"Dexter Manshield" a voice over the intercom spoke. "Please report to exam room 24. Dexter Manshield, Please report to exam room 24." An average looking 18 year old, average height, average build, average looks slowly stood up and proceeded into the exam room hallway to find the exam room 24. The hallway was a standard hospital hallway but they weren't in a hospital, they were at the newly established UNA Military Academy North America. There are 10 UNAMA's throughout the globe, the newest one is located on the outskirts of the major city of Mexico City.
Dexter entered the room to see a bunch of equipment that reminded him he was not in a hospital at all. The equipment in the room was designed to establish the individual's ability and how powerful it can be. There was a large machine that had a target in the center, above the target was instructions, "Hit Target with Ability". Dexter looked at his hands and decided it was now or never. He closed his eyes and thought about the element fire being released from his hands in a stream. A moment later his hands outstretched towards the target, flames emitted out and shot into the target. He didn't know if it was supposed to be for a moment or to unload on it so he decided he would unload.
After about 15 seconds of constant flame on the target a bell sounded from a speaker in the ceiling. Dexter wasn't sure what it meant but it startled him enough to break his concentration. The next device in the room was a simple, place hand on the handle and squeeze. The handle had sensors on it to determine the amount of "Ability Cells" or AC as they liked to call them, in each of the users. Dexter grabbed the handle and squeezed till he heard another bell.
The last device was a helmet he put onto his head and was transported into a simulation to deal with stresses such as heights and free falling. The helmet simulated a free fall from a plane and when the parachute opened to slow you down you would then be transported into a simulated dog fight in the cockpit of an advanced fighter jet. The motion sickness would get a lot of people but Dexter found the entire experience a lot of fun.
The helmet went dark and a bell once again rang from above, Dexter took off the helmet and looked around the room reintegrating his equilibrium. When he stood up he was slightly off balance but then gained it back, followed by an announcement that filled the room. "Thank you for testing, please proceed to the right in the hallway through the green doors."
Through the green doors a woman was sitting behind a desk and had a smile on her face, "You must be Dexter Manshield, please step forward and take your ID, this is to be worn at all times until you graduate. It's always good to see another Fire ability enter our ranks, we need you more than ever!" The woman casually commented to Dexter as he grabbed his ID. He gave her an awkward acknowledgement about the fire and placed his ID on his shirt. The ID had a simple magnet that you take off and place it inside of your shirt to then hold the ID.
Dexter proceeded past the desk and opened the door which led to a giant room full of chairs lined the room with the center of the room being lower and all the chairs giving people an angle to see the center. A decent amount of the seats were taken with people who had tested before Dexter so he proceeded to an empty chair and took it.
He hadn't looked closely at his ID but it had a flame next to his name signifying his fire ability. He glanced around him and those closest to him had different symbols next to their names and soon Dexter was trying to figure out what each of the symbols meant. He realized there were more than 5 symbols displaying which meant there were more abilities here than just the combat abilities.
The room slowly filled up and then suddenly a large man entered the room and proceeded down to the center. The room went silent as the large man entered the center circle as the new cadets all realized that the Supreme Commander of the UNA Rodger Miller was in their presence. Dexter even straightened up to see the Supreme Commander better. The silence was quickly cut short by the large man.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the rest of your lives. I want to thank each of you for committing to the security of our planet. I wanted to be the first to welcome you to the newest Military Academy we have built as you will be the first class to ever attend. This facility has all of the latest state of the art equipment as well the best teachers you can find on the planet.."
"First I want to introduce you to your leaders for the next year. Your hand to hand combat specialist is a decorated veteran, he has been deployed on over 200 classified missions, he has medals no other soldier alive has acquired. Colonel Joe Jin or as we all affectionately call him JJ will be your main teacher, learn from his experience there isn't a better hand to hand specialist alive."
"Strategic Analysis class will be run by a decorated veteran who has commanded more battles than any other human alive. His wisdom and knowledge is sought after from across the globe, strategists have written books about his strategies. He is a walking battlefield of knowledge when it comes to strategy, Colonel Mitch Sandoval."
