Kaidan enjoyed spending more time alone than he had previously. It might have had something to do with the fact that he kept shocking everyone else when they got too close.
Unfortunately, his time alone might have had something to do with the headaches that resulted from all the extra biotic training he was receiving due to being the only one of his friends to receive the implant.
That had to be the worst part.
He was spending hours of extra time Vyrnnus.
He had lost count of how many times the Turian had gotten inches from Kaidan’s face as he screamed insults at him. Most of the insults revolved around him being a “weak, good-for-nothing human with the biotic strength of a common varren.”
Kaidan had had to look up what exactly a varren was on the extranet. All he could think of as a description of it was a vicious-looking dog.
There was one thing that he would never admit to anyone- at least not to anyone that was on Jump Zero. Of course, there was only a very quiet part of his mind that he thought it, but it was a large enough part for him to notice. He was almost thankful to Commander Vyrnnus.
Oh, not for the pushing him until his nose was gushing out enough blood to require him to visit the med bay, or when the Turian revoked Kaidan’s food privileges. No, he was thankful because he could feel his biotics strengthening. It almost felt like he was working out a muscle that was an integral part of his body. Yeah, he was going through hell in order to achieve that strength, but, maybe- eventually-, it would be worth it…in the end.
Vyrnnus was back to being close to Kaidan’s face. This session was the easiest he had had since getting the implant. Two other people had been implanted besides Kaidan- one of whom was Hendel Mitra. However, Kaidan had faltered in his tug-of-war with Hendel- allowing the other boy to win.
“Do you know what you are, Alenko?” Vyrnnus spat. When Kaidan remained silent, the Turian wrapped his talons around his throat. “I asked you a question, boy.”
“I am weak, Sir,” Kaidan answered, struggling, some-what, with his ability to breathe.
“Do you honestly expect me to believe that Mitra could have actually bested you at this exercise?”
These were questions that usually got Kaidan into one trouble.
If he said yes, that meant he would get berated for letting someone with a newer implant best him. If he said no, he would be berated for allowing someone to win the exercise when it wasn’t actually their accomplishment. Both of which usually landed him extra sessions or rationed food intake.
“I wouldn’t presume to make you believe anything, Sir,” he responded- evading the question all together.
Vyrnnus stared at him silently for a few tense moments before releasing Kaidan’s throat without another word. He walked back to the front of the room and surveyed the three boys before him. “Mitra, Adkins, you’re free to go. Alenko, stay.”
As the other two shuffled out, they gave him sympathetic looks, but said nothing. It wasn’t often (meaning close to never) that Vyrnnus let them out early, and they weren’t going to risk their freedom for Kaidan.
When the door shut, Kaidan straightened his shoulders slightly and kept his gaze firmly on the wall in front of him.
“You think you’ve gotten smarter, don’t you?” Vyrnnus asked him.
Maker, how Kaidan wanted to say yes- of course, he’d seen how that played out for him as well. “No, Sir.”
“Why did you let the exercise proceed as long as it did?”
“Sir, I-“
Vyrnnus stepped into Kaidan’s line of sight and held up a hand. “It would do well for you to tell the truth. Why did you let Mitra win?”
“Hendel…Mitra is not a bad biotic. If I had won the exercise in a limited amount of time, you would have punished him for not pushing…er, pulling harder.”
“And why did you let him win?”
“Honestly, because, no matter how well I do, you still find something wrong with how I use my biotics. I might as well take the fall in order to let the others off.”
“I could punish them out of spite so you wouldn’t do it again,” Vyrnnus pointed out.
“I would just make sure that I was more careful next time so that I wouldn’t get caught.” This was the most insolent he had been to Vyrnnus is a long time and he held his breath as he waited for the Turian’s response.
The two stared at each other for several tense moments- to the point that Kaidan was certain that his lungs were going to burst. He silently scolded himself for being so mouthy with Commander.
“Get out of here, Alenko,” Vyrnnus finally snapped, turning away.
With a (hopefully) silent exhalation of breath, Kaidan turned on his heel and walked as quickly as he could without looking like he was running to the door. As soon as he exited, he ran promptly into Rahna. Stepping back, he glanced to the door and gestured her to follow him into one of the nearly empty common areas.
Rahna looked him over- it wouldn’t have been the first time that Vyrnnus had left marks on Kaidan. He was a big fan of grabbing his students by the throat and hauling them up to his eyelevel (hence the marks that she could, surely, see still showing angrily on his throat). She looked at him questioningly.
“It’s fine- I’m fine.”
“Hendel told me what happened. I was worried about what Commander Vyrnnus was going to do to you.” When Kaidan hugged her to him (somehow these encounters always ended with him comforting her), she murmured, “I was afraid he was going to hurt you.”
“Don’t worry- I can take pretty good care of myself.”
Rahna pulled away and wiped her tears away. “Kaidan, they made my appointment.”
He glanced down, surprised.
“Your sixteenth birthday?”
“Next week. I go in for my implant the next day.”
Kaidan pulled her to him once again.
Rahna thought that classes with Vyrnnus were hell- he hoped she could survive the true hell that followed the implant surgery.
