I’ve lost track of how long it’s been since we left home. The faces of friends and family left behind, blurred. The name of the girl I loved is blank. Old dreams of four children left to turn to dust. The endless river of memories said to flow forever until the day my life ends has dried out; not even a drop remains. We have an older appearance and physically we became well built. We still look human, but that could be brought to question if we were to run into someone of the same species. Our journey began with bright smiles, laughter, excitement for the adventure traveling throughout the stars and getting upgrades implanted within our being. The only thing I can remember clearly is how it all started, with our first interaction with those of the Orinimus Order.

It was spring break and we decided to spend it traveling throughout the states. The four of us were practically brothers, inseparable, young, filled with hope. Ramone, Caleb and I were around the same age, seventeen and eighteen. Grey was the adult of our group--the big brother, twenty-one years old. We were strolling through a town, though I fail to remember the name, I can remember the streets filled with a decent amount of people, there weren’t any skyscrapers, and each store was filled with souvenirs and local delights.

Caleb had on a white button up t-shirt with navy blue skinny jeans, his eyes were crystal blue, able to be noticed no matter how light or dark our surroundings were. His hair was short and brown, very messy with no effort put into its style. Ramone had on an oversized black t-shirt with 2pac on the cover and wore red and black basketball shorts. His hispanic heritage was something that made him stand out in our group but he fit in no matter the circumstances. His hair was black and curly, and would always be in a slight afro style. Grey wore a star wars shirt and beige cargo shorts. I wore a gray t-shirt with the name “S.T.A.R Labs” from the popular series The Flash written in blue and blue jeans, my hair was a bright blonde with some brown mixed in, and my eyes were a dark green, almost blue in a way. 

Ramone would constantly grab the attention of people passing by and ask them the most unnecessary questions that I simply wouldn’t ask a stranger. Caleb would go on to  continue with the jokes and the two would laugh uncontrollably. Grey would try to get the two under control and to stop bothering people. I was admiring the old style of the town, the buildings would simply feel out of place with all the neon lights in the background advertising shows and fairs going on in the distance. 

Horse-drawn carriages would pass by on occasion and the two would mimic the sounds of a horse  like they were toddlers. While they were distracted, Grey and I bought ice cream and refused to tell the two where we bought it. 

While we were walking, we would laugh at most of the topics we’d bring up to the point our faces would ache each time we smiled. As we laughed, we suddenly heard a loud THUD come from behind us, making us jump. We turn to see Ramone, collapsed on the ground, no response to anything we say. We checked to see what happened and couldn’t find any sign of injury, he was out cold. Almost immediately after Ramone fell, Caleb followed. I looked at Grey who seemed to be freaking out and looking at our surroundings. I did the same and noticed the streets were suddenly empty, void of anyone as if they all turned invisible. Grey collapsed shortly after causing slight panic within my mind. My eyes continuously darted all over the place to see if we were being hit by something. The world suddenly became blurry and my balance became weaker before it all went black.

When I woke up, my vision was still hazy and it felt as if my entire body was spinning endlessly. I could hear voices of people nearby echoing in my head as I tried to regain my full consciousness when I began to get a clear picture of my surroundings. The area around me was made up of gray metals as well as tables covered with lights and technology. The sound of beeps and low hums would fill my ears as the voices became more clear to me.

I looked to my right and was greeted by Grey’s pale white skin suspended in air looking nauseous. To my left was Caleb and Ramone who were talking to each other about the room and how they’re gonna try and put on a playlist with the most out of pocket music they could find. I continued to glance around the room and noticed a few more things that definitely weren’t common back home: Holograms, labels with letters that don’t even exist in our world, and a large window with a view of our planet in front of us. That last one caught my eye the most before the sound of a door sliding open came from the end of the room.

From the other side entered three lizard-like creatures with four arms, three fingers on each, perfectly flat teeth, reptilian eyes, glossy skin, four eyes and wearing nothing but coats you would see scientists wear in movies. The only things that  distinguished them from lizards were the fact they stood seven feet tall and lacked tails. Thankfully they didn’t seem to have any visible reproductive organs or else I definitely wouldn’t be able to look at lizards the same again.

They spoke in a way we couldn’t even comprehend a single letter they spoke, it was as if they used pronunciations and letters that don’t even exist. One pointed at us while talking to its associate before all six of their eyes were on us. The main one sighed and walked over to what I assumed was the control panel and began pushing buttons. Behind the four of us, a tube with a needle at the end would begin to slither up to our necks and shove the thin needle into the nape of our necks. It was a pain we never experienced before; it felt as if we weren’t able to breathe while the needle tried to pierce through our bodies and kill us. The burning wasn’t even something I thought of as the sensation of my throat growing tighter until my neck snaps spread throughout my upper body.

The pain would only grow more intense as time went on. I could feel an urge to vomit but feared it would only add onto it. As everything began growing dark and I could no longer breathe, my neck felt cold. It was as if an ice pack was placed on the insertion. We were released from our suspension and fell to the floor. I gasped for air and waited for my vision to slowly restore itself. I held my throat as if I were just choking. What felt like ten minutes was only three seconds but I can still remember the feeling every time something touches that spot on my neck. 

A strong, annoyed voice barely gave us time to catch our breath, “Hey, can you understand us now?”

A second voice chimed in, sounding soft and concerned, “Be patient, can’t you see they were in a great deal of pain?”

“Are you kidding me? That one was already pale before we installed the translator. They’re over exaggerating.”

The third one, visibly annoyed with the strong-voiced lizard, started talking in an attempt to silence the sassy lizard, “Their species is known to be…squishy. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they haven’t experienced something like a translator installation yet,” the lizard looked at us, “Sorry about my associate, he’s known for his temper and lack of a joyful personality. I believe proper introductions are in order. My name is Wyre Droi, a scientist who works for the Orinimus Order. These two are my underlings: the one who was more polite is Erveq Tryng, a first year at the academy on our home planet, Kryn.”

“I’m currently studying the biology of multiple species across the galaxy as well as the doctor on this vessel. Since humans are a relatively small and rare species, meeting you is quite an astounding step in my progression.”

“And finally, Hyrran Kor. While he isn’t taking any scientific courses, he’s a renowned fighter and is studying to be a guard for the royal family. He was sent here as our bodyguard and to gain some more knowledge on other planets and cultures.”

“Hurmf,” Hyrran grunted

It seemed like Hyrran wasn’t one for conversations that didn’t involve insulting someone.

“Now, if you don’t mind. Would you like to introduce yourselves as well?”

The four of us exchanged looks to see who would go first without throwing up. After a minute, Hyrran got fed up with waiting and pointed his finger at me, “speak” he said in a demanding voice.

I took a moment to catch my breath before starting, “my name is Aidan Wright, I’m currently in my fourth year of high school and currently planning on possible universities to attend.”

Hyrran didn’t seem too impressed with my introduction so I continued, “I’m seventeen years old, and my hobbies include writing, playing video games, light exercise, and occasionally my uncle would take me to train with firearms.” He seemed satisfied with that so the other three based their introductions on mine.

“My name is Grey Corvidae, I’m twenty-one, in my first year of college, I watch as many sci-fi movies and tv shows as I can, and have a decent amount of knowledge on weapons.”

“I’m Caleb Walker, seventeen years old, I work out every day, I work at a restaurant--”

“Fast food,” Ramone adds.

“I work at a restaurant, I currently have a girlfriend, and can cook--”

Ramone interrupts again, “Only food you like.”

“Are you gonna keep interrupting me like that?”

“Hey, you’re the one that isn’t being completely honest about themself. I’m just trying to give them an accurate response,” I could see Ramone holding back his laughter.

“Anyways, saving the best for last,” Ramone cleared his throat, “My name is Ramone Moreno, I dropped out of high school to pursue my career as a rapper--”

“You barely release music. And even when you do it isn’t even as good as you make it out to be.”

“Caleb,” I decided it would be best to stop him now.

“What? So he can say whatever he wants about what I say but I can’t do that with him?”

“What Ramone said was light hearted, you’re making it personal. Even if his music isn’t great, he can still improve.”

Ramone looked as if he couldn’t tell if I was insulting or standing up for him. I signaled for him to continue with his introduction.

