Soon I will Be Invincible

[Eggman Empire]

Another Klaxon woke the now privates, and they jumped to their feet. The three sargents came through the double doors, however, SSG Verstumm was pushing a dolly with a pot and bowls on it. "Line up in front of me!" SFC Dannet barked. The 10 teens (11 including Artemis) dashed to comply. In moments, they'd formed a line in front of the man. "Breakfast." He simply said, and stepped out of the way. Behind him was SSG Warhin holding 11 bowls. One by one they stepped forward and had Warhin issue bowls and Verstumm ladled two scoops each of the same paste they had feed Artemis when he was being augmented. Protein paste, yummy yummy. Still, sustenance was sustenance and Artemis was surprised by how fast he'd eaten.

After everyone had eaten, Dannet called them to line up again and turn in their bowls. "Now that you've all eaten, time to start the day." Dannet said, sounding rather gleeful. They were marched outside the room and down the hallway. Verstumm split down an adjacent hallway, presumably to drop the dishes off. Dannet brought them to a room about the size of their sleeping quarters minus any furniture. Instead, the floors and the walls had been padded. Dannet had them line up against one wall while he and Warhin stood in the middle of the room. "Well kiddies, today's lesson will be fine tuning those fighting moves you all hopefully developed on the streets. Now, most of you should have fighting techniques belonging to the category called 'Brawling.' Essentially it's a sloppy mix of boxing, combined with some dirty tricks like switchblades and metal pipes. Now, which on of you think you can take me?" He said.

Artemis figured he had nothing to lose and stepped forward. Dannet nodded and gestured for him to attack. Artemis began with a running start, and as he was about halfway there, Dannet suddenly pulled out a taser gun he'd been hiding on his person and fired. Artemis pulled a football spin to the left, and swung a fist out. Dannet blocked the blow and sent his own at Artemis, who dodged it, and fell backwards. The move allowed Artemis to grab Dannet's blocking arm and pull the Sargent's face into his oncoming fist. Artemis pressed his attack by kneeing Dannet in the gut. As the Sargent doubled over, Artemis grabbed his throat, kicked his leg out from under him. Dannet smacked onto the padded floor, with Artemis' hand on his neck and the teen's knee on Dannet's chest. The whole attack took less then a minute.

Dannet then chuckled and waved off his two assistants who hovered close by, ready to taze Artemis if he tried anything. "You did good." He looked at the other teens. "Lesson number 1 in fighting:Never underestimate your opponent which is followed up by lesson two: Hit them with everything you have up front; Don't pull any punches because your opponent won't. Now 66216, get off me." He told Artemis. The teen obeyed and Dannet motioned Verstumm over. "Sargent Verstrumm, take 66216 to a corner and start him on the advanced training. He doesn't need the baby classes we're teaching." Dannet instructed. Verstumm nodded and gestured for Artemis to follow him. Artemis could barely hide his smirk. He'd just started and already he was impressing people. This part of the training was looking better and better.

[Subtleknifewielder]

OOC: Very good. About what I would have had him do anyway.

IC: Artemis dropped the smirk as quickly as it had appeared. It wouldn't do to get too cocky, and he followed Verstumm like he'd been told.

He wondered, idly, what the other 'recruits' had thought of that little show, and hoped that he hadn't made anyone suspicious with the display. But there was no point in trying to hide what he could do, and what was done was done.

He had to admit to curiosity. What would advanced training be like? Would it involve weapons? He couldn't resist a small smile at the thought as he followed Verstumm into the corner.

[Eggman Empire]

When they reached the corner, Verstumm surprised Artemis with his first order. "Follow me. We're going to a different arena." He said, a dark chuckle following his statement. Artemis said nothing and followed the Sargent out the door. They walked down the sterile white corridors, Artemis in front and Verstumm following at a safe distance behind, taser pistol ready. Verstumm decided to make small talk. "I know you're not a regular street rat. I should know, I was one at a certain point." He muttered gruffly. "Which begs the question, who are you?" When Artemis didn't respond, Verstumm continued, now seemingly talking to himself. "The moves you pulled weren't just some cheap training techniques either. Years of refinement..." He muttered to himself. "You're a killer, or at least have blood on your hands..." Verstumm chuckled again. They stopped in front of a set of doors. Verstumm opened it and motioned for Artemis to enter. The door shut behind him and Artemis found himself in a small, closet sized room, with another door in front of him.

