Terra-Magna Academy [Location: Mars]

Athena watched the video in amusement. She doubted that Vincent would do something like this willingly, so he must've been set up for it or something. Before the lesson had started, she did a quick search, and realised why she thought he was familiar, because he was. Although, she didn't consider his 'fame' as a factor of him, nor would she treat him differently. She had her own experiences of this, whenever she went to a lab her mother had worked at, and it was rather annoying.


She noticed Vincent walk in, but she focused instead on the question. As he sat down, she grinned over at him before answering. "Traditional trenches were often subject to flooding, and in winter they would sometimes freeze. As a result of wet conditions and poor hygiene, some soldiers suffered from trench foot, frostbite and often had very little time to rest.". Good thing she loved reading.


She didn't consider Vincent's attitude as rude, but then again she was very difficult to faze or offend, and Vincent's attitude reminded her of Adrihel a little. "Nice to see they didn't shoot you, Mr Lieutenant.", she whispered back playfully, a sly grin pulling at the edges of her mouth, although she was trying to keep a straight face, she wasn't doing a very good job.


@VMGrey


(I'm going off of WW1 here lol. Nice that my history GCSE is finally coming into use! XD)

A quick visual check ensured that the gravitic field generator was stable.  The main body of the device was a truncated cone of a shadowy-silver metal, with the spirals of gravitic inducers contained in a toroid of transparent aluminum.  Fortunately, the meter-diameter base of the drive just fit on floor of the sled, although he had set each of the robotic arms that were set at the corners of the sled to brace against the generator just in case.  It was a smaller model than was used in the ships of the line, but it should function well enough in either his laboratory or classroom.  Viktor was never quite sure whether one of his latest requests to the Engineering department was going to be thought of as a opportunity to demonstrate their excellence (which was certainly how he had tried to present the latest request) or just a waste of work-hours.  Pressing a few buttons, at least until they allow me to install an uplink... the workshop door slid open, and the automated sled followed him out into the hallway.


Garmungdur was wearing one of the dark body-suits from his time at the Guangzhou Shipyards, partially for the embedded protective material for any later tinkering he did in the lab and partially to due the sheer convenient efficiency of spending half as much time deciding on what to wear.  The sled moved slowly and somewhat clumsily, necessitating a few verbal warnings of "Careful!"  and "Watch out for the potentially-lethal-if-it-falls-on-you device!"  The students seemed to get the idea, although the last comment garnered a few worried expressions.  Viktor couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he gradually made his way to the main Science building, generator in tow.

Ayla walked into one of the many mess halls, looking around. It was rather empty, but that was because the second period classes were in session. She went over to one of the many vending machines built into the wall. Lifting her wrist, she pressed the metal band against the surface of the machine and it came to life, speaking out in a monotone voice.


"Hello Ms.Syko, what would you like today?"


Just give me something easy and quick to eat.


"Of course"


All the vending machines had an algorithm programmed so that if you dont know what you wanted exactly, you could just describe your mood and then it would make the right choice for you, give or take. 


In the opening, a plate of food appeared. The machine had decided a granola bar was good for Ayla's current mood. She took it and opened the wrapper, walking back to her classroom as she ate


@VMGrey@FrostFire@Lord Shaxx@Misuteri Kenshi

"Good job... New girl." The teacher chirped bemused as he looked over at the table Athena and Vince sat at. He gave a reinforcing smile and turned back to the board. He soon brought up a video demonstration of how the battle simulation works. Vince raised his eyebrows and turned his full attention towards Athena, "It wouldn't be the first time, and it definitely won't be the last" He smirked as he joked. A lot of Vince's more morbid jokes almost always carried some sliver of truth, yet it proved that he thought nothing of danger. That made Vincent's lifestyle very dangerous to say the least, and his courage is what made him so feared in the simulation. 


Vincent's grey eyes found Athena''s and studied them for a bit, it was obvious that there was something he needed from her, and she wasn't the only one. There was that girl with the flight helmet, she would be of great use. It's not like he knew anything about them for that matter. They were just random students, and even Vince had began to wonder how they would work in the field together. There was no doubt in Vince's mind that he could lead them, he knew how capable he was. He would carry their weight on his shoulders if he had to. Yet, all of those things wouldn't matter if he didn't have a team to lead. While lost in thought, he noticed that Andrina had walked into the classroom, and a light-bulb went off. The teacher dismissed the class so they could gather in their squads and discuss amongst each other. 