“As I was saying, I dropped out in order to pursue my career, I spend my free time playing video games or going to the mall and every girl I meet is just someone who doesn’t deserve me or my--”

This time, I interrupted him, “Ramone. You’re getting off track. Besides, part of it is your fault. We constantly warn you to stay out of relationships when you just got out of one that didn’t work out. We talked about your judgment with people and how you need to take more time to get to know them before getting attached right away.”

“Thank you, Aidan. For telling me something that is irrelevant to the conversation.” It was clear Ramone was irritated and wanted to change the subject.

Our attention was drawn back to the three lizard-men who looked as if they were watching some kind of sitcom. “It would seem, we have found an interesting bunch. It’s clear they have a strong bond. They’re promising,” Wyre said. The three continue to talk about us and the strength of our bond as if we have the infamous “power of friendship”.

“Wait, so what exactly brought you to abduct us?” There it was. The question we all had but didn’t have the mental strength to ask, and Grey said it as if it were a normal topic.

“Oh, that's right. We still haven’t gone over anything,” Wyre pauses, “well to put it simply: The Orinimus Order is a senate of multiple races who keep the peace across the galaxy, a government to be exact. The majority of the galaxy has known peace under the watch of the order, yet recently, groups have been formed in hopes of causing chaos throughout the cosmos and breaking down the order. We have been in search of a group who can work together in order to put a stop to these groups. The only problem is the vast majority don’t have a strong enough bond to hold out against the heretics and would even be swayed into betraying those closest to them, so the three of us have been tasked to search for a group, no matter the size, with an unbreakable bond while studying the behavior of both them and others around them. So you can imagine how ecstatic we were once we stumbled upon you four.”

We sat there in silence, taking in the information we were just given.

Caleb spoke up, “So you want us to become soldiers?”

Erveq responded to his question, “That’s half of it, we wish to be able to study you as well. There won’t be any dissection, we simply wish to study your habits and behavior. In return you will be able to travel as you please, earn a great amount of quints for your work, and live in luxury whenever you have time off. Of course, even if you have knowledge about weapons and fighting, you will be given proper training under weapons used by our troops and transportation.”

I spoke up, “So we’d be able to go around, travel to other planets, fight people who are trying to destabilize the government, and we will be given our own weapons and ships?”

“That’s the summarization, yes. Of course, we would have to issue you your own combat suits that will protect you against any fatal injuries.”

Wyre began to say, “We would also have to grant you more installments in order to improve your physical abilities.”

“What kind of ‘installments’?” Grey asked.

“Cybernetics.”

Me and Grey looked at each other with smiles on our faces. He and I were extreme fans when it came to movies involving space travel and wars across the galaxy, but we never thought we’d be able to live a life like that.

“I’m in,” I shout.

“Same here,” Grey followed.

Wyre smiled, “Excellent! What about you two?” He looked at Caleb and Ramone.

Ramone seemed as if he were thinking about it and how it would affect him. But he then agreed to come with. Although I looked relieved he chose to come with us, I already knew he would come. He dropped out of school when he was sixteen, a majority of his friends weren’t able to accompany him anywhere due to school work and jobs, and he doesn’t focus on his music, but I’d say the main reason was he was a hopeless romantic and was severely lonely back home.

Caleb on the other hand, he finally had good fortune going his way for once. He got a well paying job, began dating the girl of his dreams, and was finally being noticed by people at school.

“I need time to think about this.”

“Of course you do,” Hyrran huffed.

“Let the boy think it over. He is still young, meaning he has his life to think about,” Wyre said, “Erveq, bring the four to their rooms. They should rest.”

Erveq escorted us to our own designated rooms before walking back to the other two Krynians. Ramone and Grey visited me in my room so we could keep talking about what lies ahead of us. We didn’t know how long we would be gone, but we knew that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and we would be stupid to miss it. While we worried about our families, we figured that we could visit when we had free time. While we spoke, Caleb would take his time thinking about what he was going to do, stay on the planet we’ve lived on our entire lives and live a normal life, or join us in fighting against species we’ve never seen before across the galaxy.

According to my phone, the night passed and we all met in the control room. Caleb was still in his temporary quarters while we spoke with the Krynians.

“So, are you all still willing to come with us?” Wyre asked.

“Yes, but I have one question,” I said. I waited for a signal to continue before speaking, “what would happen to our lives on Earth. How will our disappearance be explained to our families? Will we fake our deaths?”

“What do rocks have to do with your history?” Erveq asked.

“That’s the name of our planet,” Ramone answered.

“You named your planet after the substance it was made out of? That lacks creativity.”

I interrupted their conversation in hopes of getting back on track, “Yeah, and while I agree, can you answer my question?” 

“Ah, yes. Well while faking your deaths would be effective, we have an idea that wouldn’t involve as much grief. Though we’ll need to extract some DNA and scan your memories.”

Grey leans over and whispers into my ear, “Oh my god! They’re gonna clone us!”

I sRamoneer at his reaction. Ramone on the other hand didn’t seem to be nerding out as hard. I’d say all those storylines he’s seen where the clone turns evil were running through his mind. I tried to make him more comfortable with the thought, “Ramone, the clones are gonna watch over our families and live our lives to keep the fact we disappeared a secret. It's better than dying. Plus if they turn out to be evil, we can just come back and stop them.”

“I just don’t like the thought of something that isn’t me living my life. If it's that simple, why not make our clones fight while we continue our lives?”

“Then it’d just be living your life out there.”

Wyre added on to our discussion, “The clones won’t be exact replicas of you. They’ll have your memories and appearance, but they won’t have the exact organs as you and will refrain from some activities you take part in due to their lack of desires.”

“So they won’t turn evil?” Ramone asked for reassurance.

“Well, you boys have desires that you act upon. They just can’t experience them, but in short, yes.”

“Okay, I’m in. But the second we come back I want mine gone.”

“Of course.”

We spent some time talking about whatever we could think of, we learned some information about Kryn and a few other planets we would visit until Caleb walked through the doors ready to make his decision.

“I’ll come with you. But we’ll need to make sure our deaths are unquestionable.”

“What is it with you and faking your deaths? Is this how humans draw the suspicion away?”

After some laughs, we explained to Caleb the situation and had to reassure him that there wouldn’t be anything to worry about. After a few more hours, we convinced him and began the cloning process. They took blood samples and scanned our brains, it tickled. They made sure to erase the memories about our encounter with the Krynians and the part about them being clones. 

Wyre began to tell us about our trip and the plan, “Okay, we have a long trip ahead of us. So I recommend we begin your training. First, we need to get your bodies in shape.”

Caleb, being the gym rat of our group, in order to compensate for his grand stature of 5'6'’, was excited to hear this. While the rest of us weren’t fat, we don’t have much experience in gyms so there was a definite feeling of superiority going through Caleb’s head. 

“Now then, Hyrran. Bring them to the gym and aid them in their workouts. After they have the desired build, begin combat training.”

Hyrran nodded before escorting us to the gym, and though I had little experience in one, I can definitely tell that the materials and machines used in this room were nothing like the ones back on Earth. “Well then, I’ll need to assess your body structure, then I’ll assign you to your partnered machine. Shirts and pants off. Undergarments stay on, I won’t be the one researching your anatomy.”

We comply and remove our clothing. Hyrran looked more disappointed than before. Ramone was too skinny, Grey had a promising physique but too much “blubber” in some areas, Caleb’s body, though it was built due to weight training, it wasn’t fit for hand-to-hand combat, and finally, me. My physique was lazy, I wasn’t fat but I didn’t exactly have muscle gained from working out, I simply exercised in order to keep a good shape but it was clear I had to do more than just “light exercise”.

Ramone was assigned a diet that would put more meat on his bones, whether he liked it or not didn’t matter, he had to eat every last crumb. After that he would work on each muscle group in order to tighten his body, he would need one fit for movement since he couldn’t sit still for a long period of time. Grey would be instructed to exercise in order to slim down before he was put on muscle building. Caleb needed to work on becoming more lean and get rid of his body builder mindset. His was definitely the hardest to complete since he was stubborn. I was given the task of working on each core muscle group in order to give myself a solid foundation, then once I achieve the desired figure, I would have to keep up the routine every day so I don’t lose shape. I was not to add any weight unless it was deemed necessary by Hyrran.

