Academia.3
It was later in
class that he realized how little he had missed.
Apparently there
were many people absent. Some sick, others gone without notice or reason, but
as of late that always seemed to be the case. He was one of the only two who
were late because they themselves had problems with their old, and failing
PDD's. Even the Instructor was late, which was of some small, unfathomable
comfort to him. Perhaps, he enjoyed seeing those in power fall prey to their
own disillusions of infallibleness.
Before the lesson
began in full though, another more unique individual entered the room. She
garnered the eyes of the class far longer than anyone else would, any humanoid
that is.
She wasn't human,
well, at least at least in the traditional meaning. She was something
different, yet similar. She was an 'Abhuman', a person yet not a person.
Government and Militarily controlled and collared, usually separated from the
general public, either used for intense manual labor or military services due
to their innate aggression and varying capabilities. Her name was 'Gwen-D', or
AH-697423GD. A regulated Hybridism Abnormal. She stood only a few inches taller
then Daniel, and had pale skin. Her eyes were dull pale
green, borderline grey some would say, but they shone with a malevolent
apathy, cunning, and something Xenos. It was her hands that were one of the few
discrepancies that put her apart from the sacred human form, four fingers instead
of five, ending in overhanging fingernail-claw-like protrusions. He supposed
the same went for her feet, but the most prominent feature had to be her ears.
They curved back and were animalistic, covered in short hairs; they were long
and parted her hair, they twitched, following every noise in the classroom.
Narrow eyes panned
the rows of empty desks in the lecture hall until she found a free one next to
him. She always sat next to Daniel. They were both outcasts in a way. Her more
then him, he rarely noticed this, but there was another thing about her, up
close it was hard to see, she mainly kept her head low and mouth closed, but he
knew that it was filled with needles. Two rows of teeth, the second row
extending like horrid fangs, and a barbed tail hidden within her pant leg.
She was Alien, a
bastard cross between two species and the workings of scientific malpractice.
Yet her 'kind' still grew every day, the Military sought them out, and Slave
trading rings saw them as exotic goods to expand into.
Daniel didn't
know what he thought of them- her kin- she was the only one he met in person,
they both rarely talked, yet she seemed trail him. Her eyes met his after he
stared for too long.
"What."
She snapped. He saw the flash of needles in her mouth, matched with daggers in
her eyes.
He looked away.
"Nothing. Just staring."
She now looked at
him fully. "At what?" She asked, it almost sounded like a demand.
"You, I was
thinking."
"About,
what?" She asked for the third time, her impatient nature causing her to
squeeze her hands into fists. He wondered if that hurt her: her inhuman
fingernails. "I dunno," he answered truthfully once more. "I
guess it's just something to do." He reasoned.
She glared at
him, more in confusion then anger. "You're an idiot." The inhuman
woman focused her attentions on herself. Idly she clawed at the metal band that
wrapped around her neck, it was no fashion accessory -it was part of her
existence. It was a constant companion, a monitoring device.
The seemingly
benign band of metal, no more than a half inch wire wrapped around her neck was
able to record everything: where she went, what she did, what she said and whom
she talked too. It knew when she took a shower, when she ate and what time she
went to sleep. It knew that and more, it knew what emotions she felt and her
reactions to those around her. It was her collar in every meaning of the word.
Under lock and leash by the District Abhuman Supervisor who knew everything
about her at any given moment.
That was another
reason people stayed far away from her. Fear of her constant companion, who
knew who might be listening to their conversations, recording every word they
said for later use and persecution.
She sent another
hateful glare at him from two seats over; he was staring again. She tied her
rough, pale blond hair back into a ponytail, as it would cause her problems
later.
One of her ears
perked, she placed her Academy Networked HoloCron (ANH)
into its receiver on the desk in front of her. The device blinked green twice before
synching with the system and uploading her profile and attendance. The display
lit up before her, she ran her hand through the assorted files and pulled up
'Tuesday's' work-chart. She shot a glance at Daniel. "The Instructor is
coming, you should get ready." She casually advised him, shoving her bag
underneath her desk before sitting up in her seat.
Daniel had long
since learned to trust the Abhumans' instincts. He lazily removed his own
HoliCron and set it in the receiver before him. The
Instructor walked in seconds later. It was the Forge Master himself; the doors
automatically parting before him the same as so many crowds. He took a
moment at the top of the steps to gaze at the many rows of empty seats and
desks. His gaze eventually fell on Daniel and Gwen. Daniel shriveled under the
punitive gaze of the Forge Master who would be filling in for their primary
instructor. The absentee instructor had been missing since last night, as they
would later find out during opening notes. Daniels' lackadaisical attitude
worked only to earn him a disapproving frown that stung more than words.
Gwen raised an
eyebrow at him, looking almost as condescending as the Forge Master; he
shrugged in return. With undisguised humiliation marking his face, Daniel returned to prepping his desk,
shoving aside detritus that seemed to always find its way into his bag as he
pulled out yesterday's notes.
The Instructor
prepared his own HoliCron at his Podium set before the bleachers of desks
overlooking the stage. The lights dimmed as the large projection screen behind
the Forge Master bloomed into a 3D projection of a crimson anvil at the base of
a tree, the academies personal crest.
The class portion
of the session began with opening notes, as always. The Forge Master then went
on to talk about the current state of affairs in the southern district. They
were receiving a shipment of metals early; this would extend their normal
monthly quota to bi-monthly for the foreseeable future.
The Forge Master
went on to discuss other topics concerning Odon, but Daniel wasn't really that
interested. He only listened when it was concerning the Northern District or anything
affecting him directly.
The Northern
District had a new attraction opening in one of the various skywalk parks, a Mayahg
living garden. His head picked up at this, he'd only ever seen net-vids of the
famous walking plants and slithering vines of the world of Mkas-IV. He'd very
much like to see one in person.
A few more
minutes passed on like this; the Instructor commented on the eastern and
western district as well, how the Agro-Facilities were exceeding their monthly
quota and how it was a small victory for them all. But after the USCA content
filtered news was shared with them, it became business as usual.
Morning Practices
began as the Forge Master demonstrated the process of configuring the
underlying superstructure of a standard USCA Red-Hawk fighter, then went on to
explain the properties of the derma-plating that went into it's construction. The
class went on to attempt to design several computerized examples of a solid
superstructure, using 3D models on their HoliCrons. Fingers darting over the
interface to make the virtual blueprint, the class worked in absolute silence,
the Forge Master observed them all.
Gwen was done
rather quickly. Finished, she dragged the design over to the deposit option.
The file uploaded and she leaned back in her seat, hands clasped together on
the table in front of her. Daniel eyed her; she had always been like this, she
never stood on ceremony when it came to work. She did allow herself to relax
though, her shoulders slumped and she leaned back in her seat a bit, the
uncomfortable plastic chair creaked slightly and caught the Forge Masters'
attention.
He paused before
checking his drop box on his HoliCron. He extracted Gwen's blueprint, as well
as a few others that had been finished. He raised an eyebrow at Gwen's design.
His eyes met the Abhumans and he nodded in approval. He then looked at Daniel
next to her. He stared for a moment before sighing, a small shake of his head
before he went back to viewing the remaining few.
Daniel sat
straighter, slightly confused, his hand hovering over the send button for his
design. Somehow, he felt as if he had disappointed the Forge Master.After morning
practices concluded, Gwen received a slight nod of recognition for her work.
They were called upon to stand, forming into a line and following the ancient
man through narrow halls, 'till they stood before a massive steel door.
It had become
time to enter the Forgeworks.