Elements of Earth: The Element Trials

Chapter 2a Kira, location unknown, 1958: Intel Trade

I paced in the storage closet where I and the elements of my ten waited. But instead of seeing them my gaze shifted rapidly amongst the training equipment. From the torn boxing gloves to the burnt wooden Katana. "How many have shown up now?" I asked without turning to my commander.

"You asked that five times already." Dak said. His fingers held the blinds apart enough to see through the windowed door. He collected intel first hand, as every good commander wants to do. "The meeting will start soon. Are you ready?"

"She's just worried about the bet." 3 cut in to lighten the mood.

"Oh yeah? So you knew about our little wager? So what will she make me do if I lose?" Dak asked with a subdued smile.

"Kira told me she wants you to run the barrack halls naked." 3 smiled, waving her hands in the air and altogether having way too much fun before the op. That's how she always broke the tension.

"I did not!" I blurted, attempting to stare 3 down and failing miserably. It was no fault of my own. I cursed to be short and 3 shot up like bamboo over the last year. I broke the staring contest and looked instead at the person I needed to convince. "She's lying Dak."

But before he could respond 3 continued to tease me. "True, but you didn't deny that's what you really want." 3 cooed. I flushed so hot I thought I'd combust. I actually wished that I could. That would mean I'd not only have developed a combat trait, however self-destructive, but I'd also have escaped this conversation. But unfortunately, there'd be no spontaneous combustion for me that day.

Also unfortunate that my reaction made 3 shake with mirth, causing her obsidian black hair to ripple from the nape of her neck to the small of her back. The sheen of light contrasted with her skin, what the uninformed would consider tan, but was actually pale for her complexion. Her smarmy grin creased a face that ached to be kissed by the sun, a sight none of us had seen in the past year. Unsurprising since the facility was underground.

"Well, it doesn't matter now." 3 stopped laughing after Dak spoke. His face still nosed through the blinds. In contrast, his skin was the shade of the 5417370640 burnt sugar candies I bought as a girl. Though right then his neck tinted just a bit pink. His short hair was just as black as 3's, but riddled with curls. "I count at least forty elements down there. That's well over half the representatives of each ten. It's time to start. Are you ready?"

"Why do I have to do it?" I complained. "I'm not the commander of our ten or even a lieutenant. I'm barely a five." And I was certain I would be demoted soon. It only made sense since 3 and 4 had already developed combat traits and I had not.

"It was your idea, and it was a good one. Even though the regulations allow trades, one this big has never happened. It will probably never happen again." Dak said.

"You think the judges will change the regulations?" I asked.

"They're the adults if they changed the regs it would make them look weak. If their smart they'll find other forms of discouragement." I stared at Dak, trying to think of some other topic to delay the inevitable. But he knew every element in his ten. Dak would have known why I'd changed the subject. "Get moving 5, that's an order."

His order was supposed to be serious, but I could see the corners of his mouth attempting to rise. I didn't return the would-be smile. I needed a serious expression before we left the room. "Yes sir, Commander, sir!" I gave the elements' salute, a fist across the chest. Even accompanied by the humor of our conversation, it signified support for a fellow element. For my commander. "Ready enough." I muttered as I opened the door.

The murmuring that filled the training hall died as every element present looked to the new arrivals. That was how Dak planned it. His ten, the elements of Silicon, entered. Unified, protected, secure. Silently we strode over the worn training mats, the crowd of young warriors parting before us. Past the crowd, several uneven storage crates would soon serve as an impromptu stage. It would be easier to defend if things got... messy. I took the stage and hesitated.