No Longer Prey

The Way of War

A/N: A fair warning will be given that there will be some mild language in this chapter and future chapters. No excessive swearing, just the occasional word used to add severity to a sentence. I'll try to keep it to a minimum. Anyhow, let's start the show!

Kyoni followed the woman through the door, the brightness within it momentarily blinding her. She was in that darkly lit corridor for far too long, she thought. Squinting her eyes, she trailed after the woman in white.
Immediately after she passed through the door, she gasped in awe. During her time in A.R.C.H. headquarters, she had only been allowed to explore two of the underground levels: the first, closest to the surface, and the one directly beneath it. There wasn't really anything of interest on those levels, just the training grounds where you go through combat simulations, exercises, and an education course on the history of the conflict she was being trained to fight in. The dormitories were where all trainees were to be in their leisure time, at all times. It was bearable, as they were provided with gaming systems and computers, but they all had the occasional urge to explore beyond their confinement of two floors. And now, seeing more of just how big this place was, Kyoni almost fainted.
The woman in white led her through a huge open space squarely shaped, filled with tables of people in the familiar lab coats, and people wearing the black and grey body suit of the field divisions, the A.R.C.H. coat of arms emblazoned on their backs: an ark in a half circle, folded wings visible on each side and a spade below the half circle, seemingly shielding it from the dangers of magic.
The ceiling rose to a grand height, lighting the room with artificial sunlight. "Windows" were plastered on every wall, which were really just screens with live footage of different areas of the surface; fields of flowers, a lush green jungle, mountain tops, etc. As Kyoni was led through the seven tables, she couldn't help but gawk at the rows of the soldiers of the field. Each table seemed to have its own atmosphere, its own attitude. A table on her right was filled with the most people out of the other ones, about 50 to 60 people. They radiated an aura of confidence and good nature, all of them chatting with another person near them, silently chuckling. They all had a look in their eyes though. A look that seemed sad and empty, like the good humor they radiated was a distraction from what was in their heads, probably haunting them. Kyoni wondered what they had all seen.
The other tables varied in number of people and what they did. A group of 30 people in a table, peculiarly all either small in size or very athletically built. They were a rowdy bunch, playfully punching each other in the arms or laughing loudly at jokes.
"Wait," Kyoni pondered, thinking she figured out the arrangement.
"Are these tables all of the divisions? Is this where I'm gonna be assigned?"
The woman huffed, probably relieved that she didn't have to explain to another teenager with a short attention span what would be going down.
"Yeah," she turned to Kyoni, stopping in front of an extra table that was occupied by people in her black shirts and green cargo pants; her fellow trainees, waiting to be assigned their military branch as well.
"You are to sit here and stay seated," she pointed at an empty chair, indicating that that is where Kyoni is to sit. Then the woman's eyes wandered into the distance, following a moving figure that was bouncing from place to place, her eyes darting along with it.
"Unlike that one over there. Hey! You!" She called, moving her already pointed finger to point at the person not in their seat. "What do you think you're doing? Get back to your seat, right now!" Kyoni turned to look for the apparent culprit, and she instantly spotted him. It wasn't hard, considering that he was the only one standing... and his hair was the color of mint. Okay, there were people who looked very recognizable in the crowd, whether it was because of their hairstyle, or their dyed hair, or some other alteration that made them stand out. This guy, however, stood out like a Times Square jumbotron in a California downtown area: bright and loud. He wore thick-rimmed black glasses with large square frames, making the surprised look on his eyes more prominent. His hair was wild and spiky, sticking up in different directions like he had attempted to use hair gel but gave up halfway through. It was dyed a bright shade of mint aqua, the tips a darker shade of blue, giving it more flare. Piercings were visible on his ears, one having a large black gem on the earlobe. He was, without a doubt, the wildest looking soldier Kyoni had ever seen.
He stood and adjusted his glasses, squinting as if he couldn't see the lady in the coat. "I'm sorry," he called out, filling the space with his voice. "I can't hear you, my glasses are too blurry!" He spoke with an accent, Kyoni noticed. She couldn't quite place it however. Was it German? Dutch, maybe? This remark was accompanied by a few chuckles from some of the other tables.
"Soldier Schitez," snarled the lady, her patience wearing thin. "You have been asked multiple times to not get involved in the business of the other divisions," she made her way towards him, fuming. "You can only get so many warnings before you're suspended from any operations your division does. Do you really want to help the janitors clean the bathrooms for a week?"
Soldier Schitez clutched his chest with an expression of exaggerated horror. "I would never deprive my team of my worthy contributions..."
"Then sit your ass down and obey orders, Schitez!"
"As you wish, Blakely!"
"Professor Blakely!" She corrected with annoyance.