Dexter's attention was no longer on the Supreme Commander but that of a girl across the way that they had made the briefest of eye contact. He saw her break the contact and blush which told him he might have a chance. He was daydreaming about how to get her attention again when suddenly the Supreme Commander called on him by name.
"Dexter Manshield, please come forward." Rodger stated while looking around not sure who Dexter might be. No one moved for a minute other than their heads trying to see who would stand. Dexter realized he had just heard his name spoken up but with a stutter from being nervous. "I-I-I am D-D-Dexter Manshield" He raised his hand at the same time. Rodger's back was to him and he spun around to locate where the voice came from. Seeing the individual raise his hand Rodger gave a frown as he was hoping for someone more intimidating, less average, than what Dexter appeared to be.
"You have tested the highest out of everyone, tell me how long have you had the ability of fire?" Rodger spoke to the group but was looking directly into Dexter's eyes. The sudden attention of every eyeball on him caused Dexter to melt slightly into his chair. The attention is not what he wanted and certainly didn't want to be called out on day 1 by the Supreme Commander.
"Today sir." Dexter replied with no emotion, no emphasis, just plainly stated. Rodger's face suddenly turned to shock, he was expecting an answer along the lines of years. "What do you mean today?" was the only response he could come up with to the wild information he was just told.
"I saw the sign say 'Hit Target with Ability" so I thought about the element fire coming out of my hands in a stream and it happened, sir" Dexter responded a bit defensive not sure why the sudden look on the Supreme Commanders face. Dexter then noticed on the Supreme Commanders ID were 3 symbols with one being fire, the other he could only guess was a healing ability as there was a + sign next to the flame and then a snowflake meaning he had ice. Dexter then remembered how people who could manifest two or three elements would be boosted in the military quickly so he decided to impress the Supreme Commander.
Dexter shot out a small amount of water at Rodgers hand that he had held out and was currently displaying his flame ability by having his hand on fire. The water doused the fire and left a bit of a smolder to his hand. The group of cadets chuckled at the display as the Supreme Commander was not used to being messed with by anyone. Dexter's ID made a ding noise and a wave symbol appeared next to the flame symbol. Dexter had no idea that the ID's would do that but was pleasantly surprised and relieved that he wouldn't have to explain what he knows once he knows it.
He decided to wait to test any other ability as he didn't want to raise the alarm but one knew he wouldn't be able to keep up for long if he truly wanted to be the best he could be. The fact remained that he was completely out of his element being the center of attention. He wanted to run and hide but all eyes were still on him as he hadn't even done what Rodger had initially asked of him. This was reiterated to him.
"Please come forward." Rodger said gruffly at the young cadet in front of him. Dexter stood up and again made eye contact with the girl across the way, this time holding it longer and then winking at her to let her know he was interested. Dexter was concentrating more on the girl than the steps in front of him and lost his balance tripping flat onto his face. He barely got his hands out in time and caught his fall but most of the cadets were now laughing at him.
Red from embarrassment, Dexter regained his composure and stood up next to the Supreme Commander. Rodger eyed the young cadet up and down then noticed that he was showing two abilities on his ID. "I wanted to bring you forward to use you as a demonstration as to what can be learned here if you put your mind to it. You know water and fire, but do you know ice? Lightning? Regeneration? Charms? I think not, but as a unit you will have all of them and working as a unit is the most important thing in our military, one mind, one goal."
"We need all of you to concentrate and become better at your abilities. As much as I want this to be a joyous occasion the reality is that we are at war. The war is on two fronts, we must continue to stay vigilant against all who will rebel against the UNA. As well as the aliens who first attacked us shortly after we learned our abilities as a species. The Draekon will return in a larger force and we must be ready for them." The supreme commander's speech seemed a little rehearsed for Dexter to appreciate everything that was stated.
