//------------------------------// // Welcome to Boot Camp, maggot. // Story: Draconic Relations // by ramseymac //------------------------------// Commander HahdrimKein stood behind a shaded window, watching Loki digging into a tray of adamantium with a side of sulfuric acid below. The dovah was eating as if he had been starved, which, according to Kaaz, he was. Apparently he had been surviving on barely a lemon a day during continuous exercise. The commander was exactly as tall as Loki, his features were exactly the same as well except for having deep blue eyes. He wore a black under-suit with wires and braces running through the inside, creating a biomechanical look that covered his entire body, including his neck and tail, but not his head. He scrutinized the prince's behavior critically, noticing every movement. The young dovah tore a piece of adamantium from an ingot before swallowing, then swigged it down with a canister of sulfuric acid. Kein glanced at the miniature GLaDOS unit clipped to Loki's chest, which was slowly charging back up as the prince recharged his body, in turn charging his armor. Kaaz, wearing the same outfit and almost indistinguishable from Kein except for having cyan eyes, walked up next to him. "He's not quite what I was expecting." She said, leaning against the wall. "Never knew quite what to expect... just didn't exactly think he would be some carefree teenager with minor PTSD." He said, sighing. "I don't think anyone knew what to expect." "Do you think he's right for the job?" She asked, producing a clear data pad that looked like a piece of glass with black pieces of metal on the corners. "With some training and discipline, yes, I do. But right now... we'll see tomorrow in Boot Camp." "As I thought. Should we put him through his paces in an obstacle course today, Carol?" She asked to what seemed like no one. "The subject requires a resting period before any more strenuous activities, as you know, Lieutenant Kaaz." GLaDOS' voice said with a tone of minor annoyance. "I'm just saying, we need to know his capabilities firsthand." "I've reviewed his video files, he's extremely skilled and dangerous. He also needs rest." "Fine then, do what you want." She threw up a hand in frustration with the artificial intelligence unit, who didn't respond further. THE NEXT MORNING I shifted in the new bed that had been given to me, the tough mattress barely being an inch thick. The new black undersuit I wore was filled with wiring, braces, and a gel layer that encased my entire body up to my head, where it stopped at the base of my skull, interlocking with the ends of my spines. I kicked at the cold blankets covering my lower body, throwing them off the bed and turning. My scales turned black and my eyes red as I struggled. I was surrounded by a void. The void was dead silent, a ringing in my ears being the only thing filling my mind. My body was gone, only a mix of white, black, grey, and red wisps of light. A rumbling, bass, synthetic voice sounded. "Drem yol lok, dii kiir." It said as a pair of glowing red eyes opened directly in front of me. I willed my normal body to form, becoming myself but black with red eyes just like the ones in front of myself. "Who are you?!" I asked the entity in front of me. "I am the old man in the prison." "...You were on the plane?" I asked, uncertainty edging into my voice. The entity paused for a moment, glancing around. "...No." It said, dropping the 'unfathomable god' act and sounding disappointed with itself. "I wasn't on the plane." I quirked my head. "...Then... who was on the plane?" "Your grandfather." "...No seriously, who was on the plane? And for that matter, who are you?" I asked, seriously curious. This was breaking news and... and whoever this guy was, he seemed keen on helping me. And my dead granddad, apparently. "I am Alduin, your fath-" He was cut off by the blaring BWAAAAH, BWAAAAH of a klaxon sounding. The dream dissipated before I could respond to what sounded like 'your father'. I leapt out of the bed at the ready with claws out, teeth bared, and tail poised. I looked around, seeing no one there but the blaring of the klaxon. I slackened and stood up straight, looking around as the blaring continued. Someone grabbed me by the shoulder from behind and shoved me out the door to my room, leaving me in a room full of weapons and armor lockers. I turned to look at who had shoved me and saw someone covered with dark grey, almost black, armor with a silver V shaped visor. The armor was angular and had various modules covering it, including a datapad on the wrist, a camera on the side of the helmet, and additional armor in places including a huge knife on his shoulder. On the shoulders were white emblems with downward facing swords with draconic wings on either side. "Who are you?" I asked as he advanced quickly. "As of now, YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE!" He shouted, imposing on me. I stumbled towards the lockers as he kept walking forward. "GET TACTICAL, WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE THE FUCKING THRONE ROOM?! GET YOUR FUCKING ARMOR ON!" he shouted into my face as I scrambled to my armor locker. I threw it open, but instead of finding my regular, curvy armor, I found a set of angular armor similar to the stuff on the guy yelling at me. I turned around and looked him in the visor. "This isn't my armor!" "WHAT'S THAT MAGGOT?! I COULDN'T HERE YOU OVER THE SOUND OF YOU BEING A WHINING BITCH! NOW PUT THE FUCKING ARMOR ON OR I WILL STOMP OUT YOUR GUTS AND FEED THEM TO THE MAGGOTS!" He yelled, prompting me to start attaching the armor pieces to my undersuit, interlocking perfectly. "I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY, RECRUIT! MY GRANDMA COULD PUT ON ARMOR FASTER THAN THAT, AND SHE'S DEAD!" I whipped around after finishing the second gauntlet, throwing a punch towards this guy's face, only to find it caught in a similarly armored, and much stronger, fist that crushed my own. I cried out and threw another punch, that being caught too. He forced me down to my knees and kicked me in my yet-to-be-armored stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I gasped for air as he looked down on me pitilessly. "Did you think you could fucking take me?" He asked, kneeing me in chin and making me bite my tongue. "Because I find the notion that you could even think to attack me is disturbing, even more so that you're so arrogant that you thought you could fucking beat me with a punch that predictable." He let go of my hands and kicked me back into a closed locker door. "NOW GET FUCKING TACTICAL, MAGGOT!"