Magmar never made it home. The vehicle he and his
friends were in turned out to be a police car, taking them in for
interrogation. He tried his best to answer questions but the fact
remained that he could barely remember anything. Kataka and Vandosu
were not much help, insisting they saw nothing but a flash of light
and the bartender on the floor. Magmar knew what they were talking
about, but it seemed the police didn't have any experience with
Spirit Swords. He wondered how much control the military had over
their new weapon if it was making an appearance in the civilian
world...on Faylan soil. Magmar's initial enthusiasm for the whole
project was beginning to fade. No matter what happened here, he
could be tied up in cases like this for the next six years.
It wasn't until the third set of interviews that the
current case finally made some progress. The lead detective made a
call to the Zainu military base and got enough answers to let Kataka
and Vandosu go. Magmar, however, was to stay behind. Although the
detective didn't give him many details, Magmar was told the decision
to have him stay in holding was for his own protection. Someone at
that nightclub either didn't want him to remember, or didn't want him
to survive. Either way, he was to stay put until his report date for
basic training.
Holding quarters in Zainu were generally for victims of
violent crimes, but the occasional homeless bum had been known to
take up residence in preference to going to jail. The bright side
was that the rooms were all private, with a few common amenities.
Magmar felt out of place, but was more unnerved that the police had
deemed visiting his mother as 'unsafe' than by his company at the
facility. Especially when Kataka and Vandosu, two individuals in the
same program as him, were allowed to go home. Something didn't feel
right.
Magmar let out a heavy sigh, holding his phone and
staring at his contact list. He'd have to call his mother before she
left home to greet a nonexistent son at the station. Considering he
was supposed to be home in a few hours, he didn't have anymore time.
He dialed her number.
“Magmar, is that you?” It only took one ring for
her to answer this time.
“Yeah...say...I'm stuck in holding at the police
station so I won't be on the train...” Magmar couldn't think of a
better way to word his situation without scaring her. But his mother
had a very unexpected reply.
“Yes, I know.”
“What?!” Magmar nearly jumped out of his skin.
“Yes, an officer from the Special Operations branch
called me early this morning to tell me what happened. She told me
they have everything under control, but I'm glad you called. No
matter what they tell me, I'm still going to worry. How are you
holding up?” Magmar could sense the unease in her voice.
“Fine. Disappointed maybe, but fine. First chance I
get I'll come visit you, ok? Might be awhile as I've got training
and more training, but I'll get there. Love you, mom.” Magmar
hung up. He doubted he had anything else to say that would make his
mother feel any better. He thought about calling Vandosu or Kataka
to swap theories, but decided against it. He'd let them enjoy some
time away from discussing homicide.
Over the next week, Magmar kept to himself. He visited
the gym every morning and scanned the newspapers for information on
the murder, but had virtually no verbal contact with anyone until his
report date. Before he knew it, he was being escorted by two police
officers to the train station.
“So what happens when someone tries to gut me on the
train?” Magmar asked one of his body guards, his voice dripping
with sarcasm. The officer grunted in response. Sighing, Magmar
swiped his ticket and boarded the train for Centralia.
Faylix had controversially abolished the practice of
offering first-class service for the wealthy decades ago. Instead,
the train's private compartments were sorted by destination, with
public dining and entertainment cars scattered throughout. As the
train peeled away from the station, Magmar searched for the Centralia
Base compartment. He eventually found it at the rear, conveniently
located next to a bar car.
The section only had one other passenger. A young lady
with long, wavy black hair was talking on her phone in another
language. If Magmar had to guess, he'd say she was Abborran. Her
olive skin and black eyes didn't quite match the immigrants from
central Malmormia. When she looked up and saw him, she gave her
correspondent a quick farewell and ended the call. Magmar wasn't
sure if the woman was being polite or just had convenient timing but
he gave her a respectful nod and sat down in the seat across the
aisle.
“You just sign up?” She asked.
Magmar was surprised at how light her accent was.
“Yeah. Heading to basic now. You, too?”
She grinned. “Ooooh, I'm heading there alright...
but I've done the basic part. I'll be instructing this time.”
“Great...so you're gonna be kicking my ass around?”
Magmar asked sardonically.
“Kick your ass?!” She exclaimed. “Why?! Does it
need a good kicking?”
Magmar laughed, he didn't quite know how to answer that
one. “Uhhh...”
