Champions (Volume 1)

Champions Ch06 - Testing

Champions

Ch06 - Testing

"Safety first!"

I finally finished the entire torso of my armor. I haven't taken off my gauntlet yet. I am glad they made it, because I honestly had no idea how to secure it to the gauntlet.

"That looks great!" Alex commented. He rubbed his hand across the top of the shoulder and his hand turned black. "You need to polish it though. Maybe add a wax of sorts." And he walked off to wash his hands.

I chuckled. I am glad I have it finished, though I guess I could add something to keep me from rubbing all my armor away. I started tapping on the AI screen, hoping that something would activate.

"There's a button." Grace told me. I sat there for a moment, feeling somewhat stupid.

"Thank you." I told her, then I pushed the button. The AI activated, and a lot of code started to scroll across the screen. It took a few seconds to stop.

"This is AI designate 'Savvy', at your service. Anything you need, I can do." A female voice emanated from the device.

"Hello, Savvy. Do you know who I am?" I asked clearly. I remembered how badly phones' microphones suck.

"No, I do not. If I scan your biometric ID, and you give me your designate, I will know." Savvy explained. What could I lose from it?

A sharp pain in my wrist lasted only a second. "DNA collected, scanning." I guess I could loose my genes...

"Designate Samuel 'Sam' Black." I told Savvy.

"Recognition: Sam. Biometric ID, complete. Hello, Sam!" Savvy was done, now.

"Hey, Will!" I called. Will appeared for a second before looking at me; his expression empty. "Would you care for a few rounds in the combat area?" I asked. Will nodded. He quickly disappeared and reappeared in the combat area, and I walked over calmly.

A message appeared in the entrance.

Your armor is not rated for hard light combat. You must equip training armor or armor rated for hard light combat.

I sighed and took off my gauntlet and chestplate. A small container rose out of the floor containing my training armor and weapon. I put it on, wishing I could use my armor instead.

Stepping into the arena, I heard "Match Start." I raised my shield and kept my sword carried to its side. Will jumped in front of me and fired. My shield caught most of the blast, but some hit my helmet. I went for a stabbing move, but Will dodged it despite the narrow passage.

Backing up, Will fired bolt upon bolt of hard light at me. Still, I blocked most of the blasts.

Only a minute later, we arrived in the open middle, only having half-walls for cover. Here, I could go on the offensive. I let Will follow me farther in before I took one last shot and swung my shield into his face. Will stumbled, and I took my chance to make a slash across his torso. A return swing had gone straight across his gut. Finally, a stab had gone up, entering in his stomach and exiting through his neck. The AI dispersed and the counter had pointed me.

Sam = 1

TUAI-D347-2 = 0

I am glad he responds to Will. "Hey Will, what does TUAI mean?" I asked. A message appeared next to me that explained how it meant Training User Artificial Intelligence.

A faint ache appeared in the back of my head. "Gorgon, you and the other teams are in danger. In twelve hours and twenty seven minutes, you will need to report to the cafeteria. I've set a timer on your AI Savvy." The ache disappeared and I could only assume it was the Shipmaster.