Swim's Shorts: Training Exercise

[Swim]

I was never good at spriting. I never had my own personal comic to tell my story and let you all get to know my characters. And even though I've tried to partake in the chat RP I'm always joining in mid-story and that medium never felt quite right. No, all I have to go on is a 9 year old story based on an RP which is now painful for me to go back and read. Though my story has developed over the years it is far too lengthy for me to type out in full, but I do want to share some highlights with the forum and I do want to get back into the habit of writing on a more regular basis. So I'm challenging myself to crap out a short story at least once per week, and I'd appreciate it if you all nag me relentlessly if I start slacking. So without further exposition please enjoy my three part short: Training Exercise

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Training Exercise Part 1

Jet rose in the morning, sliding out of his bunk at MHHQ and strapped on his gear. He ate quickly and hurried downstairs where he met his brother Tank in the lobby. From there the two of them made their way a few short blocks east to the mercenary headquarters of their brother Sub. Both Jet and Tank had the day off. Yesterday had been the swearing in of Jet as new commander of the 6th Unit of Maverick Hunters, which had been pulled from active duty since the death of its former commander. Tomorrow the unit would return to the field with Jet as its leader, but today was just for him.

Sub had just finished the installation of a simulation room in his headquarters, similar to the one that the hunters would sometimes use for training. Sub had invited Jet and Tank over to take the first run with him, and Jet could think of nothing better to do with his free time than spend it with both of his brothers. Sub greeted them at the door and welcomed them inside. They passed through some sort of scanner, probably to screen any visitors for weapons or surveillance devices. Not that Sub had a problem with weapons, he carried several openly himself, it was just that Sub liked to know what he was dealing with. Sub punched a code into a panel on the wall and the armored door at the end of the hall swung open to admit them. Jet and Tank knew the layout of the entire place already, Jet had spent the first part of his life living here and working with Sub. They knew the security was not meant for them and took no offense. It was just Sub's way. Through the door lay the heart of the headquarters where they found Ganye and Chip, two of Sub's mercenaries that Jet and Tank already knew well. Ganye was occupied with other tasks and could only smile and wave but Chip walked over and greeted them warmly.

"I'm going to be acting as operator for your training simulation today," she told them. "I hope you boys are ready to throw down."

"Oh I want you to hit us with everything you've got," Tank replied with a confident grin. "Don't hold anything back."

They continued on through the command room and passed by Sub's armory, finally coming to the training room. There were targets, practice dummies, padded areas for sparring, and now a new section. Sub unlocked the door and ushered Jet and Tank inside. It was an empty room with projectors and sensors all over the walls, just like a giant green screen in a movie studio. A floor above them was a single window, and behind the panel of glass stood Chip. She activated a set of speakers and spoke to the three of them.

"Hold out your arms, let the machines scan you all, that's good, just like that. Okay give me a second to boot up the scenario... and there we go. The safe words are 'Chip you win.' Have fun boys!"

The room began to darken and the walls began to disappear. The last light they saw came through Chip's window and in a couple of seconds even that started to fade away. Total darkness persisted for a couple of seconds before the lights came on again, though it was still fairly dark. It was evening by the look of things, and they were outside on the street. Immediately they moved to the side, not sure where the danger would come from but the middle of the street probably wasn't where they wanted to be. They didn't want to be on the side of the street either as it turned out. Every door up and down the street opened up and belched forth hordes of maverick drones, enough to overwhelm with their sheer weight in numbers even if their skills were lacking.

Sub spotted a back alley and his brothers followed him down it. There was enough room to fight down there, and at least the mavericks would be bottle-necked on their way in. Tank picked up a dumpster and hurled it at the neck, crushing the first few mavericks as they came. The others swarmed over the dumpster, occasionally crushing their allies in their haste to get to the trio. Tank and Sub opened fire with their automatic weapons, mowing them down by the score while Jet ran around the corner and further down the alley to check for potential escape routes and whether they could expect to be flanked. As it happened there was a chain link fence that the mavericks had already torn down and were pouring through, so Jet hurried back to let his brothers know that there were about to be two choke points.