"Alright 66216. Today you'll be fighting a live opponent who will do everything in his considerable power to kill you. I suggest you treat him the same. No tears will be shed if you loose. Good luck!" Verstumm's voice crackled over the intercom. Artemis was a bit unperturbed by that statement. Live opponent? Kill him? Apparently Kintober didn't play around when he set up this little circus. Oh well, no matter. Artemis was confident that he could incapacitate his opponent without killing the man. And unless these people were total barbarians, they wouldn't force Artemis to kill a downed opponent. The door opened and Artemis walked out cautiously with his guard up, ready for anything. Or so he thought...

The door to the closet shut behind him, and Artemis found himself in a fairly large room with only two exits. The door behind him and the door in front. Speaking of which, the thing whooshed open and Artemis readied himself. He looked into the doorway for his opponent. The corridor was dark, but Artemis could make out a figure in the gloom and hear footsteps. Strange, they sounded uneven. Were his "instructors" deliberately sending injured people at him to see if he would willingly kill a disabled opponent? The answer came when the figure emerged, and Artemis gasped involuntarily.

Artemis had seen some messed up things in his life, but nothing like this. The man before him looked like a grotesque strongman. Muscles bulged on every inch of his body, with veins sticking out like twisted cables. The muscles on his left shoulder and arm were hideously swollen, giving the man an uneven lean. On his other arm, metal poles sharped to stakes and studded with small spikes had been surgically grafted into his skin. It allowed the man an extended attack radius with his right arm. However, as horrifying as the spectacle was, the most haunting thing about the man was his face. It was completely normal, untouched even. On it was the pained expression of a man who was trapped in hell. "66216, meet 10463. 10463, exterminate 66216. Have fun!" Verstumm's voice once again chirped over the intercom.

Before Artemis even saw it coming, 10463 charged with frighting speed belying his bulk, and pinned Artemis to the wall. 10463's left hand was large enough to wrap around Artemis' entire waist. The man leaned in close to the teen until they were face-to-face. 10463 only said two simple words: "Kill me." He pleaded, before throwing Artemis to the other side of the arena. As Artemis flew threw the air and slammed into the opposite wall, he firmly believed that this place was as close to hell you could get without actually dying.

OOC:Subtle, feel free to RP the fight. I've a massive migraine that won't go away.

[Subtleknifewielder]

OOC: OK...let's see what I can do...

IC: "I know you're not a regular street rat. I should know, I was one at a certain point. Which begs the question, who are you?"

Still a little surprised that they were going elsewhere, Artemis had the presence of mind to not answer the question. Kintober had warned him not to explain anything about how he had gotten here, and he knew from what he had seen that the man did not make threats...he made promises.

"The moves you pulled weren't just some cheap training techniques either. Years of refinement..." Artemis wondered if he had been intended to hear that, but his enhanced hearing did pick it up nonetheless. It was obvious Verstumm was no idiot, but if he explained anything, it would, no doubt, not be only Artemis who suffered for it.

"You're a killer, or at least have blood on your hands..." That was correct, though again he did not say anything. Not that he was particularly proud of the fact, but he had no scruples against killing if the situation demanded it.

And then he got the biggest shock of all. 'Fighting a live opponent that intends to kill me? Kintober doesn't play around, all right!'

