»--Final Phase--« | Ryan Mitchell

(5) Titanium

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I wiped sweat off my brow before checking my stopwatch. 30 more seconds. Right as I clicked the timer shut Carter came barreling through the door at the end of the training course. Tossing him a water bottle I went back inside to examine the course, shaking my head at the sight of the bright yellow paintballs littered around the course as I walked back outside.

"You're still missing it Carter," I sighed.

"Missing what?" He said, he was growing aggravated with each run of the course, "I hit every monster in the course."

"And you're still missing the point."

"What? What could I possibly be missing? I can't fix it if you and Captain Mitchell don't tell me what I'm doing wrong!"

I sighed, rolling my eyes before walking back into the course. He followed me to the back room where the last monster cutout sat.

"See," he said, pointing to the yellow paint all over the cutout, "I hit every target."

I didn't respond, instead I kicked the blue can next to it. It rolled over to reveal the yellow paintballs and the bright orange label on the front.

"Explosives?" He said.

"You were so worried about hitting the target that you didn't think to scan the room for hazards. If this were for real, you and your whole team wouldn't have gotten out."

Carter ran a hand over his face, "Alright, then how do I pass the course?"

"You just did."

He looked at me confused.

"The point of this training course is recognizing dangers in battle. You asked what you did wrong and recognized how you messed up. Do you think you'll do better next time?"

Carter nodded, "I know I will."

"Alright, let's head back to base."

"Thanks Nova."

I smiled, "Just doing my job."

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We got back to the base well after dinner time, on the way back to my room I grabbed a meal from the mess hall before going to bed early for once.

Later, I was thankful I got those few extra hours of sleep as three solid taps on my door woke me up.

My worry grew as I opened the door to find Skye standing there. Panting hard with a terrified look in her eyes.

"Skye, is everything okay?" I whispered.

"I need you to look at something," Skye pushed herself into the room as I closed the door, "Please tell me that I'm dreaming right now."

"Give me a second to actually wake up," I yawned, rubbing my eyes, "It's like three in the morning. What's got you so panicked right now?"

She looked at me nervously, gripping her side tightly.

"Seriously, what's wrong?"

She turned, pulling up her shirt to reveal her back. I blinked once, twice, three times to make sure I was seeing this correctly. An intricate cobra tattoo covered most of her lower back.

I reached out to examine it only to draw my hand back when her skin felt like a hot fire. The cobra brought back something I thought I had forgotten, something shoved so far into my mind that when it bubbled back into the forefront of my mind I tried my best to shove it back down. I couldn't think about the scar, not now. Skye needs me. I can't shut down.