Sole Scion - 7. Chapter Seven: The Falklands

Chapter Seven: The Falklands

Needing an isolated location on the warmer half of the planet the Academy had been built on the largest of the islands that made up Falkland Archipelago. Its former center of government, Stanley, was now being used as housing for the noncommissioned trainers while the students and the ranking officers were based on the expanded grounds of the Mount Pleasant military base on East Falkland. West Falkland, the other major island was headquarters of the organization that ran the Neo Examination Test, better known as NET. Among the few in positions of power to know better the true meaning of the acronym was the Neo Extermination Taskforce. Unlike the other islands in the archipelago, access to East Falkland was highly restricted.

There were however well known rumors that NET was involved in genetic research. Whispers spoke of the creation of freaks and living biological weapons but it was all hearsay. Most believe the stories were made up by NET to keep people from trespassing on the island. That at least was what Daniel hoped that was true.

Having boarded a cruise liner in Buenos Aries it was a three day voyage to Port Stanley and their new home. Andrew couldn’t have been happier. After all until a few weeks ago he had been bemoaning the fact that Daniel would be joining a monastery. At the last minute however Daniel changed his mind and agreed to join him at the top military school on Earth.

While Daniel was categorized a Neo out of consideration of his adopted family, his privileged status was totally dependent on Andrew’s insistence that Daniel be shown the same polite courtesies the heir to one the largest Mega Corps would expect to receive. Daniel hated that. He preferred fighting his own battles and both boys knew it. Andrew, longing to play the part of Daniel’s hero, wished otherwise.

Feeling bored and lonely Andrew stepped into his friend’s stateroom and was not happy with what he saw. “Hey Dan… want to go look around the ship. You’ve been cooped up in this cabin since we left port.”

“I’m perfectly fine reading my book.”

Andrew stanched the data pad. “What are you reading? Faith in the Twenty-Third Century? Not more religion? I thought you gave all that up when you decided to come to the Academy.”

“I agreed not to lock myself up in a monastery. I did not say I was giving up my beliefs.”

Not getting anywhere with the direct approach, Andrew turned his attention to their bodyguard. “Glenn, can you talk some sense in him?”

“I think Master Winters has enough things to worry about than for you adding to them.”

“Worry about? What’s there to worry about? You should be excited Dan.”

Glenn shook his head and looked at Andrew as if he pitied him. “Give him time Master Labatt, he, unlike you will not prove as popular among the other cadets.”

“Because he’s an orphan? What does that matter? He’s still a member of one of the most powerful families in America.”

Daniel could not believe his friend could be so naïve. “It’s because I’m a Homo sapien. Your people don’t like having my kind around.”

“I like having you around. If they don’t like it then screw them. Come on, you could do with some fresh air.” This time Daniel took the offered hand and followed Andrew to the top deck.

As they walked they could see several of the cadets snickering at them. It would not be so bad if Daniel wore the same uniform as the other students but as a Homo sapiens he was required to wear a Grey coat with a red armband, not the black and silver coat of the Neo sapiens students.

While their snide attitude irritated Daniel, Andrew gloried in it. The more they sneered the tighter Andrew held Daniel possessively. As they made their way down the deck they say they weren’t the only oddballs

Near the stern, two young men dressed in the white uniform of those few Homo sapiens allowed to attend the Academy as charity cases were being beaten up a group of black uniformed Neo’s.

Andrew didn’t need so look into Daniel’s eyes to know they were filled with rage. “Want to play hero?” He asked his best friend.

“I thought you would never ask.” Daniel replied.

Andrew removed two fist size cylinders from his belt. He handed one to Daniel. “You know the Commandant will tan our hides for bringing weapons on board.”

“Then he can go screw himself. There are twelve of them and two of us.”

“Still not a fair fight.”

Daniel gave Andrew a wicked grin. “Who said anything about fighting fairly?” He gave his friend a quick peck on the check and then charged at the young Homo sapiens attackers. As he ran the cylinder expanded in his hands into a full size quarter staff.

Andrew could not help but laugh about Daniel’s eagerness to get into a fight. “You’re such a tease.” With a squeeze of his fist, his staff expanded. Instead of charging in after Daniel he decided to stand and watch. It would do Daniel’s reputation some good if he were to beat all twelve into submission without his help. That way the other cadets couldn’t claim he won only because he had a Neo to back him. That didn’t mean Andrew wouldn’t join the fray if Daniel needed his help. He was just that confident that even fighting twelve to one Daniel would end up on top.

In less than a minute it was over. The bullies were either kissing the deck or had run off like the cowards they are.

Daniel appeared to be unscathed. “Are you two alright?” He offered a hand to one of the two cowering youths. The taller of the two, a youth with curly dark hair accepted it. “Thanks but you didn’t have to do that.”

“By god I didn’t.” Daniel exclaimed. The young man appeared to be a few years older than him, maybe in his early twenties. He appeared to be slender in his white uniform but Daniel could tell there was nothing weak about him. “What’s your name?”