Thus began our hell for the next sixteen months. Each day we would wake up on the hour of 0500 rather, anyone late would need to add Hyrran’s weight to their sets. We would go until 2300 then all but Ramone would be permitted to eat. We’d occasionally be called by Erveq in order to be studied, of course, he would sometimes do it just to give us a break. My body would grow sore every day due to the amount of weight I would work with. We weren’t given much time to sleep but we appreciated the rest we got. As time passed, the weight and pain grew lighter and lighter while our bodies grew more shaped, it was easy to move as well. Caleb still had his complaints but he would keep them to himself later on. But while our bodies were in the desired shape, we still needed to learn how to throw a punch, but more importantly, how to take a bullet. 

I was handed a strange suit, it seemed as if it was made of elastic, slightly comfortable. It was a mixture of blue, teal and green. I looked at the other three and noticed they were given one as well. Our task would be to spar with Hyrran as he unleashes a barrage of ammo into our bodies and we wouldn’t stop unless we disarm him or render him incapable of fighting. The gym was changed into a dark forest environment where the trees reach as high as the clouds. Though our surroundings weren’t actually that of a forest, they were holograms supported by the gym’s surface changing its shape to match the simulation.

We felt defeated, we just got out of the training phase and now we’re immediately tossed into getting shot first thing after waking up. Ramone didn’t mind now that he can choose when he does and doesn’t eat. We weren’t allowed out of the simulation until we completed our task, food would be delivered to us, but there wasn’t enough for any leftovers. We had to learn how to survive on what we had, we didn’t have a change of clothes and there wasn’t a natural source of water so we smelled awful. The heat would change at random intervals so we would deal with twenty degrees one moment then ninety-nine the next only for it to feel like we were walking through a storm in Antarctica. 

We dealt with this for nearly a year without end. Though we were in proper shape to fight, we had no experience with fighting, especially in our current shape. Each swing we took was sloppy and we’d consider ourselves lucky if they were remotely close to striking Hyrran. There were a few arguments amongst us regarding how we would get through this stage. Ramone and Caleb would constantly bicker and eventually get physical with their arguments. Grey and I would let them be, they didn’t seem like they would cause any damage to each other since they were only trying to bring the other down.

Once the two finished their fight, we ate our meal and began talking about our situation and tried to come up with ways to get the hell out of the woods. 

While we were talking, Caleb gave his piece, “Maybe if Ramone would stand still so we could jump that asshole-”

“You know I have trouble standing in one spot for way too long.”

I began to help Ramone with his situation in hopes of using it to further the conversation, “He’s got ADHD, he can’t help it. We need a plan that works,” I look at Caleb, “ for all of us. Ramone can’t stand still for long periods at a time. You don’t have that problem and are very perceptive to your surroundings. Grey is able to take notice of our situation even when he’s in trouble, his thinking while able to adapt can be useful to us. I’m good at staying silent, hell, I can spend a decent amount of time near someone and they wouldn’t even notice.”

“That explains why it took you a while to find a girlfriend,” Ramone added.

“Thanks for the insight, especially when we’re the only people you talk to on the regular.”

“That’s fair.”

“Grey, what do you think? Any ideas on what we should do?”

We all looked to Grey, hoping for the wise guidance of an old man to come from someone who had just become the legal drinking age. He was obviously caught off guard as he stumbled all over his own sentences.  We were patient and let his mouth catch up to his mind and we finally had our plan.

The simulated daylight gleamed through the treetops, the ground would crunch as if we were walking on dead leaves and sticks. Each of us started to separate from each other, Ramone continued straight ahead, Caleb and Grey moved left towards an elevated mount with bushes and leaves covering it, I moved to the right where the trees were slightly shorter. If the suit can absorb a majority of the damage from a bullet, it should be able to absorb other injuries. In the distance I heard cracks. Even though Ramone was moving around, I knew it wasn’t him. He wasn’t heavy enough for the cracking to be deep and prolonged with every step meaning Hyrran was walking with caution.

I hear Caleb’s voice through my earpiece, “Heads up, Hyrrans coming.”

“I’m gonna take this asshole down,” Ramone responded.

“Stick with the plan, we have to finish this,” Grey said.

“Fine.”

After the coms were cut off, we waited in silence for the signal. Hyrran walked past me without knowing and continued walking. Ramone was walking towards Hyrran at the same time, Hyrran being the only one without a clue.

“Now,” Caleb whispered into the coms.

Immediately, I heard Ramone shout as he ran towards the Lizard as if he was going to attack. Grey began moving as well, charging from Hyrran’s right. Grey began shouting as well. Gunshots started to echo throughout the forest, but I waited to move. The two started randomly swinging at Hyrran and grabbed at his weapon. With the barrage of attacks, Hyrran didn’t have a window for an open attack without dropping his weapon so he had no choice but to back up and remain on defense. 

Hyrran continued to step back with every strike coming his way until he was almost against a tree, that was my chance. I jumped down from the branches to strike from above. Once he noticed me, it was too late. Hyrran turned his head to face me and I landed a blow to the side of his face, knocking him off balance. 

“Ramone! Grey!” I shouted.

The two swooped in and grabbed the rifle out of Hyrran’s hands. Ramone let Grey hold it and waited for Hyrran to lift his head. Once he did, he was greeted with the barrel of a rifle pointed at his head and three humans ready to take him down. For the first time in over a year, he chuckled--no, he actually smiled. I couldn’t tell if I should’ve felt accomplished, worried, or freaked out. Caleb ran over and had the greatest reaction out of all of us.

And then Spider-man swung down, knocking the weapons away from their evil hands and bringing joy to the world.

He started off with a question, “Did we get him?” Then he saw Hyrran, “WHAT’S HAPPENING TO YOUR FACE?”

We all burst out laughing because Caleb looked genuinely scared. As we walked out of the simulation, I felt…underwhelmed. I expected to feel a sense of great accomplishment. We finally got out of there and I even took down Hyrran. But I didn’t feel much accomplishment. I assume Hyrran must’ve been rubbing off on us because he would constantly give us tips and make backhanded comments about how long it was taking as well as how clumsy and sloppy our movements were each time we confronted him. I was focusing on how we could do better rather than actually succeeding. 

While the other three celebrated, walking to the food bay for a chance to eat actual food, I stood by the doorway of the gym. I looked out the window where I could see multiple colors pass by as the ship moved at its high speed. I assumed they were all stars, planets, and perhaps other ships moving throughout the cosmos. I zoned out while thinking about ways to improve. The three of us learned a decent amount of combat skills and how to use our own skills to gain the advantage on the enemy. But if there was such a skill gap with every foe like there was with Hyrran, then it would take all four of us to take down a single enemy.

A hand suddenly grabbed my shoulder, not forcefully, but in a way that would grab my attention. I turned around and was greeted by Hyrran who instead of looking at me, was also looking out the window.

“You did a good job in there, Aidan Wright. I’ve trained with many people throughout my life, but I haven’t met anyone that could utilize their own unique ability like you did. Some use them, but never to their full potential. What are your thoughts on your training?” Hyrran said all of this without looking away from the window.

“I’d say……I don’t think we’d be able to hold our own just yet.”

“Why’s that?”

“I keep thinking about the things you would say to us while we spared. How our movements were clumsy, that it was taking too long for us to finish our task. But I also thought about how each of our interactions with you ended up. We all tried to take you on individually, but we couldn’t even lay a finger on you. It took all four of us to work together for us to even hit you. What if we’re up against another Krynian? Or a species more difficult to go up against? We aren’t ready.”

Hyrran chuckled, “So out of all three of you, the one who had to do the most work is the one who noticed.” He looked at me for the first time since our conversation started. “Tell me, Aidan Wright. Would you be interested in learning more combat techniques and how to use your stealth? I assure you that by the end of this, you will be capable of single-handedly killing me. All four of you.”

I clench my fists. “I don’t know about the other three, but I’m more than willing to push myself further. I don’t expect you to hold back in the slightest.” 