"Athena, I don't want to worry you, but you're joining my squad. Congratulations" Vince flashed her a coy grin and stood up striding over to where Andrina sat, standing behind her. He lowered his body and muttered under his breath so only she could hear him.


"I need your help." The words would linger in the air near her head after he had left for his seat. It wasn't often that he told anyone of needing anyone's help, today really seemed to be an off-day for Vince.


@Flowër Powër  @FrostFire

Athena nodded at the teacher, keeping a straight face. He obviously hadn't expected that... Her mouth turned up in a genuine grin at Vincent's joke, lokked like they had a similar sense of humour. She met his eyes, and hers narrowed a little as she noted what she could read from his face. She didn't mind what she saw, but her mind did start turning, as her brain worked on what she saw in his eyes. She looked back to the front of the class, keeping her expression guarded, and not letting what she was thinking show on her face. 


"Why would I be worried? Sounds like fun!", she grinned, putting her thoughts to the back of her mind. She packed up her things, of which there wasn't much, and stood, going to the door, and waited for Vincent.


She wasn't sure exactly what she saw in his face, but she felt like he was in some sort of turmoil, and needed her for something. She decided she would help him, although she would ask for an explination before hand...


@VMGrey

"I'm told that a lifestyle that includes me, includes a twenty-five percent accident-free rate" Vince commented as he grabbed Athena's forearm, pulling her away from the other students flooding out of the room. His attention was divided between her and the head count of the class. Being on the top might be hard this year. Vince snapped his head towards Athena--they were unusually close--his gaze on her was intense. It was in this moment that Vince would take in the girl's facial features.


"Are you naturally pretty or was that a result of your modifications?" Vince asked a little too inquisitively, he soon flashed a flirty smile to hide his true curious nature. He hated it when people saw how he truly acted, it usually led to him being taken advantage of.


Vince wasn't disturbed by how close they were, backing up a few seconds he flashed his smile. He was disturbed by all of the different ways he could get this innocent girl hurt. It didn't sit well with him in the slightest, and as he walked away towards a window parallel to where he was currently. He stared outside, looking at the Mars horizon. Somewhere among the face of this very planet, his father was most likely killed in action. Vince knew that couldn't be the case, his body was never found on the base. Mateo's body was never found. That gave Vince a bit of hope: his dad might be alive somewhere among the cosmos. If that were the case, that means that he had either fled or was taken prisoner. Vince preferred the latter, it would mean that his father wasn't a coward. As dark as it may seem, Vince knew that Mateo would rather die than run from a fight. Vince knew this cause he was the same way.


@FrostFire @Flowër Powër  @Lord Shaxx @FabulousTrash @Raparth

Athena chuckled at his joke, and went along with him without an objection. She wasn't effected by their closeness, or his piercing gaze, and she smiled up at him warmly. She raised an eyebrow at his question, but answered anyway, "I suppose a bit of both. Although I can't be the judge of that...", she didn't believe the flirty smile, and stayed where she was when he backed up. Her smile turned into a frown as he turned away, she felt as if there was something eating him up on the inside. She went over to stand next to him, looking out of the window too.


"I know we don't know each other very well... But Vincent,", she turned her head to look at him, "Are you okay? You seem a bit... Sad.", she paused and scanned his face. "Is there any way I can help?".


@VMGrey

The boy didn't look at her as she spoke to him, she was seemed to be just as curious as he was. Vince let out a sigh as he backed away from the window and finally faced Athena. He didn't give her another indication of his true feelings. If he wanted to become even half of them leader everyone expected him to be, he would need to keep his feelings hidden for the sake of his mission. 


"Why don't we go get you suited up, I need to asses your skills in battle." Vince gave her a gentle smile before he walked off. Inside the large circular building, on its first floor, there were many rooms that housed each upperclass men squad. Each squad was assigned a room colloquially called a 'Hub'. A Hub was made up of a small commons room, with a door that led to a locker room. On the other end of the locker room would be a large door that rises to reveal the Simulation Chamber. FoxTrot's Hub was small and unfurnished. Usually, a Hub represented each squad, their interests, their achievements. However, FoxTrot didn't have any achievements, and so far the only squad member was Vince. Athena had to prove her worth. 