He took a stance as he moved out into the arena, prepared as he could be for anything they could throw at him. That didn't stop him from taking in his oponnent with no small degree of shock as (he...she...it?) came into view. An utter monstrocity, but the worst thing was the face that remained unchanged from its human base. At least that solved the question--this...thing was definitely male. He deduced, both from the introduction and what he saw, that this person was at least a partial failure from the same set of procedures that had given him enhancement, from when it had still been mostly in the experimental phase.[/size][/font][/size] The surprise was probably what allowed the thing to get close enough to attack him--though the astonishing speed he displayed no doubt helped there, too. But the surprises weren't over. He didn't crush Artemis in his grip, for one thing. And for another, he spoke as quietly as it could. "Kill me." Yes, if he were in 10463's place, he too would probably want to be killed, he mused, as he stood up from where he had landed. Nothing else while you were still alive could get this close to hell. For both of them, really.

"All right," he muttered, as 10463 turned around and began charging him again. "I will." He waited until the monster who had been a man was committed, then utilized his own speed, dodging out of the way to let him run face-first into the arena wall.

That didn't seem to phase his opponent a great deal, only momentarily disorienting him, but it was long enough for Artemis to leap onto the monstrosity's back and deliver a blow to the spine.

Not that that did much, as even with his enhanced strength, his fist only sank into the bulging muscles. It probably hurt, but more akin to a bruise or scratch than anything else. He doubted it did much, and he had to leap off again as 10463 reached up with his human hand to try and swat him away like he would a fly. He felt the wind from the passing of that giant extremity as it came within inches of knocking him silly, and he landed like a cat on the floor of the arena, crouched on all fours as he looked at 10463 turn around.

10463 didn't try to outright charge him again, rather stepping just close enough to take a swing with his right arm. he rolled out of the way, and the metal clashed against the floor. But that gave him an idea, and as he evaded several more blows, a plan formed in his mind.

When 10463 took another swing with his right arm, Artemis let the blo come a little closer than the others had been. While the arm was still within reach, he reached over and grasped two of the poles embedded in that arm.

Using one as leverage, he yanked hard on the other. It shifted, but didn't come loose. 'This is gonna hurt,' he thought, now simply holding onto the one he tried to yank free as the other arm swung at him. The hand knocked him for a roll, stopped only by the wall he came up against. He felt a pain in the shoulder that hit the wall, one that indicated that shoulder was ow dislocated.

But his right arm was still intact, and gripped the pole firmly. He smiled. Now he had a weapon, and as 10463 closed, Artemis gripped it tightly--and sprang inside the man's reach.

The pole was sharpened enough to cut even through those bulging muscles, and he planted it firmly in 10463's chest. The eyes widened in surprise, and he had to scuttle out of the way as the man collapsed face-down, no doubt driving the pole in even deeper.

Breathing heavily, Artemis approached his downed opponent warily. He almost lept back again when the giant hand twitched, and when the face turned to look at him. "Thank you," it mouthed.

He knelt beside the body, examining the man's face in his last moments. "What is your real name?" Artemis whispered. He listened carefully for a response, not sure if that was even the right thing to do. But he didn't want to take only a number into his memory...

Edited December 4, 2009 by Subtleknifewielder

[Eggman Empire]

"Philip Stone...use'ta be...hot dog vendor..." The man gave a raspy chuckle. "...needed money...stole...got caught...sent me here..." Philip pierced Artemis with a look. "Thanks...set me free..." Philip coughed up blood, shuddered, and fell still. The door Artemis came from opened and he passed through the mini-room and into the corridor where Verstumm was waiting. The Sargent was wearing a grin.

"Well congratulations! I think you set two records for today. One, you completed the combatives part of your training in less then a day, and two, you beat 10463 faster then anyone in recent months. You're going to be graduate of the month." The Sargent said with a snicker. Artemis only felt a little disgusted. "I wonder if what the recruits will fight from now on..." Verstumm murmured. "Ah, I'm pretty sure the eggheads got plenty of freaks in building 3 for this sort of thing." The man decided. Before Artemis could inquire as to the nature of "building 3", Verstumm blindsided the teen, jamming a tazer into Artemis' back, abruptly ending his mental query.

Edited December 5, 2009 by DrKintobor

[Subtleknifewielder]

Artemis listened attentively to Philip Stone's last words. He didn't have time to say 'you're welcome' before the man expired.

