FSE

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Want to get the full experience? Read the previous parts first! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also, this chapter has several guest appearances. They will be awesome.

~~~CHAPTER 3~~~

"Sleep well, Subject Omega Three........."

My eyes snapped open. I was still in my room.

Ugh.... Must've fallen asleep while flashing back again....

I was sprawled out on top of my bed, still in my combat uniform and still wearing my crafting metal around my arms and chest. Some of it was bent and distorted, a result of me unconsciously molding it in my sleep. Not that that was really a problem, but waking up one day with a newly pierced ear made me realize that I probably shouldn't be wearing my weapons while sleeping.

I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, and turned to check the clock on my wall. 6:27am. Wow, I REALLY beat the clock this time. I had 3 whole minutes before the alarm would go off in my and every other hybrid's rooms, signaling the start of another day of fun and adventure.

Hmmm, 3 minutes. What can I do with that? I can do some push-ups. I can listen to a single song on my Zune. I can practice my swordsmanship. I can flash back to Z-Day again.

_Fuck it, I choose 3 more minutes of sleep. _

~~~~~

Three minutes and one ungodly loud alarm later, I was out in the hall with every other one of my hybrid colleagues, all of us walking to the cafeteria for breakfast. Some were pleasantly chatting and laughing amongst themselves, oblivious to the fact that it was SIX FREAKING THIRTY in the morning. How anyone can be a morning person is completely beyond me. Everyone else, myself included, just ignored them and drearily marched onwards, as dead on the inside as the zombies we kill every day.

Ha, we're the zombies now... I should remember that one for later.

I didn't see Harry or Francis along the way, but I was a decently known guy around here, so the odds were high that I'd bump into one familiar face. And before I could even finish that thought, one such person (read: hybrid) approached me from behind.

"Hey, Greg! Long time, no see, man!"

I turned and saw a black wolf hybrid with circular patterns on his shoulders catching up to me. Could only be one guy...

"Oh my God, you're still alive? After an entire month of straight work? Damn, I'll never get your Battlefield 3 disc now..."

"Aaaaaaaaad there's the obligatory Greg Ossland early-morning sarcasm. I've gotta say, I really missed it."

"You're too kind, Isaac."

Enter Subject Delta One, formerly known as Isaac Deniea. He was another friend I made at the beginning of my new life; down to earth, lethal in combat, and damn good mission leader. What sucks is that he and his squad were frequently transferred from one HAC base to another for different missions. This must be another brief visit home for them.

We continued walking towards the cafeteria. My early-morning daze was thankfully wearing off much quicker than usual.

"So, what's new, Greg? You think of any new moves, or is it still just swish-swish-stab?"

"Kinda. I've been leaning more towards to two-handed weapons lately, but I always have time to grab some style points with a big-ass sword slice. I slashed through a 'zomb so hard yesterday I cracked the sidewalk. You?"

"Ehh, I never have time to tinker around anymore, since we're almost always fighting 24/7. I mean, I realize I willingly signed up for it, but I thought that after a whole year we'd make some kind of dent in the zombie population. Now it just seems like there's more of them than ever... Not to change the subject, but that's been on my mind a lot lately."

Good, something serious to talk about to make me feel smarter.

"Don't worry about it, because you're not the only one. I don't even see any survivors anymore when we're clearing major cities. There's only the good 'ole HAC staff around to remind us that humans still exist. And even when this whole thing does blow over, what happens to us? Nobody said anything about making us normal again, but I've heard rumors floating around. Maybe it's just because some depressed hybrids want to hear that..."

Isaac seemed genuinely surprised to hear that. "Really? Even after the scientists kept telling us that this is a one-way path? Well, I don't know what their problem is, but I saw this as an opportunity to do something good with my life. I mean, we're literally saving the world here, wouldn't anyone want to be a part of that?"

"Either that, or they're like me and just want to blow off some steam." That response came out automatically.

Isaac sighed deeply. Yes, he knew about my problems, too.

