“Six days ago, the five of you were involved in a terrible fire. Nearly twenty others like you did not survive it. You five were lucky; you were able to escape the flames and were brought to this hospital, where you underwent surgery to repair the horrible damage done to your bodies. But you know all this. What you don’t know is that that fire was no accident! That fire was the direct result of a surprise attack by the Summaris Islands, a surprise, unprovoked attack upon a defenseless city.”

Callum watches this man who had just been introduced to them, his fellow survivors, as Colonel Batherst, pace before them. They stand at attention in the conference room they were called to, stand as they have been taught to stand since they woke up different, ‘improved’, as they were told.

“The Summaris Islands have for many years held themselves above the rest of us! They look down on great countries such as Scalya, Recha, Mettos, and indeed ourselves. And now we see that they feel they are outside international law, not to be held to its standards, which are in place to protect civilians from needless murder. We don’t know why they have chosen to attack us, or what they hope to gain, but with the help of young men such as yourselves, we’ll stop them in their tracks before any more innocent people die.”

Batherst pauses, and considers them a moment. Callum shifts nervously under his heavy gaze, and clenches his fists, sending a ripple through his powerful new muscles. The colonel sees this and smiles. “Your doctors took bodies that were broken by this disgusting attack and remade them, better than before. It is you that, with your agreement, will take revenge on the Islands, show them that such things will not go unpunished.”

And when he says it like that, it’s impossible to disagree.

“Yes sir!”

“Very good,” Batherst says, hands locked loosely behind his back. “Very good. You five will make up the Army’s very first Special Forces COMBAT unit. Callum?”

“Yes sir?”

“You are Striker One, this is your command.” Batherst sweeps his arms out to the side, the gesture encompassing the other four young men.

“Sir!”

“You will under go an intense fourteen day training course, starting now, and upon your graduation from that, will receive your first mission. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir!” The Araneki Army’s newest recruits shout, and it rumbles through the air not unlike an earthquake.

Previous: Scene 5-VII

Scene 5-VIII

Next: Scene 5-IX