Kerry waited for me in the corridor, her face pale. “Are you okay?” she rushed to me.
I was nodding but she was giving me the once over. “There’s only one reason he would be down here,” she said. “Spill?”
“Not today,” I replied.
She pulled a face. “But…”
“Not today,” I repeated. “Let me get to know you all some more.”
“Okay,” she nodded. “I can understand that.”
We wound our way out of the medical units, and out to the main streets. Bonnies was a quaint place on the outskirts of the city, I knew I’d seen it a few times, but I had never been in, always used to chopping my own hair when it annoyed me.
This time, I was on the academy’s dime and dress code.
“Wow, you have a head of hair and a half,” Bonnie said, running her fingers through it before guiding me toward the sink. The warm water cascaded over my scalp, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
“Long day?” she asked, working the shampoo into my hair.
“Yes,” Kerry answered for me. “But we’re getting there.”
Bonnie didn’t press for details, just hummed in understanding and continued her work. The sound of scissors soon replaced the hum, sharp snips sending dark strands tumbling onto the floor. With each pass of the shears, my reflection changed. Bit by bit, the old version of me disappeared.
Less than fifteen minutes later, I had the proper cut for the academy and military life. Clean. Precise. Regulation-perfect.
My face, though—I barely recognized it. Pale. Hollowed out by exhaustion. There were shadows beneath my eyes that hadn’t been there before, or maybe I had just ignored them.
“Don’t worry,” Kerry said, catching my gaze in the mirror. “We’ll have you looking as good as can be soon enough.”
“I hope so,” I sighed. “I don’t like what I see right now.”
Bonnie dusted stray hairs from my shoulders, discarded my gown, and gave me a reassuring pat on the back. “Give it time,” she said. “You’ll adjust.”
I wasn’t sure if she meant the haircut, the academy, or the person staring back at me in the mirror. Maybe all of it.
With that, we left.
“How far is the gym?” I asked.
“Not too far,” she said. “Sylvk will be waiting for us. I let him know we were on our way.”
“He’s been there since—”
“Food and training. With bulk like that. He has no choice.”
I had to laugh at that. “Don’t envy him that one.”
“Me neither. I am glad I don’t have to pay his food bill.”
Sylvk was on weights when we walked in, but he soon stopped and came over. “Training plan?” he asked, holding his wrist out.
I put my wrist to his so that our HUD’s could connect.
<
<
<>
I groaned at her words.
<
I groaned again.
A little reluctantly I waited for him to say something. “Nice and easy with this one. I’ll get you started on a proper circuit tomorrow.” He flashed Kerry a glare. “While Kerry gets on with her own…”
Kerry reluctantly slunk away. “You have a half set today,” he added. “Because you didn’t get much lunch. It will be better tomorrow.”
“Sorry,” I said. “I—”
“Don’t be sorry, you’re going to prove everyone out there wrong, right?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Sylvk nodded to the far end of the hall. There was Alpha271, in full training mode. “I’ve overheard a few conversations in here, about you and their predicted fail rates.”
“Fail rates?” I frowned. “I don’t plan on failing anything.”
“Exactly,” he indicated the machine behind me.
Under his instruction, the gym time went fast. He was everything a personal trainer could be and more—patient, focused, and somehow able to push me beyond what I thought I could manage. He adjusted my form when needed, counted my reps with an encouraging nod, and stepped in when my arms started to tremble under the weight of even the lightest dumbbells.
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The warm-up had been deceivingly simple. A few minutes on the treadmill, a light stretch, and some bodyweight squats to “wake up the muscles,” as he put it. But by the time we moved on to the actual workout—some modified push-ups, assisted pull-ups, and a round of resistance band work—I was already questioning my life choices.
“You’re doing good,” he said as I struggled through another squat, my legs burning with the effort.
“Good? I feel awful,” I admitted when we finally finished. My shirt was drenched in sweat, my arms felt like noodles, and my lungs hadn’t worked this hard in years.
“It’ll take time. You’re not used to any physical stuff at all. This is quite a shock for your body.” He handed me a bottle of water, watching as I took deep gulps. “But you showed up, and that’s the most important part. Stick with it, and this will get easier.”
I wasn’t sure I believed him, but as I sat there, trying to catch my breath, I realized something strange. Despite the exhaustion, despite the soreness settling in already—I felt... lighter somehow. Like I had taken the first step toward something better.
Kerry came over. “Looks like your ride is here.”
Ashley stood at the other side of the gym looking my way. Had she been here long? Crap, I hope she didn’t see me sweating and puffing.
“That’s Major Kuba?” Sylvk asked, surprised. “What’s she doing here.”
The whole gym had stopped and was looking her way, when she glared back, they turned to continue their training.
“Extra studies my ass,” Kerry said.
“I’ll catch you both in the morning,” I said, grabbing a towel headed over to the Major.
“Need a shower?” she asked though her eyes were fixed on my friends.
“What do you think? I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“You can take one at mine,” she said, then nodded back to the hall. “They’re going to ask questions.”
“You were the one who came in here.” I glanced back at my new friends. “I’ll think of something.”
Ashley laughed. “Won’t ever be good enough. Word will spread that I stopped by tonight.”
“You did it on purpose,” I said.