"Come on, man. You can't keep living in the past. Didn't you tell me about that chick who keeps giving you obvious signs the last time I was here?"

"You mean Kyla? Yeah, I hate to admit it, but I've been thinking more and more about her lately. I dunno, maybe after all this time, I owe it to both of us to start over."

He patted me on the back. "I'm proud of you, man. You deserve to be happy more than a lot of people here, and this is how it's going to happen."

By this point, we had reached the cafeteria. For breakfast, they had what they usually have; eggs, potatoes, toast, you name it. Despite everything, food wasn't a problem in our world right now. After we cleared a city, recovery soldiers would come in and gather the edible food and water from abandoned stores and homes, split it up, and air-lifted it back to every HAC base in the area. This alone ensured that we'd never go hungry, but there were entire farms and gardens in some other bases as well.

We both took a little bit of everything, and found an empty table near the wall.

"So, now that we've talked about my love life, or lack thereof, what's been going on between you and Liz? I remember you saying that you were getting your fair share of hints from her."

"You can say that...." Isaac replied. He was smiling widely for some reason.

"You should probably take your own advice and make a move. I mean, I only saw her once or twice, but DAMN. What is she, double-D guaranteed? Not my favorite, but great news for yo---"

Then I realized why he was grinning from ear to ear.

"Please, please tell me she isn't right behind me and heard me talking like a typical male jackass...."

"Ok, I won't. Doesn't change anything, though."

Really? I'm in one of these _situations? _

You always see a moment like this on TV, but when it really happens, you feel like the most awkward person (or genetically-altered person) in the world. I turned and saw two hybrids behind me, one leopardess and one male arctic fox. She smiled, the other guy was trying not to laugh.

"Don't let that stop you, Greg. Keep digging" Liz said sweetly as they both sat at our table.

"Considering we've never really met, this must be a bad way to start off. Please accept my heartfelt apologies, and please don't use your powers, whatever they may be, to disembowel me."

Smoooooooooth.....

She laughed and said "Don't worry, I take it as a compliment. But you're right, and since we're only here for one more day, let me formally say 'Hi, my name is Elizabeth Johnson, aka Subject Delta Two.' But don't call me that, or I will actually hurt you." The sarcasm was obvious, but after that first fuck-up, I'll go with her on this one. She extended her hand and we shook.

"Oh, come ON Liz" the arctic wolf hybrid said. "You don't think the codenames sound cool? Makes me feel like I'm in an action movie! I AM Subject Delta Three, sworn defender of the Earth from the legions of the undead!"

I've never seen this guy before, but he must be Isaac's third team member. His mannerisms remind me of Harry's, that's for sure.

"And what's your real name, tough guy?" I said with my own obvious sarcasm.

He laughed. "Brian Randal, nice to meet you." We shook hands as well.

"Greg Ossland. And like Liz, I really don't care for Omega Three."

Suddenly, the PA system in the room came to life, with a tired sounding announcer doing the talking. "Attention to all hybrids, there will be a series of mandatory combat training exercises beginning today at 0700 hours. All regular missions are cancelled for today."

"I like it so far" Liz said.

"Your teams have been matched against others based on current performances, abilities, and overall status. Once these tests begin, you will compete against other teams for a high score. We will announce for the squad leaders to assemble your associates and report to the training area as the previous tests conclude."

This could be fun. A day of proving whose group is on top through a few dumb tests? What could possibly go wrong?

"Will the teams of Subjects Delta One and Omega Three please report to the training area for the first round of testing."

That. That could possibly go wrong. Well, not wrong_, but still very unlikely. _

We all just stared at each other dumbfounded for a moment.

But after I replayed that message in my head, it made sense; we were paired together solely because of our similar powers and performance in the field. I didn't know what Liz and Brian could do, but I knew Isaac's power all too well. He was a technopath; able to control machines with his mind. However, like many other subjects before him, his power was limited. Like me, he had to be in direct contact with something to make it work, and he was limited to working with machines that weren't too complicated due to the strain it put on him. Last time he was here, he said he successfully piloted a helicopter with his mind, but nothing bigger than that.