While he felt disgust at the method they had used to test him (and he determined to find out if the man had had any family), it was tempered with a mild rush that came from beating a truly challenging opponent. He wasn't sure which feeling would come out in the end, at least until Sergeant Verstumm expressed his amusement at these methods.

"Well congratulations! I think you set two records for today. One, you completed the combatives part of your training in less then a day, and two, you beat 10463 faster then anyone in recent months. You're going to be graduate of the month."

Artemis had never before taken pleasure in killing anyone (except maybe for that thug that had tried to kidnap him), and he was almost horrified at the pleased feeling now of having survived by killing another. That translated into disgust, and no little contempt, for both himself, he sergeant, and the twisted mind that had created this entire situation. He barely heard the next words, except for something about 'building 3.' But before he could ask more fully, he felt a jolt of electricity hijack his muscles and even consciousness. He had a brief moment to wonder what fresh horrors he would face on waking…

Edited December 5, 2009 by Subtleknifewielder

[Eggman Empire]

Artemis awoke to the obnoxious sound of the wake-up klaxon. He sprung up and stood in front of his bed. He gave a quick glance over of the rest of the teens surrounding him and noticed they looked fairly roughed up. It seemed that yesterday was miserable for everyone. The doors opened and the three Sargents entered, Verstumm pushing the gruel dolly. The teens lined up for their meal and consumed it quickly. Then Dannet had them form up again. Just as Artemis was about to leave, he was roughly yanked aside by Dannet.

"You're not going anywhere." Dannet explained calmly. He shoved a satchel bag of something into Artemis' chest, pushing him backwards. "Read up, you'll be quizzed when I get back." The Sargent explained. With that, the man left, shutting the door behind him. Artemis gave him a one-fingered salute, and promptly opened the satchel. Inside were, like Dannet said, books. "The official guide to military etiquette, customs, and courtesies." and "Unabridged Eggman Army Uniform Dress regulation pamphlet" This might have been fine, except for the fact the "pamphlet" was over 300 pages. Though a quick flip-through showed a good chunk of it was diagrams. Artemis sighed. Guess it wasn't fisticuffs and savage violence after all. He walked back over to his bed, sat down, and cracked open. The reading was dryer then the Gobi desert.

----

After God knows how long, and reading through both books three times, Dannet and the recruits returned. Dannet then took Artemis and thoroughly quizzed Artemis on just about everything from the books. Artemis' exceptional memory saved his bacon, and the whole ordeal became worth it when Artemis was able to correct Dannet on the subject that a subdued insignia is worn centered with one point facing the neck and in a vertical line, with the end of the “V” 1 inch from the lower edge of the collar, not 1/8th inches. It was the most satisfying feeling Artemis had all day.

----

"Well, I must congratulate you on passing my little barrage of questions. Now, on to the next point." Dannet said. Artemis looked at him, eyebrow raised. "I'm placing you in charge of this platoon. By that I mean, the other NCOs and I still run this platoon, but you'll be helping them along. Like teaching them some fancy fight moves and whatnot. Understand?" Artemis nodded. "Good, now good luck and goodbye." With that, Dannet got up and left the teen to lead his new platoon.

----

After leaving the room, the three NCOs walked down the sterile corridors to their own barracks, Verstumm pushing the gruel dolly. "There is something about that Asyl kid. He's not just some punk." Muttered Dannet. Verstumm nodded in agreement.

"He's probably some pet project of the Emperor." Verstumm grumbled. "What you think Warhin?" The Staff Sargent asked his companion. Warhin twitched, rolled his eyes, and made a strange grumbling noise. This was the only noise the two other Sargents had heard Warhin ever make. Then again, Warhin was a Gen-4 Happy Smiler while Dannet and Verstumm were Gen-5s. So it made sense if he acted like he was one bullet short of a full magazine.

"Still, I'm certain he's hiding something, and not just the fact that he made some type of deal with Kintober. The kid's a genius, and there ain't that many running around. I think it's time to do a bit of digging." Dannet growled.