She didn't bother waiting for better reply. “Do I
look like someone who kicks a lot of asses?” Magmar was about to
agree, but she cut him off. “Well, friend, there are way bigger
asses out there that I'd rather kick right now. Just don't give me a
reason to and you'll be alright, OK? I'm 3rd Sergeant
Mira, if you need anything, just ask.”
“Magmar.” He offered a hand. Mira took it and
gave it shake, wincing slightly.
“You alright?” Magmar asked apprehensively.
“Yes, I just got a new tattoo on my wrist. Still
stings.” Mira revealed the underside of her wrist to Magmar,
exposing a heart shape with foreign letters underneath.
“In honor of my little brother.” Mira pulled the
sleeve of her shirt down to cover it. “I'm glad the Militia lifted
cosmetic regulations from the dress code. You know, your blue hair
would have been shaved until about 10 years ago.”
“Yeah, I don't know if I'll keep it anyway. I hear
standing out is one thing you should try to avoid in basic training.”
Magmar responded, still contemplating the idea.
Mira nodded slowly. “You're smart, Magmar. So what
made you decide to join?”
Magmar took a deep breath. He wasn't sure how to
answer without getting into a conversation he shouldn't be having on
a public train. “It's...complicated.”
Mira smiled. “Isn't it always? I couldn't tell you
exactly how I got here either. But no matter what they throw at me
it still feels like the right path. You know what I'm saying?”
Magmar considered her words for a moment before
replying. “I hope you're right.” His gaze turned towards the
desert landscape outside the train window. His sense of dread
beginning to make an appearance. He didn't get much time to stew
over his doubts, however. Either Mira didn't pick up his hint to end
the conversation or she chose to ignore it.
“You nervous?” Despite Magmar turning away, Mira's
eyes were still on him.
“Yeah, a little I guess. Not really about basic
training, more about what comes after that.” It was the most
sincere reply Magmar could give her.
“I'm assuming you have a pretty dangerous UMC if
that's what's bothering you.” Mira guessed correctly, but did not
ask him for the project title. “I'm afraid I don't have much
experience in live combat. I failed my first mission and got sent
back for more training.”
Magmar looked at her with more interest. “What
happened?”
Mira sighed. “Hmm...well you know the Special
Operations branch and their details. I can't tell you everything.
But I'll say this much... I made a bunch of stupid mistakes early on
when it didn't really matter. So many that my tech school instructor
never bothered asking who was responsible for some glitch or some
incorrectly labeled report. It was always that crazy witch's fault.”
Magmar snorted.
“I'm serious!” Mira cried. “The phrase 'Really,
Mira?' became synonymous with every frickin' mistake! Anyway, by the
time we were on a real mission and the important decisions came up,
nobody listened to me...even though I was the one with the right
answers. Things went south fast and my whole team got recycled for
it.”
“Damn. I'm sorry.” Magmar tried to look
sympathetic.
Mira scowled at him for a moment, but quickly regained
her composure. “Well at least I made you laugh. Just remember,
the military doesn't want you to be a reckless hero, they want you to
be smart. I think you'll do just fine, Magmar.”
Magmar nodded. He wasn't sure if he agreed with her,
but felt better nonetheless. Deciding he felt more comfortable
talking than sitting in silence, he let her keep the conversation
going. It didn't take much effort on his part. Mira was a
chatterbox. She seemed to have a story for everything. Magmar
pointed out a random farm and Mira went into a tale about her
grandfather's tobacco field in Abborra. Magmar had guessed right
after all, she was an Abborran immigrant born in south Daltu.
“Oh, we're nearly there. We just crossed the
border.” Mira stood up and stretched her arms over her head. “I
better put my uniform on or I'll hear another 'Really, Mira?' when I
get off the train. I'm technically on duty right now.”
As she left the compartment to change, Magmar got up to
retrieve his backpack from the overhead bin. His processing
documentation was already neatly organized but he figured he'd go
over it one more time before entering the base. He'd barely sat down
when he heard an obnoxious foreign tune playing nearby. Frowning
slightly, he scanned the compartment for the source, eventually
discovering Mira's phone across the aisle. Magmar let it continue
serenading him for a bit, hoping the voicemail would pick up sooner
rather than later. Trying to concentrate on paperwork was next to
impossible.
“For the love of God, just leave a message!”
