Dan managed to get a whopping five hours of proper sleep before he dragged himself to the training facilities once again for more punishment from Jane. The two engaged in another hand to hand combat session with the same usual motions. Dan would try to take on the offensive and attack Jane with all the speed and power he could muster, Jane dodged or blocked every single attack, and then followed up with counterattacks of her own.

  Dan landed flat on his ass after taking an open-handed strike to the abdomen from Jane. He forced himself back to his feet.

  “You’re improving,” Jane said. “But once again you’re falling back on your base instincts. Your days of surviving against gangs and cops are working against you here.”

  Dan wiped the sweat off his forehead. “How so?”

  “Instead of using the martial arts techniques I’ve taught you both in theory and actual practice, you’re falling back on your old ways whenever I put pressure on you. You resort to simply striking as hard and fast as you could to force me to back off. It’s nothing but broad and sloppy punches and the occasional kick just to intimidate the opponent into leaving you alone. That won't work on an agent, let alone someone of my calibre.”

  She was right. Dan had learned various techniques from Jane’s training sessions. Various Krav Maga, Muoy Tai and mostly other mixes of Chinese-based martial arts that focused on efficient takedowns that ended fights and enemies early.

  A question popped into Dan’s mind from Jane’s lectures. It was obvious that Jane had been handling all of their training sessions together with kid gloves. If she wanted him dead for any reason, Dan wouldn’t be breathing right now. He wondered what it would take to actually beat, even kill an agent of her caliber.

  “Hey Jane, I got a question before we go back to training,” he said.

  Jane gave him an incredulous look. “Go ahead.”

  “How many agents would it take to kill you? Let’s just say you went rogue and the Alpha Corp has to assemble a dream team to take you out. What would it take?”

  Jane seemingly relaxed from her combat stance. She straightened her posture and inserted both her hands into the pockets of her white coat.

  “Very well then. I’m on the upper end of tier threes if you go by stats alone. Factoring my overall combat experience, I’d say a team of four to six high end tier twos could pull it off, though not without losses.”

  Dan blinked at her. “So if we copy and paste Allen a few times, the team could pull it off?”

  “There’s more to the equation than you realize,” she said. His squad leader casually paced back and forth a few times before stopping to look at him. “The team of tier twos need the best possible gear and equipment and a solid plan. One or two need to hang back and take up elevated positions with high-powered sniper rifles or crack shot cannons. The rest will have to be up close and keep me busy. A combination of close and medium range weapons. Their biggest hurdle would be tagging me and damaging me enough to bring down my energy shields. Precise teamwork and coordination plus attacks from multiple sources is necessary to take out someone like me. That level of competence both individually and as a team needs years of experience. Even with all that, they have to be at the top of their game. A team of more average tier twos would need at least double the numbers to pull it off.”

  Dan stood in place, shocked. He dropped both of his fists as he took in all of this info from Jane.

  “Hunting down a tier three of any shard is a tall order. There’s almost no margain for error,” she said without any change to her expression. “But a well-equipped and experienced team could do it. Expect to lose at least one or more agents after a hard-fought battle. It can be done.”

  Dan stood dumbfounded then his gaze meandered off to the distant drab walls of the arena. Allen, Hailey, Benjamin and Kate were tier twos and they were all significantly better than him. A bout of anger ignited within him just thinking of that traitor Kate.

  “The numbers for how many tier ones it would take to kill a high-end tier two are roughly the same. In a hypothetical battle, I’d say six, maybe eight of you with the best possible gear is what it would take to kill Allen Draco.”

  “Holy fuck,” Dan said.

  “Indeed, though your biggest obstacle would be dealing with his plasma minigun,” Jane siad. “That should give you a rough idea on the scaling between the tier rankings. Of course, all of what I said is also dependent on the individual skills and talents of an agent. An agent who knows how to hide themselves well and perform hit and run attacks can still pick apart any kill team trying to hunt them down.”

  “That’s fucking awesome,” he said. He couldn’t suppress the grin under his mask.

  “You’ll get to my level if you put the same enthusiasm into your training and missions,” she said. “Anything else on your mind?”

  Dan’s mind immediately thought back to the man who saved his life. The reason why he was an agent in the first place.

  “The man who rescued me, Michael Cynosa. How tough is he?”

  Jane narrowed her gaze on him. She took out her hands from her pockets and crossed her arms. “Michael is higher ranked than me. He’s a tier four. That man is the one who trained me to be the agent you see before you.”