OOC:Honest to god, AR(army regulation) 670-1's pdf is over 300 pages long. It's a pain in the neck sorting through that when I just need to know where ONE pin goes on my Class A's

Edited December 6, 2009 by DrKintobor

[Subtleknifewielder]

OOC: Dang, that IS long...I can imagine that WOULD be a pain, and in more than just your neck.

IC: That stupid alarm. He just wish it was installed in an alarm clock so he could smash it. But there was no use complaining about something he couldn't control.

It seemed the surprises weren't over from yesterday, though, as Dannet shoved the bag into his chest and explained he had some reading to do. Flipping the man off, he wondered how the man would have reacted if he'd actually seen the gesture. With his luck, the man might actually be amused more than anything.

Nevertheless, he got down to his assignment. It was almost dry enough to put him off reading forever (which was saying something as he actually enjoyed the activity when he could find the time), but he managed to get through it. And twice more, to ensure it stuck in his memory.

Which was just as well, he thought with satisfaction, as he was actually able to correct Sergeant Dannet on a point.

----

The real surprise, though, was not the reading, the quiz, or the satisfaction of knowing he had done one better than the Sergeant.

No, the real surprise was being placed in charge of the platoon. But he adjusted quickly, and as he was left alone with the others, he was already considering the best way to start. Finally, he hit on it.

He had them all gather to ensure they were listening, then began a short speach. "Listen up. I'm sure you all heard it, but in case you didn't, Sergeant Dannet has placed me in charge of you all. That does not mean that if I tell you to jump, the only question you ask is how high. If I give you an order that doesn't make sense, i will do my best to explain it."

"Now...the first thing you need to know is, that despite your newfound strength, speed, endurance, and enhanced senses...there are still unmopdified humans out there who, if you underestimate them, can seriously damage or even kill you in close combat. Yes, close combat. You should not recklessly charge into a fight, despite the urge you might feel, unless you have no other choice. Let me demonstrate why." He pointed out a particularly strong recruit, a boy easily twice his own size. "You. I want you to charge me. Imagine I'm your worst enemy, a traitor and a vicious criminal." Privately, he was amused at that wording; technically he WAS a criminal, though he had never been particularly vicious. But he riseisted the urge to giggle.

The boy grinned unpleasantly, cracking his knuckels, then sprang in a blur of enhanced speed and strength...but when he got to where Artemis should have been, the teen was five feet to the side, and the boy had the same accident as Philip Stone had...he ran face-first into a wall.

"That is one reason you don't blindly charge into battle..."

----

If the Sergeants payed any attention at all to international news, they might notice Artemis' similarity in appearance to a now executed General Orlov from Promised Land.

If they could find Artemis' name, they would find he was suspected in connection to several high-profile thefts, though nothing was proven...

[Eggman Empire]

After a grueling week under the Sargent's rigorous training and Artemis' guidance, each member of the platoon could easily defeat a dozen unarmed men on their own. Artemis wouldn't admit it, but he felt rather proud in having a hand in shaping the combat skills of these young teens. However, when the time came for each teen's fighting ability to be put to the test, Artemis couldn't help but be a little nervous. As it turns out, they didn't have anything close to what he'd gone through. Most of the tests either involved fighter dummy simulations or competing against other Sargents. The closest scenario resembling his was when one teen had to fight against a pack of wolves. The boy would have a few bite marks to brag about, but other then that, he was unharmed. The next day, the platoon was informed of their next block of training.

-------

"Combat life saving?" A 15-year old called Reynold asked.

"Commo training?" A young girl, barely 13, named Alicia inquired.

"Map reading?!?" Grant, the teen who'd fought the wolves nearly shouted.