He chuckled. “Good, you should never expect me to. Now go and grab some food. I don’t want you to starve before I throw you back into the forest. You’ll be alone this time so spend as much time as you can with the other three before the next clock reset. I’ll ask the others later on if they would also like to take part in a private session.”

With that, I ran to the food bay to join the others in their celebratory feast. Hyrran went back into the gym, I assume to clean up the mess we left behind. When I entered the bay, I saw a mixture of food we were familiar with as well as a majority of delicacies I had yet to try. Ramone used to eat as little as possible since he had a small appetite. I used to worry about him as well as get annoyed with how he would order a large portion of food only to eat a third of it then say he was full. Now he was capable of eating half the table. Caleb was still picky about what he ate, grabbing nothing but food he was used to. Grey would eat whatever was in front of him so I wouldn’t think too much of him.

I sat down and went with some of the meat in front of me. I was a slight red and purple color so I knew right away that I wasn’t from home. Erveq placed his hand on my shoulder, “You went with Troyuun huh? Do you like sweet food?” he asked. “When you say ‘sweet’ do you mean like dessert?”

Erveq grabbed a piece from the table and started chowing down on the meat. “I wouldn’t say it’s like dessert,” he pauses between a pattern of chews, “Troyuun is more like a sweeter meat compared to what you’re used to,” he points at the rosemary chicken.

I got the general idea of what he was saying, “Thanks Erveq. If I don’t like it I’ll just give you the rest,” I chuckled. “Deal!” He looked excited. I took a bite of the foreign meat and began chewing. I noticed all eyes were on me at this point. Ramone, Caleb and Grey all seemed curious about how I would react. Wyre looked concerned, but kept quiet throughout the event. I couldn’t taste a single thing from it. Is this what Erveq meant by “sweet” was the only thing I thought of as I chewed. As I was about to swallow, a sudden wave of flavor flooded my mouth. It was an overflow of sweetness, like my mouth was full of cotton candy. It was horrible. 

I ran over to the nearest trash shoot and spat out all of the meat which was now colored like a rainbow. I grabbed the metal bottle of water that sat on my spot at the table and drank every last drop in order to get the flavor out of my mouth. By the time I finished, I was gasping for air and looked at Erveq with a slightly annoyed look.

“How high is your tolerance for sweets?”

“Relatively normal. Is your’s not as high?” Erveq asked.

“Don’t think it is, considering I felt like throwing up from an overflow of sugar.”

Erveq holds out his upper right forearm and pressed a button on the band he was wearing. A holographic screen popped up from the band and he began writing on it. He probably put down the difference in our tolerance to sweets. I didn’t think it was necessary outside of eating but I just kept to myself.

Everyone else was laughing while all of that was happening. Ramone and Caleb thought I overreacted because I had a weak sweet tooth anyway. In order to prove this, I place a slice of Tryuun in front of each of them. “Have some,” I said with a wicked smile. The two put the whole piece in their mouths and began chewing with smug looks on their faces. As they were about to swallow, they started to look as if they were nauseous and were choking. Their faces were turning purple and they looked as if they were going to spit it out. I wasn’t going to let that happen. 

I spoke with malice, “Didn’t you two say I was ‘overreacting’? Surely you would be able to eat it. Right?”

They looked at each other. Caleb’s eyes started to water and Ramone started to grip on whatever he could in order to power through it. Each time they looked like they were about to spit it out, I would make a comment about how they also had a weak tolerance and how stupid they would look after talking about how I overreacted only to do the same thing I did. After three minutes of endless chewing, they had enough resolve to swallow the Tryuun meat then swallowed their water like I did. That was a big mistake. Not even a minute passed before their stomachs began to grumble like popping bubble wrap and they bolted to the trash shoot to vomit. 

Grey was crying because of how hard he laughed. I could tell that those two would’ve grown sick if they actually held it in for more than a minute. Erveq and Wyre were simply watching it all happen, Wyre being the one laughing while Erveq adding it all to his notes. I looked at Grey with a smile that would say “Would you like to try?” and he immediately knew what I was thinking. He shook his head and chowed down on the feast. I joined in before the food grew cold. 

By the time Hyrran walked in, Grey and I were stuffed and the two cocky bastards were sitting by the trash shoot looking like they had their asses handed to them. He asked what happened while he was away but wouldn’t receive an answer because we’d just laugh at the thought of it. I miss moments like that. Moments when the room was filled with laughter, Ramone picking a fight with Caleb, Caleb simply just adding dynamite to the fire, Grey tripping over himself to get everyone to calm down, and me just making the situation worse by instigating the two of them. 

After all of that blew over and the two recovered from the minor food poisoning, Hyrran asked the other three if they’d like to have private lessons as well. He told them that I had already agreed to it and I will begin right after I wake up. I was glad to hear I’d be able to sleep in before staying awake for days on end. The first thing I did when I finally reached my room was throw the uniform I wore for almost a year straight. It smelled horrible, but the stench emitting off of me would be enough to give an old person a stroke. I quickly walk into the bathroom and start the shower. 

The floor was smooth and everything was round, there weren’t any corners, even along the walls. The sink was pure black and the surrounding objects such as the toilet and shower flooring was a dark silver tone. There was a clear wall to block all of the water from splashing all over the place and though there wasn’t a tub, there was a slight elevation at the edge of the shower that would block off a small flood in case the drain didn’t function properly, and in case I noticed in time. There weren’t any nobs to twist in order to activate the water flow and no visible showerhead. Instead, there was a screen on the wall inside the shower. I stepped in and was surprised by the cold floor. I tap the screen and it lights up right away.

I couldn’t read a single thing on it. I thought that the universal translator implanted in my neck the day we were extracted would allow me to read other languages, but it was limited to conversation. I saw an icon in the shape of a microphone and pressed it. 

“Welcome,” a voice said, “how can I assist you?”

It took a moment for me to think of something, “Turn on shower.”

“Would you like cold, warm, or hot?”

All I could think was how I wasn’t given any time to think because of the immediate responses. I figured that since we were on an alien ship where there is little information on humans and the crew were reptilian-like species, “hot” would probably melt my skin off. 

I responded hesitantly, “Warm?”

Water begins pouring down from the ceiling like warm rain. As I thought, the warm setting was fit for a human.

“The floor’s still cold,” I mumbled.

“Request recognized.”

“Huh?”

I looked at the screen and the floor immediately warmed up. “This thing has floor heaters?” I shouted.

“Affirmative.” the voice responded.

“You even sound like an AI.”

“Because I am one. Was that not clear?”

“No, it was. I just meant that the way you speak was…robotic.”

“Artificial intelligence such as myself are considered robots in the eyes of many species. Though, what species are you?”

I began to scrub my hair, “Human. Am I uncommon for you too?”

“Human?”

“Yeah. Erveq said that me and the others were a rare species. I guess that’s true considering you don’t know about us.”

“Humans, descendants of primates, commonly distinguished from animals. Homeworld: Anarith, found 1.78 quintillion lightyears away from the Orinimus Order. No first contact reported.”

“Where did you--how--where did that information come from?”

“From the Orinimus Order’s file on humans. That was all the information found within that file.”

“What’s Anarith?”

“The human race’s homeworld. Are you unfamiliar with the term?”

“Anarith? We call it Earth.”

The AI took a moment to respond, as if she were processing what I said.

“As in dirt?”she asked.

“Yes…as in dirt.”

“Your race seems quite simple.”

I chuckled, “Yeah I figured. What does the Orinimus Order think we look like?”

“There are no confirmed images both live or theorized. But you are considered to be covered in fur with a face like that of a primate and a noticeable slouch.”

I laughed, “I don’t think I look like that description. Do I?”

“No, you do not.”

I stopped any movement. It was as if I was frozen in a block of ice. 

“You can…see me?”

“Of course. I am simply the mind of the ship. I am in charge of any maintenance requirements and course changes as well as other necessities required on board such as assisting you with your shower and washing your uniform.”

“Washing my uniform?”

“Affirmative. Your reaction to the odor of the uniform once you removed it indicated an unpleasant smell was being emitted from it. Was I wrong?”

“Ah, no no no. You were right. Thank you. I’m just shocked with how much you help out, even with the minor tasks. Did you make the food earlier?”

“Yes. Was it to your liking? I understand there was an issue during the feast.”