"Dummkopf!" Schitez palmed himself in the forehead.
"What did you say?" Blakely pressed.
"I meant me! Obviously you are not... what I meant was... what I was trying to say was--"
He was interrupted by a girl's shout from one of the tables. "He's stalling you! Don't fall for it!"
"Shut it, Auvry!" Soldier Schitez responded with panic in his voice. "You don't know me!"
"Thank God I don't," The one named Auvry responded.
The table filled with the trainees began to stomp their feet on the ground, and they began to chant. "FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT...!"
"Everyone SHUT UP!" Screamed Blakely.
"THAT'S IT. YOU ARE SUSPENDED FROM YOUR DUTIES FOR A WEEK, SOLDIER!" Blakely shouted, her fuse finally lit. Her face was red with fluster, though the murderous look in her eyes masked it well. Her fists were clenched, ready to possibly hit something. Like the young man in front of her, for example.
Soldier Schitez frowned deeply, then shot a glare in the direction of the voice of Auvry. With an exasperated sigh, he made his way to his table, silently apologizing with every foot he nearly tripped on and every person he bumped. When he sat down, Kyoni could see the rows of people stifling laughter, trying not to burst out in giggles. Blakely made a noise of satisfaction, then continued to instruct all of the trainees to "shut up" and be respectful. Kyoni ran frantically to her seat, afraid of being on the unlucky end of Blakely's wrath.
As she waited for whatever it was that she was waiting for, she pondered on the possibilities of her eventual sorting. Where would she be spending her military term? Well, normally most people hope to end up in the field, fighting foes of humanity first-hand. But then again, the inner divisions are just as important and respected, if not more so.
Don't worry, she thought to herself. A.R.C.H. always finds a place for someone. They think everyone is useful in some way, it's their philosophy. She reassured herself, hoping to relieve some tension in her body. But no matter how much she tried to convince herself, she still had that nagging voice in the back of her head. How could she be useful to mankind? She wasn't a genius, as most of the inner divisions seemed to be, and she wasn't terribly athletic and combat-ready as the field soldiers were. She was a short fifteen-year-old with little experience and less knowledge of the threat that faced her. She wasn't a leader, she had trouble listening to orders, she wasn't as courageous as some of her gutsy peers.... she was practically overshadowed by every other talented soldier present.
Ugh. She was told that she needed to boost her self-esteem once. She didn't know what her instructor was talking about at the time. This was probably what he was talking about, Kyoni thought sarcastically.
Sending a jolt throughout the entire hall, a booming female voice pierced through her thoughts and snapped her attention back.
"PLEASE REMAIN SEATED, AS THE TRAINEE ASSIGNMENTS ARE ABOUT TO BEGIN."
"Oh mein gott!" A strangled cry of surprise called.
"A warning next time, please!"
Kyoni chuckled silently, and shook her head. That Schitez soldier was quite the interesting character, especially considering his occupation. I wonder what division he's in, she thought.
As everyone settled down and anticipated the assignments, the brightness in the room dimmed. A sort of stage rose up from the floor, lights illuminating it and giving it a sort of glow. A man approached the stage and climbed a set of stairs leading to the center of the platform. From where she sat, Kyoni could make out a man, about middle-aged. His red hair may have looked cheerful and childish at some point in his life, but now, he was anything but. His hair was combed back, set to match his navy blue commanding officer uniform decorated with medals and badges. His perfect posture and tall silhouette gave him an intimidating presence, despite the surprisingly kind looking face. He smiled and nodded to the crowd, then began to speak.
"Today is a day that I hope most of you remember from your trainee days. When you stood in this very same spot, however long ago it may have been for you, being assigned to your branch of service that will be the sacrifice you give to your people. These young trainees here will be joining their branch, just as many of you have done in the end of your trainee days." He gestured to the crowd, almost seeming to be looking at specific people within it. "A.R.C.H. does hope that you will be willing to guide these young soldiers in their service to humanity. To let them know that each and every single one of them is recognized, and that even if any of you sacrifice everything in the name of the cause... your sacrifice will not go unnoticed. The A.R.C.H divisions and their soldiers are an honor to humanity, the weapon against unnatural forces that threaten to overtake us. And for that... we thank you in advance for your sacrifice and your service." A large round of applause responded to his statements, whistles and whoops resonating throughout the hall. The man on the stage cleared his throat.
"Now, shall we begin?"
Almost as if it was a response, a vibration passed through the ceiling. Everyone froze, and Kyoni could almost feel the tension in the air swirling like fresh smoke. The entire room vibrated, and then in an explosion of shrapnel and debris the room burst open like an egg revealing the blue sky up above.

A/N: Ooohh, an attempt at a cliffhanger, how fun! This story may be going slower than I want it to go, but hey, what can you do? (Like make it go faster)
Anyway, I hope you like it so far, and feel free to vote! Comments would be much appreciated. Meister is off to disappear again for a bit, but do not fear! She may or may not return!