Dexter stood next to the supreme commander wondering what he was doing in front of everyone and why he needed to be brought in the middle. As if reading his mind Miller moved to Dexter with his hand glowing green touched Dexter's arm and scar he had since he was a small child vanished in front of his eyes. Most people didn't ask but those that did would get the tail about how Dexter as a small child fought off an attack by a large mountain lion who thought Dexter was a snack.
Dexter rubbed his arm feeling the lack of scar he had ran his fingers over millions of times. The skin felt softer than the rest for a short time then seemed to become just as rough as the rest. Dexter guessed it had something to do with the + sign on the Supreme Commanders ID and that he was trying to show how things can change quickly now that we have abilities.
"I am told you have had that scar since you were a small child, the regeneration ability that I have mastered allows me to regenerate anyone's broken cells back to their original formatting so that you are healed back to your original self." Rodger informed the class of the scar and what he had just done.
Then to his shock Dexter's hands turned green and touching the scar on Rodger's chin the scar disappeared. Rodger was shocked as the scar was created by a chemical reaction that previously his ability could not heal. A + sign symbol appeared on Dexter's ID and suddenly the Supreme Commander looked closely at the ID and noticed he had three abilities. His eyes went wide as he put two and two together then looked at everyone trying to find the right words to say.
"I truly hope each of you will be learning at the rate of Mr. Manshield here. This example of abilities could not have gone better if you ask me. We must stay vigilant, we must work together, and we must get better together. If any of you need anything, accept this as an invitation to reach out to me whenever. For now I should be on campus for the foreseeable future. Upon leaving here you will be directed to your room. Your current room assignments can be found on the back of your ID."
All the cadets simultaneously looked down at their ID's trying to locate their room number which everyone found quickly as it was the only writing on the back of the ID. The Supreme Commander took this opportunity to leave the room while everyone was looking down. The cadets then got up and headed to the exit to find their new living quarters for the next year.
Dexter was looking through the crowd for the girl he had seen but it felt like the more he looked the less he could see her nor remember what she looked like from the back. He turned around and now seeing faces could tell she was not behind him. The living quarters were on the other side of the campus from where they currently were so the walk gave Dexter time to try to locate her. When the group made it to the building of their living quarters Dexter still hadn't seen her.
The group filtered into the building and most went up the steps while some were waiting for the elevator. Dexter noticed her getting onto the elevator and he decided he would just find her another time and to focus on where his own room is located. His ID had 3019 and the first floor had 101 as the closest room. Looking up the building was hollow all the way up to the top of the tower. Dexter then realized he really wanted to get on an elevator and not walk up 30 flights of stairs.
Standing waiting on the elevator a couple of the guys realized Dexter was standing there so they decided to introduce themselves. "Hey Dexter I am Kyle, this is Ben and Lu. The three of us are from outside of Phoenix and we decided to team up to make sure we do the best we can and get the best unit possible. You want to join us?" Kyle stood with his hand held out in the manner to accept a hand shake.
Dexter looked down at his hand then up at this ID and the other's ID. He already didn't like the fact that he was looking to see what abilities they had instead of just accepting them as they were and that they already wanted to get a good solid team formed. The concept made sense to Dexter and he contemplated the position he was currently in. The three offered up their companionship with no requirements out of Dexter and he was not used to this situation at all.
The elevator opened up which felt too fast to Dexter considering he had to go to floor 30. The elevator closed after it filled up and suddenly it shifted to the right, then stopped. A moment later the elevator lifted up at a solid pace taking them up to the first floor that was pressed which was floor 10. Dexter out of habit counted in his head how long it took to get to the 10th floor which told him they were moving a lot faster than most elevators he had ever been in.
They continued on and slowly the elevator became less and less populated as each floor let off 1-10 cadets. There were no floors above level 30 hit so Dexter knew he would be the last in the elevator but was surprised to see the three amigos still in the elevator. They all made eye contact with Dexter who smiled back, "Well looks like we might be on the same floor as well?"
"Floor 30?" Kyle questioned
"3019, you guys?" Dexter answered back.
