Project Reaper

Prologue

Ezra stands still, looking directly at the wall across the room with his hands clasped behind his back. His lean body clad in camo pants and a jacket that fit his body perfectly. Sweat rolls down from his short, black hair down towards his jet-black eyes. A large man paces back and forth in front of him and a group of people around his age, dressed up exactly like he is. The sound of metal clinking against each other upon his chest gives Ezra an idea of what a war hero he is.
"Cadet Ashburn, what do you do when approached by an armed Krozanthian?" the man asks, tilting his head slightly towards the young man. His glare sends shivers down every cadets spine.
"Sir, I would keep my distance to avoid them and stay out of their reach, sir!" Ezra enthusiastically replies.
"And why is that, cadet?"
"Sir, the Krozanthians wield two-handed weapons with one hand and, despite their thin appearance, they are able to break boulders the size of our scout ships with their bare fists, sir."
"Excellent, cadet Ashburn. Now," he turns to a slightly smaller man a bit behind him, "What about a Broccanian, cadet Chavez?"
A young man, slightly shorter than Ezra, with dark brown hair and hazel eyes, adjusts himself, then replies, "Attack one point on their body, as they hold very tough and durable skin, fath-, er-, Commander, sir!"
As cadet Chavez finishes, the commander instantly has a vein appear on his forehead. "Do you not remember what we talked about, cadet?" the Commander remarks, taking a step towards the trembling cadet. "After this session, you are going to run one hundred laps!" He turns back around. "Now, take a look at this, cadets." The commander reaches into a podium in the front of the room, pulling a glowing blue ball from it. "What is this?"
Ezra speaks first. "That's a memory orb, sir. "They help us remember important breakthroughs from the past, most that have been forgotten."
"And how did we create them?"
"We harnessed the energy from our DNA and followed it to the most beneficial breakthroughs, sir."
"Very good, Ashburn. We create these in order to keep inventions that we don't have blueprints for anymore. It helps us keep the right mixtures with chemicals and helps us practice using our weapons and tactics. They are just as valuable to us as they are valuable to other lifeforms. Can you tell me why?"
"Dark matter, sir. When a group of four or more orbs are together, they can disrupt any phase of matter in between their radiating waves."
"Can you explain?" The cadets turn their eyes towards Ezra.
"Sir, if a small object, like a pen, was placed in the space between, it would separate from the dark matter, creating a small ball of it. The size increases and decreases depending on the object, sir."
"Excellent." The Commander smiles, as he puts the memory orb away. A short bell rings shortly after. "It seems to be time for lunch. As soon as we get back, we will cover the rest of my lesson."
"Sir, yes, sir!" the cadets announce in unison.
"Class dismissed." The cadets start leaving. "Cadet Chavez, please stay behind for a few moments. We need to have a chat." Ezra watches the cadet stop in his tracks and walk towards the Commander, as the door seals itself shut. Ezra heads down the hall towards the cafeteria.
Once he reaches the cafe, the line is quickly gone. He grabs his tray of food, then heads for the only empty table. Shortly after Ezra sits down with his food, the shadow of someone appears behind him. He turns his head slightly, as the hot, mushy feeling of mashed potatoes lands on his head. His eyes widen, as rage quickly boils within him. He turns and stands to find cadet Chavez standing behind him.
"Raul, I don't want to fight you," he says, calming down.
"Well, good, because that'll make this easier," Raul replies. Raul quickly draws his left fist back and drives it towards Ezra. Ezra reacts quickly, raising his right, pushing Raul's fist away and sending his palm into Raul's chest. Raul stumbles back a bit, as Ezra holds his hands in front of him. Other cadets start walking towards the two, watching, as a handful of them stay seated. "You really piss me off, bookworm," Raul growls, as he regains his balance. "You shouldn't be in the corps. Go back to your books." Raul takes a step forward, ready to throw another punch, but is stopped by a woman with a large dark gray hat and outfit. Ezra and the cadets around them quickly straighten into attention, as Raul becomes pale. "Sergeant Clement."
"Fighting out of sparring is strictly forbidden." Sergeant Clement states. "Isn't that right, Raul and Ezra?"
"Yes, Sergeant," the two reply.
"You two are coming with me." She turns to the other cadets. "The rest of you finish your meals." The two cadets follow the Sergeant as she leads them down the hall. Once they don't hear the cafeteria anymore, she says, "You two still haven't changed."
"Says the one who showed she was born to be a leader when we first met," Raul replies. She lets out a small laugh. "Still nice to see you, Chloe."