Behind his brothers there was a stone wall about 8 feet high, Jet got back just in time to see the first group reach the top of the wall and drop over. Jet shouted a warning but Sub had already heard them hit the ground and turned on them. He picked off the first couple with his rifle but ceased fire as soon as Jet flew into range, buying him time to pop in a new magazine. Jet flew alongside the top of the wall and sliced every arm, head and torso that his saber could reach, then rocketed upward to fire buster shots at the mob on the other side. In fact, the mob was now pushing down the wall rather than trying to scale it. Jet fired as many shots as he could but their combined numbers were going to knock the wall over no matter what he did.

He shouted a warning to Tank and Sub, Tank activated the full length of his shield and held it up, Sub took up a position behind him and continued to fire at the mavericks crawling over the dumpster. The wall fell down, splaying rubble at their feet and making the air thick with dust. Fortunately, Tank's visor allowed him to pick out targets just fine, he continued to rain hell from his arm mounted chain gun as attackers poured through the new gap. Sub had to reload again so Jet flew down beside his brothers and took point with his sabers, buying time for them to switch out their ranged weaponry for close quarters.

Sub stowed his gun away and came to stand by Jet with his katana drawn, Jet rocketed away back in to the air now that the position was covered. Tank was still covering the wall all by himself, eviscerating three mavericks at a time with each swing of his energy sword. he was having to fight more defensively now that ranged units were firing from the high ground on the other side of the wall, he had to keep his shield up at all times and that was allowing the ground based mavericks to get closer than they otherwise would have. Jet noticed the ranged units were becoming a problem and swept over them firing a barrage of energy downward before arcing around and rejoining his brothers.
Sub was dueling three enemies at once leaving him exposed on his sides. Jet dropped one of them with a well placed buster shot and drilled into another with both sabers extended. He put more power into his thrusters and carried the maverick on his sabers into a group of enemies, ramming them all into a wall and slicing the entire group up when he removed his sabers. He spun around, slicing into the next group that had come to isolate him and simply flew over them to rejoin Tank and Sub before he was cut off.

Suddenly Jet was knocked out of the air by a maverick landing on top of him. The two rolled to a stop on the ground where a shot rang out. The maverick rolled off Jet, dead from a shot of Sub's pistol. There was no time to thank him, more mavericks rained down from the sky, they were jumping down from the rooftops now to get better access to the back alley. Chip really had them coming from all sides, they had no choice but to fight back to back to back and cover each other. Tank would swat them down with his shield, Jet would zip in and out taking advantage of every opening he could find and Sub was a master of alternating between handgun and katana, even heaving a grenade into the maverick horde every time he had half a second of breathing room. They fought in perfect coordination, shielding one another from harm up until the sniper nest appeared in a building across the street.

"Take care of them," Tank shouted, his visor picking out the new targets as soon as they materialized. "It's going to get explosive down here!"

Jet grabbed Sub by the hand and launched him skyward. Sub transformed into his assassin armor in midair and kicked back and forth up the building walls, slicing the falling mavericks as he ascended. Jet was right behind him, shooting skyward as a whirlwind of death and dismemberment with his sabers. When he reached Sub's level he stopped and hovered with his palms out, Sub flipped toward him and a moment later pushed off of Jet's outstretched hands, now flying across the street and straight for the window where the snipers lay waiting. When he reached the peak of his arc he hurled grenades through the open windows which exploded a split second before Sub crashed into the room. The mercenary leader rolled to his feet and swiftly dispatched the surviving snipers.

On the ground below Tank had begun launching his tank shells from a crouched position, blowing away scores of mavericks in all directions, but without Jet and Sub to watch his back the maverick horde quickly overwhelmed him, climbing onto his back, grabbing hold of his arms and legs and trying their best to pierce his armor with their energy blades. Tank was prepared for this, which was why he was crouched on one knee with his hidden flamethrower exposed. He activated the flame and quickly bathed the mavericks in front of him with a fire that quickly spread to the others. Soon the entire group was burning, and though they still smothered Tank they were not working quite so feverishly to stab him in the back. His armor was flame resistant so he didn't have to worry about burning himself, and now that most of the mavericks had released or weakened their grip on him he was able to clench his fist around his shield and knock several off with a backward sweep. He twisted around and got to his feet with his sword arm extended, delivering a spinning slash to any of the burning mavericks within reach.