“Raymond but everyone calls me Ray. Yours?”

“You can call me Daniel. My lazy friend behind me is Andrew.”

“I wasn’t being lazy. I was working hard studying your technique.”

“It’s no different than your own. We had the same instructor.”

Andrew arched his left eyebrow in surprise. “We might have had the same instructor but Lanyon insists you’re better at the staff than me. As for marksmanship… there’s not a pair of glasses strong enough to get you to shoot straight.”

Daniel pushed his glasses back up. “Never mind him. How are you two doing?”

“Alright I guess. My friend here got the worse of it.”

Daniel and Andrew looked at the still cowering blond youth. Andrew let out a guffaw when he saw the kid’s dark eyebrows. “No wonder they wanted to beat you up… You bleached your hair but not your brows.” Daniel silenced Andrew with a hard elbow to the ribs.

“He was just trying to fit in. Right?” Ray said as he helped his friend back onto his feet.

Andrew rubbed his side. “All he did was make himself look desperate. Look kid, bullies can smell fear a mile away. If you want to fit in try to relax a little and don’t try so hard.”

“Come on… You can stay with us until the dust settles.” Daniel used both hands to lift the frightened youth to his feet. “Don’t worry I’m not going to hurt you.”

The young man looked at Daniel and clung to him. “Don’t let him get near me?”

“They’re all gone.”

“No… him!” The young man pointed at Ray. “Keep him away from me.”

Andrew gave the young man a disgruntled look. “Okay… let’s step back for a moment. I don’t know what is going on but from what I saw your friend was trying to protect you. Some gratitude you’re showing.”

“It’s alright. I can’t talk about it but Zac has every reason to hate me. Don’t worry. He’ll calm down eventually.”

“Uhm… Daniel?” Andrew pointed to where a group of officers were watching them. They didn’t look pleased. “I think we’ve had enough fresh air.”

“We didn’t need any in the first place.” Daniel grumbled. “You two can tag along if you want.”

Ray nodded in agreement. “I think we will. Come on Zac. We should go with them.”

Zac let go of Daniel and let Ray wrap an arm around his waist. For a man who just moments ago wanted Daniel to keep Ray away from him, he appeared to be very attached to the other man.

Back in their cabin they had Glenn deal with their new acquaintances injuries. While their bodyguard took care of Zac and Ray, Daniel and Andrew watched the pair from a far corner. “What do you think?” Daniel asked.

“Funny I was about to ask you the same. I mean look at them… they’re as muscled as us yet they didn’t even try to defend themselves.”
“I wasn’t thinking about that. I meant looked at how the two interact. Zac never takes his eyes off Ray. He is clearly the one in charge.”

“They must know each other from before. Like you and I.” Andrew said.

“We have never looked at each other the way those two do.”

“I wouldn’t mind.” Andrew would like nothing more than to have Daniel’s full attention.

“But I would. I think Ray does as well. Look how he goes out of his way not to look Zac in the eye. It is like he’s embarrassed by the other’s attention.”

“I would be embarrassed as well if you had bleached your hair.”

“I would never do that.”

“If you did I’d shave you bald. By the way… I love you.”

“I....”

Andrew didn’t need help knowing what Daniel wanted to say. “You don’t need to say it. I know you love me more than anything in the world.” They squeezed each other’s hand.

“What are we going to do about these two?” Daniel asked after Glenn had bandaged them up.

Andrew shrugged. “I guess we keep them.”

“Keep them… they’re not a pair of lost puppies!” Daniel shouted. Noticing the sudden silence he saw that everyone was looking at him with confused looks. “Sorry, we were talking about Puggles… he ran away from home a few years ago.”

“A few years ago? How about 12. He disappeared the same night dad gave you back to your mother. I still suspect he went off searching for you. I swear you spent more time thinking about that damned wolf than you did me. With him at least you had no problem admitting you loved her.”

“You’re embarrassing me.” Daniel hiss through gritted teeth. He pointed to where the others were still staring at them.

“Never mind us… we fight all the time.” Andrew told their new friends with as casual a tone as he could muster.

“I can tell.” Ray grunted and went back to help bandaging Zac.

Not wanting to make a further scene the two left their cabin. They faced each other on either side of the gangway. “We sound like a married couple,” Daniel groaned.

“Aren’t we?” Andrew asked.

“I haven’t said ‘I do’ have I?”

“It’s only a matter of time before you do.” Andrew said with a great deal of smugness. “Anyway I don’t need us to go through the ceremony to know in my heart you’re the only man I will ever want to spend my entire life with.”

Daniel took in a deep breath and nodded. He had a good idea how much Andrew loved him. It was for that reason alone Daniel had agreed to join his best friend at the Academy. “Back to the issue at hand… What are we going to do with those two? Your Neo friends will jump them the moment we turn our backs. Next time they might not use just their fists.”