Magmar lamented after a few minutes. But the phone kept right on
singing. Magmar slapped his papers down in defeat, and marched over
to the offensive device, and scooped it up. He wasn't familiar with
the design but thankfully the instructions were in English. He
deftly swiped his finger over the “Send to Voicemail” button and
tossed the phone back onto Mira's seat, breathing a sigh of relief as
the music stopped.
“Hey, Hot Sauce.” said the phone. Magmar tried to
ignore the message as it came in. “Sorry to hear about your baby
brother. He was a good kid. Smart. Just like you. I've got
another offer for you. Call me back.”
Trying to be respectful, Magmar attempted to purge the
message from his brain by shuffling his papers and reorganizing them.
“2, 1, 16, 9, 11...where's 3?” he thought out loud as he placed
them back into sequential order. The disorganization was an instant
distraction.
Magmar was just finishing up when the compartment door
slid open and Mira entered. At least he was pretty sure it was
her...she looked very different in uniform. Her boots were shiny,
her hair was up, and there was not a single wrinkle to be found on
her clothing. She had the same fierce look as Officer Shariz, only
without the frigidness.
“I wish I had a different color. Yellow camouflage
is just tacky.” Mira grumbled as she picked up her phone and her
own set of documents. She didn't notice anything out of place.
“You had a call.” Magmar admitted.
“Oh!” Mira glanced down at her phone, scowled, and
deleted the voicemail without even opening it. “Just some jerk.
You all ready? I think that's the base just ahead.”
“You sure that wasn't important?” Magmar
questioned as the train slowed down.
Mira glared at him. “What's up? Why are you so
interested, huh? Here you are, about to start a life changing
adventure, yet I haven't heard your phone ring once! Got no friends,
do you? Must be nice having only yourself to worry about! If you--”
Magmar put up his hands up. “Whoa, whoa, whoa easy,
tiger!” he interrupted. “It rang for a long time so I thought
it might be important. I apologize. You, ok?”
“I...” Mira relaxed her expression and sighed
heavily. “I'm sorry. I've just been a little stressed out
lately.”
Magmar gave her a half smile, “Meh, we're cool.”
“Cool?!” Mira shook her head. “I don't think
that word suits either one of us, Magmar.” Magmar laughed despite
the cold, hard truth in her words.
As the train came to a complete stop, Magmar's sense of
doom began making a return. Perhaps it was the tall cement wall with
barbed wires, or the armed officers outside of it, but Centralia base
was even more intimidating than he'd imagined. It looked like a top
security prison. Magmar abruptly realized that once he set foot on
that base, there would be no turning back. He would be taking orders
from somebody else for the next six years. Six years full of what
could only be described as unknown danger.
“You're going to do great here, Magmar, I know it.”
Mira assured him as they made their way to the door. Magmar found
the accuracy of Mira's emotional radar to be both fascinating and
irritating. He gave her a shrug for a reply and exited the train.
As they entered the processing station, Magmar got the
impression that they were among the last soldiers to arrive for the
day. The room was full of new recruits, mixed with a few uniformed
veterans. Mira gave Magmar a wave goodbye and headed towards a pair
of veterans waiting by one of the processing counters.
“Hey there, Magmar!” A familiar voice reached
Magmar's ears. He turned around and saw Vandosu waving at him.
“Hey, kid.” Magmar greeted him with a nod.
“Glad you made it...I was kinda wondering if you were
going to show up.” Vandosu lowered his voice. “They still
haven't found the killer...”
“I don't think they ever will... It's not like
they're going to find a weapon...” Magmar said in an equally soft
voice. He was about to say something else, but the conversation
could proceed no further. A voice on the intercom was instructing
all new recruits to bring their documents forward to begin processing
and several officers and high-ranking sergeants were now in the room,
making sure everyone did just that. The station got quiet instantly.
Magmar got in line behind Vandosu. Across the room he
could see Kataka in another line, feeling unusually tall behind the
tiniest soldier Magmar had ever seen. He risked a wave. Kataka saw
and returned the gesture, but stopped almost immediately when a
sergeant nearby gave her a disapproving look. Feeling slightly
guilty, Magmar turned his attention back to the counter.
Both he and Vandosu received their stamps of approval
relatively quick. As they headed further into the building Vandosu
whispered quietly “You ready for this?”
“As ready as I'll ever be...” Magmar answered
truthfully.
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