“Yes,” she grinned. “I don’t want anyone else thinking they can get their hands on you. You’re mine.”
“Oh,” I was taken back a little.
“I mean it, no one else is touching you.”
“Then I guess I am yours,” I said, forcing a smile. As Major Kuba turned away, her confidence radiating, I couldn’t shake the weight of her words.
What had I agreed to? And more importantly, what would it cost me?
***
Twenty minutes later, I was toweling off when Ashley dropped a set of new clothes for me on the side of the sink. “There’s more at your bunk.”
“Thanks,” I said, dressing quickly. The material was sleek, soft against my skin, and surprisingly comfortable. When I stepped out, I tugged at the waistband, showing her the snug fit. “No room to grow at all.”
She pulled a face. “You can’t afford to. You need to be going in the opposite direction.”
I tried to laugh it off, but the constant ribbing today had gotten to me. The comments from the others, the unspoken challenges—it was wearing thin. I sank into the nearest chair and picked up my datapad, hoping to steer the conversation elsewhere. “You’ve been spying?”
“I was looking over your reports from today,” she admitted, leaning casually against the counter. “You made friends already and pulled some unique numbers out of your ass in all the classes.”
“Wasn’t I supposed to?” I asked, a little defensive.
“They’re all talking already. The arcade?”
“Not hard to work that one out, is it?”
“Not at all. And with me stopping by more will be talking by tomorrow.”
“Targeting me all the more, you mean?”
“Maybe,” she said with a shrug, “but you’re not staying long enough to make them worry.”
“It will be long enough,” I countered, my voice firm. “Right?”
“Halfway through the term, into next. Maybe. We’ll have to see how far we get with Doli.”
I nodded, then moved to the kitchenette to make myself a drink. The quiet hum of the apartment filled the space. “What’s on for tonight?”
“Going to take you in the back, and we’ll start by pulling everything I have on Doli to pieces. Then we’ll think and regroup for her rebuild.”
“I’m all in,” I said, trying to muster enthusiasm. The whole day had wiped me out. I wanted to be here, I would be here. Being tired--beyond tired, would not stop me.
“All night?”
“I have to be up at 5 a.m. and at the gym by 5:30.”
“Okay, so I’ll have you home by midnight,” she said. “Hopefully.”
“Hopefully?” I raised an eyebrow, knowing full well how “hopefully” tended to stretch into the early hours with tech.
She smirked. We both knew once we started on Doli, it’d be easy to lose track of time. “I’ll set a few alarms,” she said, pulling out her device and tapping quickly.
When she escorted me into the back of her apartment, I stopped in my tracks, surprised. The space was enormous, far beyond what I’d imagined. High ceilings, sleek metallic walls, and rows of equipment that gleamed under soft, white lighting. This wasn’t a workspace—it was a command center.
“Not every officer gets this,” she said, her voice tinged with pride. “I pulled a few strings and made this whole block mine.”
“You pulled a few strings, that seems an impossible task knowing what little I do of military protocol.”
<
<
<
Her father? That was a detail I’d overlooked. If I remembered, I’d try and look up her family history before bed.
Who was I kidding? I’d be asleep before I knew it.
“Pity I couldn’t stay here,” I said, letting my eyes wander over the meticulously organized tools and consoles.
“Too far from your regular bunks.”
“Fair,” I muttered, though I couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. This place felt like a sanctuary compared to the cramped, communal quarters I’d been assigned.
At the far end of the room stood our robot Doli—her figure sleek and imposing. She was a masterpiece of engineering, but the glitches were not good. I approached cautiously, the air around her almost electric.
“Doli, you awake?” I asked.
“I a-am, Cap-t-tain.” She stuttered out.
Her voice, though artificial, carried a tone of warmth and recognition. It was strange how comforting it felt, like an old friend greeting you after years apart.
I tapped the side of my head. “In here,” I said. “Remember.”
<
“Heads up,” Ashley said, her voice tinged with a hint of caution. “She’s been running hot.”
“Then we have some work to do,” I said, stepping closer. “Let’s begin.”
Behind me, Ashley had already moved to a nearby console, pulling up schematics and diagnostic reports. The room’s ambient lighting dimmed slightly as the holograms flared to life, bathing us in a soft blue glow. Doli’s systems hummed in response, and for a moment, I felt a flicker of unease.
“How hot has she been running?” I asked, glancing over at her.
Ashley frowned, “At 90. So, some of these glitches might be bigger than I thought.”
I swore, normal computers ran about 65, I would have expect her to run maybe a little higher, but she was meltdown level of operation. That had to stop, we couldn’t lose any of her components from real time melting. Sweat beaded on my forehead. “Could you turn the aircon up?”
“Feeling hot yourself?” Ashley asked.
“Might have a cold, Doctor Francine said.”
“Ahh, not unusual this time of year, keep an eye on it, yeah.”
I nodded. “Will do.”
When she returned a moment later with a cool glass of water, I downed it. “Don’t panic, but let’s get to the bottom of it,” I replied, though I already was, my fingers moving over the console.
“We’re diving deep tonight. You ready?”
I took a steadying breath and turned back to Doli. “Ready.”
The road ahead was daunting, but there was no turning back now.