  Dan’s eyes widened. If Jane was kicking his ass this much while holding back, he could only imagine how a friendly sparring session against Michael would go. A session lasting five seconds would be a generous estimate.

  “Honestly, the number of agents it would take to kill Michael would be impractical. The losses would be too much and a waste of bodies. In a supposed scenario where Michael went rogue, he would be a massive threat to the Alpha Corp. Tier zeros and ones would appear as statues to Michael’s perception. They would get mowed down like overgrown grass. I don’t think any reasonable number of agents of your level could hack it.”

  Very few occasions in Dan’s life have caused a lump to form in his throat. Just Jane’s account alone made him shake in his boots. Michael was a one-man army.

  “Tier twos are considered superhuman, but even better ones like Allen would barely be a distraction to Michael. There could be a dozen of me armed to the teeth with crack shot cannons, explosives and viper fang swords and I still wouldn’t like my odds. Someone like Michael going rogue would be the Alpha Corp’s worst nightmare. At that point, you need more than just a measly kill team.”

  “Like what? Tanks? Aircraft?”

  Jane shrugged her shoulders. “Possibly more. Even an average tier four makes me look sluggish by comparison. Michael can run up to one hundred twenty kilometers per second. His reaction times have allowed him to dodge bursts from anti-aircraft guns. And he’s strong enough to flip over tanks and render them useless. A last resort would be a nuclear warhead even against a single tier four. You would be lucky to just have high casualties and heavy collateral damage.”

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  Dan soaked in all of this new info. Michael truly was a powerhouse. He recalled the man’s words to him in the video he left, telling him that he had the same potential to reach his level of power in the future.

  “Has any of that given you inspiration?” Jane asked.

  “Yeah for su—”

  Jane blurred into motion.

  Oh shit, Dan thought.

  Dan caught Jane’s silhouette as she closed the distance between them in less than an eye blink. Something grabbed the collar of his coat and Dan saw Jane suddenly appear right in front of him with her fist ready with his name on it.

  He knew he was screwed and simply decided to take the blow, no matter how much it would hurt. Dan instinctively shut his eyes and braced himself for a hard punch that didn’t come. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Jane stare off to the side.

  “Uh… something wrong Jane?”

  She didn’t respond for a few seconds. Jane finally glanced over at Dan and gently released his collar.

  “Our executive Chad Eisenworth is here and he’s requesting to speak with you,” Jane said. “This better be worth the interruption. Follow me.”

  Jane spun around and walked at a brisk pace towards the exit of the arena. A slab on the wall slide to the side and she looked back at him.

  “The sooner we get the over with, we can resume your training,” she said. The sternness and edge in her voice signaled that she wanted this meeting over with and wouldn’t tolerate Dan catching a break.

  “Yes ma’am,” Dan sighed.

  The two agents walked along the drab hallways of the facility. Dan looked around and was always tempted to buy some local artwork to hang on these walls. Jane had shot down the idea numerous times.

  “You sure I can’t—”

  “No,” Jane said.

  “You’re not bothered by the lack of color in this establishment? Because I certainly am. The place I grew up in was a depressing and polluted shithole. I was hoping to get away from familiar scenery.”

  “First of all, this isn’t an establishment. It is property owned by the Alpha Corp for agents to use for training purposes only. Putting up artwork would undermine the weight and seriousness of how we carry ourselves.”

  “Yeah, yeah I know. You know I was joking right?” Dan said.

  “I’m aware. I’m giving you a serious answer that usually shuts down anymore of your ‘jokes’ and the cycle repeats. Am I in the ballpark?”

  Dan couldn’t help but chuckle at how routine his conversations with Jane had become outside of training or active duty.

  The two continued walking without saying much until they reached the briefing room. The doors lid aside with a light whoosh and Dan saw Chad standing by himself with his back turned.

  “This better be important,” Jane said under her breath.

  “Oh but it is Jane,” Chad said. “Sit down and make yourselves comfortable.”

  “We’ll both stand,” she said. Jane gave Dan a pointed look and said, “Isn’t that right Dan?”

  “Yes ma’am,” Dan said. “She wants me back to get back to training once we finish this meeting sir.”

  Chad turned around and greeted Dan with a smile and nod. “Unfortunately your training will be put on hold.”

  Dan looked over to Jane, curious to see her reaction to this. He was not disappointed.

