When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (49 page)

             
“Wingman
?”
She raised her eyebrows.

             
Cameron dropped his fork dramatically
.“
Exactly. That kind of reaction could get us both killed. Or at the very least, keep me from getting laid. Tha
t’
s why these drills are so key
.
”

             
“Yo
u’
re an idiot
,”
she said with a smile
.“
Why do I still hang out with you
?
”

             
He made a face
.“
Um, saved your life? And
I’
m ridiculously good-looking
.”
He turned his head
.“
Seriously, look at these cheekbones. Like a Greek god
.
”

             
That made her laugh. She put a napkin to her mouth, turning red
.“
You want to catch a movie after this? I saw the theater got something new in
.
”

             
“New? Well, then we should conduct a recon, make sure it does
n’
t have any of that foul language or smut. It would
n’
t be right to leave that to an impressionable cadet
.”
He stood, striking a heroic pose
.“
W
e’
ll watch it, so they wo
n’
t have to
.
”

             
Kaileen tugged on his shirt
.“
Sit down, Superman.
I’
m still eating
.
”

             
He dropped back into his chair
.“
I know
.”
He popped another forkful of dry melon into his mouth
.“
I was just making a wildly ridiculous point
.
”

-                           
III                            -

              The day had gone to schedule, and now the candidates all sat in the small auditorium they had set up for lectures. Josh took his place on the side of the hall, his phone on his desk. Sasha stood near the door, smoking a cigarette. Dax settled into the seat next to his new LT, sighing deeply.

             
“I do
n’
t think
I’
ve ever been this sore
.
”

             
Josh rolled his eyes
.“
This is worse than grudgeball
?
”

             
Dax nodded
.“
I never had to have endurance like this. Or pull three-a-days.
I’
m exhausted
.”
He drank from a bottle of water
.“
At least the weather is pretty mild. If we were running ourselves like this on Kronos, my lungs would explode
.
”

             
“That would have been something to see. And from what I hear, winter can be a bitch
.”
Josh tapped on his phone, opening the note taking application
.“
What do you think this class is going to be? More tactics
?
”

             
The big man shrugged
.“
Honestly, this whole thing has been weird from day one. I was expecting...well, I do
n’
t know what I was expecting. Just not this. The workouts, sure, but hours of class every day? The chambers? And we have
n’
t even been to the field yet
.
”

             
“And why only take seven soldiers? Are
n’
t they expecting some sort of attrition
?
”

             
Dax made a face
.“I’
m going to start charging you for all these big words. Yo
u’
ve been a louie for two weeks and already I ca
n’
t understand you
.
”

             
“
I’
m serious, Dax. This does
n’
t add up. W
e’
ve been here a few days and we still do
n’
t know why we were chosen and not the rest of the battalion. Our individual scores were good, but not the best. I was
n’
t even in the top ten
.
”             

             
Alexa moved from her chair across the room to sit next to her squadmates
.“
I think I know why
.”
Josh looked at her quizzically
.“
Because w
e’
re awesome. I mean, to go from losing the entire unit to taking down every other soldier
?
”

             
“Actually
,”
Josh said
.“
We missed two scouts from Delta who were lost in the field. They basically spent the last week wandering around the training area
.
”

             
Alexa hit his shoulder
.“
Does
n’
t matter. We won, so we get the prize
.
”

             
“
I’
m just not sure this is a prize we want
.
”

             
Markov walked into the room and the soldiers stood. He motioned for them to be seated and took his position at the lectern. His usual exuberance was replaced with a somber and distant face. H
e’
d been dreading this particular speech since the beginning of his stay on Kronos, but it could
n’
t be put off any longer. Now, staring at these seven warriors, he regretted what had to come next.

             
“All right, candidates
.”
He smiled, but there was nothing behind it
.“
Today is the first step in your new training program. Everything yo
u’
ve done over the last two weeks was part of orientation. The physical fitness will of course continue, and will become progressively more difficult as time goes on
.”
The group groaned as one
.“
Do
n’
t worry, you will become hardened warriors. We just do
n’
t want to take the challenge away yet.