Vince arrived at the door of FoxTrot's Hub as it opened, the door shooting upward. He brought his wrist-com up and went through various things until he got to the settings for his Hub, allowing Athena guest access.


@FrostFire @Flowër Powër  @FabulousTrash @Misuteri Kenshi @Raparth @Lord Shaxx

Athena only nodded, and jogged quickly to her room, changing into the more advanced suit, the more bottom heavy one, and jogging over to where she thought she would be. Luckily, she walked close to the right door, and it shot up, she eyed Vincent inside.


"So what do you think? Pretty neat huh? I made it from scratch, and I have a few tricks up my sleeve, quite literally!", she giggled a bit, before pressing a few concealed buttons on the inside of her suit, and it began softly humming.


"Uh... Go easy on me, I haven't practised much... And this is expensive.", she muttered a bit. She knew she was going to get her arse handed to her, that she didn't mind, but the suit was rather complicated to repair. It was well withing her abilities, but still...


"So what exactly are we doing, so I can prepare for an ass whooping?", she grinned, teasing a little.


@VMGrey

Vincent sized up the suit that Athena had returned in, it didn't seem to give her any kind of advantage over him. Vince decided that it was best to drop the subject before he brought it up. It wasn't common to see someone in their own outfit in the U.S.E. Military. The very thought of not being in uniform would definitely ruffle the uptight feathers of the Commanding Officers. Omarov being one of the ruffed. Vince had begun to feel the same, for once he knew how Omarov felt about uniform.

"You sure you aren't a fashionista?" Vince would purr as he examined Athena. "Your outfit screams Military Chic!" He stood before her before turning, heading towards the locker room.

Upon entering, Vince peeled off his jacket, tossing it onto one of the nearby benches that were situated to his right. He looked back at Athena before opening a locker door, hiding behind it as he stripped to his undergarments. Quickly, Vince would change into his training outfit, a pair of navy blue combat pants that allowed him to move efficiently and a darker blue long-sleeve shirt . With a mezzo-forte bang, the locker door closed, leaving Vince in his outfit. In his hand he held his boots, which he promptly put on once he sat down on the bench behind him.

"Load Simulation: Chyron-52" Vince said into his wrist-com, as he approached the giant metallic door at the end of the locker room. A soft hum was audible as the door raised and revealed a lush rain forest, complete with a thunderstorm. "I hope your electronics are immune to water.." Vince chuckled slightly as he entered the simulation.

FrostFire

"It was a pain to get this here, and her sister...", once he was done, she followed him. "Well, yeah, of course. I grew up in Scotland after all...", she sighed. Looked like she was going into this completely blind, thankfully, she had activated all the mods on her suit, just in case. She felt as if Vincent was going to throw her into the deep end, and she had to be prepared for it.
Steeling herself for what was to come, even though she had no idea what that was save for the water element, she went in after Vince.
Retro-Grey

Thunder cracked up above, loud and menacingly. Vince wouldn't flinch because he knew why he chose this simulation. His feet would trudge on as all of his previous banter lost its wind. If Athena could see his face, she would be immediately greeted by a blank stare rivaled by the void of space. Needless to say, when Vince gets caught up like this, don't bother prying.

"We're gonna stop here." Vince commanded, stopping dead in his tracks. His head turned with his whole body following soon after. Vince approached Athena very carefully, grabbing her by the wrist and spinning her body so that her back was to his chest. He kept his voice below a whisper, as if they were being listened to.

"I'm going to need your help with something..." Vince muttered in Athena's ear. "I need you to bring down the school's systems down. I won't be able to do it myself on account of my leaving"

Vince pushed the girl away as if they were in a skirmish, giving her a look to play along. The boy could never shake the feeling of being watched. He just hoped that she would catch his drift.

FrostFire

Athena stopped when he asked, and didn't protest as he spun her around. So she was right, he did want something from her...
Understanding the look he gave her, she began to circle him. She spoke, but her mouth barely moved, it just looked as if she were breathing heavily, and she spoke quietly enough that she wasn't even sure if Vincent would hear her over the noise of their surroundings.
"What's in it for me? Are you gonna give anything else to work with here?", let alone the schools system would be nigh on impossible to hack, she felt as if she could manage it. If not, she could always fashion a fake terrorist attack or something, although that could get her expelled at the very least, and probably a lot of jail time.
She ran at him, the springs in her clunky shoes propelling her as she practically flew at him, and tackled him, hopefully to the ground. It would give him another chance to speak, and she was deathly curious about what he had said. Hell, she even wanted to go with him, but she would ask that later, and considering what he had said, she doubted his plan was for her to tag along.
Retro-Grey FabulousTrash

"Truth be told? Nothing", Vince told Athena when they tumbled to the floor of the jungle. He flipped their bodies over and pinned the girl down. "Good job by the way."

