The Alien Agenda (#Wattys2018)

[Chapter 18: The Prep]

"Laila, you are possibly the most unfit person I've ever met," Lin said shaking her head, while perched atop the finish line of the obstacle course.

"Really? Well then you're the weirdest person I've met! Who the hell has an obstacle course in their basement? How deep is your basement in the first place?" I said, panting heavily.

I was clinging to my life on a rope bridge, trying my best to not look down. Sweat dripped off my nose. I looked like I had been dumped in water.

Lin asked Axel and I to come over for some training to get ourselves at least a bit prepared for the mission. Unfortunately Axel could not make it, as he had some errands to run. Personally, I think he simply wanted to escape the torture I was currently going through.

Lin had brought me to another floor in her basement. I began to wonder how many floors she even had in her basement. It was a training area, filled with weapons, simulators, etcetera. Unfortunately, I did not get to try any of those, as I had to complete this obstacle course first.

Fluorescent white light illuminated the training room, giving it a hard, merciless, train till you die, sort of look. My legs trembled with exhaustion, my blue sport shoes barely balancing on the the single thick rope.

I was only one quarter through! While Lin had already made it through the end.

"I hate you," I hissed, but it came out as a wheeze.

Lin sighed,"Well, keep going or you're out of the mission."

"You do realise I have to obviously follow!" I retorted.

"Hmph, no not really. Axel would be there,"she said.

"Ugh. How do you even know he's got enough skills. For all we know he could be as wimpy as me," I yelled back.

"Nah.. he's way too hot to be wimpy. Totally my type," Lin replied brushing it off.

I grunted inwardly. I bit back from saying, back off he's mine!

An hour and a half later, I finally made it to the end. It was a miracle that I made it. I'd bet that no alien conspiracy problem would be as hard as this obstacle course.

Okay, perhaps I was exaggerating.

After a break, Lin brought me an area with matted floors. There were plastic dummies, punching bags, bow staffs and various other karate and kung fu equipment.

"Okay! How about some basic self defense?" Lin said excitedly, putting on some fighter gloves.

She threw me a pair and I strapped them on. The moment I pasted that velcro strap on the back of my hand, she immediately went into a stance, her fists clenched, legs apart.

"W-wait! We're gonna fight, like right now?" I asked panicking.

Without hesitation, Lin swung her fist at me. I yelped and dodged. She continued throwing punches at me while I continued to run in circles around the room. Finally she swung her leg and hit my calves. I fell forward right on my face.

"Ouch! Lin stop!" I cried.

She stopped,"Sorry, just got a little excited," she said giggling.

"Not funny!" I yelped back.

I got to my feet. But a millisecond later, Lin hooked her leg on mine, twisted my arm and tackled me into the ground. Unfortunately, due to her misjudgment as my body fell onto the mat, my head missed and made a terrible impact on the hard cement floor.

I shrieked in pain. Lin immediately realized her mistake and pulled away.

"Oh no, Laila! God, I'm sorry!" she said pulling me up.

But I could not process whatever she was saying. My head was throbbing so loud. The moment my head hit the floor, I felt a sharp electric shock zip through my body. I clutched my head tightly. I felt electricity tingle from that spot down to my neck, within a second, to the tips of my fingers and toes.

I took deep breaths. Lin gently rubbed my back, her face, a mixture of guilt and worry.

Finally, the throbbing and electricity subsided. I released my head. I turned to Lin.

"S-sorry," she murmured, looking down.

I just nodded. I was feeling weird. Warmth spread through my chest throughout my body. I had this sudden burst of energy swelling up inside me. I shot to my feet.

"Laila, are you okay?!" Lin asked baffled.

"Fight me," I said. I really had no idea why.

The heat was unbearable, and I had to get it off my body. My previously wimpy body, was now trembling for some action.

"W-what?" Lin asked clearly dumbfounded at my request.

I eyed her. Then my hand shot out at inhuman speed, twisting behind her back and pummeling her to the ground.

"How did you?!" she said shocked.

I released her and looked at my hands.

"I-I have no idea," I said shaking my head.

That electricity... Was it another one of my strange abilities?

"Well, you must have struck a nerve or something. Let's test you out," Lin said suddenly excited.

I shrugged, feeling a bit confident,"Fine by me. Let's do this."

We both got into stance.

**************

The days went by, quicker than I expected.

On some days, I was training with skills and strength that I did not even know I was capable of. Other days I would be trying to find more information and doing more research with Axel.

Axel would drop by for training alternately. We got to know that he was indeed fitter than I expected. What could he not do? It was starting to freak me out.

To sum it up, things were going pretty well. Too well, in that matter. I believed it was the calm before the storm.

I was gaining more confidence, as the days went by. I began to accept the fact that I was one of the Saviours of Mankind, as corny as that may sound, and as terrifying as it may be.

Little did I know, what was yet to come, would turn all that spirit into pulp.