Then the fire, the mavericks and the scenery all started to fade away. Jet and Sub walked over to join Tank as everything faded to black again.

"What happened?" Jet wanted to know. "That's not all is it?"

"No," Chip replied, "That was only a warm-up, a program intended to time out after you wipe out 300 grunts. Get ready for the gauntlet."

[Swim]

Training Exercise Part 2

The scene began to reform around them and the brothers found themselves standing in an open field. The terrain was flat and grassy, the sky was clear except for a couple dark clouds. But they weren't alone. Eight figures spawned in a circle around them, eight mavericks that they recognized instantly. Once Hunters, they defected alongside Sigma and became the first of his maverick generals. They were also laughably outdated when compared to modern day reploids like the brothers, and yet they were outnumbered eight to three. Apparently Chip thought that would be a fair fight.

Silently the trio agreed that it was better to mount an aggressive offensive and deliver some crippling damage early and so they sprang into action. Jet shot into the sky and barreled straight for the Eagle. Tank opened fire on Launch Octopus who had fired a barrage of fish bombs and homing missiles, but since they were so clustered and slow moving it was easy for Tank to blow them all up with his chain gun and deliver follow up damage with his own explosives. A blast of ice struck his leg, freezing him in place for a moment. Tank turned to see Chill Penguin belching a trail of ice toward him and sliding in on his belly like a bullet. The ice highway led straight for Tank, all he had to do was kneel down and roast Chill with his flamethrower when he got within range. With his free hand he grabbed the flightless bird by the scruff of his neck and threw the flaming maverick into Sting Chameleon who was using his cloaking ability to get close to Sub.

Sub meanwhile had been using his Assassin Armor's short range teleportation to disappear and reappear, playing a game of shadow tag with Boomer Kuanger who was also teleporting every couple of feet. When Tank revealed Sting however, Sub turned around and whipped over an incendiary grenade, finishing off Chill and spreading the flames onto Sting as well. A cutting boomerang whistled through the air alerting Sub to the attack, but Sub spun around and sliced it neatly in two before turning on the beetle maverick.

Meanwhile Jet was still in the air dueling Storm Eagle. The maverick had been fairly successful at blowing him off course with his tornadoes and now Launch Octopus was firing homing missiles at him. Jet was forced to twist and weave through the air, finally diving low to the ground and swooping behind Flame Mammoth, whose immense bulk provided good protection against the missile payload. The large maverick turned and shot a blast of fire but Jet was already gone.

On the ground Tank was now grappling with Spark Mandrill in what was proving to be a relatively even test of strength. Spark tried to channel electricity through his fists to gain the advantage but Tank rolled backward and launched the maverick away with his feet. Sub shouted to warn him of an oncoming Armadillo, tucked in and rolling toward Tank at full speed. He fired a quick burst from his chain gun but the bullets ricocheted off of the armor. Instead Tank dropped to his knees and raised his shield at an angle making a ramp which Armadillo rolled straight up and into the sky.

Jet saw Armadillo coming and strafed around Storm Eagle who sqwaked in surprise to receive the armadillo to the back. Jet shot forward and rammed the stunned bird through the heart with his sabers, finally finishing him, even as Armored Armadillo dropped to the ground. Launch Octopus fired off another barrage of shots forcing Jet to evade once more.

Sub decided now was the time to get in close and finish the octopus maverick. He charged in close dodging around a wave of exploding fish and threw a smoke grenade. Launch stopped firing immediately, unsure how to proceed. Smoke wasn't something he was used to dealing with as one who battled primarily under the water. Sub entered the smoke cloud and made a series of cuts with his katana. When the smoke cleared all of Launch's arms had been hacked away and Sub's weapon was embedded right between the maverick's eyes. Suddenly Sting Chameleon lashed out with his tongue but Jet had seen the telltale shimmer of his cloaking field from on high and had already gone into a dive. He sliced Sting's tongue neatly out of his mouth before it ever damaged Sub and as soon as Jet was clear Sub whirled around and severed Sting's head from his shoulders.

