MEKA BORN: UNKNOWN

008

Kade didn't get any sleep after Father left his room right after he had agreed to the terms of their bet. Kade was to run the trial, and make it to Rank 1. In return, Kade would choose to deploy to District 5, which Kade figured... it was the most dangerous district. And Sky would go to the safest district. District 7.

The realization set in hard for Kade. He would be split up from Sky, with no hope of ever seeing each other again. He didn't even know if he could live long enough at District 5 to even have hope in seeing her again. Plus the worries of Sky finding someone else while they were apart started to fill the other half of his mind.

Thoughts of her getting close to some other guy, a Pilot on her team or a civilian in her District. It was eating Kade alive. Thoughts of running to her room and escaping with her raced through his mind more than once. But he knew they would die before they could escape, and if they did manage to escape. They would die quickly outside of their home.

Then his mind started to settle on solely Sky's face. Tears started to well up in his eyes, stinging and burning as he fought to burn every tiny detail into his brains eyes. He needed to, he could never forgive himself if he forgot his loves face.

"Ceiling...show me Sky," Kade spoke to his ceiling. It flashed to black as it loaded up the program. Then a clear vibrant blue sky appeared over his head. Small white puffy clouds scattered around like cotton balls floating in a blue ocean. Disappointment washed over Kade, his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach. He didn't want to see this sky. He wanted to see Sky. The girl that has never left his brain since the day they met.

Even with his brain that can remember everything to the smallest detail. He was focusing hard on remembering her. Her laugh, the way her nose crinkles when she laughs. The nervous flicking of her thumbs when she's had a rough day in training. The way she always looked at him when she wanted to feel better. The way she always smiled when he looked at her. The feeling of her lips on his, her touch, smell, voice, even the way she breathed. He loved all of her, and needed to remember it all.

He was broken out of his trance he had put himself into, by thinking of that perfect girl, by his door opening. Two orderlies came in, and told him to get up. He obeyed and they threw a new outfit onto his bed. It was a black skin tight jumpsuit.

"Put it on, and get ready."

Kade took off his regulation Initiates uniform. And slipped on the black skin tight jumpsuit.

"What is this?" Kade asked.

"A replica of the real suit you will wear while piloting your Meka in the field," the orderly on the left said. "This trial is designed to be as close to the real thing as possible. Once you leave your door, the trial starts. You are the last one to go, you will be led by green lights at the bottom of each of the hallways walls, leading you to your next objective. While running, or doing one of the tasks. You will be asked a series of questions. If you get them right, points will be tallied to your score, and your time will be reduced slightly."

"During this test, you will run to your first objective. You will pick up a weapon of your choice, and fight enemies. If you get hit, you will receive a shock to your body. Three hits, and you will have ten minutes added to your final time. Then you will run to your second task. You will sync up, and control a Meka and dodge projectiles while running through an obstacle course. Finally, you will desync from the Meka, and run until you reach the final room. Once you pass the doorway into the Gradation room, your time will stop. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir," Kade said.

"Once you leave this room, your time will start. And once you receive your District, your personal items will be shipped to your address withing two days. Good luck Pilot."