"3016 here, 3017 for Ben and Lu is in 3018. Looks like we will all be next to each other." Kyle said with an energetic tone that Dexter noted was a bit too much excitement for their living quarters. The elevator doors opened and two guys were standing waiting for the elevator. They both had been on the first elevator and they were wanting to head back out to get some food.
The four left the elevator and Dexter looked around at his surroundings. There were three elevator doors on this floor unlike the first that only had 1, which told him that the elevators must shift to the left and right at the first floor only. The hallway looked like any hotel hallway you have ever been in, the carpet was a simple blue and black pattern with a seemingly random UNA logo plastered on the carpet.
Each door had a light next to it illuminating the hallway with plenty of light. The doors were all marked similar to a hotel with black letters and numbers on white doors. The hallway actually came to a T at the elevators with the top of the T going to the left and right of the elevator. This led to where you could look down or up the hollow part of the building seeing the 1st floor to the ceiling.
Upon entering his room he was not surprised to see a generic bland room. The bed was large enough, there was a desk with a chair and a pen and notepad sitting fresh on the desk. The little amount of clothes he brought were still in a bag on his bed that he had packed. The room had one closet to hang clothes and that was all that was in there. The room was large enough to stretch out on the floor in any direction but barely so.
Above the door he noticed the clock and there was a speaker below the clock which he assumed was for general announcements to the living quarters. He was not sure if he wanted to just relax or go search the area when he heard a knock at the door. Kyle, Ben and Lu were all standing there waiting for Dexter. "Want to grab some food with us?" asked Kyle with his usual chipper tone.
"Lets see what there is to eat!" Dexter tried to match Kyle's energy but fell short. The four of them proceeded to the elevator. They went down about 7 floors and suddenly the doors opened and there were three girls standing waiting for the elevator. The one in the middle was the one that Dexter had made eye contact with and now that they were in talking distance Dexter froze up. "H-H-Hi!" Dexter stuttered out and instantly turned a dark shade of red in embarrassment that he just stuttered.
The three girls gave each other looks and giggled. The one Dexter was interested decided she would take the initiative and turned to face him and introduce herself "I am Lana June. This is Felicity to my left and Sarah to my right. Dexter glanced at Lana's ID and saw that it had a lightning bolt next to her name. "Lightning queen eh!" Dexter blurted out trying to sound cool but also unsure what to talk about with her.
"The queen of lightning to you!" Lana jested back at Dexter. "Can you teach me how to learn more than one ability?" Lana inquired which took Dexter off guard as he was not expecting a question like that from anyone. He hesitated on what to say as he was not sure how he knew what he did it all seemed to just come naturally to him.
He held out his hand and it radiated green light which lit up the elevator in a green aura. Lana touched his hand and felt a pleasant sensation in her hand start to travel up her arm into her body. She coughed a couple times then spit out a bunch of blood, then she felt something in her throat and couldn't stop it from coming out. She puked on the floor of the elevator causing everyone to scatter away from her.
Lana was bent over in pain for a moment after puking then suddenly stood up and looked around at everyone with a sheepish look. "Sorry, not sure what just happened!" Lana was apologizing but Dexter felt it was he who needed to apologize as he thought he would be showing her a healing technique not hurting her. They looked at the puke on the ground and there was a ball of flesh she had puked up.
Lu spoke up now "I think we should have that ball of flesh looked at and see if she had a tumor, you just healed her." Lu was trying to make sense of what he just watched as his mother had a similar healing ability and he had seen her do that to her sister, his aunt. No one really had anything to put the ball of flesh in so when the elevator made it to the first floor and shifted to the middle Dexter held the door as they quickly asked the main desk for a container or some sort.
Lu was able to procure a plastic bottle and squeezing the bottle was able to use suction to grab the mound of flesh up into the bottle. Lu asked the desk where the hospital was from there and he proceeded to take it. "Don't wait up for me, I will have this tested and let you guys know what is found" with that he left in the direction of the hospital.