  Crossing her arms, Jane said, “If you’re inferring that I’m being too gruelling with Dan, I’m doing what’s necessary to build him up. If this is anything like what you’ve done in the past by trying to get me to ‘lighten up’, then you know how this ends. My methods may be harsh even by the Alpha Corp’s standards, but they have proven effective. I’ve put over a hundred fifty battle hardened agents on the field who have gone to achieve victories, captured new land, and killed many high-value targets of rival shards.”

  “I am not doubting that at all,” Chad reassured. “Allen made some comments about Dan’s training and progress the past month. Which is a good thing, as he’ll be needed for what Michael Cynosa is planning.”

  Jane raised an eyebrow. “What does Michael want with Dan?”

  “I’ll cut right to it. Michael is in need of agents to accompany him on a mission. He’s spearheading an operation to capture a container that holds stolen batches of the Arctic serum.”

  Dan had never recalled any time where Jane’s jaw dropped. It was the rare occasion where Jane expressed an emotion other than stoicism or steeled determination.

  “Has Michael lost his fucking mind?” Jane’s voice raised by an octave. “He needs a reliable team of tier twos at minimum for a mission of that level. Are you referring to the shipment of the serum that was stolen just before my team was assigned to deal with that rebel group?”

  “Yes. Michael is very ambitious and wants to take back what was stolen from us,” Chad said.

  Dan’s squad leader glanced at him briefly before glaring back at Chad. “Is the Arctic serum really that important? Is that why many of Dan’s redacted records are beyond even my level of clearance?”

  “In short, yes.”

  Jane narrowed her gaze. In his brief time here as an agent, Dan would never think of making such a nasty look towards a superior.

  “Dan has come a long way since day one, but he cannot go on a mission like this,” Jane said. “Does Michael with all of his connections not have any other agents lined up?”

  “There is always another way. Just not enough time or resources. Sometimes, you have to work with what you have right now,” Chad said. “That’s the scenario Michael has found himself in.”

  Jane didn’t respond. Dan couldn’t make out what Jane could be thinking and her facial expression jumped back and forth between her usual straight face and confusion. His thoughts jumped back to Michael Cynosa, the man who had saved his life when he got stabbed in the back with a machete. The man who was the reason he became an agent and enjoyed better living conditions compared to his childhood days.

  “In just his first two missions alone, Dan has a kill count of over sixty. He’s proven himself to be a cut above the average recruit and is making good use of his time as an agent. He’s the next best agent for the task.” Jane was still inquisitive and Chad continued. “The recommendation didn’t just come from Michael, but other individuals who pull even more strings than me.”

  Jane finally spoke. “I may not agree with every decision made by you and the other suits of this shard, but you have to know the ridiculousness of sending Dan on a mission with an agent of Michael’s status and experience.”

  “I understand your point of view, but we need as many agents as we can get for our upcoming operation to crush the Church of Nanotology. Dan will benefit greatly from the experience gained working under Michael. I assume you haven’t forgotten about the threat the the Church poses on the entire planet?”

  “Of course I haven’t,” Jane snapped. She grabbed a chair and her closed fist warped the metal armrest. “But don’t you think you’re putting too much on Dan’s shoulders with such astronomical expectations. You’re aware of what I put my past agents through so you know this sounds crazy even to me.”

  From what little Dan had heard of the Church shard, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what the Alpha Corp had planned to utterly crush an opposing shard. The only thing he could think of that required the Alpha Corp to train up as many competent agents as possible would be an all out invasion into the home territory of the Church, presumably the Dead Zone.

  “I know, but the Alpha Corp is short on high-ranking agents and Michael needs all the backup he could take. In two days from now, Dan will ship out and will be temporarily placed under Michael’s command for the mission. Allow Dan the day off tomorrow so that he can rest for what’s to come. The decision is final and you’re both dismissed.”

  Jane immediately spun around and walked out of the room, clearly disapproving of the situation. She left the room and Dan and Chad were left awkwardly standing staring at the doors. Dan turned to his executive and both exchanged polite nods with each other before Dan left as well.

  The doors slid open and Dan found Jane leaning against the wall beside the doors. She glanced at him and said, “There’s nothing further for me to say. We’ll have one last training session and then I’ll let you go for the rest of the day. Understood?”

  Dan smiled underneath his mask at the idea of finally getting a day off. “Oh yeah. I understand perfectly.”

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