“Everything was good. We just tried some of the food we weren’t used to and our taste buds weren’t able to handle it.”

“Understood.”

“Back to being able to see me…you aren’t looking now are you?”

“I am. In order to meet your needs I would have to be able to see your condition.”

I cover my exclusive parts and face the rounded corner of the nearby wall.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yeseverythingisfinenoneedtoworry.”

“I sense some minor distress. May I assist you?”

“No need I’m fine.” I could feel my voice go up an octave.

“Understood. I will make an update to the file on humans. Please enjoy your time.”

“Wait. Does that include an image?”

“Yes. When adding information to a species with little information I must provide a photo if necessary. After scanning your body I can create an illustrated image that will give information on human physique.”

“Can you provide one with clothes?”

“I do not possess one. You move around too much making it difficult or acquire a photo with clothing. This was the only time I could get a clear image of you.”

She successfully caught me off guard. I felt defeated and like I lost one of the final pieces of my innocence. “Hold on. Wait until I finish showering. After that I’ll dry off and put on some underwear and tie my hair up. I’ll stand still for you so you’d be able to get a better photo. How’s that?”

“I believe an image of your entire body would be more useful.”

I sighed. It was as if she was teasing me about this. “If it is deemed necessary by the order,” I felt reluctant to continue the sentence but knew it would be inevitable if I refused, “then I’ll let you take one where I’m not…protected. Only if it is necessary.”

“Agreed. I will halt the upload.”

She sounded like she was finally loosening up when talking to me. Less formal, but familiar, more comfortable.

I finish my shower and dry off most of my body. I wiped the steam off of the mirror and finally noticed my appearance for the first time. My body looked different from what I remembered. It was more toned, like a bullet would flatten before falling to the ground if I were hit by one. Despite this, I could move without any issue; each strike or kick would flawlessly flow like a river and it could evade and run swiftly and with ease. When I was just working out, I would always be too tired to move around at the end of the day so this was my first time in the bathroom and looking at myself clearly.

My hair grew down to just below my shoulders and my facial hair became an actual beard for the first time in my life. I was annoyed that the others didn’t say anything but realized I was being a hypocrite. Caleb had some facial hair but since he can’t really grow out a beard, his mustache is what grew out the most, his hair was simply greasy and only reached down to his ear. Grey had stubble and his hair had become wavy; it wasn’t long but it was still weird to see him without a short comb over. Ramone had an afro that was top strong  and a bush on his chin with stubble covering his jaw, cheeks and top lip.

I would’ve usually been happy if I finally grew a beard, but something just changed. 

“I need to shave. And a haircut.”

“Understood,” the AI responded.

“You’re still here?” was all I got out before I was swooped into a chair that emerged from the floor and tentacles came from the ceiling.

“Would you like all facial hair removed?”

There was a chance that I’d have to be specific with what I say or else I’d end up with no hair anywhere on my face. “You can see me right? Including my movement?”

“Yes.”

I began touching my beard, “I only need this part removed. Got that?”

“Only the lower portion of hair. Understood.”

She began shooting my face with a laser. It didn’t hurt in the slightest. It kinda tickled. It was as if she was drawing on me.

“Finished. How much hair would you like to remove?”

It took a bit for me to come up with a response. My hair had never been that long before. 

“Could you shorten it so that the sides are faded and the top is about five inches long?”

“Yes.”

She began to work. She didn’t use a laser, instead she used scissors and razors. It was honestly like a massage. My hair was already wet so it made the job a lot easier right off the bat. I felt so relaxed and nodded off in the chair. 

I don’t know how long I was asleep, but when I woke up I was laying in my bed. I sat up and stepped off of the mattress. I noticed I was wearing clothing I didn’t even own. My old clothes didn’t fit me anymore and the uniform I was given was still being washed. The materials of the clothes weren’t familiar to me. They were soft and flexible and fit my body perfectly, even though my shirt felt thin, I was warm. My pants were like sweatpants and were surprisingly more comfortable than any other pair I wore in the past. They were gray but I didn’t complain since they were practically perfect.

There wasn’t any way to tell the exact time since the outside of the window was an eternal void of darkness and the time on my phone only matched that of Anarith’s and there weren’t any clocks on the ship as far as I knew. I walked over to the entrance to my room and saw a pair of gray loafers sitting by the metallic door. I was already wearing socks so I slid the loafers on. I placed my hand on the door and a high pitched beep came from it before it slid open to the hallway. 

I stepped outside the doorway with the first thing to appear in front of me was the large window peering into space. The lights in the hallway were dimly lit which meant everyone else must’ve been asleep. The bedroom doors along the hall were all closed and other than the low hum of the ship, all was silent. I sighed and walked back into my room. I walked into my bathroom to relieve myself after an unknown amount of sleeping. Since I was still half asleep so I would stumble over myself and lose my balance, luckily I didn’t fall. After flushing the toilet and washing my hands, I finally looked in the mirror to see my hair.

The sides were shortened into a fade and the top was positioned to where it was parted back with a slight messy look to it. My hair wasn’t wavy and the color ranged from brown to blond. I was definitely a fan of it.

“Is it to your liking?”

I practically fell on my ass out of surprise from the sudden voice.

“Jesus Caleb!” I shouted.

“I do not know who this ‘Jesus Calebt’ is but I can assure you I am not them.”

“No I wasn’t calling you--nevermind, that’s just a rabbit hole waiting for me to fall into it. You just surprised me.”

“Your heart rate is currently rising above ninety-five beats per minute. Shall I administer a sedative to help you relax?”

I sighed. “No. I’ll calm down in a bit,” truthfully I was worried how the sedative would affect my mind and overall biology. “Just, don’t startle me like that. Especially when it’s this quiet and I’m focused on something.” 

“Understood. Back to my question, is it to your liking?”

She didn’t skip a beat with changing the subject, I thought. “Yes. It is to my liking,” I said in a mocking tone, “I’ve had my hair cut but it never came out like this. It even feels softer than before. Plus the color…it looks like it changed, but how?”

“I used the common utilities to complete my given task, perhaps it is because they were different from what humans use.”

I remembered her helping me shave the facial hair off of my face with a laser before I fell asleep. “Did you use the laser?”

“Yes. Is that uncommon?”

“Extremely,” I chuckled.

While I laughed, I remembered something. “You didn't scan me while I was asleep did you?”

“Only to keep track of your vitals. Are you worried I went on to send an image of your body while you slept?”

“Exactly.”

“I did not do such a thing. You requested for you to wear some form of attire in order to cover what may not be necessary as well as to be conscious.”

“Thank you,” I sighed with relief.

“And you couldn’t stand without any support.”

“Huh?”

“Only kidding.”

I couldn’t tell if she was actually joking, but I was more focused on the fact that she was actually laughing. I didn’t think she was capable of that. 

“Do you know if anyone else is awake?”

“Everyone on the ship is asleep, other than you.”

“Gotcha. Do you have any idea when they will wake up?”

“Caleb, Ramone and Grey all fell asleep a few hours after you while Hyrran, Erveq and Wyre all fell asleep recently after completing some maintenance and reports. They should all wake up in about seven or so hours.”

Some of that felt like unnecessary information but I could see how it was relevant since it allowed me to know who might wake up first.

“So do the others know about you? As in the other humans.”

“No. They haven’t done anything requiring any assistance.”

Which means they probably haven’t showered yet. It’s weird but I guess they were too tired to shower.

“Oh, right. Where did these clothes come from? I didn’t have anything like this when I was brought on board.”

“I made them.”

“You can make clothes too?”

“Yes. I took the temporarily recorded measurements on your physique and created clothing that would fit you. It’s one of my duties to be able to create new clothing in case something were to happen to the crew’s clothes. Yours didn’t fit anymore and the uniform gifted to you was unfit since you had just cleaned your body so I made an outfit for you to sleep comfortably in.”

“Oh, thanks,” I was starting to realize just how much she did around the ship for all of us. Then I remembered something, “You wanted to scan me right? Since I’m awake and have clothes, now is a good time to do that before I’m taken away for some more training with Hyrran.” Even thinking about it now gives me shivers.

“Of course. Now is a perfect time. No distractions as well as your comfort is certain. Step out of the washroom when you are ready.”

