Card

Training

I stretch before doing anything. I heard it's really important. I start twisting and still am amazed how light this suit actually is all thing considered. I crack all my fingers and all my joints. The commander is now in charge of me and he's calling the shots. He allows me to stretch however. 

Once I am finished he gets me to grab a pistol on the table. "Do you know how to use a firearm?" I say "No" and he frowns. "You live in America and you don't know how to use one?" "It's a shame kid." He grabs the gun in front of me. "This is how you properly hold a pistol." He places his hand over hand. He firmly aims the weapon and shoots. There isn't any bullets in it but whatever.

"Now you try. This isn't a toy. You do not under any circumstances aim this at anyone without the intent to kill." I copy him and fake fire. "No." he says "No?" I think of what I did wrong. I check my hand placement. "That's good kid." "Check your hold." I do it again with a firmer hand. "Better but you have to understand your hand will blow back a bit with its kick." 

He hands me bullets. "load it." I get the idea. I Place the bullets into the magazine and load it in. I place the gun down and before I do anything I ask "show me how to properly do this again." He grabs the gun and says "It's fine." "fire it." I grab and aim and I squeeze the trigger. BLAM! I hold the gun in my hand again. I aim and shoot all 9 bullets in the clip. BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM! I place the gun down on the table. 

"Your aim is shit but you handled it well for the first time. "Your targets aren't going to be standing still for that long however." I nod. "Sir are we really going to be killing people?" He nods. "Yes, we can take back your eye and your limbs." I continue. "What will it be like to kill someone?" He scoffs. "Look it's just a part of your life now." "if you don't kill who we want, we'll just kill you." "I'm being nice because I feel it's a better start than being all mean." 

"You really don't have a choice here." "go to the press?" He loads and aims a gun with incredible speed for his age. He fires and destroys his target. "That'll be you." "You'll get over it." "We're going to be killing people that are international terrorists or drug dealers and the like." He hands me another weapon. "This is a buckshow." "Newest most deadly shotgun we have."

It was a triple barrel top loader. I pull the lever and shove all the shells in. I fire all shots in rapid succession. I smile a bit "ho-o-o-ly shit." Impressive isn't it? The target is filled with holes. I place the gun down and he hits me. "Aim better!" look at the walls." I see I did have a few holes on the walls. I immediately apologize and he puts his fingers to his head. "No-no one was hurt but seriously this could have been awful." "You just played with it like a child." "You could have killed your allies."

I keep my head down. "Sorry man I really didn't mean it." "It's alright but seriously that is a weapon." He hands me an ak-47 looking like weapon. He shows me how to properly load and fire it. I load and fire and it is incredibly light. "it feels like I'm not even aiming it." I say "that's normal." He places down a bow and arrow. I look at him "I'm not using that." He looks confused. "any reason why?" I tell him that "That is the gayest weapon ever." "I'm not using it when a bullet makes more sense." "Even a crossbow makes more sense." 

"Yeah it is pretty gay isn't it?" The commander laughs. He places a crossbow on the table. "That's more your speed." I have a hard time loading it but use my cybernetic finger's to pull it back. I shoot it dead nuts in the center. "Why can't this eye be my aim?" "You can't rely on technology." he responds quickly. "Relying on technology is a crutch for your generation isn't it?" "an emp will give you what amounts to a glass eye." Your leg will work but your fingers would be useless. Since we made the foot to be used either with or without power."

I guess I get what he's saying. he motions me to a room I haven't seen yet. It has about 40-50 feet of clearance and it's all padded. "What is this for?" I turn around to see the major punch me and I go flying into the wall. The suit breaks my impact. "Woah." I look at his fist more closely and see its a mechanical fist. "Neat isn't it?" "Your entire body should have been broken by something that was able to move something nearing 300 pounds into the air." "But it's not." 

'What type of person would you want to be? close range? medium? mix-up? We have all of that. You need to figure out how to incorporate your power into working you into the most efficient user you can be." I see the suit has spokes that push off against the wall so I don't immediately die. I get onto my feet and ponder. My power is one I came up with as a child. It's pretty resourceful. But niche. no one would pick a lame power like I did. 

But then would it have even been possible to sacrifice for that? or weakness or whatever? I start to walk back and say "Hit me again." He tries to hit me but I dodge and grab it. "Cheeky kid." "You think that will stop 40 guys shooting at you?" He grabs a gun from his other hand and shoots me in the neck. I can't breathe. I get knocked back into the wall again. I slowly gasp for air and start to breathe correctly. 

"You would have died there Max." Try it again. You're not leaving this room until you do." I approach him again undaunted at what I have to do. I think before engaging this time. "Are you wearing one of these?" "Yes" he says back to me. I ponder at what to do. He will use both hands again. The first will just knock me around again. Take the bullet? maybe that's what I have to do but man that first time hurt me. I probably don't have any underlying damage in all honesty. I don't feel blood from the area. 

I go for his leg then jump back. he punches and misses. I see him go for his gun and put my fingers to good use by smashing them against the gun and breaking the gun. I then turn around and get him into a choke hold. He says "Uncle" "kid how did you get so good at that?" 

I shrug. "I go boxing and fighting in my free time to workout." " do I need to check on my fingers now?" I look at them and they are pretty indestructible. I tell him I didn't want to kick him with whatever I had and potentially kill him. He shakes his head. "People take many many attempts to get that right." "You have had help didn't you?"

I shake my head "No sir." He doesn't belive me. "Blind luck." Plus you are beating up an old man." He asks me if I can grab the gun he dropped and when I grab it he punches me back into the same spot in the wall. "Again Max." "Again."