"Nice to see you too, Raul. What about you, Ezra? You look like you've been studying more and you've become more fit." Ezra doesn't reply, keeping his eyes closed. "The silent treatment, huh?"
"No. He just does this to ignore everyone and hopes we'll leave him alone. Just pisses me off."
"Well, either way, you should relax more and get along. It'll distract you from your studies."
"Says the woman who partied most of the time, but became a Sergeant rank during the first few months AND is still the youngest recruit."
"Shut up. I worked very hard."
"Doesn't matter. Anyways, my dad was super pissed after the first part of the session. Now, once we finish, I have to run a hundred laps...I almost called him 'father' again."
"I'm still amazed he doesn't like being called that."
"I am a cadet under him, so I kind of believe I know what he feels." The three stop in front of Commander Chavez's room and open the door to him looking through papers.
"Afternoon, Commander Chavez."
He looks up from the papers and smiles. "Miss Sergeant Chloe Clement, my best student. How's the training been?"
"Not as rigorous as yours was, sir. There was a bit of a problem between these two, but it's been resolved, so there's no need to punish them. No one was harmed, but Cadet Ashburn needs to clean his hair."
"Understood. You are good to do so, Ashburn."
"I would like to talk to you, though, sir, while we wait for the other students to return."
Ezra turns around and leaves the room as a conversation starts between the sergeant and captain. He heads towards the barracks and cleans his hair in the bathroom. He looks up into the mirror and sees a flash within his eyes. Confused, he looks around the mirror, hoping to find something, then says to himself, "It was probably just the lighting." He dries his hair and heads back to the class, as the rest of the students arrive.
Ezra enters and stands next to Raul, as the rest of the cadets enter and stand where they were before. "I think it might be time for me to leave, sir. Thank you for the chat."
"It was a pleasure to see you again, Sergeant. Come and see me soon. I hear you'll be going on your first mission soon and I'd love to hear about it."
"You'll be the first person I tell when I return." She turns to the two cadets she walked with. "Enjoy your class." She walks out of the door and Commander Chavez loses his smile.
"Alright cadets, let's finish our lesson. Now, what is dark matter used for?"
"It's an energy source, sir," a cadet in the back says.
"Correct. We use it to power our ships. All life forms use it, but we have a natural generator now, which produces dark matter in minutes to an hour, compared to their days to weeks. We've lost over thirty ships within the past few months. You are the select few that have been chosen to be trained by me, as I am the top commander of the whole fleet. My skills outrank even some of the top ranked officials. Now, let's get to sparring." Just as he finishes, a distant explosion is heard, shaking the ship and causing the lights to become red. The commander quickly turns to the farthest wall and presses his hand on a square shaped part of the wall. It glows and opens a door full of armor and weapons. "This is not a simulation or a drill. Suit up and arm yourselves. This is do or die!" The cadets hurry into the armory and suit up in the armor, then grab a gun from across the room, putting it on the magnetic gun holder upon their backs.
Ezra enters the armory to find no more armor or weapons. He walks up to the commander and says, "Sir, there aren't any more armors or weapons."
"Shit...Ezra, there's an armory a few doors down, but it holds an 'experimental' armor. We haven't been able to test it out because we didn't believe anyone was ready. We will guard you as you put it on and you will be given orders afterwards." He turns to Raul. "Raul, you will protect Ezra as he gets the REAPER armor. When they're all suited up, we'll be right behind you." Raul nods and leads the way to the armory. Ezra follows, keeping a close eye on their surroundings.
As they enter the hallway, soldiers fully armored and armed rush past them. "They're headed towards the engine room. I think we need to hurry. If we lose power, we could be sitting ducks to an attack." Ezra doesn't reply, looking for the armory door. "Hey, blockhead! It's over here." Ezra walks over to him and the two enter the armory.
The lights flash on, illuminating rows and rows of different guns and armors. In the very back, one armor sits behind a console. Ezra walks towards it, as Raul looks around. "Raul, I think you need to start up the system when I get on the pad and in the armor."
"Yeah, yeah," he replies, still admiring the weaponry. "Just get in and tell me when you're ready."
Ezra quickly gets onto the pad and into the armor, noticing that it feels much different than the other armors. "Raul, let's hurry up." Raul nods and heads over to the console, looking over it and messing around with the buttons, knobs, levers, switches, and dials. "You do know what you're doing, right?" Ezra asks, a little bit skeptical of his actions.
"Yes, give me one minute." He adjusts a few more things, then twists a key, sending power to the suit. "There. I'll be by the door, so once you're done, come get me." He turns around and stands by the door, keeping watch and waiting for the others.
The armor starts shifting its metal to fit around Ezra's body, modifying itself to his body type. Once finished, the tubes upon the suit stay connected. "Why isn't it falling off?"
