Reality Under The Apple Tree -- A DDLC Fanfiction

Backstory Chapter 2 : A13 + Gavin + Ernest

Main Character : A13 (16 years old), Gavin (15 years old), Ernest (33 years old)

Location : H city militia Base #69, recruit training facility

A13 took out his gloves and combat suit from his personal locker. He shut the locker door before putting on his suit. He then did some warmup exercise inside the locker room along with others.

Today is the assessment day for recruits like A13. Recruits will be assessed through a combat simulation exercise. Thanks to the rapid development in virtual reality technology, the assessments in the recent few years are conducted virtually instead of physically, effectively saving both time and manpower.

The rules for the assessment are simple. Each recruit will be rated based on their performance during the assessment. Those with scores lower than 40 will be discharged while the rest of them will be assigned to various divisions as members. The assessment simulates a situation in which large groups of terrorists are attacking a location. The primary objective is to kill as much terrorists as one can before getting killed, with one kill equals one point. There are two side objectives, one involves saving three hostages and escorting them to a 'safe point'. Each successful rescue yields 20 points. The other one is to defuse a bomb within the region. This who defused the bomb successfully gains 50 points.

'A13, your turn.' An officer opened the door of the assessment room and shouted.

A13 stretched his muscle once more as he walked into the room. 'Here goes nothing.' He whispered to himself.

(2 hours later)

'Combat training simulation complete'

A13 slowly took off his VR headset and his headphones. He then turned to see his examiner, Bosco, scribbling rapidly on his report sheet.

'How did I do, sir. Did I pass?' A13 asked anxiously.

Bosco raised his head slowly. His eyes wide open and his expression seemed surprised. 'Do you have any idea how many targets you have killed?' Bosco replied.

'I am not sure. I didn't count during the fight. All I know is I died due to being outnumbered.' A13 replied.

Bosco then turned to the screen and loaded out the result. '192 kills. Wow. Your performance has exceeded our expectation. Besides, you brought out two hostages alive. That is an extra 40 points. So totally, you have a score of 232 points.'

A13 was left speechless for a while. He totally didn't expect himself to perform so well.

'It is a shame that you didn't manage to defuse the bomb. However, shooting the bomb to detonate it and kill is also a smart move. In fact, did you know you almost broke the record of the entire militia? There is only one person in our history that had a higher score than you did.' Bosco continued.

'Who is it? Ernest?' A13 asked excitedly.

'Correct. Ernest scored 249 points at that time. However personally I think you are better than him. He killed all the hostages intentionally and ignored the bomb. Our missions aren't all about killing. We don't shoot everything in our sights.' Bosco replied.

A13 walked out of the assessment room and returned to his locker. He met Gavin there, who also just completed his assessment and was about to leave.

'Hey Gavin, how's your performance?' A13 asked.

'81 points. Not bad right? How about yours?' Gavin replied.

'Well, mine is 232.' A13 said. He can see Gavin's jaw dropping.

'Seriously? How did you manage to achieve that?' Gavin asked in disbelief.

'Well, first of all I chose P90 as my weapon. It is versatile and very easy to use. I also used covers to my advantages and killed a lot of enemies. Besides, I saved two hostages.' A13 explained. 'How about you? Which weapon did you choose?'

'Oh, I chose the ballistic shield set.' Gavin replied.

A13 facepalmed. 'Out of all the weapons in this world, you chose a shield? There are tons of better weapons that are much more powerful yet you settled on a shield?'

'For me, staying alive is the most important thing on the battlefield. What is the point of killing if you died at the end?' Gavin explained. 'Besides, I don't want to get hurt, so I'll max out my defense.'

Gavin's word left A13 in his thoughts for a while. 'You got a point here.' A13 admitted. 'But how can you kill with a shield?'

'The set comes with a Glock, you know? Besides, I didn't kill a lot in my assessment. Instead I focused on saving all three hostages.' Gavin said.

(a month later)

All the recruits gathered at the parking lot of the base. They are listening to an announcement from the supreme commander regarding their future. A few recruits left immediately after hearing they didn't pass, but most of them managed to pass the test.

'Gavin will be assigned to division 8.' The commander announced. 'Nice job.' A13 said to Gavin, who was standing by his side.'

'Last but not least,' The announcement continued. 'A13 will be assigned to division 13......'

'Division 13, what an interesting number.' A13 thought. 'It was even in my name.'

'...... He will be promoted to division leader immediately after joining, owning to his outstanding performance in the assessment. This is a special case and after a thorough discussion with our officers we decide to allow it.

The entire group of recruit cheered. This is almost unprecedented in the militia's history and it left A13 in shock for a while. He then shouted 'yes' repeatedly and excitedly while the crowd is still cheering for the birth of a legend.

'That's all for today. You may now be dismissed.' The commander said as he proceeded to leave the stage.

As A13 was ready to leave, Ernest waved his hand towards him, signaling him to come over. So A13 walked towards Ernest.

They both sat on the ground next to an armored truck. 'Well done A13.' Ernest said. 'I knew you had potential when I observed you during trainings.' Ernest pulled out his hand and shook A13's.

'Thank you sir.' A13 replied. 'You don't have to call me sir now. You are a leader, remember?' Ernest said.

They sat and talked for a while, when A13 suddenly wanted to ask a question directly.

'With all due respect, why do you like to pick on others so much?'

'Well, I am a man of power.' Ernest said. 'I respect those who are capable and despise those who isn't. Simple.'

'But it is wrong to bully our weaker members. They are less powerful but they re still one of us. We should treat them equally.' A13 protested.

Ernest grinned. 'But isn't it a good feeling to harass others when they don't have the power to fight back? They can't deny that because it is a fact that they are weak and useless. Besides, this can teach them a lesson so that they can improve.'

'I think that your method is wrong. Instead of teasing and scolding them, why not help them improve by teaching and encouragement. It has the same effect but it's a lot less harmful to the relationships between us officers and our men.' A13 insisted.

Ernest let out a sinister laugh. 'Maybe you will understand, once you reach my level.' Before A13 can even make another reply, Ernest stood up and left the scene.