“Alright.”

I quickly relieve myself and wash up then meet the AI in my room. 

“Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” I remove my shirt and pants then stand in the middle of my room in boxers.

“This will not take long. Please refrain from any major movements and only speak when necessary.”

“Alright.”

A metallic tentacle makes its way from the ceiling then stops in front of me. It looked like one of those interrogation machines used by the bad guy in sci-fi movies, though I doubted I was about to be put through unimaginable pain in order to give up information I likely don’t have.

“This shouldn’t take long so please wait patiently.”

“Alright.”

At the end was a red light that began to emit a red light that would brush over my body and scan each part separately, taking its time. I didn’t expect to feel anything from it, maybe a little warm, but it felt like a feather was being brushed lightly across my skin. I had to hold my breath to keep myself from moving too much from giggling. The low hum of the light was the only sound in the room, even the AI didn’t speak. 

Once she was finished, I didn’t know exactly how to break the silence. I had to put my clothes back on so it would simply make it a little more awkward but dead silence felt uncomfortable. But I suddenly realized that I had been calling her “the AI” in my head rather than an actual name or something similar to a name.

“I was wondering, what do I call you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well I don’t know how to address you. Is there something I should call you? A way to address you?”

“I wasn’t given a name. Only a function. The three Krynians simply call me “ship” because I am the ship. You can do the same if you would like.”

“But calling you “ship” feels like you’re simply an object though.”

“Because I am an object. I’m the AI that helps keep the ship in its functional shape, in a way, I am the ship.”

“Yeah, but you help everyone out when they need it. I get it’s your function but you do just as much work as the rest of us,” I said that even though I don’t do anything other than train with Hyrran and make more of a mess; I realized that eventually.

“I see. But I have no use for a name. It’s simply a title given to you by others in order to get your attention rather than others’ and to distinguish you from a large group.”

It made sense in a way. She thinks differently than I did and I’m merely a human who has a simple way of thinking most of the time. “Would it be alright with you if I gave you one anyway. It feels weird to think of you as “the AI” or “the Ship”.”

“If it is what you want, then I have no objections. You are free to do as you like.”

As expected, no excitement and no rejection. But I felt more comfortable thinking of someone with a name rather than as an object. 

What would fit her though. I can’t even come up with a name for a baby let alone an entire ship. Maybe something simple that would suit her. It was actually harder for me to think of a name on the spot than I thought. Then it hit me; I’m a fan of mythology. There are plenty of names that are suitable.

“Athena.”

“Athena?”

“Back on my planet we have multiple myths filled with gods, characters, and creatures. I was always a fan of these myths and so were other people. There are a decent amount of stories that use these myths. Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom. Of course there are other gods and goddesses but I thought that since you have the intelligence from multiple files used by the order, the name Athena suited you best.”

Athena might not have been the most creative name I could think of, but I was still in the process of waking up as well as I’m just terrible with names in general.

“Athena. The goddess of wisdom. I find it appealing. I accept the name you have given me.”

“Glad to hear it. By the way, is there anything I’m able to do while I wait for Hyrran to wake up? I don’t think I would be able to go back to sleep after all of this.”

“Hm. I’m sure you wouldn’t need to go to the gymnasium at the moment and it seems too early to eat anything, not to mention lonely since everyone else is asleep. Are you interested in visiting the Solarquaintumn?”

“Solarquaintumn?”

“I believe you would call it a “Planetarium”. However the stars aren’t simulated.”

It sounded interesting. I didn’t even think there would be something built into the ship since the crew could just see everything outside any of the various windows on nearly every wall. I agreed to go to the Solarquaintumn but because there wasn’t a physical body for me to follow, Athena simply lit a path along the ceiling for me to follow. I was able to see new parts of the ship I hadn’t seen before. Apparently there was a surveillance room that even the four of us passengers were allowed to go into. There was a room that seemed like a theater, a pool, as well as a library filled with digital books. I was interested in all of the rooms and even kept the library in mind since it would give me a chance to learn more about other species and worlds; but I’d have to learn how to read first.

The path of dim light ended at a double door that slid open as I approached. When I stepped inside, I was met with a grassy scenery, trees, and a glass ceiling where I could see stars filling in the space outside. There was stone pathing along the ground with benches occasionally standing on the ends. 

I took a seat and looked up to the starry sky.

“How is there a clear view of space? Aren’t we going faster than light?”

“We are. What you’re seeing is recording from systems we passed by during our trip. The ceiling was made to look like actual glass while we travel through hyperspace. When we are outside of hyperspace, the outer layer moves and you would be able to see through the actual reinforced glass.”

“So I’m looking at a recording. Alright. It’s better than simulated space.”

I sat in silence as I stared into the stars. The mere thought that I actually passed by them felt unreal, like I was in a dream. I knew that when I grew up I’d move away from home, probably far away, but not this far. I felt a pounding in my chest. There was no pain or any uncomfort, just a fast beat. I gripped onto my shirt above the origin and realized it was my heart. I wondered what it was at first and why it was beating at such a rate. I wasn’t scared, nervous or mad. I was excited. Once I noticed my excitement, I realized that I was smiling. My grin was one that I would see in a cartoon with how wide it was.

“Aidan.”

“Yeah?” I was surprised by Athena suddenly speaking.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure. I might not have an answer depending on the question though.”

“It’s a question about you.”

“Then I’d most likely be able to answer it.”

“Why did you decide to come with us?”

I felt my heart sink slightly. Why did I decide to go?

Athena must’ve noticed my slight hesitation, “You don’t need to answer. I was simply curious.”

“No, it’s alright. Honestly, the answer is pretty simple,” I eased up, “It’s because it seemed like fun.”

“Really?”

“I did say it was pretty simple.”

“Yes, you did.”

I felt like she wasn’t quite satisfied with that answer, so I decided to elaborate a little more, “I was becoming bored back home. Every day felt the same like nothing was changing. Everyday was the same exact routine no matter what I did to change it. I tried traveling, looking for new things to entertain myself, I even made new friends at school in order to have someone to go around with outside of school instead of just staying home or having to stick with my family every day. YouTube videos felt repetitive, video games became boring, TV felt predictable, even anime seemed like it wasn’t as exciting as it once was to me. I still watched and played whatever I could, but sometimes it just didn’t feel exciting.  When I was offered the chance to leave and have a chance to try something new where I’d travel throughout the galaxy while fighting aliens, I felt like I’d be an idiot to turn down the offer.”

When I finished, I waited for Athena to say something. There was no response. Did she leave? No, she said that she could see and hear everything on the ship. So where is she?

I was about to stand up when a feeling brushed over my body as if it was telling me “Behind you.” I quickly leaned my body over to the left and saw a bullet fly past my head. I reached over my shoulder and grabbed the rifle which was pointed at my head and pulled the person who tried to shoot me over the seat and onto the ground while taking the rifle from their hands. I unloaded two bullets into their legs.

“Apply pressure onto the wound. I still have some questions and it’d be useless if you bled out,” I said, hoping the translator worked.

The assailant screeched at me and swung its claw at me as a last ditch effort to get one last strike in. “More,” my body said. I turned around to see three more running towards me. I looked at my left hand and confirmed it was burnt from the barrel’s heat from when I pulled it. Why did I do that? How did I know about him?

I looked up and one of the creatures had lunged at me in order to attack while the other two were getting ready to fire. I moved to the left in order to avoid its right-handed swipe then struck its face with the end of the rifle, causing it to stagger back. The two had fired at me so I quickly moved to take cover behind the bench knowing it’d do very little as protection. As they were firing, I examined the rifle I had taken and realized it was activated by fingerprint. I had to open the panel that would allow me to change the settings and swap out for my print. Once finished I held up the white gun in order to fire and once it confirmed my fingerprint, a holographic scope appeared and gave me a clear view.

Without hesitation, I fired at the two creatures and managed to hit their weapons, making them unusable. Now it was a three-to-one fight. I leaped over the destroyed bench and rushed towards the three. The first attempted to slash at me but I let my body fall back and slide under it before grabbing a fallen branch and striking the back of its head. I made sure to get a few more strikes in before turning to the other two and preparing for their attacks. The second begins its barrage of attacks as it endlessly swings its arms around, seemingly mindlessly. I could tell just how dangerous each strike would be if one were to land. I had to be quick, move out of the way, dodge each and every strike no matter how far it may seem as their arms would grow longer in order to catch me off guard.