"I can help with that," a female voice says within the helmet.
"I'm sorry. You can talk?!"
"Does that surprise you? Don't other armors have AI?"
"No, they don't. Now, please remove the tubes."
"Oh, they'll remove once we're fully bonded."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"You don't know?"
"No, please explain."
"As you wish. You awakened me from my slumber, meaning I am now your personal AI and you are my master. Being fully bonded means you can call on me at any time. You can wear me without ever taking me off."
"Okay, now please—" A second explosion goes off, shaking the ship a bit more vigorously. "Nevermind the explanations. Let's just get this process over with."
"As you command. This first part will sting, as if you have a first degree burn upon the whole of your body."
"I'm sorry, what?" The armor changes and becomes liquid, seeping into Ezra's skin and causing irritation that makes him clench his teeth. As the armor stops, the pain goes away, relieving Ezra. He looks at his body and finds that his body feels like it is a part of the armor. "Is that it?"
"No, sir. The next part will make you feel like all of your bones are breaking at the same time. Please be advised. If you are to scream and yell, the pain will be worse, as your muscles will be sore and hurt more from the infusion." Ezra sighs and readies himself for the excruciating pain. The burning feeling returns, but becomes quickly overpowered by the feeling of pressure upon his body. He feels the wind get knocked out of him, as the machinery becomes one with his body. His bones become covered in the mysterious metal of the armor, adding more pain to his body. He stays silent, holding in the pain he wishes to release, but knows the consequences.
A small sound is heard, as Ezra falls to his hands and knees. He looks at his hands and sees the armor gone.
"Did it vanish?"
"No, sir. I have successfully merged with your body, releasing us from the tubes. You should be able to activate the armor with your mind now." Ezra struggles to stand up, then thinks about the armor being in his body, causing the armor to form on him. "Amazing. You have high endurance. Others would pass out or die from that pain."
"Yeah, well, we need to move. What weapons do you use?"
"Sir, I'm a REAPER. I use one melee weapon and a sidearm. My sword and pistol are in this room. Both hold the emblem of wind. The sword is along the wall and the pistol is under the console." Ezra looks under the console and finds the pistol, then quickly looks against the wall and finds the sword among other melee weapons that don't look like it. Just as he sheaths it and holsters the pistol, Commander Chavez enters the room.
"That second explosion was closer, but we can't triangulate the source. You two head down to the engine room. There are soldiers down there already, so you should have some back up. The rest of us will split up and clear our way towards the bridge. Once the engine room is clear, make your way towards us."
"Yes, sir," the two reply, heading down the way they saw the other soldiers heading. Commander Chavez motions the group to start moving, then looks back towards the two and smiles.
"Sir, would you like me to show you a map of the ship?" the AI asks Ezra.
"You can do that?"
"I scanned the ship as soon as I awakened. It's to know what my location is to be sure I haven't been salvaged or thrown out."
"Great. Give me a layout of what hasn't been damaged and what is left."
"Who are you talking to?" Raul asks, keeping his eyes ahead of them and his gun aimed.
"There's an AI in my suit."
"And how the hell is that?"
"It called itself 'REAPER' armor. I'm guessing that's the only reason why."
"Other tests on that armor led to the soldiers being knocked unconscious, but none of them remember an AI. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, Raul."
"Sir, you have two incoming entities coming from the right. I cannot tell if they are friendly or not, but their vitals are elevated."
Without thinking, Ezra draws the sword and holds it in front of him, ready to take on whatever comes. Two soldiers with badly damaged armor exit out of the hall to their right, one helping the other. Ezra and Raul lower their weapons and help the two into a storage room. "What happened?" Ezra asks.
The first soldier groans, trying to get up, but Raul doesn't let him. "The Krozanthians are attacking. It seems they've created a treaty with another race. We didn't even see them correctly."
"Where are they?"
"The engine room. We just came from there. Our squadron was eradicated and they have workers trapped in there, being forced to cause the engines to explode."
"Then, we better hurry," Raul states. He exits the storage room and hurries towards the engine room.
"You two should be safe here. Tend to your wounds. We will do our best to handle it."
"But you're just cadets!"
"We may be cadets, but we're Commander Chavez's cadets." Ezra stands and leaves the room, rushing after Raul.
"Those two don't have a chance at living."
"That young man that helped us," the wounded soldier says, "Did you see his armor?"
"No, why?"
"He wears the REAPER armor. He didn't pass out, like other soldiers that have tried it on. We were just in the armory and it was still hooked up."
"How can you tell?"
"The sword and style of the armor."