Siyo slowly awoke to a DI yelling his head off at him “Get outta that bunk Siyo before I assign you clean up duty for the rest of your time on this miserable planet!”
Siyo jumped up and quickly dashed to his trunk and donned his armor. He placed the module on his chest, and when the armor was just starting to unfold and slide its metal tentacles to envelope him; he remembered the portal.
“Where am I?” he said softly.
“What was that recruit? Did I just hear you talk back to me?”
“Sir, no sir!”
The DI nodded and walked out of the barracks. Siyo thought for a second, and looked around the barracks. Everything was as usual, except there were a few bunks that were occupied, that weren’t occupied since the attack. Siyo pulled up the date and grimaced, second rise of the moon, first cycle at the boot camp. Siyo rushed outside and lined up with the rest of the recruits, some of which he could save their lives today.
“Do not alter what needed to happen, it was their time.”
Siyo jumped at the voice, and remembered that he was inside the portal, in a swirling vortex of time.
“What’s got into you Siyo? Having nightmares about us in your waking dreams too? Makes us feel like we got our jobs done.” The head DI laughed behind his visor. “Today we are heading to the shooting range, we will be practicing with Photon Rifles, Slicer Pistols, Photon Rail Guns, a Mounted Ripper Gatling Gun, and the DI’s favorite, the Hurricane Grenade!”
Some of the DI’s chuckled, while other laughed nervously, the grenades could always go wrong. One wrong move, and it explodes in your hand.
“Remember, we will be shooting live ammunition, however, we will use long term stun grenades. Drop them, and you are out of action until the next rise of the moon. Now let’s move it!”
It was a short jog to the firing range, and the first weapon on the menu was the standard issue Photon Rifle. Siyo picked up one of the rifles from the rack, and casually walked up to the range.
“All right Siyo, you seem to know how to handle the gear, you are up first.”
Siyo pulled the rifle to bear, took aim quickly and fired a burst of five. The bullets couldn’t be traced as they were made of light. However, a target one hundred meters away exploding showed the aftermath of Siyo’s deadly accuracy.
“Nice shot recruit, now let the others try.”
As Siyo walked to back to the recruits, he stopped next to the Head DI.
“Sir, permission to speak.”
The DI looked at him curiously beneath the visor, “Granted”
“Do not alter what happened, it will only bring grief upon you. Time is not to be meddled with. What you change now will affect your entire life.”
Siyo silently debated with himself, and decided life was worth what may happen.
“Sir, the Vesmos will rise from the sands during the Slicer pistol training, I advise we prepare.”
No sooner than he was done speaking than that familiar tingle passed through him.
“Time will not be changed, do not attempt it!”
The DI was still looking at him, “Well, go on Siyo, what is so important?”
“Nothing sir, just slightly nervous about the grenade training.”
The DI clapped him on the back, “Nothing to be scared of, as long as you don’t drop the cursed thing.”
Siyo headed back with the other recruits, and sat gloomily. He may be able to save some of the recruits with action, if not preparation.
“You cannot change what will happen, complete your task, this is not a second chance to right mistakes that you did not make.”
Sooner than Siyo expected, Slicer Pistol training was next. Siyo carefully readied his Photon Rifle, and slid a new core into the receiver. He ran a quick diagnostics, and a wave of nausea hit him. He was about to see those painful deaths of his fellow recruits once more.
A rumble shook the ground, and Siyo raised his gun, and pointed at edge of the Rail Gun range. As expected, a gaping abyss spread it’s mouth and, sucked in a few recruits. Siyo shot the first three Vesmos that poured out, but there were so many.
“You cannot defeat them all, events will happen as they did that day, all except one.”
The tingle came back, and Siyo was at the edge of the abyss. He looked to his left, and Ranyk was fighting five Vesmos at once. Siyo raised his sight, and killed two before he fell into the abyss.