Dannet sighed and rolled his eyes. "Being a soldier isn't all just fisticuffs and firing guns. There's a whole lot more to it." He turned to Reynold. "Your ability to render the correct type of first aid on the battlefield may mean the difference between life or death of your comrade." He pointed at Alicia. "Handling a radio properly might result in a well co-ordinated air strike which gives your side a higher chance of victory." Dannet looked at Grant like he was stupid. "Map reading aka Land navigation will, aside from the obvious, help her-" He pointed to Alicia "-Call in a strike on the correct location and help him-" Dannet motioned to Reynold "-bring his wounded comrade back safely." Dannet sighed again. "These skills are essential, both on and off the battlefield, and you're all going to learning them backwards and forwards. If you fail to learn them to standard, you'll stay here until you do. So I suggest you study hard. Besides..." Dannet gave Artemis a sneering grin. "...I'm sure your platoon guide would love to help." With that, Dannet turned and left the room, leaving Verstumm and Warhin to drop two boxes full of books and supplies relating to the three subjects on the floor in front of them.

Artemis sighed and stepped behind the boxes to face his charges. "So, what do you guys want to do first? Medical, geographical, or technical?" He asked, holding up Training manuals regarding first-aid, land-nav, and radios.

OOC:God bless the man who invented this site

[Subtleknifewielder]

He was surprised yet again, yet also a little relieved, that no one had tyo face anything like what he'd been tested with.

But then again, he doubted they had an unlimited supply of monstroocities to test the recruits with, so perhaps that was one reason they didn't use them again.

The surprise of the recruits as it was explained what they would be learning about was to be expected, he supposed. Considering ther education his father had drilled into him (at least until the man had been executed), he knew the importance of non-com skills.

First aid was key to preserrving your fellow rtroop's lives, someone who might, in turn save your life later on.

Communication was key to organization and overall efficiency, as was navigation. So the explanation Dannet gave was not really new to him.

"Besides...I'm sure your platoon guide would love to help."

But then he was referenced, and in return for Dannet's sneer, he sent a glare that promised retribution if he ever got the opportunity. Just because he knew the importance of these skills didn't mean he HAD them. What did they think he was, a walking military encyclopedia? Granted, he could become one with the right tools and a little time, but he was not there yet. He mainly knew how to fight and...well, he did know how to organize, navigate, and communicate, if he was honest with himself. But not in military matters! And not in First Aid. He'd be at the same level as the other recruits there.

He sighed wearily as he held up samples of each of the subjects.

"Do we really have to, commander?" Frederick (the boy he'd had charge him earlier) asked.

"You heard the Sergeant. And if you people don't pick the subject, I will."

The began conferring amongst themselves, finally settling on Map Reading. A practical choice, really. If one didn't know where you were, the other skills wouldn't mean diddly.

"We'll start with the colors first off. You have to know what these mean if you want to accurately read a map. Blue, quite obviously, indicates water features such as lakes, rivers, etc. But some of the other colors might not be so obvious...Black, for instance, indicates cultural (Also known as man-made) features such as buildings and roads, surveyed spot elevations, and all labels."

After giving a brif verview of the colors represented, he would go on to explain the different sybols, and where the map key was located (if there was one).

[Eggman Empire]

As the week wore on, it turned out all of the teens assembled had a knack for the life-saving part of the training. It seemed to be the easiest to pick up on. Which made sense, because you don't make it far on the streets if you don't know at least a few healing tricks. Commo was a bit trickery, but it caught on as well. The hardest task seemed to be Land nav, mainly because of the fact that math was involved. However, by the end of the week, Artemis felt that both he and the rest of the platoon knew, at the very least, the minimum standard required for all soldiers to know.

Dannet was impressed. Usually it took a week on each subject to properly train a soldier, and his assembled troops had finished all three in the time it usually took one. And with that out of the way, they could move on to the funner parts of their training:Tactical movements. For this, he'd taken them to another training area. It was called the arena, and was the size of one too. On one end was a mock village which the platoon would have to "clear" at some point, and the rest of the arena was filled in with obstacles and fake plants. "Here you will learn how to move and fight as one team. You will be taught all terrain tactical movement, room/house clearing, and urban combat. Now, let's get started, shall we?" He told the platoon.

OOC:Sorry if my posts as of late have been seeming a bit weak, Subtle. I'm having the worst case of writer's block when it comes to this.