I jumped to the side and listened as the crack of the tree was snapped in half like a twig. I was able to draw it to the tree and waited as it fell on top of the distracted beast. Finally, the third one. I turned around and rather than attacking me head on, it was wary of me. It seemed to have studied my movement with the other three, sacrificing its comrades in order to come up with an idea to survive. It felt like minutes had passed by as the two of us stared at each other, waiting for any sudden movement for whoever charged first would surely lose. A crash goes off in the distance, as if the wall was breached by an unstoppable force. 

Following the loud crash was a roar that filled the entire Solarquaintumn. If it were a higher frequency, I would’ve mistaken it for another one of these things, but it was awfully familiar, fearsome. The creature turned its back towards me and looked for the origin of the roar. I thought of charging at it while its back was turned but it suddenly seemed as if it exploded from the waist up. A fountain of blood erupted from its corpse as a shadow stood above the corpse, shrieking its victory cry. I couldn't move--no. I wouldn’t move. I looked in horror as the creature took notice of my presence and began walking towards me.

As it stepped closer, the light shined on its body to reveal a Krynian. 

What the hell? Why is there another Krynian here? It’s not Erveq or Wyre. But even Hyrran isn’t this monstrous. 

It sounded as if it were growling at me in order to strike more paralyzing fear into its prey. I gripped the rifle in my hands and knew that I wasn’t equipped to fight a Krynian alone. I look at the creature knocked out under the fallen tree and see a knife strapped to its leg. I remove the knife and run out of the Solarquaintumn and down the hall. I don’t know much about Krynians, only that they're capable of conversation and more intelligent than other species, and that they have exceptional combat capabilities. I continue running down the endless halls with hope of finding a room that could give me more of an advantage. 

I run past multiple rooms, both familiar and unfamiliar. Then I thought of something. Krynians seem like lizards. Back home they’re cold-blooded so if the temperature is too cold, then they get slower, more dreary. The pool! I might be able to change the water temperature and lure it into the water.

I stop in front of the room where I remember seeing the large body of water and open the door. I looked down the hall and could only hear the screeching coming from the lizard-man. I ran into the room and looked for any sign of a panel that could control the fluctuation of the room. On the far end I could see one so I broke the usual rule and ran across the side of the pool in order to reach it just in time. 

I look at the panel and tap in repeatedly to turn it on. Once the screen was lit up I looked through all of the pictures in order to find any that would remotely resemble something regarding temperature. The screen began the glitch and seemed as if it were broken.

“Dammit not now! Temperature! Water temperature!” I shouted.

The glitched screen seemed to have gone back to its normal state so I scrolled across the screen to continue my search. I noticed while looking that the words on the screen were no longer in some nonsensical language I wouldn’t be able to learn even if I were to try to teach myself for five-hundred years. I finally found it and pressed the icon that read “Water Temperature” before I set it to below zero. There would be a five minute wait before it reaches the requested temperature.

The door was slammed into the opposing wall and in comes the Krynian. It climbed all over the walls and ceiling before taking notice of me. I tried to shoot it down with the rifle but the lizard was too fast and avoided each shot. It jumped down and knocked the rifle into the water. As it sunk to the bottom I thought whether I was actually going to die here. When it came to the number of people we were even. But in almost every other aspect, I was outmatched. It had four arms and could climb on any surface it finds itself next to. 

I wanted to give up, but after making it this far, I only had to keep it busy for the next four minutes now. I drew the knife I swiped and stood ready to fight the lizard. I had tried multiple times to call for Athena, but never got an answer so I found it pointless to rey and call for help now. It raised its four arms, ready to attack. I threw a punch with my left hand only for it to be swatted to the side like a fly, making me open to any attack it throws. It swung its upper right arm at me and I ducked under it. 

It followed with a punch from its lower left arm and stuck my cheek. I used the momentum to kick its leg and followed with stabbing its arm. It swatted me to the wall as it shouted in pain. I tried to get up but the lizard was now standing over me and began to kick my head into the wall. I still had the knife and plunged it into its calf before ripping it out and slicing the muscle. I could feel every last part of my body in pain. I felt blood dripping from the top of my head down my face. I wouldn’t be surprised if I had a broken rib or…six.

I groan before standing up and set up a fighting stance. Legs apart, arms up, knife in hand. Focus more on the body’s movement. its arms may be important but the movement of its legs, chest and hips tell me where it’ll strike.

It charges at me. Raising two arms it goes in for a strike. I fell backwards and watched as the arms grazed the air above me. Now!

I plunge the knife into its stomach and kick it into the pool and look at the panel. 

3…2…1

The pool was now below zero. I was gasping for air and practically about to throw up from the pain. I lay on the ground gripping my sides wondering where the hell everybody was.

“Athena,” I said.

No response.

“Athena,” my voice was becoming strained.

I sighed. “Athena. Where the hell are you-”

“You did a hell of a job with these guys.”

“Huh?”

I lifted my head up and saw Hyrran standing in front of me.

I chuckled through the pain of a few ribs stabbing my lungs, “Where the hell have you been?”

“I’ve been here the entire time. Next to you. Watching you fight off the Xirda and the Krynian.”

“If you’re gonna answer my question with bullsh*t like that, could you not do it so nonchalantly.”

“Listen, Aidan Wright. What you just did was complete a simulation made by me and Erveq.”

“Hah. Even more bullsh*t. What type of simulation makes someone feel like they were tortured?”

“One that works.”

“Of course.”

“You don’t believe me,” he sighed before pressing a button and my body glitched out, “There. You should be fine now.”

“What’d you just do to me?”

“Reset your body to its original state.”

I sat up and felt my body. Surely enough, I was perfectly fine.

“Care to explain?”

“I was going to,” he cleared his throat, “You were put in a simulation a few hours ago where you would be attacked by four Xirda and one Krynian.”

“So I’ve been in this thing since I woke up?”

“No. I actually had…Athena take you somewhere on the ship as a checkpoint for each time we restart.”

“You told her to take me to the Solarquaintumn in order to make a respawn?”

“No. I just told her to take you somewhere. The Solarquaintumn was entirely her idea. Anyways, while the two of you spoke, I found a spot for me to step in and get you ready to start your training. It took a bit for us to figure out when to start your memory halt.”

“Memory halt?”

“It’s when we cut a bit of your memory from between the checkpoint and the start of the simulation so you don’t remember the setup portion. We chose the part after your explanation to Athena to start it which is why you didn’t get a response.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. So how many more of these do I need to do?”

“That depends entirely on you. You’ve already been through this seven-hundred and eighty-one times and you’ve successfully managed not to die in the last seventeen.”

“Wait. I’ve done this before?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t remember any of that!”

“Because we wipe your memory of the last attempts.”

“Then what’s the point of doing this if I don’t learn anything from it?”

“It trains your muscle memory and instincts. This was the best timing you had so far. Get ready to do it again.”

“Why? I completed it. What’s the point in going on?”

Hyrran was silent for a moment. “Because you didn’t kill anyone.”

“What do you mean? How am I supposed to know which ones to kill? Why do I need to kill them?”

“There are moments where your judgment isn’t right. You tried to talk to them and failed. If they were able to get up then you’d be outnumbered and outmatched.”

“Then send me back in with my memory so I know to kill them.”

“Can’t do that either.”

“Why not?”

“Because then it wouldn’t be instinct. You would end up forcing yourself into killing them because you know you don’t have a choice since it’s the only way you would pass.”

I didn’t know what to say. His words seemed very sincere and his face grew upset when he saw the Krynian floating in the water, and passed out.

“Who is that?”

“...No one you should concern yourself with.”

“Is it someone you know? Someone related to you?”

“In a way.”

With those three words, I was given my answer.

“I take it you were someone entirely different back then?”

“I was unrecognizable. I hurt those who I deemed close to me and even…”

“You don’t have to keep going. I can put two and two together simply through that look on your face.”