Further down the field Tank had Flame Mammoth's trunk in one hand and was savagely beating his face in with the other. As the large maverick collapsed Tank took his buster hand and sprayed oil all over the field as Armadillo came rolling by, heading for Sub now. Jet flew overhead to intercept for Sub who was busy dueling with Spark Mandrill. He fired several blasts down at Armadillo which ignited easily due to the oil slick. Now a speeding fireball, the maverick careened off course and exploded into flames.

Sub ducked under a punch from Spark and rolled under his legs, leaving a cryo grenade in the grass beneath them. The grenade went off, freezing not only Spark's legs but his entire body. Sub lunged around his left side, Jet dropped low and on the right and together they sliced Spark Mandrill in half. That only left Boomer Kuwanger, and Tank was working to pin him down. The teleporting beetle was elusive, but Tank's visor was able to pick up a faint flash of energy just before he appeared and disappeared, and he was starting to see a pattern in the maverick's movement. Anticipating where he would teleport next, Tank fired a shell into the ground which impacted just as Boomer Kuwanger appeared, blowing up and launching the beetle through the air. Tank switched back to his chain gun and filled the maverick with bullets before he landed.

"Come on Chip, I told them they could expect a challenge here," Sub called into empty air knowing that Chip could still hear them.

"When the three of us fight together like that we're unstoppable," Jet said excitedly as he clapped Sub on the back.

"Oh you think so?" Chip replied in a mocking tone, all play. "I guess I'd better turn up the difficulty level then."

The field began to fade out and be replaced with a new setting, that of a rocky plateau in the middle of nowhere. It was evening again, a full moon lighting up the sky and a cool breeze blowing over the stone terrain. Then their opponents began to spawn in. Dozens of mavericks, nearly every one X and Zero had ever fought and some they hadn't. Hunters materialized as well as members of rival mercenary companies. Virtually every profile Chip had entered in their database appeared and surrounded them.

Jet swallowed nervously, "Oh common Chip, did you have to ruin my moment?"

"Bury your fear, watch each other's backs," Tank told his siblings, all business. "Let's lead them to their graves."

[Swim]

Training Exercise Part 3

After the training simulator ended Tank had called Jet and Sub together, assembling in his own quarters at MHHQ. Sub didn't particularly care for the venue, but it was home to both of his brothers now so he endured it.

"What's up Seth?" Sub asked. The situation felt too serious for his liking, and since it was just the three brothers it felt more appropriate to use their given names rather than their code names.

"Well first off," Tank began, "I wanted to congratulate our youngest brother again on being names commander of the 6th Unit. Very impressive." Sub nodded in assent and clapped Jet on the back but quickly looked back to Tank assuming he'd have more to say.

Jet too was a little uncomfortable by the situation. "There was a formal ceremony when I was sworn in," he said. "You were both there. What did you really want to talk to us about?"

Tank exhaled audibly, it was obvious that he didn't know how best to broach the subject. Finally he just decided to abandon tact and dive right in. "Command has asked me to take the long sleep, and I'm going to accept."

"What?" Jet cried.

"Why?" Sub growled. The long sleep was an encapsulation process for preserving reploids over long periods of time. It was often done in conjunction with a system reboot or an internal cleansing for those infected with the maverick virus. But Tank was in need of neither.

"At this point humanity is enjoying a period of peace," Tank explained, answering Sub's question. "Sigma is down. Dagmor," he said looking at Jet, "is down. We have no maverick lord running at large at the moment. No crisis that needs to be resolved. And in times of peace we don't need machines of war like me."

"But we need you," Jet pleaded with him. "Even if the rest of the world doesn't right now."

"Kyle's right," Sub chimed in. "Finally all three of us are operational, we should stick together not splinter off."

"The fact remains that we are in a global recession," Tank explained. "If we're not careful in a few years it could explode into a full blown energy crisis. And when machines of war are no longer needed decommissioning them can help decrease expenditures. The public are calling for decreased military spending. It's not just me, lots of senior hunters are being asked to undergo encapsulation. Even Zero might take the long sleep with us."

