"Oh, I totally forgot about you, Darell. Why don't you come in," Sgt. Damascus laughed.
Darell was one of the military soldiers—still young, in his early to mid-twenties—so he was a newbie when it came to being a first-liner.
The five students, still seated and glancing at Mikeal, who was trying hard to avoid making eye contact, were distracted by Darell's youthful looks.
So, all heads turned to him.
"Students, this is Darell Major. He is one of our new first-liners, and he's a Grade Five, just like you guys," Lt. Ashley Grey introduced him.
Darell was quite a shy guy. While being introduced, he couldn't maintain eye contact with the students; he kept glancing around the office.
"He's a first-liner? Get out of here," Griffin found that hard to believe.
"Well, actually, young sir, it happens that I'm the only one in my squad to be graded five. My squadmates are all Grade Threes and Fours," Darell corrected politely.
"Wow!" Griffin said in disbelief.
"You know what, I do kinda believe that. I mean, look at you," Celine commented.
Darell blushed but hid it well. One thing about him that was obvious—he was otherworldly handsome. He was Caucasian with afro-silky hair, a chiseled jawline, and hazel eyes.
So it was no shock that Celine found him attractive. Among the group of five, only three seemed to take interest in Darell, while Mikeal and Alexia didn't say anything or react to his impressive military status.
"Forgive me, sir, but why exactly did you summon me here?" Darell asked humbly.
Sgt. Damascus remembered.
"Oh yeah, I got distracted by your looks. The reason I called you is that I want you to take these five to their accommodation."
Darell's face turned confused.
"I don't mean to speak out of turn, but... isn't that the lower-grade's job?"
Something in Lt. Ashley Grey shifted.
"Look, boy! You do not question anything when the sergeant tells you to do something."
Feeling embarrassed about his question, Darell humbled himself and apologized.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm sorry too, sir. Please forgive my incompetence."
"It's okay, Grey. And you, boy, don't worry about it. But to answer your question—these ones you see here are a special case," Sgt. Damascus explained.
"Forgive me for asking, but... if you don't mind me asking, how special are they?" Darell asked.
"Well, why doesn't Grey answer your question?" Sgt. Damascus turned to Lt. Ashley Grey.
"Thank you, sir," she was flattered. "Well, it's because these ones managed to get a grade that even you couldn't in your first year."
"Wait... you don't mean—?" Darell hoped the answer he was thinking wasn't true.
Lt. Ashley Grey saw the expression on Darell's face and couldn't help but enjoy it.
"Yep. The grade you're thinking of right now—that's their grade. All of them. Sitting right in front of your eyes."
"These are all the Grade Fives that everyone in the academy has been fussing about."
Darell took a good look at the students sitting down, still finding it hard to believe.
"So now you understand why I chose you to take care of them?" Sgt. Damascus said.
Darell looked at both of them.
"Yes, sir." He understood now.
An emergency alert appeared on Sgt. Damascus' desk—beeping, waiting to be answered.
Sgt. Damascus looked at Darell.
"Well, don't waste any time now. Off you go."
Clearly, whatever the emergency was, it was private. Darell understood why he was being dismissed and promptly followed the order. He took the others and left.
Inside the office, Sgt. Damascus and Lt. Ashley Grey looked at each other with worry on their faces.
"You don't think...?" Lt. Ashley Grey asked.
"Isn't it that obvious, Grey?" Sgt. Damascus took a deep breath before replying.
---
Darell had now taken the group out of Sgt. Damascus' office and was accompanying them to their accommodations. Along the way, he showed them parts of the headquarters they had never explored.
They saw the classrooms they would attend, the dining hall for lunch, a massive library filled with countless volumes of knowledge, and even got a sneak peek behind the scenes at how the exo-skeleton suits were built.
While peeking into one restricted area, they noticed the same torn exo-skeleton suit Mikeal had worn during his test—it was almost unrecognizable, releasing an unidentified steam.
On the other side of the room was a sign:
"Restricted Area: Personnel Clearance Only"
"What's going on in that room?" Hector asked, pointing.
Darell glanced over. "Oh, that one's restricted. Even I can't go in there."
They continued their tour. Tensions between Mikeal and Alexia were high. One of them felt betrayed for being kept in the dark about the test—Alexia.
Mikeal walked ahead, looking everywhere except at her. He knew she was mad at him for not saying anything.
Ever since they were young, they had been close. There was nothing they didn't share—from Alexia's first period to Mikeal's first major crush. They always confided in one another.
But today... they couldn't even make eye contact.
Alexia walked alongside Hector, who was marveling at everything inside the Headquarters. Meanwhile, Griffin and Celine were chatting, getting to know each other.
"Can you believe we're actually here?" Hector tried to spark conversation.
But Alexia barely reacted. She was too focused on Mikeal, who was still avoiding her.
"Hey! Alexia, you there?" Hector waved his hand in front of her face.
She snapped out of it.
"Mmh? Oh, I'm sorry—were you saying something?"
Even though she responded, Hector could tell she was completely preoccupied with Mikeal. Not wanting to upset her, he dropped it.
"Uh, no... I was just checking that you're doing okay."
Then Hector walked up to join Mikeal.
"Yo, man. Whatever it is you did—Alexia looks pissed," Hector whispered.
Mikeal slowed down.
"I know."
---
The exploration of the headquarters was finally over. Now it was time for Darell to escort them to their accommodations. They exited the headquarters and stepped outside.
"Wait a minute, are we going to our room?" Hector asked.
"Well, we are, but they're not. Oh—you thought your rooms were inside the headquarters?" Darell laughed. "Nope. Just follow me and you'll see."
He led the way, showing them areas of the military grounds they hadn't known existed: the airship landing zones, the vehicle bay, the physical training fields, and even the massive cages being transported to the headquarters.
The outside was bustling with all kinds of military personnel—from first-liner soldiers to medical staff. The group walked together, talking and observing.
Eventually, they arrived at their destination: a military building located far from the main headquarters. Inside, they entered an elevator and rode it up.
This building was different. More beautiful than the headquarters—it resembled a residential complex more than a combat facility. As they ascended, they could see other students entering the building, accompanied by escorts.
The structure looked like a five-story hotel. If anything, it resembled a secret superhero lair. They reached the fifth floor.
The fifth floor looked far more luxurious than the others.
"Woah," they all gasped in unison.
"Now this is awesome!" Hector yelled, running ahead.
Darell stopped in the hallway and handed out their Smart ID cards.
"Oh yes, here you go."
"What's this?" Griffin asked, examining his card.
"Right—my bad. Those are your ID Smart Cards. They've been updated. You'll see your initials and, right under your photo, your graded level," Darell explained.
Just as he said, each card displayed: Grade 5.
"Now, before I go—remember: each of you has your own room. Look at the back of your card to see your room letter, A through E. And don't worry about your stuff—it's already in your rooms. Now go get some rest. Starting tomorrow, you're going to be working your asses off."
Then Darell left.
Everyone checked the back of their cards.
"What room did you get?" Celine asked Alexia.
"I got Room D. You?"
Celine checked hers.
"Would you look at that—I got C."
"Ugh, man. Looks like I'm your neighbor, Alexia, since I got E," Hector said, sounding slightly disappointed.
"And what about you, Griffin?" Celine asked eagerly.
"I guess I got A," he replied, showing her the card.
"Which means Mikeal is B," Alexia said.
Hearing that sounded like music to Griffin's ears.
"You hear that, freak show? We're going to be neighbours," he said with a sinister smile and look at Mikeal.