He chuckled slightly. “The fact that you were able to best him for a split second means you are capable of a lot more. Aidan Wright. I trust that you will become strong enough to do so much for the order. The other three will be put through the same thing as you in order to make sure you all survive whatever lies ahead of you.”

His reassurance was…nice.

“So what happens when I get out of here? Will I only have the memory of the fight I passed?”

“No. The memory of each time you’ve fought will immediately come to you. That means every punch, every footstep, every broken bone, and every injury you faced, you would remember and feel.”

“That’s….enough to make me not want to pass,” I said this with the thought of the injuries I faced not too long ago.

“It’s to make you used to whatever pain you may face in the future. You wouldn’t even notice a scratch afterwards.”

“Fine. I’ll see if I can…kill this time. So do I need to be seated?”

“No, you’ll just be reset into your original position. How you stand doesn’t matter since we’re in your head.”

“My head?”

Hyrran nodded. I sighed. I had no intention of going deeper into this conversation.

I don’t know exactly how many times I’ve died or even killed the ones I had to, but I was able to pass on my one-thousandth-six-hundred and seventeenth attempt. I was told it would take about one hour for it all to come rushing back to me since my mind was still processing whether I was still in the simulation or not. Before I was allowed to go back into my room I had an appointment with Erveq.

I knocked on the door to the Nursery and stepped in. 

“Feel free to hook yourself up to the machine. We’ll get started when you’re done.”

“Okay.”

I hooked up the clips and suction cups to the instructed places and sat on the chair.

“In order for us to continue. We will need to collect a little more information. We will then determine if your mentality will be of any threat to you or your mission, as well as your teammates. Are you ready, Aidan?”

I nodded. Then questions began. They ranged from any former mental strains, past diets, emotional conflicts, but the last one was what allowed me to stay without a doubt.

“Why did you come along?”

I repeated what I told Athena before I was put in the simulation word-for-word. Erveq looked at the screen and waited for the results.

“You aren’t being completely honest. You’ve only told half of the truth. Let me rephrase. What made you decide to come with, was there something in your homeworld that caused you to make your decision?”

I could feel my chest tighten. He could tell I was lying. There was no way around this.

“There was.”

“What was it?”

“My family. Brother to be exact.”

He looked at the screen again. “Would you care to elaborate?”

“My brother is older than me by three years. He was always the star child in everyone’s eyes. Perfect grades, perfect personality, always making the right choice, and always right. It didn’t matter what I did because I would always be compared to him. If I did well on a test it was always “Just like your brother” or “I think your brother got a higher grade”. Then there was when I gave up on trying to win their favor. It only got worse from there. I had the same teachers as him as well as classes with the people who knew him back when he went to the school. I didn’t bother trying the same sh*t he liked to do and every time I rejected an invitation to join, I was always seen as ungrateful. I took an interest in video games, reading, anime, and traveling. I would always go somewhere far away every chance I had as well as stay with distant relatives. My uncle Romeo is the textbook definition of “American and Proud” and was a fun guy to hang out with. He let me fire a couple of his guns and that’s where I shined. He’d occasionally taken me to property a friend of his owned and allowed me to do some target practice there. I was great at handling a weapon and I wasn’t even compared to my brother. Eventually my brother took a sudden interest in it and even asked my uncle to take him with sometime.”

“So your brother took over another thing you like?”

“No. It was one of the few things I liked before he did and he sucked at it. He couldn’t handle the fact that he was inferior to me in something so he threw a fit like a toddler and ended up putting a bullet in my uncle’s foot. We made it to the hospital and the blame was immediately placed on me.”

“Your uncle blamed you?”

“That’s just it. He stood up for me. He and my Aunt both knew I wasn’t at fault but everyone just said they were trying to make my punishment lesser than it deserves to be. I had enough of them. I moved in with my aunt and uncle and even helped them around the house. My family expected me to leave most of my items with them but since I paid for them, they were legally mine. They tried to get the cops involved but that just failed.”

“Was there anything that made you question your choice?”

“Well there’s my aunt and uncle of course. But there was also my girlfriend.”

“Tell me about her.”

I proceeded to tell him her name and whatever I could think of on the top of my head. “I met her when I was on one of my trips. She was an amazing person and was able to put a genuine smile on my face every time we spoke. I even started to learn her language so she didn’t need to speak mine all the time. She was funny, able to stand up to whoever gave her sh*t, was great with kids, and older sister and had a great personality. I honestly was going to change my answer when I thought more about how it’d affect her. But when you said you would make clones of us in order to not cause any suspicion, I felt at ease. He would have the same memory as me and even be a better person. The thought of leaving her was painful. But I wanted a chance to become more than just a shadow in the eyes of those around me. Those three are the few who actually see me as my own person and don’t hold any expectations or lesser than someone who would probably end up an alcoholic ex husband who beats his kids.”

“You say that last part in a literal tense?”

“No, I just see him as an extreme narcissist who loves himself more than any other person so he’d most likely end up getting a divorce and blame everyone else for it because he’s a spoiled brat who doesn’t know how to admit he’s at fault.”

“By divorce…do you mean a separation between mates?”

“Yeah. Are there any species that mate for life?”

“There’s a great number that do. Was divorce an option you thought of with your mate?”

“I never even considered it. Even if we got married I would have wanted to stay with her no matter what.”

“Hm. Have you had any other mates before her?”

“Only a few. You know what cheating is, right?”

“I assume that’s when one or both parties in a relationship are unfaithful to the other.”

“Yep. It’s become quite common where I’m from simply because of “hook-up culture” which made it so relationships aren’t what they once were. I was annoyed by most people back home and even tried to avoid those who seemed like they’d be a pain to deal with.”

“Do you not get annoyed by the three friends you came with?”

“I do. It wouldn’t be an actual friendship if you guys don’t get mad at each other. We make up rather quickly and I’ve known them ever since I was a kid. It would be weird if I didn’t get annoyed with them. But I tolerate it because they’re people I know and trust.”

“I understand. Thank you for answering my questions. You seem perfectly fit to continue but you and the others need to check in on occasion in order for us to catch any sign of possible vulnerability within your bond or mental state.”

“The way you word that makes it seem like we shouldn’t feel any way towards whatever situation we come across.”

“That’s not what I meant. I meant that we need to make sure there’s no sign of any of you compromising the next mission. If there is then you’d have to sit out until you are stable and back to the required health. I believe it is called “Therapy”. However, what I do is find the best way to help you rather than telling you what you want to hear. I would help you relax through simulations and routine mental exercise.”

I stood up after unhooking myself from the machine. “Thanks Erveq. All of this is starting to feel real now rather than a fever dream. Do you know if there’s anything planned?”

“Well Hyrran cleared you as fit for combat and I’ve finished your mental assessment. You can spend the rest of the trip doing as you please. You can even ask Athena to show you around.”

“You know about the name too?”

“Of course. She told us after all”

“But she said that she didn’t care for one.”

“It’s best not to question everything. Artificial intelligence is unpredictable so it would be best to just let things play out and keep your eyes peeled for any sign of danger rather than overthink the little things. You should get some rest. Even though we sent you into your mindscape to train, you haven’t had a chance for any mental rest. I’ll see you later.”

With that, I was sent off to my room. I stepped inside and sat on my bed. I looked around to see the empty walls and floor. I had the urge to add some decoration to make it feel more comfortable. But first, I decided I should rest. There’s a long journey ahead and I needed to make sure that the four of us are able to work together properly because I was sure once we’re all done with our training, Romano is going to challenge Hyrran to a mach battle while saying he was speaking for all of us.

I laid on the bed and closed my eyes.

“Athena, you there?”

“I am here.”

“Wake me up if they need me for anything. And lock my door please. I don’t want Caleb coming in here and taking whatever I have without asking.”

“Alright. Sweet dreams, Aidan.”

“Thanks. Athena.”

I fell asleep after that. I knew that there would be more to come in the future. I just didn’t know how much there would be. Challenges with godly beings. Saving empires on the brink of falling. Even destroying camps filled with enemies of the order. Tolls will be put on our relationships, but we would always find a way past that. I miss the laughs that would fill the rooms as well as eating together like we were family. But it was all bound to happen. People can change in the blink of an eye. We just haven’t closed our eyes yet.