“True… Look, I can’t promise anything but I’ll see if I can’t have them put in my unit. As for you… you know you made yourself more than a few enemies today.”

“And they know what I’ll do to them if they cause me any trouble.”

“This time you could but you’ve shown them your cards. Next time they’ll be prepared. There’s only one way they’ll leave you alone. I do not need to tell you what that involves.”

There was no need. They might joke about getting married but what Andrew really wanted was for Daniel to officially become a Neo. If Daniel became a Neo then he would be protected far better than an entire platoon of Lanyon’s men.

It was not a complex procedure but it did involve some medical risks. Unlike Homo sapiens every Neo had an additional organ generally referred to as a Core. A core, with its natural ability to produce the Blue, is what made a Neo what he was. While not born with the organ, an artificial once could be implanted within a target body. The synthetic Core would not produce natural Blue but could be filled with the lifesaving elixir whenever the need called for it. Other than needing to be refilled the person would enjoy all the benefits enjoyed by true Neos… prime physical conditioning, rapid recovery from injuries, and near total immunity to the Plague.

Andrew only had to take a quick glance at the scowl on Daniel’s face to know how this conversation would end.

“We’ve had this discussion before.” Daniel hissed as he seethed. “You either accept me as I am or not as all!” How dare Andrew demand even more from him? Hadn’t his joining Andrew at the Academy not been enough for his friend?

“I do… it is my fear that I’ll lose you that I ever suggest implantation.”

“I know but it’s not just that I don’t like you wanting me to be something I’m not. There’s also the danger involved. Have you forgotten I’m a hemophiliac?”

Andrew pounded a fist against the ship’s metal bulkhead. “No of course not… that’s the main reason I want you to go through with it. Once you have a core you will never have to worry about the disease again.”

“Only if I survive the implantation.”

“They can pump you up with Blue as they do the surgery.” Andrew had made this argument before and it never worked. Daniel hated Blue and the power it gave the Neos over the rest of mankind. There was no way he would agree to have his blood replaced with it. He reached across the alley and pulled Daniel to him. “I can’t afford to lose you.” He held Daniel tight. From his lips dripped Blue in its natural form.

Not many Neo’s had the ability to produce Blue in a fashion that would allow it to be shared. When it occurred it was physical proof of their love for someone else. How could Andrew not help but share it. The two kissed allowing Andrews own Blue to pass between them. Unlike the Blue drug, Andrew’s natural Blue didn’t trigger any sexual reaction from Daniel. The Blue did however allow them to get away with not breathing for a while. Their kiss did not need to end until the Blue did.

When their lips parted neither was short of breathe.

Andrew looked into Daniel’s eyes, the center was still green with a spot of black but the white had turned deep blue. Say it. God damn it if there is any time you can say it say it now.

Daniel said the three words Andrew lived to hear. “I love you.”

“And I love you even more.”

As soon as they docked the students were ushered to the parade grounds. They would listen to the Commandant given them the welcoming speech then be assigned their quarters.

“My fellow Neo sapiens and Norm friends during the next six years your minds, bodies, and yes even your souls with be strengthened and honed to an unbreakable blade sharpened to perfection. You will learn how to lead and more importantly how to follow your superiors. You will learn the ways of our enemies and be trained on how to exploit their weakness and how to turn their strengths against them.

Once Daniel was sure he had the gist of the speech he stopped listening. He leaned in to whisper into Andrew’s ear. “How long is this going to last?”

“Longer than even the most fervent Neo would want. It’s not like we haven’t heard all this before. The only difference is we now have to pretend we agree with it.” Andrew knew Daniel would end up biting his tongue off before doing that. For the next six years he would have to convince his beloved friend to try to.

It was another hour before the Commandant reached the end. “Some say we are the true enemy of humanity. I say we are its future. What do you fine men say? Are we the enemy or are we the future!

“The future! The future! The future!” The students raised their fists with each shout.

Andrew checked to make sure Daniel took part. He did raise his fist, and mouthed the words but Andrew knew no sound passed his lips.

Once they were dismissed they were divided into five battalions of around a thousand cadets each. They were then broken up into seven companies, each with 150 men and then into platoons and squads.

Andrew and Daniel however need not worry about anything below the battalion level. With Andrew the future head of the globe’s largest military contractor he was guaranteed the position of a Cadet Major and command of his own battalion. Daniel of course was to be trained as his aide-de-camp. It was the highest position a Homo sapien could aspire to and it would help ensure the two would stick together most of the time.

As for their two lost puppies, Andrew managed to have them assigned as auxiliaries serving the command staff.

It was Daniel who wisely suggested that Andrew place all those who had beaten the pups up under his command. That would make disciplining their attackers much easier and make it less likely they would get away with their shenanigans. Daniel didn’t have to remind Andrew that it was best to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. To which Andrew replied that if Daniel wanted him to keep them that close they would need a bigger bed. Daniel was not amused.