             
“I know that we did
n’
t get off on the best foot. I had to tell your commanders some white lies to bring you all the way out here. And, as
I’
m sure most of you can guess from the surroundings, there are
n’
t any more special-forces soldiers here to train you. In fact, almost all of your combat classes are civilian led. Granted, each one of my staff has more combat experience than you all combined, but I digress. Ten years ago, I made the mistake of trying to build a suit that required a super soldier to operate. Now, with your help, we are going to make super soldiers
.
”

             
Josh looked around, suddenly worried. He did
n’
t see any guards materialize out of the walls, nor any men in white lab coats rushing toward him with a syringe
.“
Doc, what does that mean
?
”

             
Markov smiled at his favorite student
.“
There will be no surgeries, if tha
t’
s what yo
u’
re wondering. Nor any biological modifications. In fact, you will remain yourselves in every way. I do
n’
t want to take anything from you.
I’
m going to add something to you
.”
He held up a small glass vial containing a silver and blue liquid
.“
My failure was trying to incorporate a SQUID interface on soldiers who had never had to use their brains in such a way. Thankfully, a new solution has presented itself, and in an antiquated technology. Does anyone know what this is
?
”

             
Pierre Roman raised his hand. H
e’
d been born in rural Jon du Rang
e—
a French colony on New Ede
n—
and his thick accent had
n’
t faded with age
.“
That is a sample of nanomachines
.
”

             
“Correct
,”
Markov said
.“
Old-school, as they say. But nanomachines are the perfect tool to allow you, organic creatures, to interact with the final design. And we wo
n’
t just use them for communicating with equipment. These robots are programmed to replicate your cells if they are damaged, enabling them to instantly repair cuts, bruises, broken bones and even gunshots wounds. In fact, it may even be possible for them to regrow lost limbs
.
”

             
Josh did
n’
t like the sound of that. Something about a robot trying to build an arm out of nothing disturbed him.

             
“Your muscles will grow faster, and your synapsis will react to data almost instantly. No one will ever sneak up on you again, as your senses will be heightened dramatically. All of this is based off of enhancing abilities you already posses, rather than trying to redesign your bodies like some aftermarket Frankenstein creation
.”
He paused, gauging the soldier
s’
reactions. Thus far, no one had called him a monster and run away, so things were going better than planned
.“I’
m sure you all are full of questions. I intend to answer most today, though there are still secrets that must be kept. I will say up front that there is a reason we chose only seven of you. The power that will come with these suits is extraordinary, and of the hundreds of soldiers we tested, you were among the top scorers in our psychological exams. Only you seemed capable of taking on such a daunting responsibility. Also, despite how old this technology may seem, each dose is remarkably expensive.

             
“However
,”
he said, his face sympathetic
,“
I cannot force someone to subject themselves to this kind of treatment. Therefore I am offering you an out. Thus far has been a test for you, to show you the level of dedication needed to succeed. The implantation process is not painless, and the road to recovery will require you to relearn how your limbs function. And once the nanomachines are inside of you, there is no going back. Removal is almost impossible, and there are inherent risks in every step. I promise you, though. If you stay here, you will become the greatest assets the Colonial Federate has ever known
.
”

             
Alexa raised her hand first. Josh smiled. She was always the first to volunteer, and the first to question.

             
“What is the procedure like
?
”

             
Markov looked off into the distance, weighing his response
.“
You will all be taken to the medical ward of this facility. Yo
u’
ll need to fast for 24 hours and take six full programs of antibiotics followed by immunosuppressants. We will introduce the nanomachines over the course of seven to ten hours, depending on your body size, and then wait for the results
.
”

             
“What about the Master Controller
?”
Pierre asked. Of the candidates he was the oldest, and the only one with a P.H.D.

             
The doc did
n’
t miss a beat. In fact he looked pleased that someone understood the process
.“
Each of you will be assigned an MCU. For those of you unfamiliar with modern cyber-organics, the MCU acts as the liaison between your mind and the trillions of machines inside you. The masters are loaded with unique AI personalities matched by psychology
.
”

             
Liane raised her tiny hand
.“
Is that safe
?
”