
others. There’d been no verbal proclamations of our affection, but it was
something understood in our playful interactions.

No one ever said anything, except
for random comments from Alex, alluding to the relationship, but I think it was
quite obvious to the others how we felt for each other. Alex was right; I did
want to get some time with Sara. I really wanted some time to just talk with her,
alone. I was hoping to get the opportunity that night.

Alex and I went across the hall
and knocked on the girls’ door. I felt like we were sneaking over to the girl’s
cabin at summer camp. I had no memory of going to summer camp, but thought I
must have had that experience at some point in order to be able to draw upon it,
or at least I saw a movie about it.

“Who is it?” asked a voice. I recognized
it as Emily’s.

Before I had a chance to answer,
Alex said, in his deep voice, “we come seeking asylum from the utter monotony
of our bunk mates.”

Alex wasn’t at all what my
initial impression of him had been. He was hilarious and helped keep everything
tolerable.

There was a laugh from behind the
door and when it opened Emily peered out. “What are you guys doing

“We just needed a change of
company,” I said.

She looked hesitantly thoughtful.
“I don’t know… if Batton catches us…”

“Batton, smatton. It’s unnatural
to not let us interact with each other. We’re all hormonal teens needing the
company of the opposite sex to stay sane. It seems reasonable to me,” I said
dismissing her concern.

Another face appeared at the
door. It was Sara’s. “What’s going on? Did you finally work up the nerve to
sneak me out of here?” she asked not beating around the bush.

“Well, that depends on what your
response would be if I had.”

“Well, let’s just say you propose
that Alex come in here and entertain my bunkmates while I accompany you to the
training room. Let’s also say I agree to your proposal,” suggested Sara.

“What are we waiting for then?” I
said as I took her by the hand and headed towards the main training area.

I looked back to see if Alex was
okay with me abandoning him and his grin and thumbs up confirmed he was just
fine. I think that was the first time I’d ever seen Emily looking irritated
though.

Sara was a beaming light of
beauty, cutting into the dimness of the corridor. She was wearing the same grey
uniform as I but she wore it so much better. She’d look great in anything
though. Her wet golden hair was put up in a ponytail and her face was still a
little red from the hot shower she must have just had. Since the facility was
underground, there were no windows to let in light from the moon, but at night
the corridors and different rooms were kept lit by dim emergency lights. We
didn’t say anything as we walked, but her touch and smile said all I needed.

We ended up at a far corner of
the main training area and had a seat on a stack of soft mats. Since it was a
large room, the light was dimmer, especially in that particular corner.

We sat in silence for several
minutes, side by side. The comfort I felt from the warmth of her body leaning
against me was incredible. I could smell the soap we all used on her body and
in her hair. It somehow smelt different on her, so much better, so enticing. We’d
never been alone together and I was initially at a loss at what to say. Should
I make a move?