"What if something does happen?" Jet wanted to know.

"Command will assess the situation and if necessary will wake us up. But I don't think that's likely to happen. The hunters who are taking the long sleep are solo operatives like me. There are plenty of teams still active, yours included, and none of the commanders are being pulled from active duty. We feel confident about the present state of things, but Command wants to save some of us in reserve to safeguard the future."

"I still don't like it," Sub protested. "And you're only one reploid, if you opt out it's not like you'll break the bank by yourself. We should stay together, we fought so well together in that simulation, it felt so right. We're as well oiled and coordinated a team as any unit out there."

"Then there's room for improvement among the other units," Tank replied. "You and Kyle are both in command of your own teams now, train them in coordination. Drill them, hone all of their skills until they're as good as any of the senior hunters who're taking the long sleep. This is a way of getting the older generation out of the way and making room for fresh new talent. This is your time, both of you."

"I hear what you're saying Seth," Jet began, "but... I want you to be a part of it."

"I couldn't be more proud of you," Tank assured him gently. "But I can't always be there for you to rely on, this is a way for you to grow more confident in your own abilities without me as a safety net. And you're going to need to develop that confidence quickly if you're going to command."

"It's not that," Jet explained, "It's just... I don't know how long it'll be before we see you again."

"Reploids live a long, long time," Tank told him. "And you guys are tough; I know better than anyone what you're capable of. Even if I sleep for 100 years I'm sure I'll see you both again. I realize that time will pass in the blink of an eye for me, and that it's not exactly fair to you to be gone so long... but if you ever need to see me you can always wake me up early. I'm not going to be unreachable, just not as readily available as I am now."

There was silence for a long time. Jet and Sub had started to come to terms that they weren't going to be able to talk Tank out of it. Tank had realized that neither of his brothers were ever going to be in favor of the idea. But the request had come from the top and the logic behind it was sound. Officially it had not come as an order, but Tank was a good soldier and he knew he had to comply. He just wished he didn't feel so guilty about the choice.

"So when are they planning to freeze you?" Sub finally broke the silence.

Tank spoke one word of reply, "Tonight."

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An hour later Jet and Sub accompanied Tank to the encapsulation room, which turned out to be fairly crowded. Dozens of older hunters had come to take the long sleep and their closest friends had turned out to wish them the best and say goodbye. There were several faces that Jet knew, hunters he had worked with before, but there were even more that were unknown to him. Dozens of hunters all preparing to leave the world behind so that they'd be prepared for the future. Signas was there, he gave a little speech about the bravery of the hunters and thanking them for all of their labors and sacrifices. Finally it was time to lay the hunters to rest.

Tank climbed into an extra large capsule and settled himself in. Jet didn't really have any parting words for his older brother, they'd spent the day together and they'd said all that needed to be said earlier in Tank's quarters.

"I wonder what the future will be like," Tank pondered as the capsule powered up. Jet thought he was trying to mask any nervous feelings he might be having.

"Oh you know, probably flying cars, sentient robots," Sub joked.

"Just try not to let the planet go to hell while I'm gone," Tank said with a smile. "But in all seriousness, take care of yourselves while I'm gone."

"We'll take care of each other," Jet assured him.

"We'll be here when you wake up big guy," Sub said, still trying to joke. "Someone is going to have to acclimate you to the world of tomorrow!"

Tank reached out and clapped both of his brothers on their shoulders and the three shared an awkward half hug since Tank was mostly reclined. They broke off when the capsule buzzed and started to seal itself. From inside Tank grinned and gave his brothers one last thumbs up before the freezing kicked in and the capsule was taken up by a metal arm and stowed away among dozens of others.

It was very late at this point so Jet walked Sub down to the lobby and the two went their separate ways. Afterward he walked back upstairs to his quarters and lay down. Tomorrow he'd face his team for the first time as their leader, it was something he'd been excited for but now he just felt worried. Just knowing that Tank wasn't going to be around made everything seem just a little more daunting. Things were going to be different, and most of it was changing at the same time. There was nothing to do but rise to the occasion and take tomorrow as it came.