[Subtleknifewielder]

OOC: Not a problem. I'm a bit busy myself, but I promise to post again soon.

[Subtleknifewielder]

Artemis knew he could do it, but he was surprised, and not a little pleased, with the progress of those under his command. Like Dannet, he had not expected to get through all three so quickly. He had to admit to alittle pride, if only to himself, in how well the platoon did under him.

The name of the place they were taken to for the next portion of their training gave him pangs of unease, reminding him of that brutal fight with the monster that Philip Stone had been turned into.

He doubted their commanders would put them in such a situation so soon, but it was still better to be safe than sorry.

By now, they were used to taking orders from Artemis, and so listened to him without question. He tasked Alicia with leading a small scout team (herself and two others). The ones he selected were the ones he had determined most able to move silently and avoid being seen, if they wished.

They were taksked with getting as close to the village as they dared, finding any traps or other obstacles along the way, and find out the strength of any 'enemy' troops.

The rest he organized into four-man fire-teams--all done with a minimum of actual speech, to avoid detection by any oposition.

Edited December 10, 2009 by Subtleknifewielder

[Eggman Empire]

OOC:Subtle, I'm honestly not feeling this topic. I mean, I want it to go through, but I'm just running out of ideas. It's one of those "seemed like a good idea at the time" things. I kinda just want to wrap the whole thing up so we both can get on with other things. What say you? Anyhow, lets keep the show moving in the mean time

IC:The plan had been going perfectly. Artremis' main team, supported by the two fire teams flanking the village had made it quite close avoiding detection. Then the mess hit the fan. Right when they'd reached 100m to the "town," paint mines exploded, covering one of his teams from head to toe, and Artemis assumed they were out of the game. Then whoever was in the town opened up with paintballs. To make it more "realistic", the sounds of guns firing and people yelling filled the air via hidden speakers. It may not have been real combat, but that didn't mean Artemis couldn't treat it like that.

"Find cover! Check the windows!" He yelled, and took cover behind a plastic tree. He could hear the "plok-plok-plok" noise, as paint balls slammed against his cover. "Anyone got a fix on the shooters?!" Artemis screamed. "2 and 12 o'clock! Green house, Second floor, third and fifth windows!" Reynolds shouted. The kid certainly had an eye for things. Artemis quickly formulated his next plan. "Pop smoke at 1 o'clock and on MY signal, Reynolds, on me! Frederick, Tayr(another teen in the platoon), cover us! Copy?" Three voices rang out in confirmation. "Alright, popping smoke!" He shouted. The smoke grenade flew from his hand and popped just infront of the house, hiding it with purple smoke. "Now, go go go!" Artemis screamed, and he abd Reynolds bolted for the house.

They made it, and Reynolds smashed down the door. Only to receive a spray of paint for his troubles. Artemis pushed past the teen and wasted the Opfor inside. Without bothering to wait for backup, Artemis charged up the stairs and finished off the rest of the opposing team. And then it was over. The noise and popping stopped, and all was still. Then Artemis looked down to see Dannet, one of the Opfor, chuckling. "Congratulations!" He bellowed "And welcome to the Eggman Empire Army!"

[Subtleknifewielder]

OOC: Actually, I think that's pretty much a wrap. Unless you want kintober to visit him personally before sending him out after Hank. if you want to 'test' any of the kids further, they are your characters, after all.

IC: Well, you couldn't expect them to get it right the first time. And there wasn't always a good way to detect traps like that. He was still proud of how well they had worked together. But sometimes to get a job done right, you had to do it yourself.

That was why he had charged up the stairs to finish off the opposing team.

The silence afterward was almost deafaning, and he couldn't resist a grin when Dannet pronounced them part of the army.

That was excellent news. He would be getting out of there soon, out into the real world once more. And once there...he could resume his work. While performing that job for Kintober at the same time.