Vince's head turned, knowingly making eye-contact with one of the cameras that watched the two teens fight. He gave a cocky smirk as lightning blared down and blinded the cameras. When the feed would come back, the two would be gone. Vince planned it perfectly, he's been examining every inch of the Simulation Chamber and discovered something incredible. When running the Rain forest simulation, there was a spot where no cameras could see you, and if you spoke low enough you could go unheard. The spot was surrounded by three of the biggest trees and dipped into a ditch. The lightning was the perfect distraction as Vince had purposely pushed Athena and himself into this secret spot. They didn't have much time.

"I need to get to that Colony. And I need you to make sure I can leave this place" Vince said in a whisper, they were still in close proximity so it wasn't hard to hear.

FrostFire FabulousTrash

Find them.

She watched as the simulation operators quickly worked, attempting to find Vincent and Athena in the camera feed. One reported that they were unsuccessful. Aayla racked her brain as to where they could've gone whilst looking through the one-way viewing glass. But with no luck, she grunted and turned to the operators again

Lock the building off. Do it discretely. No one goes in or out

As she left the viewing platform, she raised her wrist to her mouth as she unholstered her pistol

I need a security team down at the simulation room. We have unaccounted trainees inside.

The team she requested met her at the entrance into the simulation area. Aayla quickly advised them to be stealthy and quiet and the team entered, fanning out as they began to search for Athena and Vincent.

FrostFire Retro-Grey

She grinned, well at least he was honest... Yet again, she was shoved around by him, and she sighed, even if she didn't mind much.
"Right... Can I come with you?", she asked hopefully, knowing he would probably say no. Still, couldn't hurt to ask.
She moved on, not waiting for an answer. "You owe me for this. I could get expelled, and that would be my career down the drain..", she sighed, shaking her head. She would do it, but only because it sounded like fun.
Grinning slyly, she hooked her leg through his, and swept them both over again, landing on top of him. "So... Did I pass the test?", she chuckled, her voice mockingly hopeful.
Retro-Grey FabulousTrash

"I gotta do this alone." Vince scoffed as he landed on his back, Athena on top of him.

Vince looked around, their time was up inside the hiding the spot. Without hesitation, Vince flipped them once more. getting up from the position right after. His hands found Athena's wrist and brought her up. Vince then placed his hand on the small of Athena's back, leading her out of the spot silently.

"Could you do me another huge favor?" Vince muttered into Athena's ear, "Make sure no one messes with Andrina."

The statement wasn't a surprise to Vince in his own head, but hearing it come from his own mouth shocked him immensely. He doesn't deny how he had felt about the girl during freshman year, but now he realized how much he subconsciously cares for the girl. Going as far as to prevent her from bullying on multiple occasions. Even though in retrospect, Vince was her biggest bully. That shouldn't be for long.

FrostFire FabulousTrash

The rain in the simulation continued to pound down on Aayla as she moved through the area, keeping quiet. Her gun was raised to her face as she glanced here and there. None of the other members of the security team had reported sightings, so forward was the only way to go. She could have the simulation terminated, but then that would just give Vincent and Athena an easier time escaping since it took a few seconds for the simulation room to completely power down. Cursing under her breath, she pressed on

Retro-Grey FrostFire

Athena sighed. She had known the answer, so his answer didn't surprise her. She stood with his aid, and brushed her armour off, it had withheld nicely, and seemed to still be working great. It was a shame she hadn't managed to use any of the cool features though. Ah well, another time.
She nodded, "Of course. But you seemed to be the only one messing with her, so I'm sure she'll be fine.", she also didn't seem like she appreciated the help, although she would still try.
Retro-Grey FabulousTrash
(( 0-0 Umm... What exactly have they done to have people looking for them with guns? XD You'd think they'd just done what they're planning to do lol.))