The Undesirables

Chapter Two

The holographs were loading in now that the final person had entered the room. I looked over at the equipment Team Alpha was putting on, assuming that was where I was suppose to go. I slowly made my way over, nervous out of my mind. I'd never actually been in the simulation room with Team Alpha or even trained with them. I'd never seen them in action and worried I was going to get in the way. I had worked with Team Beta previously, but still felt uneasy training with them.

I wouldn't say that I am entirely incapable when it came to combat skills, but I'm not very good either. I'd say I'm about average in this regard, and average is what get's you hurt when training with such highly skilled professionals. In the past, when I was a training dummy with Team Delta, my 'incompetence' as Agent  Kate Hyde put it is what got me hurt. I had tried to pass her an experimental grenade, however I ended up pulling the pin by mistake and caused it to implode mid air. The flying shrapnel hit me in the shoulder and is a constant reminder of my failure. The doctors couldn't take it out, and now if I'm not cautious enough I can further injure myself. It was safe to say that Team Delta was wary around me from then on, even going as far to tell the other teams about my failure.

As I got closer to Agent Greene at the equipment table, I noticed that there wasn't an extra set of amor. How was I supposed to survive without it?? I anxiously looked around for another basic armor pack and saw one in the distance. I passed by her on my way to retrieve the pack when she said, "Agent Stanton, the Colonel informed us that you will be filling in for the missing spot. Pack's over there," She pointed towards the amor pack. "And weapons are on the other side of that table. Please, stay out of the way so you don't get hurt." She sounded concerned. I nodded saying, "Thanks."

I jogged over to the armor pack, selecting it for use. It glowed as the pack opened and armor appeared. Armor packs have an ID print system that loads your specifications into the armor. I quickly attached the pieces and grabbed a standard assault rifle, pistol, and med kit. Even though this was a simulation with safety precautions in place, I still thought it would be useful to have the extra protection. Since I was the weakest I was just going to stay to the back  and hope I make it out without causing and receiving too much damage.    

The countdown clock in the middle of the arena appeared, displaying the environment, timers, and profiles on us. The teams would be randomly selected after the first round. My name and face graced the screen, causing me to internally cringe. I popped my neck, readied my weapon, and hide behind one of the barriers.

Agent Greene was behind the barrier to my left, Agent Decker was farther away behind a wall that ran horizontally down the backside of the arena. The entire room consisted of low and high walls, defense barriers in between them, and the floor and overall aesthetic changed after each round. Right now the environment was similar to that of Isol. Slippery Ice covered the floor, fog hung low, I could see my breath coming out of my helmet. This was going to be tricky for me. I heard a countdown start from 10. Once it reached zero, the match would start, fighting would commence, and I would be royally screwed.

"3...2..1..0.. Begin." Said the computer. I crouched down, shielded by the barrier as gunfire started. I knew that they didn't have real rounds, just stun one, but it still freaked me out. They knew I was an easy target and knowing my luck, they were going to save me for last.

Agent Decker lunged forward around the wall, firing at an unknown enemy. Agent Greene too left the safety of her barrier, following Decker as they worked together to find Team Beta to eliminate. I was still hiding in my original spot. I realized how pathetic it was, and with the little courage I still had, propelled me to actually proceed into the fog in the hopes that they don't think I'm entirely useless.