[Eggman Empire]

It had been two days since the assault on the mock village, and all last-minute in-processing had been taken care of. The teens had been fitted for uniforms, assigned ranks, and army job descriptions. The platoon had promised they'd stay in touch as much as possible, and everything seemed to be going well. Finally, just like so many weeks, perhaps months ago, the teens gathered up their meager belongings and were herded by their sargents up to the helipad. There were two helicopters on the roof. One was a Chinook, the other a Hammerhead. Artemis was somewhat surprised to be brought to the Hammerhead while the rest of his platoon boarded the chinook. He was a little disappointed and sad. He didn't get to say goodbye. In a moment, he found himself pushed onto the Hammerhead. He took a seat in the troop section, and was surprised to find himself looking at Emperor Kintober himself.

"Hello. I've held up my end of the bargin, now you will hold up yours." His tone left no room for discussion. "Now, you have two options:One is to go lone wolf and track Hank yourself. The second-" Kintober handed him a folder. "-is to join these fellows whom I've already tasked to find him. So, which choice do you want?"

[Subtleknifewielder]

He was surprised at the feeling of...sadness and disappointment. Despite himself, he'd grown attached to his fellow recruits, and he would have waved goodbye if he'd had the time.

But he did not, and in a moment, he was facing the man responsible for all this, the Emperor, Sammyace Kintober, himself.

"Hello. I've held up my end of the bargin, now you will hold up yours."

He sighed. He supposed he couldn't really blame the man for being suspicious, but Artemis was a man of his word (though legally he wasn't an adult, he'd gone through too much to consider himself a child any longer), and he intended to follow through.

"Now, you have two options: One is to go lone wolf and track Hank yourself. The second-" Artemis began shuffling through the folder the moment it was handed to him. he raised his eyebrows at some of the information "-is to join these fellows whom I've already tasked to find him. So, which choice do you want?"

Artemis considered carefully his choices. Some of these looked like capable individuals, but... "Who would be in charge of the team?"

If he wasn't the one in charge, he would probably work better alone.

[Eggman Empire]

Kintober grinned. "Technically, SFC Wilhelm Vesker would be your commanding officer, as right now you're officially an Corporal according to Eggman Army paperwork. Your teammates would consist of SGT Steve (don't ask for his last name) and a merc named Lucas. Vesker has a good record for survival. He spent over a year in Dilberia after the zombie outbreak with Steve." Kintober leaned forward and pierced the teen with a stare. "I know you think your hot stuff, but as long as your in this army, you will follow the orders of your superiors."

Kintober sat back and chuckled. "Besides, what did you think you were going to do? Track Hank yourself? Good luck. Even if you did manage to corner him, he'd kill you. Regardless of your abilities, Hank beats you unless you have a serious ace up your sleeve. Even then, you'll be hard pressed to kill him. Trust me, you'll want some back up. Besides, Vesker, Steve, and Lucas are the only people who've been able to continually track Hank."

"So, again, your choice. Go lone wolf, try to find Hank, attempt to beat him, and hope he doesn't kill you. OR go with backup who've had experience with this sort of thing and knows what's going on, and might be able to help you out of a sticky situation." Kintober shrugged. "Like I said, your choice."

[Subtleknifewielder]

"I know you think your hot stuff, but as long as your in this army, you will follow the orders of your superiors."

Artemis' face could have been the stone of a statue, as he listened to Kintober describe his potential teammates, then go on to explain exactly what he thought of Artemis' abilities. When it was clear the Emperor was finished, he spoke through gritted teeth.

"I may not be stronger than Hank, but I have advantages I doubt he ever had. And," he added, looking Kintober squarely in the eye and giving a chilling smile, "I have access to resources none of you can possibly have—not you, not any of these teammates, and not even Hank. Did you forget what I said I'd done when I met you? I snatched the good General from under Subtleknifewielder's nose. Didn't you ever ask yourself how I managed that? Certainly I could not have done that without certain…connections."

"But," he continued, "I'm not so sure I will be able to utilize these resources to their full extent if I have to constantly be in contact with a team of others. I can share information, certainly, and I am not averse to actually meeting these people, but I work better within my own...environment, if you will."

"If you order me to work with them, I will. Just keep in mind what I have just told you."