But the real issue, as Isaac quickly found out, was that his ability was impractical against the living dead. Nobody could've guessed that the answer to this problem was a page taken out of my book: nanobots. And lots of them. In this sense, we had the same power; we both mentally control a substance that we can mold into any shape we want, and figured that swordplay was the way to go. By practicing with each other and several HAC trainers as time went on, we could use swords like they were a part of our bodies.

The new question is: who's better at it today?

Brian spoke up first: "You know, right before they said that, I was gonna joke about us against Greg and his team, but now I feel cheated..."

"Well, I figured something had to happen today if it's a day off from work" I said. "But in all seriousness, this could be interesting, huh, Isaac? We haven't done any training together in a while. Time to see who's the better swordsman."

"If that's what it comes to, then I accept your challenge, and a proper ass whooping will follow! But even if you beat me, can your teammates beat mine?"

"Yeah" said Liz with a smirk. "You guys don't know what we can do. We're on more missions than most squads, so we have more practice. Can your teammates beat THAT?

"I'd love to ask them" I said while looking around the room, "But I have no earthly idea where they are right now. Either they skipped breakfast, or there's a REALLY long bathroom line today."

We all laughed at that. Just good times with good friends, old and new. For the next half hour, we ate, talked, and joked about anything we could think of, then went back to our rooms to prepare for our trials. While walking back I passed Francis' room, and sure enough, both he and Harry were there. They seemed surprised to see me. That could only mean they were talking about me.

"Why'd you guys skip breakfast? You would've been able to meet our opponents in person.... Wait, you did hear the PA, right?"

"Yeah, we did" Francis replied. "We have five minutes to get ready and walk to the training area."

Harry was just staring at me, with a look that said 'dear God, what dark thoughts are going on inside your head?'

"You told him, didn't you, Francis?" I said solemnly.

"Yes. I felt like I had to. He's your friend, and you can't keep him in the dark forever. He made a good point last night, he wants to help you, and I know you agree."

Again, he was right. "Harry, I'm sorry. It wasn't fair to not tell you my problems when you've always been honest with me."

Please don't be pissed.... Again.....

Harry let out a long sigh. "It's okay, man. I can understand why you wouldn't feel comfortable talking to me about something like this. I'm the happy-go-lucky guy, always trying to have fun, and never taking anything very seriously. It just wouldn't work if you needed someone to vent on."

But then he immediately changed his tone and said: "But we can talk about this later. Right now, we've gotta show this other team how we roll! Am I right?"

I was relieved he wasn't holding this against me. "Hell yeah you're right! We're gonna crush this test! Right, Francis?"

We both turned to him. He just smiled and said: "This is probably the most pumped I've seen you in quite a while, Greg. It scares me."

We both laughed at that. True, I may be as hard as nails after enduring a soul-shattering experience, but I'm capable of loosening up every now and then. It feels good to be reminded of that.

We exited the room and walked towards the training area, all of us determined to win. My inevitable match with Isaac was the only thing on my mind. What kind of challenge will it be? Target practice? A zombie-killing free-for-all? A one-on-one duel? As I'm walking, I realize now that despite him not even knowing Harry or Francis, Isaac was the best of both of them. He had Harry's shining personality, and Francis' ability to help me with my problems.

A true friend.

Doesn't mean I'm going easy on him...

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This chapter wasn't as long as I intended it to be, but having a test every single day this week kinda hampers my ability to write. But hey, the long weekend makes up for it, right?

The characters Isaac, Liz, and Brian belong to NvrRueger, one of the writers on this site that inspired me to give it a try. They'll be around for this and the next chapter only. That's what a cameo is.

Here's his page: http://rueger.sofurry.com/ I highly recommend reading his stories as well.

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